DON'T CLOSE YOUR EYES
LAWRENCE KELTER, Leisure Books, New York, NY, $6.99 US, paperback,
(322p)
ISBN: 0-8439-5554-6
"Don't Close Your Eyes" begins with a whimper and a bang--two seemingly
unrelated deaths. The first is a teenage girl whose asthma suffocates
her while sleeping. The second is a man shot on the tram that connects
Roosevelt Island to Manhattan. Lying next to the man is the real
puzzle: a woman who might appear to have died of natural causes if not
for the handwritten note stuffed in her mouth that simply reads "Look
back."
Murder mystery thrillers are often driven by tough, fast-talking,
streetwise detectives with a sad story about their past and a penchant
for nabbing perps. The cop on the case in "Don't Close Your Eyes" is
all these things and more. Meet Stephanie Chalice. She's a smart,
beautiful, 28-year-old NYPD homicide detective whose acerbic repartee
is like an arsenal of nuclear missiles--it convinces her male
colleagues that she means business.
Behind all the bluster, though, is a young woman with fierce passions
who shows the same tremendous dedication to her ill mother as she does
her job. Chalice is an excellent detective, but it comes at a cost. She
suffers recurring nightmares, and obsesses that the diabetes that
killed her father and weakens her mother will one day come for her.
When a second woman is found dead with a rag in her mouth and another
cryptic note nearby, Chalice realizes a serial killer stalks
Manhattan's Upper East Side. Her detective work combines intelligence,
persistence, a skilled partner, and well-connected friends. Secret
allies also work on her behalf to thwart dangers that lie just beyond
her periphery. As she follows a trail of clues and corpses to the
murderer, she also pursues her own demons, uncovering startling truths
about who she really is.
"Don't Close Your Eyes" is entertaining and engrossing. Detective
Chalice is a strong character, the killer is devilishly intriguing, and
the well-paced plot will keep your eyes wide open.
BookWire Review
September 23, 2005
LAWRENCE KELTER, Leisure Books, New York, NY, $6.99 US, paperback,
(322p)
ISBN: 0-8439-5554-6
"Don't Close Your Eyes" begins with a whimper and a bang--two seemingly
unrelated deaths. The first is a teenage girl whose asthma suffocates
her while sleeping. The second is a man shot on the tram that connects
Roosevelt Island to Manhattan. Lying next to the man is the real
puzzle: a woman who might appear to have died of natural causes if not
for the handwritten note stuffed in her mouth that simply reads "Look
back."
Murder mystery thrillers are often driven by tough, fast-talking,
streetwise detectives with a sad story about their past and a penchant
for nabbing perps. The cop on the case in "Don't Close Your Eyes" is
all these things and more. Meet Stephanie Chalice. She's a smart,
beautiful, 28-year-old NYPD homicide detective whose acerbic repartee
is like an arsenal of nuclear missiles--it convinces her male
colleagues that she means business.
Behind all the bluster, though, is a young woman with fierce passions
who shows the same tremendous dedication to her ill mother as she does
her job. Chalice is an excellent detective, but it comes at a cost. She
suffers recurring nightmares, and obsesses that the diabetes that
killed her father and weakens her mother will one day come for her.
When a second woman is found dead with a rag in her mouth and another
cryptic note nearby, Chalice realizes a serial killer stalks
Manhattan's Upper East Side. Her detective work combines intelligence,
persistence, a skilled partner, and well-connected friends. Secret
allies also work on her behalf to thwart dangers that lie just beyond
her periphery. As she follows a trail of clues and corpses to the
murderer, she also pursues her own demons, uncovering startling truths
about who she really is.
"Don't Close Your Eyes" is entertaining and engrossing. Detective
Chalice is a strong character, the killer is devilishly intriguing, and
the well-paced plot will keep your eyes wide open.
BookWire Review
September 23, 2005
"Lawrence Kelter is an exciting new novelist, who reminds me of an early Robert Ludlum." -- Nelson DeMille "Chalice's acerbic repartee is like an arsenal of nuclear missiles." -- BookWire Review "Edge of the seat tension with a killer on the streets of New York and homicide detective Stephanie Chalice hot on the trail." -- Coffee & Crime "Chalice is irresistible; a contemporary tour de force!" -- James Siegel, New York Times bestselling author of Derailed "This is what they mean by pulp fiction." -- Simon Wood, author of TERMINATED “Stephanie Chalice follows hunches, cracks wise and handles a 9MM with the best of NYPD’s finest in this well- crafted police procedural about a missing ambassador’s son and a tortured man found in Central Park. Finding the murderer tests the limits of one dying man’s endurance. The Brain Vault is not only a suspenseful story, but stands to represent the triumph of the human will to survive adversity and confront the inevitable end.” --Debbi Mack, New York Times bestselling author of Identity Crisis and Least Wanted "A great blend of Cosa Nostra and international intrigue." -- Nelson DeMille "Chalice is Plum and then some; all the fun and twice the drama." -- Ann Loring, International Women's Writing Guild "The Sopranos meet James Bond; the next book you'll see everyone reading," -- Robert Klemer, Author of The Inheritor “Several young aspiring starlets are murdered in Hollywood, California, possibly at the bidding of one of Tinsel Town’s heavy hitters. When Frank Mango is hired to find a woman’s missing sister, he fears she might fall prey to the Sunset Killer. Reading like a highly suspenseful combination of hardboiled prose and standup comedy, Kiss of the Devil’s Breath will keep you guessing and laughing. Readers will want to get to know Frank Mango, the fat, funny private eye with the fruity name.” --Debbi Mack, New York Times bestselling author of the Sam McRae mystery series "Lawrence Kelter weaves together the strands of intrigue expertly and with convincing authority--a no holds barred look at the international intelligence community and organized crime. A tale of deceit and retribution," -- Eugene P. Foley. Former President, National Committee on American Foreign "The opening chapter of this book plays out like the opening scenes of an episode of Bones - feisty, flirty dialogue between the two characters, skulls popping out, and a perp attack with a Taser!I love crime thrillers, the grisly the better and as one of the baddies turns out to be reminiscent of the freak in Creep, complete with dark train tunnels and the odd rat, this book satisfied my appetite and then some. Stephanie Chalice (Cha-lee-see) is a formidable girl in blue, complete with hot body, penchant for gym sessions and an uncanny sixth sense which never lets her down. Team that with FBI Agent Ambler and her sexy partner, Lido and you have yourself a fantastic book. Realistic, gripping, gritty, this meaty story is easily one of the best books I have read for a while. My only regret is not reading the books in order. Not that this detracts from the story in any way, but I shall be checking out the other works in the series as soon as I can. Kelter is a master, pure and simple. Stephanie is right up there with James Patterson's character, Lindsey Boxer, and we all know how strong a female she is..." -- Rachel Dove, The Kindle Book Review |
| REVIEWS |
| DON'T CLOSE YOUR EYES: TOP 10 AMAZON BEST SELLER, MYSTERY/POLICE PROCEDURAL OVER 5 MONTHS RANSOM BEACH: TOP 30 NOOK BOOK & #1 NOOK MYSTERY/DETECTIVE STORY THE BRAIN VAULT: TOP 10 AMAZON BEST SELLER, MYSTERY/POLICE PROCEDURAL & WOMEN SLEUTHS KISS OF THE DEVIL'S BREATH: TOP 10 AMAZON BEST SELLER, MYSTERY/HARD-BOILED |