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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
This was my first book by this author, but it was a great read, so it won’t be my last. I loved a good police procedural and this book delivered. The writing well was developed and on point and wove elements of historical fiction into the story. The descriptions were wonderful, and I could picture the entire book in my head as I was reading. I always have a lot of fun with that. I enjoyed that this book was told from current and past timelines. This book has plenty of drama, and the twists and reveals were wonderful.
Thank you so much to the publisher and netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you so much to the publisher and netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
4 stars! A high rating on my scale. Up to Calico, the previous 4-5 Lee Goldberg books that I've read have been mostly entertaining, fast moving and lightweight reads. Read 'em and move on, never giving them much thought really other than the 3-5 days of entertainment provided. Calico is different. Great original concept and combining of genres that results in an entertaining, fast moving read that makes you think and talk about with others, My guess is it will stick with me (and you?) much longer than most. Thanks for this one.
It is February 2019 as Calico by Lee Goldberg opens and Beth McDade is in Barstow, California. Not that she ever wanted to be there, but in the here and now, she is doing time in exile. Things went bad for her in Los Angeles. There was a media driven firestorm and she had to leave the police department in disgrace.
After the scandal hit the media fan, her name and reputation in the minds of many meant that it was almost impossible to get a job. She finally did with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s department and is a detective. She is assigned to the substation in Barstow and is on call almost always, even when off duty. It means that even when she has spent the previous few hours drinking at a local place where everybody knowns your business, and she is currently in bed with a man from the bar, she still gets called out to bodies.
Like when a couple in a RV hit somebody who ran out in the road in front of them. That just happened outside of Peggy Sue’s in nearby Yerno. A roadside diner, it is part of string of small places clustered there at the highway, and is the last stop for gas or a remnant of civilization until one gets to Baker, about fifty miles to the east across yet more desert.
The deceased might have been homeless considering his clothing and general appearance. The couple claim that there was lightning storm in the sky and then a boom from the nearby Marine base. The driver looked over to see what was happening and when he looked back, the guy was screaming and running right out in the road in front of him. The husband and wife are very upset.
According to Sheriff’s Deputy Willits, who was first on the scene, the breath analyzer indicates neither one has been drinking. He is ready to write it off as an accident.
While Deputy Willits is sure it was an accident and Deputy Beth McDade would tend to agree, she does have some questions. Why was he running across the parking lot of the diner in terror seconds before impact. Why does he have some items on his person that have not been seen in decades? Why did the Security Chief for the Marine Corps Logistic Base nearby, Bill Knox, showed up on scene, ask her some questions, and then bald faced lied to her.
This is the first of several cases, a couple of which are interlinked, that become her focus in Calico by Lee Goldberg. This police procedural features adult language, adult situations including sexual intimacy, and is not for everyone. It is also very complicated and well worth your time. Cases from the past and the present are worked by a detective that does her job and more as she pursues answers and justice.
This reviewer is deliberately ignoring a major chunk of the story as to not cause any spoilers. This is a read that will bend your mind and is well worth your time. Calico by Lee Goldberg is very good.
My reading copy came by way of Severn House and a NetGalley ARC with no expectation of a review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2023
this was a different read. However, it was very good. There were quite a few surprises and he threw in a few curves along the way. A good read.
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
Detective Beth McDade is investigating the disappearance of chef Owen Slador alongside the accidental death of a mysterious man suffering from cholera and extremely poor hygiene. As she starts to connect the dots, we follow Owen's side of the story as he suddenly finds himself in the late 1800s trying to survive.
I really enjoyed the mixtire of genres in this book. Beth's investigation reads like a gritty thriller, while Owen's story is closer to science fiction. The author has clearly done a lot of research on life in the 1880s and, as a result, the time travel sections feel very real. The writing is extremely visual and this would work really well as a TV show!
A recommended read for fans of Michael Crichton, Val McDermid, and books that combine genres.
Thank you to Netgalley and Severn House for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed the mixtire of genres in this book. Beth's investigation reads like a gritty thriller, while Owen's story is closer to science fiction. The author has clearly done a lot of research on life in the 1880s and, as a result, the time travel sections feel very real. The writing is extremely visual and this would work really well as a TV show!
A recommended read for fans of Michael Crichton, Val McDermid, and books that combine genres.
Thank you to Netgalley and Severn House for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
This is a wonderful story from the creative mind of Lee Goldberg. It's a genre-bending yarn that combines a police procedural with strong western and sci-fi elements. Clearly, this has been a work of passion for the author and his efforts certainly paid off. While the story is complete, I hope this will turn into a series.
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Here is my review for Calico by Lee Goldberg
This story was a very exciting read and I really enjoyed reading it. I got into it straight away right from the beginning and I liked detective Beth McDade for her tenacity plus she didn’t let her past get her down. Barstow is the only place she could get another badge and a chance at redeeming herself. She has drive and determination plus she is a good detective. She is looking into the death of a vagrant who was run over by a distracted motorhome driver during a lightning storm. Then there is the skeleton that was dug up that is over a hundred years old apart from titanium part in the elbow and the teeth with fillings. They seem to be too new so are being checked by Amanda, who will call Beth back once she has an answer. Is this her chance at redemption? This was a thrilling read which I really loved and didn’t want it to end. It was set in Barstow, where not much goes on and it’s close to the Mojave desert. The writing was superb and the plotting was excellent. Some research may have been done by the author as they were quite knowledgeable about Barstow and the surrounding areas which showed in the writing of the story. I would like to read more books by this author.
Blurb :
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg, comes an explosive, page-turning investigative thriller - with a mind-blowing twist.
There's a saying in Barstow, California, a decaying city in the scorching Mojave desert . . .
The Interstate here only goes in one direction: Away.
But it's the only place where ex-LAPD detective Beth McDade, after a staggering fall from grace, could get another badge . . . and a shot at redemption.
Over a century ago, and just a few miles further into the bleak landscape, a desperate stranger ended up in Calico, a struggling mining town, also hoping for a second chance.
His fate, all those years ago, and hers today are linked when Beth investigates an old skeleton dug up in a shallow, sandy grave . . . and also tries to identify a vagrant run-over by a distracted motorhome driver during a lightning storm.
Every disturbing clue she finds, every shocking discovery she makes, force Beth to confront her own troubled past . . . and a past that's not her own . . . until it all smashes together in a revelation that could change the world.