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Summary: Can't wait for Ms. Lankford's new novel.
Review: After the disappointment of "The Last Precinct" by Patricia Cornwell, I needed time to reacquaint myself with Mystery Novels. I am so glad to have chosen JR Lankford's first book to do so. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down.
JR Lankford has given birth to such realistic characters that one almost expect to meet them in flesh. Her literary style puts her with the Masters of the "genre", the build up of the suspense is perfectly timed. As Cyrano de Bergerac (Edmond Rostand) says so well:"Et pour un coup d'essai, ce fut un coup de maître". If you can buy only one Mystery Novel, make sure it will be "The Crowning Circle" by JR Lankford!
I can't wait to read the new adventures of Jake and Skeet. Please, Ms Lankford, don't make us wait too long before gracing us again with one of your novels.
Johana Smith (Author of A Basketful of Rhymes)
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Summary: Chills and Thrills
Review: Any reader who can resist the chilling murder that opens The Crowning Circle isn't a serious fan of crime fiction. A body drops, just like in standard mystery fare, and an action-packed ending leaves the reader wishing for more, but J. R. Lankford never settles for formula suspense. Her forte lies in rich characterization. Skeet Cullum, a forensic psychologist himself in need of therapy and Jake, a grown up geek still looking for emotional fulfillment, combine their skills and shortcomings to define the crimes then solve them. Add two of the most vividly drawn girlfriends to appear in the genre and you have a winner. Will this foursome team up again? Encourage a positive answer. Read the book!
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Summary: Outstanding first try
Review: For mysteries, I read authors Robert Parker, Thomas Perry, James Patterson, Patricia Cornwell, Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich, etc and I think this book is right up at the top with theirs. The story all happens in a small Ohio town and evolves around Skeet Cullum (a forensic psychologist) who inadvertantly and unwantingly gets his super hi-tech freind involved with many unsolved murders. Also, while working on these cases, they both have to expand and grow in their personal lives. The characters are fleshed out really well and actually grow and improve as people through to the end of the book and the plot moves with a nice pace that just makes you want to keep reading it. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is reading mysteries by the same or similar authors as I do.
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Summary: THRILLER WITH A BRAIN
Review: I am very lucky. I enjoy books dealing with crimes and criminal investigations. Fortunately for me, there is no shortage of these types of books. Sometimes they begin to sound an awful lot like each other. Not so Crowning Circle. This book is a fascinating and exciting crime novel. But where it differs from so many others of the genre, it has an intelligence and sophistication not often found. It is clear that Ms. Lankford herself is incredibly intelligent, in many areas as it turns out. The story deals with several, seemingly unrelated deaths. Two friends, one a Police Psychiatrist (Skeet) and one a computer whiz (Jake) use their own style of investigation to try and solve the mystery. Skeet uses intuition and an almost psychic ability to try to solve cases. He relies on his instincts to try and interpret events. Jake, on the other hand, is used to thinking analytically. He needs facts to guide him. The juxtaposition of the two opposite methods of solving the crimes is what makes this book so compelling. Both Skeet and Jake, as divergent in their thinking as they are, are able to complement each other, drawing on their strengths to see the events from completely different angles. This is a multi-cultural story - Skeet is African-American with a Vietnamese girlfriend, Jake is Caucasian and falls in love with an Alsacian woman. Ms. Lankford knows her stuff, and the convergence of these different people and their personal issues makes for a fascinating read. All that being said, this is a terrific book, one that is very hard to put down because of the twisting plot, but it also makes the reader think. There is a lot of drama going on, and following the convoluted path to the end is a deeply satisfying experience. Please do yourself a favor and get this book. If you are like me you will be waiting impatiently for Ms. Lankford's next book. This is one amazing lady, and she writes with elegance and intelligence.
Rating:
Summary: Very Readable
Review: I don't remember what prompted me to purchase this book, but I was hooked after reading the first couple pages. The book was so well written with detailed scenes and wonderful character development. I hope the author continues to write more Skeet/Jake novels (as she hinted at in the acknowledgements). I am just starting her current novel "The Jesus Thief" and hope I find it as enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: A good page-turner - when's the sequel coming out???
Review: I enjoyed the book (and the characters) immensely. Jake wasn't the typical geek who quotes from Star Trek, and Skeet was far from being a stereotypical war veteran reminiscing about 'Nam. I have found lately that the most important thing (to me) in finding an enjoyable book is that the characters are believable - they have faults and good traits, they get mad, happy, make mistakes, have traumas or good experiences in their past, etc - in short, they're just like someone you or I might meet in real life.
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Summary: The Crowning Circle - Eureka Said Archimedes
Review: In the genre of mysteries and ratiocination, J.R. Lankford's book stands out like a shining star in the plethora of mystery thrillers that fill the shelves of bookstores and the files of cyberspace. As a first effort of publication, Lankford produced a highly engaging and gripping novel. With just the right mix of popular culture and detective work, the book grabs the reader from the first 20 pages, and does not let go. In a combination of technological abstraction and mystery/thriller authorship, it is reminiscent of Crichton's "Andromeda Strain" in many ways. A true computer fanatic finds himself embroiled in a triple murder case, that through the use of sheer mental logic combined with computer creativity, turns out to be a serial murder case that takes the reader for a terrific cyber-ride. And, not only does Lankford's style entrance the reader, but she also has a sensitivity to the emotional interplay of human beings, that is often lacking in modern day thriller mysteries. The true human nature of her characters is graphically depicted throughout her work. She has succeeded in combining aspects of humanity that are rare in such works of fiction. With great creativity, the story weaves its way through the murders like a fine thread through the eye of a small needle. The reader is not able to make a quick jump to the conclusion that is ultimately spelled out by the book. One finds themselves truly engaged throughout the almost 400 pages in a way that is uncommonly gratifying for a work of its type. When the truth is finally revealed, one feels perhaps a bit like Archimedes, when he got into the bath and the water that spilled over gave him the answer to how to figure out whether the king's crown was truly made of pure gold. The answer to Archimedes problem was "displacement." In Lankford's story, the answer is that all things are related, nothing happens by accident. If there is anything that is slightly less than terrific about the book, the last 60 pages are somewhat predictable. But, not so much that the reader is able to disengage and say they know the end, before they get there. For readers who are detective and thriller enthusiasts, this book is truly worth the time and effort, which is minimal, as the book paces quickly and yet, does not lose the reader in simplicity as so many other thrillers of today do. My most fervent congratulations are tendered to Ms. Lankford for her first work, and I look forward with enthusiasm to her upcoming works. I think she has made a significant contribution to a genre that sometimes seems stale and unrealistic in the work of so many current day authors. The reader will find the book totally refreshing. Bravo!
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Summary: Heat of the Night - updated to 2001
Review: It was as if "In the Heat of the Night" had been updated to 2001, and moved from Mississippi to Ohio. The book is full of small town atmosphere, the characters are flesh and blood, and you feel for them as they move through the streets, alleys and small company workshops, trying to solve the crimes as they become enmeshed in a web of deceit, going back longer than any of them could imagine. JR Lankford is one of the few authors who has successfully handled the multiethnic character, without being condescending or stereotyped, reminding me a lot of Trevanian's Shibumi, still one of the great novels, and coincidentally featuring a Basque theme. Skeet and Jake are real people, they hurt, they cry, they bleed; there is nothing superhuman about them, they could be anyone around you, unlike 90% of the cast in the modern techno-fiction genres. The story blends a forensic pathologist, a small company owner, an orphan child, two beautiful mixed parentage girls, good cops/ bad cops, computer experts, a logging protest, murders, racial protests, a TV-station sleaze, seamlessly, without any emphasis on the politics and technology, or the Special forces, internet, stealth planes and satellites. The emotions and psychology are real, the people behave as real people, and that is what makes it special. It is not contrived, it is. Even the car chase and shoot-out work, combining "Yellow Cabs" and Bren guns, fork lift trucks and a brave chopper pilot, in an old saw mill. As a Macintosh user and aficionado, I was delighted to see the prominence assigned to the Mac in the book, and the subtle jibes at WinTel boxes, but they only did what they can do, there were no "black project" super computers at work, no code-busting PCs or multi-chip image processors, just a simple relational database and good, clear thinking. Was it Fourth Dimension or FileMaker Pro? The Crowning Circle kept me mesmerised for 6 hours on the plane from Tokyo to Bangkok, I just could not put it down, and though the ending was a little hurried, I closed the page and thought, "That was a beautiful book!" JR Lankford has made this first novel so good, she will have her work cut out to ensure number two is to the same high standard, but I am sure she will. All readers will want to read more of Skeet and Jake, Shirley and Gabrielle. I do.
Rating:
Summary: wow!
Review: My life doesn't give me the time to just sit and read a book from cover to cover. Basically it's a little here and a little there. I found that with this author's style of writing I didn't lose the story when I had to leave for a few hours, even though I didn't want to. J.R. Lankford is definitely an author to watch!
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing
Review: Other reviewers have summarized the plot; I will just add that I found the story and characters engrossing and hope lankford writes more. Obviously, the book needs a more inviting cover design.
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