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Detectives John Stone and Carmen Dehan have been relegated to solving cold cases - because it's hard to argue they should be anywhere else when they deliver results. The second case they investigate involves two bare arms that turned up in a storage locker and were reported by the owner of said storage locker. With little to go on, they delve deep into the history of each of the owners with lockups but soon find that they've reawakened a serial killer.

I'm confused? I feel like the author show more and I are on two very different planets. Much like the first one, I found things getting lost in translation. It was definitely better than the first one, but I was still only mainly catching the gist of what was going on. There are just too many random references and/or slang that I just don't get. But I love cold case investigations and this series has a lot of books so I'm willing to keep going for as long as possible.

In regards to the mystery it was a bit all over the place. There was lots of rumination on to who, how and why but it was hard to follow at points and the balance between that and actual investigating was a bit iffy. It meandered a bit but it was generally fast paced and kept me guessing. I did not see the ending coming at all. I can't decide if it was really clever or really dumb to have the murderer as Bob and his wife - the random neighbours who appear at the start and are never mentioned again. . It was good but also terrible because how they hell were you supposed to guess ? It was definitely a tricky one.

The relationship between Stone and Dehan was alright. They seem to get on well and I like that Stone goes to bat for her. I dislike Dehan saying she knew he would come and that. It felt weak to me. Between that and always making breakfast for him, their relationship feels very one sided and more like her simpering after him - which I definitely do not like in my fiction. But they seem to have something of a friendship and it's okay. No doubt it'll develop into full blown romance - they stare at each other a hell of a lot - but it's par for the course these days. I would've liked to see more depth to both of them though. For all I've read two books, I don't really know anything about either of them and their lives. They seem to just revolve around one another, spend lots of time staring at each other and solve cases. Most of their dialogue is banter, snark and musings about the case. It's not bad, but I would like to get to know each character better.

I know this is a hard boiled noir flavoured mystery and they tend to be a little less politically correct but it's a little much at times. The race, domestic abuse and gender comments were terrible and unnecessary, made all the worse by how casual the references seem to be. It's the style - but I didn't like it - even if that is on me for reading.

It's not a perfect book but one that I enjoyed enough to decide to read the next one. 2.5 stars, rounded to 2 stars. show less

Detectives John Stone and Carmen Dehan have been relegated to solving cold cases - because it's hard to argue they should be anywhere else when they deliver results. This time they look into a cold case that has recently been requested by a private investigator who claims to know who was in the room when the crime happened. But none of their cold cases are ever that simple.

I don't know know what I just read. It started out strong and I thought maybe I was right to continue with this series show more and then Emma comes into play and it all went to hell. I am confused. I find the vernacular and slang of this series difficult to begin with. It's like being thrown into a town where everyone already knows everyone but no one bothers to explain the dynamics and you're left on the outside looking in. Maybe it's easier for New Yorkers to read - I don't know. I just know I often feel like I'm missing half the plot.

Regardless, I've stuck with this series and I've enjoyed the gist if not the entire picture. But this one leaves a lot to be desired. Dehan is crazy jealous and it's difficult to read, made all the more difficult by Stone's unwillingness to observe what's in front of him. They like half live together for god sakes. His inability to understand was cute in the last few books but in this one it's just irritating. On the other hand we have Dehan who apparently has given up all self respect. She's busy giving him a hard time and interrogating him on whatever is going on with Emma and it's like why not just tell him you like him and be done with it. Act like a bloody grown up.

As for everything with Emma - it all just goes to hell once she shows up. The romance or whatever you want to call it between Emma and Stone is torture. It's awkward and disturbing and cheesy to the extreme. Worse than that the plot just falls apart after she appears. Instead of a straightforward theft once she realises the items she stole are worth more than she was told it turns into the bloody Da Vinci Code. The painting is actually the Holy Grail, the shadowy and rich employee of the Vatican is driven by religious zealousness, Emma is Tamara who is Tasha who is, etc, etc all with a side of batshit crazy.

And Stone - Stone is fkn dumb in this one. He accepts a drugged drink from a suspect, continually gets involved with the other suspect/witness, even knowing she's killed a bunch of people invites her in for coffee and is surprised when she tries to kill him - it was all just fkn insane and way too ridiculous. I was just confused, annoyed and done. I read to the end but it was a struggle.

I'm not sure if I'll continue. I do like the idea of this series but I've finished all the ones that were on my tbr pile and I'm not sure I want to invest the time into this. It's a shame because I was thinking at the start that Stone and Dehan had rather grown on me - but the fallout of this might be too much for me to overlook. In any case this one requires a lot of suspension of disbelief in order to get through. 1.5 stars, rounded to 2 stars. show less

This was a good, basic police procedural. I got lost in the mix of all the criminal parties, but I followed the basic gist of the storyline. And I was very pleased to enjoy the detectives - they are a good team. Somewhat stereotypical/trope-heavy, but so what?

When the ending happens, its quite obvious and unsurprising. But I don't read books for solely for surprises. I liked the writing - it was pared down and devoid of unnecessary wordage. It kept the tone and pace nice and solid.

If I was show more being nitpicky, I would mention the great facility Detective Stone had with driving (nay, speeding!) in California even though he is a NY-er. Everyone knows the two locations have very different traffic.

In any case, I am interested in reading more in this series - my main reason is the teamwork of the two detectives and the writing style. show less

An Enjoyable Police Procedural with a Few Convenient Discoveries

If you’re a fan of police procedurals, chances are you’ll enjoy An Ace and A Pair. The story hits the ground running, with the ‘dinosaur’ of an NYPD detective, John Stone, partnered with attractive, but generally disliked Detective Carmen Dehan. They’re relegated to cold cases, and after shuffling through boxes of them, Stone picks the ten-year old, Nelson Hernandez file with the well-reasoned justification of “This show more one always interested me.”

Soon, the list of suspects from that gangland-style execution looks like a who’s who of the criminal world with the New Jersey Mob, a Chinese gang (the Triads), a Latino gang (the Angeles de Satanas), and one or more bent NYPD cops all making appearances. As Stone and Dehan track down leads, it becomes apparent that someone believes the score still needs to be settled – their ‘persons of interest’ start to die. It all ends with a finale that caught me by surprise…and I was sure I knew.

The downside to An Ace and A Pair is that Stone’s detective work involved some quite improbable deductive leaps. For example, at one point the New York detective comes to the barren plains of Texas and finds an abandoned car that no one seems to have noticed in ten years. Really? A lot of his discoveries are passed off as old-fashioned detective work, but details aren’t given, making them seem much too convenient. But I liked the concept of the old-school detective. And as characters, Stone and Dehan worked, showing a mix of humor and begrudging admiration for each other.

Overall, you’ll need to accept some deductive leaps that might clear the Grand Canyon, but otherwise, it’s a fast and enjoyable read. show less