Alan Russell (2) (1956–)

I see three challenges for any Christmas book:

1. Find an original angle that's grounded in something real but allows reality to bend for Christmas
2. Evoke the spirit of Christmas without being too saccharine
3. Make me care about the people as people rather than as avatars for Christmas messages

Allen Russell's "St. Nick" manages to pass all three tests. He managed to make me laugh at bad Christmas jokes that I hadn't heard in a long time and cry at the unfairness of a universe in which show more children get cancer.

"St. Nick", tells the story of Nick Pappas, a San Deigo cop who has been through a recent trauma that has him suspended from the police force. It's Thanksgiving and he's living alone in a shoddy apartment and seriously contemplating eating his gun. He gives himself a reprieve to help his former partner catch some muggers at the shopping mall he runs security for. To catch the muggers, he goes undercover as Santa.

From there, Nick's life gets taken over by the responsibilities that come with the new uniform he's wearing. It brings him into contact with a terminally sick boy with an impossible Christmas wish and sends him searching for Laura, a little girl whose letter to Santa is so moving that Nick ends up starting a search to find her and help her. Along the way, he builds relationships with a relentlessly cheerful Head Elf, a nurse in the Pediatric Oncology ward and a woman TV reporter who films a segment from his lap and the quarterback from the San Diego Football team.

Throughout, Nick remains the cop he always was. He never loses touch with reality but he does allow himself to re-engage with hope and drives himself to do the right thing for children who need him.

This is an engaging read, with a great pace, a good mix of laughter and tears, a plot that surprises but remains believable and a spirit of Christmas that is about finding the hope and the love to push through the depression and the pain that life offers us. I think it's a perfect December read. show less

2018 seems to be my year of reading mysteries that have detectives with canine partners. Most of these books have been excellent reads, and Burning Man continues the trend. Reminiscent of Michael Connelly, Alan Russell's first Gideon and Sirius mystery makes the setting one of the strongest characters in the book. Readers learn interesting bits of Los Angeles history along the way, and the fierce Santa Ana winds and fire add a great deal of tension.

I loved the voice of Michael Gideon as show more well as his sense of humor. When told that he's going to head up the Special Cases Unit, he asks, "What would I tell people? That I work in the Defense Against the Dark Arts Division?" This is a man who is still suffering from PTSD. His burns may have healed, but his mind hasn't, and being on the job is helping to keep him sane. The only thing that bugged me about Gideon was his TSTL (Too Stupid To Live) moment when he completely disregarded Sirius's behavior in a parking lot.

My annoyance was short-lived, however, because the cases he was trying to solve were too interesting. The crucified teenager put a lot of miles on Gideon's car because the dead boy wasn't who he appeared to be, and since he was popular, he had a very wide circle of acquaintances. The investigation into the death of the abandoned baby was very personal to Gideon, and it allowed readers to look more deeply into his backstory. His handling of this second case said a lot about him as a person.

Burning Man is a book in which I learned quite a few things about weather, fire, Los Angeles history, skin grafts, and the Safely Surrendered Baby Law. This fast-paced book's two investigations also kept me guessing. But it's the smart-alecky character of Michael Gideon and his dog Sirius that are going to make me reach for the other books in the series. Good stuff! show less

As much as I like this author's ability to create an exciting scene and put me right in the middle of it, no matter how much I like watching his K-9 partner work, this is the last Gideon & Sirius mystery I'll be reading. Why? It's got nothing to do with the marvelous Sirius and everything to do with the human half of the partnership, Gideon.

In the first two books, Gideon angered me by not paying attention to what Sirius was trying to tell him, and both times Gideon got the stuffing punched show more and kicked out of him. (That's what you get for not paying attention, stupid!) Here in Gideon's Rescue, he didn't ignore any canine messages, but he showed callous disregard for the situations he put a very traumatized dog in. Not only that, but he rationalized the need to put himself in a TSTL (Too Stupid To Live) moment, and if not for the clear thinking and action of a friend, Gideon's bacon would have been well and truly fried.

This is a shame because Russell does know how to tell a good tale. The investigations into the missing fiance and the dogfighting ring were very well-done, and the whole serial-killers-communicating-with-each-other scenario gave me plenty of food for thought. I tend to be a pacifist, a live-and-let-live type of person, but there are times when I think throwing the switch is best. Just how many serial killers are being kept alive because they're "helping" law enforcement? And how many are actually providing information that brings closure to grieving families or puts killers behind bars? Pardon me for being cynical in my belief that the number is a very low one. There is no real reason to put any faith in a serial killer because they've proved time and time again that their only concern is for themselves.

As you can see, although I've run as far down this track with LAPD Detective Michael Gideon as my patience will allow, Alan Russell does create stories that draw me in, keep me interested, and make me think. show less

I continue to enjoy Alan Russell's Gideon & Sirius series, especially since this third book, Lost Dog, avoided something that had annoyed me in the previous two books. In Burning Man and Guardians of the Night, Sirius-- a normally extremely well-behaved dog-- threw a fit about something, and Gideon ignored him. Subsequently, Gideon experienced a great deal of pain for dismissing his partner's concerns. That doesn't happen this time, and that thrilled me to no end. Gideon may be a smart show more aleck, but he's a smart aleck who can learn.

Although I knew the identity of the killer seconds after the character was introduced, there was still a lot to enjoy in this book. The missing woman, Heather Moreland, had a very small part that still packed a powerful punch. Russell had to be economical with his words, but he delineated Heather's character so well that I actively worried about her safety all the way through the book.

I have to admit that I have a soft spot for Michael Gideon's sort of character. He's a smart aleck, and I love his use of puns and poetry, his references to movies and television, and so much more. If I don't actually laugh out loud, Gideon usually makes me smile as I read his quips.

Russell usually adds to my knowledge as I read these books, and Lost Dog is no exception. I learned about two systems installed in Gideon's patrol car: a special air conditioning system, and something called a Hot-N-Pop. If the temperature inside the car gets too high and the human does not respond, one of the doors will automatically unlock and pop open so the dog can get out. There have been K-9 deaths here in Phoenix due to the animals being in locked patrol cars, so when I read about these systems, I immediately wondered about our police department installing them.

Read a Gideon & Sirius mystery and you will learn things. You will laugh. And you will find yourself on the edge of your seat wondering if man and dog are going to save the day. Bring on book four! show less