An Ace and a Pair

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 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 show more 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 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 show 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

A hard boiled noir inspired crime procedural with a clever crime and two opinionated detectives.

Detective John Stone is a thorn in the side of his boss. He has an unparalleled close rate for his cases but he forgoes modern technology, preferring good old fashioned police work. Since his boss doesn't like him, she decides to assign him a new partner (and another thorn in her side), Detective Carmen Dehan, and direct them to work thirty years of unsolved cold cases.

So I think there was something lost in translation here because I was honestly lost for most of this. The slang, the race references and otherwise was beyond me. I sort of picked up the gist (at least I think I did) but I feel like this plot would've been better watched on tv show more than read. It was rather crude at points and somewhat dry when you're missing half of what's going on, but it was an okay read. I want to stick with this series because I really love cold cases but it might be a lost cause. I'm hopeful that moving beyond the New York gang/mob scene will be more relatable.

In regards to this book, it was alright. The crime was clever - well planned and very tricky to solve. It was fast paced and there was lots of banter between John and Dehan. There wasn't a lot of depth to either main character, but they seemed alright. Most of the space was taken up by the plot and their moves into uncovering the truth. I would've liked a bit more explanation on who all the other people were and how they fit in but I got the gist if not the nuance.

A gritty cold case investigation into a gangland murder with quick dialogue, violence and a lot of discussion about who might have done it. 2 stars. show less

It took a long time for me to get into this novel. Stone and Dehan both get exiled to cold cases for various reasons. (In fact, I think the two of them are the entire cold case unit.) They find a case where a gang was shot while playing cards. Various theories surface: it was the mob, it was the triads, it was a dirty cop...eventually Stone and Dehan (but mostly Stone) figure out the truth.

I don't know enough about cards to know if the reference about an ace and a pair is common knowledge. I'd never heard it or read it before if so.

It took me a long time to get a handle on the characters--I'm still not sure I like them to the point that I'm rooting for them to succeed or at least not die.

I thought there was no time limit on show more prosecuting for murder--yet in the end, the killer is left free. There were extenuating circumstances, and it is possible that a jury or judge might have decided it was self-defense. . .but Stone makes the call instead. I'm not sure that sits well with me--Stone is sworn to uphold the law and he doesn't in this case--and Dehan, who is also sworn to enforce the law, lets him. show less

AN ACE AND A PAIR begins a new mystery series by Blake Banner. This police procedural begins a series.

John Stone has been a NYPD homicide detective for more than 20 years. He has been very successful. But a new boss would like to ease him aside to bring in younger detectives who are more comfortable with modern techniques. John isn't willing to gracefully step aside.

In the hopes of easing him out, his captain assigns him to working cold cases. He is also assigned a new partner. Detective Carmen Dehan has a bad attitude and hasn't made any friends in the precinct.

The two decide that the first case they will work on is the unsolved murder of Nelson Hernandez and his four cousins who were murdered while playing poker. There are lots of show more suspects. Nelson was trying to take over the area and run the drug and crime activities. The Jersey Mob, the Triads, and another Hispanic mob all had reasons to want Nelson dead. And a dirty cop known to John could also have had a hand in it. He disappeared shortly after the murders.

As John and Carmen look into the case, they are also building a strong working relationship. They uncover old witnesses and gradually put the pieces together.

This was an entertaining mystery with fascinating characters and a nicely twisty plot. show less

Who done it?

Pretty good twist and turn story. Liked the characters, the story and on to the next book in this series.

Dead Cold Mystery, A - Book 1