24. Flight 12: A Kristin Cunningham Thriller - Allan Leverone

#1 of 12 (all on Kindle) of FLIGHT 12, all related and to become one book (apparently)ight

May 2014, Rock Bottom Books

79 pgs.

Adult Mystery

Finished 3/28/2015

Goodreads rating: 4.28

My rating:  2 - it was okay

Acquired through Kindle

Setting:  contemporary Boston

1st sentence/s:"The stairs were creaky, and that was a problem."

My comments:  I didn't find Kristin a particularly believable character, but I have not read any of the previous stories where I might have gotten a little more feeling for her.  I can't picture her Houdini-like escape from a deserted train car, even after reading twice. The FBI sure is sloppy in this - in more ways than one.  Those are my thoughts after reading this short story.  It sets up the premise for the next eleven, and you sure wonder what's going on in that plane .... and it was an OKAY read, which doesn't mean it's horrible....

Goodreads book summary:  In FLIGHT 12, A KRISTIN CUNNINGHAM THRILLER, FBI Special Agent Kristin Cunningham is still recovering from injuries suffered preventing the assassination of U.S. President Robert Cartwright. Assigned to a desk, Kristin is thrilled to learn she's been recruited for an undercover sting designed to break up a brutal Russian Mafia human sex trafficking ring. 
          Kristin's job is simple: play a frightened teen kidnap victim in an attempt to identify and apprehend the high-level members of the human trafficking ring. 
          Almost immediately, the FBI sting begins to unravel, and Kristin Cunningham finds herself unarmed and bound, taken prisoner by a desperate, highly volatile man. Now Kristin must focus on staying alive, matching wits with a cunning criminal with nothing to lose. 

23. Flight 12: A Laura Cardinal Thriller - J. Carson Black

#2 in a set of connected mysteries

Read on my iPhone through Kindle

June, 2014, Breakaway Media

92 pgs.

Adult Murder Mystery

Finished 3/18/2015

Goodreads rating: 4.23

My rating:  4 - Enjoyed it greatly

Acquired: Amazon/Kindle

Setting: contemporary Tucson, Arizona

1st sentence/s:

My comments:  I read this book because it's a Laura Cardinal mystery set in Tucson, not because it's part of this Flight 12 series.  However, I am unfamiliar with the other 11 authors and protagonists, so I think I might try some out to see what's going on -- and to find some new mystery writers.  This shortish story is an interesting read, as Black takes us back to characters we've met before.  She plays on the good-and-bad-twisting-and-writhing personality changes that lay, usually dormant, inside people, and makes one think hard about how fragile we can all be - without even realizing it.  I didn't want this particular "bad guy" to go downhill!  Ah well, I'd love to see what's going to happen with this (probably) ill-fated flight!

The 12 Website

Interesting quote from a reader on Amazon:  J. Carson Black has always been a good writer, but it's a pleasure seeing her find her niche and master it. How much suspense can be built in just over 20,000 words. Black's Flight 12 contribution answers the question, and demonstrates surprising depth in the process. Laura Cardinal is becoming more of a hardened veteran in Black's series, but someone who's absolutely committed to getting it right. Thanks to the ghost of her former partner, Frank Entwistle, she's got a delightful though not especially well groomed conscience to keep her on course. Great read, fast and fun and highly recommended!

Goodreads book summary:  Hailed by New York Times Bestselling Author T. Jefferson Parker as “a strong new voice in American Crime Fiction,” New York Times and U.S.A. Today Bestselling Author J. Carson Black is back—and so is her iconic detective, Arizona DPS Criminal Investigator Laura Cardinal. 
          Ten minutes to midnight: 
A man waits in line at JFK International Airport to board Skyways Airlines Flight 12 to Rome. His face is impassive, his eyes bleak. His fists are clenched. The woman behind him has a bad feeling . . . 
          Months before: 
A young woman approaches Arizona Department of Public Safety detective Laura at the fitness center they share, telling her that she is slated for death, and wants Laura to “investigate her murder” when it happens. Weeks later, the woman is found dead in her car—forcing Laura to revisit the most disturbing homicide case of her career. During the course of her investigation, Laura learns the truth about the killer she arrested long ago. 
          What Laura doesn’t know: 
What will happen to the 388 souls on Flight 12? 
* * * * * 
          What do you get when a dozen bestselling, award-winning mystery/thriller authors write brand-new material centered on one heart-stopping event? 
          You get FLIGHT 12, the revolutionary followup by The Twelve to the New York Times and USA Today bestselling DEADLY DOZEN. The groundbreaking FLIGHT 12 series will feature a new release from each member of The Twelve, plus very special guests, with a conclusion so thrilling it could only come from the minds of our readers. 
          Join The Twelve in the ongoing FLIGHT 12 project. Don't just read about your favorite characters, participate in the story, win prizes, and see storytelling in a totally new way . . .

THE 12 - FLIGHT 12

Apparently there's a group of 12 authors - mystery/thriller writers - who have joined together to create a set of connected stories.  This seems to be their second outing.  I discovered it because I was looking to read another J. Carson Black in her Laura Cardinal/Tucson series.  Now I think I'll try to catch up on all the "installments" for this Fligh 12 series to see where it's going.  And maybe I'll find some new authors/protagonists/settings to love!

Now, the big question.  Should I start with the first title, or skip around reading about characters that sound interesting?

#1 (5/12/14) A Kristin Cunningham Thriller by Allan Levorone (Goodreads review)  Kristine Cunningham is an FBI Special Agent based in the Boston field office.  The passenger that she chases to the airport, almost-but-not-quite-in-time-to-catch, is Ivan Lukyanov, a Russian mafia "exporter" of kidnapped young women for the European and Middle Easter sex trade - girls as young as ten years old.

#2 (6/12/2014) A Laura Cardinal Thriller by J. Carson Black (Goodreads review) (My review) Laura Cardinal is an Arizona law enforcer/detective, based in Tucson, Arizona.  Ms. Black's passenger on Flight 12 is a sort-of-bad-guy-set-free that has returned to his black-out, black days (and I can't help but like this guy, so this should be interesting).....

#3 (7/12/2014)  A Jess Kimball Thriller by Diana Capri (Goodreads review)

#4 (8/12/14) A Sloane Monroe Thriller by Cheryl Bradshaw (Goodreads review)

#5 (9/12/14) A Kirk Weston Thriller by Aaron Patterson (Goodreads review)

#6 (10/12/14) A Dick Moonlight PI Thriller by Vincent Zandri (Goodreads review)

#7  (11/12/14) An Evie Preston Thriller by Michele Scott (Goodreads review)

#8 (1/12/15) A Jonathan Quinn Thriller by Brett Battles (Goodreads review)

#9 (1/12/15) A Xandra Carrick Thriller by Joshua Graham (Goodreads review)

#10 (2/12/15) A Kylie Cain Thriller by A. K. Alexander & J. R. Rain (Goodreads review)

#11 (3/12/15) A Jessie Knight Thriller by Carol Davis Luce (Goodreads review)