An Ace and a Pair (Dead Cold Mysteries)

love the twists!
This is actually the second of the series I’ve tried. I got a “try this” on his “A Christmas Killing” book and loved it. I realized then this was a series and came back to try book one. These were the first I’ve read of Mr. Banner. I love mysteries and will admit my attention span is not the longest. So, the longer books aren’t my jam. These are great. They keep me riveted because of how well-written they are and I’m not annoyed because they are 600 pages long! Perfect length without being overly wordy. He doesn’t ramble just to ramble.I absolutely love the twists as he keeps you guessing right until the end. Seriously creative. The characters are also human and draw you in. I am definitely going to keep reading this series.

If you’re looking for a good series, this is it!
Let me be clear about something from the start, I read … a LOT! I don’t read to challenge my world view, explore unfamiliar disciplines or expand my social consciousness. I read for diversion. Pure and simple escapism. Since COVID in 2020, I’ve probably read 200 books (95% fiction with the occasional non-fiction thrown in) and listened to another 100 audio books. There’s little as satisfying for me as a well written novel with carefully woven subplots and intriguing character development – especially over several volumes. So, with that a s background, what do I think of the Dead cold Mystery Series?I waited until I finished all 28 books to post my review. Do yourself a favor and jump in. You’ll enjoy all of them. As with any series, some are better than others, but they are all 4- or 5-star. They are well plotted, well paced and all are satisfying reads. Whether you have five minutes while waiting for a prescription to be filled or for five hours waiting for that connecting flight, this series fills the need. I will categorically say I’ve never read an author who reveals as much plot development through dialogue as Blake Banner. And I keenly appreciate the way he matured Stone and Dehan’s relationship over time. I’m confident this series will be time and money well spent. What’s not to like with a good “who-dunnit”?

A fast and well crafted plot with likeable characters.
“An Ace and A Pair” is a new detective/ mystery by Blake Banner, and for a new entry to a detective series. The plot was well crafted, and the characters were fairly well developed. The protagonist was from the “stone age,” a “dinosaur” of an NYPD detective, John Stone, who the Captain does not seem to like. Regardless, Detective John Stone of the NYPD has one of the best arrest records in the 43rd precinct. But the Captain decides to get him out the way by assigning him to Cold Cases with Detective Carmen Dehan who has such a bad attitude that nobody at the precinct can stomach her.Using some “old-school” police investigation, Stone and Dehan decide on a 10 year old cold case to be their first. From there the story spins in several directions. There is police corruption, mob involvement, several gangs — from Chinese to Mexican — and a good read.One weakness to “An Ace and A Pair” is that Stone’s “stone age” detective work at times gives us some unrealistic deductive leaps, but they still contribute to a good story. If you are strongly a logical thinker, then this book may not be for you; however, if you are willing to suspend a degree of reality for a while, then this is still a good story with likeable characters. I especially enjoyed how the chemistry between the two protagonists evolved. Give it a try!

Granted… there are some leaps in the story that are a bit ‘too much’ now and then. And I am not a big fan of Mafia mysteries either.Did all of it make perfect sense? Maybe not.But it was a great read with two very likeable characters and some of their thinking *was* logical (sort of). I especially liked the way the book was written, the old-fashioned wise-cracking detective style.If you are considering buying the book I suggest you first try the sample. That will give you a fine taste of ‘what you see is what you get’- if you like that, there is a good chance you will love the complete book as well.Me, I am hooked and will definitely read more by this author.

A real good read! I found it hard to put down. Well woven storyline and plot that keeps changing and keeping you on your toes. The two NYPD detectives partnered are likable,mone is ‘a dinosaur’ with 28 years under his belt and his new partner, a beautiful woman with a mouth on her ‘that you could grow mushrooms in’! Will be sure to read the next one.

An Ace and a Pair by Blake Banner is the first in a series of detective novels featuring John Stone and Carmen Deehan.The two detectives are wanted out of the precinct by their captain as she thinks Stone is a dinosaur and Deehan has a reputation of being a maverick and difficult to work with, so she puts them in charge of the Cold Case files. Can they work together or will they bring their police careers to a crashing halt?Their first case is to work out who killed a group of drug dealers led by a guy called Nelson at a card game without any of them having drawn their weapons in defence of themselves. Nelson’s had body parts removed and left on the card table. There was also two young people who hadn’t been seen since that night a young Jewish boy from a good family and girl of Latin-American descent. Was their disappearance connected to the murders or something more sinister.The main protagonist’s for the murders and disappearance are the Mob, the Triads and two other gangs vying for the drugs and prostitution hierarchy in Brooklyn. Throw in a bent cop trying to make money for his retirement and you have the recipe for a really good story. I’ve read a few other books in the series but this helps to get the background of how two ragtag cops are thrown together.I really loved this book and the others in the series and I’d recommend them to anyone who likes police procedural thrillers.Stone and Deehan have become favourites of mine already.