Blue Skies by Ali Vali

Publisher:        Bold Strokes Books

Books that are based on current events are terrific and worrisome.  The terrific part is that they seem extremely believable and may teach people about situations they’ve ignored in the evening news.  The worrisome aspect is that, because the story is so realistic, everything in the book takes on a feeling of being factual when in fact it isn’t.

Berkley Levine is a Top Gun instructor for the Navy in Fallon, Nevada.  She’s excels at what she does and is one of the best instructors available.  Berkley doesn’t miss the action of serving in a combat position because she is nursing a broken heart caused by Aidan Sullivan.  Aidan put her career before everything when she was offered the opportunity to be the first female captain of an aircraft carrier, the USS Jefferson.  Tensions rise between the US and North Korea and the Jefferson is given secret orders to destroy a nuclear facility in North Korea.  Aidan uses all of her influence to get the pilot she knows she needs to lead her air wing and the attack on the plant.  Bringing them together on the same ship reignites the relationship they once had, but their positions are more than a complication.  What the women don’t know is that they are part of a bigger plot within the government to compromise a new president and possibly bring down the system in a military and political coup d’etat.

The reader will need to completely disregard the improbability of the relationship between Berkley and Aidan.  The military has strict protocols against affairs between people of different ranks, not to mention that, when this book was originally written, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was still very much in effect.  Once the reader gets past that barrier, however, she can enjoy an extremely well-crafted story.

Blue Skies could come off of the front of today’s newspapers with the concern over North Korea’s nuclear program and the instability that country threatens to inject into world affairs.  Knowledge of that situation enhances the power of what Vali writes about.  It’s a fast paced action story that will hold the reader’s attention with a high level of tension, especially once the mission begins.  It’s populated by interesting and well-rounded characters.  Berkley has the swagger of a military pilot and could easily be seen taking over Tom Cruise’s role in “Top Gun” or posing as one of the original astronauts.  She has that laid back, never get ruffled attitude down pat.  Aidan is a classic example of the Naval Academy graduate who is determined to make a name for herself in what has been a man’s world.  She’s as tough and professional as any of them.  It’s almost playing against type for them to be attracted to each other, but in this case it works.  Vali manages to take a North Korean pilot and make her an appealing and commanding character in the story, not an easy task.

Blue Skies is an exciting book with good characters and an interesting story line.  The fact that it may not be totally based on reality doesn’t detract from enjoying it at all.  This is one that it’s easy to recommend to people.

The Devil Be Damned by Ali Vali

Publisher:                Bold Strokes Books

The Devil Be Damned is the fourth book in the Casey Family Saga and picks up where Deal With the Devil left off.

Cain Casey should be enjoying her life.  Her wife Emma is pregnant with their third child, her family is at the height of its power  and the FBI is still running in circles trying to prove that Cain has done something illegal.  Problems abound however.  Cain's organization is still searching for the men who harmed Emma in the last book, drug lords are trying to form a partnership with the Casey empire, cousin Muriel is sleeping with the FBI agent charged with catching Cain and Remi Jatibon, Cain's friend and business partner, is trying to help her lover Dallas Montgomery overcome shadows from her past.  Further complicating matters is the arrival of a woman who wants to control New Orleans and unleashes a brutal wave of killing that shocks even the Caseys and the Jatibons.  Cain may have met her match this time.

Ali Vali is one of the best writers in the genre and has created a unique character in Cain Casey.  It's not often that the head of a crime family, who doesn't hesitate to use torture and murder when necessary, is used as the definition of honor, tradition and heroism.  Vali uses stereotypes in some areas, specifically making FBI agents fanatics, bumblers or criminals, and plays against type when she gives women dominant positions in an environment that usually expects women to stay in the shadows.  The use of women in non-traditional roles gives a lift to the story and a different flavor.

The Devil Be Damned illustrates the strongest and weakest aspects of a series.  For those fans who have read the previous books, this gives them a chance to catch up with the latest chapters in the lives of some favorite characters.  It moves the story forward and allows the reader to reacquaint with Cain, Emma, Remi and the others.  Where it falls down is that it's weak as a stand alone novel.  There are references to past events with little explanation to set them in context and some of the behaviors in the book don't make sense or seem overblown if the reader doesn't know what's happened before in the saga.  The plot lines in this book are also not all resolved.  Instead this book is used as a set up for the next in the series.  That may be good for selling books, but it's frustrating for a reader.

This is an above average book and worth reading; however, for total enjoyment, it really would be good to start with the first book and work forward.  That isn't mandatory, but it will increase the appreciation of the book.

Deal with the Devil by Ali Vali

Publisher:                 Bold Strokes Books


Cain and Emma Casey are back in volume three of their story of life on the illegal side of New Orleans. Cain has formed an alliance with the Jatibon family, especially Remi, a woman who sees many things the same way Cain does. They understand that the futures of both families will be secured by moving into more legitimate businesses, including a gambling casino and a movie company. Ironically, the biggest opposition to their plans comes not from the ever-present FBI agents, but from other crime families who are fighting against the power being amassed by the Casey and Jatibon organizations. In the midst of this, Cain and Emma decide to have a third child and Remi Jatibon falls under the spell of the movie star Dallas Montgomery.

With constant government surveillance, dealing with the ruthlessness of their opponents and the threat of an assassin hanging over their heads, Cain, Emma and Remi attempt to create a life where they won't have to constantly be looking over their shoulders. Their enemies are determined though and don't hesitate to strike at their weaknesses, especially Cain's, which is Emma.
 
This book may be the best in the series. The action was good and well paced. There was certainly plenty of it. What is particularly intriguing is the way Vali builds the characters. Sometimes you have to remind yourself that these are actually supposed to be "bad" people. Cain Casey and Remi Jatibon are criminals, but they have a code of honor that's stronger than most of the law enforcement officials in the book.  Cain and Remi almost come off like Robin Hood or Zorro characters. You know they're breaking the law and their tactics, although needed, might make the reader wince, but it seems OK. They are certainly more likeable than most of the people on the "right side" of the law. There is a strong supporting cast of characters, from Cain's lawyer cousin Muriel to Remi's father and brother and the interesting Dallas Montgomery. Even the villains are intriguing, though you end up wondering just how stupid they really are. 

One detail of the book that sticks out is that the professionals are particularly heavy with lesbians – government agents, lawyers, doctors; and every crime lord has a female head of the body guards. It almost feels like lesbian overkill, but this is fiction and lesbian fiction at that. Besides, it's a minor point. The ending was a bit rushed for all of the build up it was given in the book, but overall this one is worth reading

Carly's Sound by Ali Vali

Publisher:                 Bold Strokes Books


Sometimes a book is so good that writing a review is difficult. The concern is that something will be said in the review that will cause a reader not to try the book. That would be a true shame in the case of Carly's Sound.


Carly Stevens is dead. That isn't a spoiler. That fact is established on the first page. Poppy Valente felt her world die when Carly died in her arms. It was nine hundred and seventeen days before the book starts and Poppy finally feels like she can begin to get on with her life. She doesn't ever expect to be happy again, but Valente Resorts will keep her busy and there are people who depend on her. She's drawn back to Carly's Sound, the resort that she and Carly had planned to be special for them. Maybe there she can find the will to go forward alone.

Julia Johnson is hoping to start again also. Her brother Rayford has been hired to be the assistant manager at a new resort and Julia is pretending to be his wife so that she can begin a new life with her small child. Things only become more complicated when she discovers that her new friend, who has opened up so many possibilities to her and who takes such good care of her daughter, is her brother's boss. She wants to open her heart to the sensitive woman, but is afraid of the lie that stands between them. And there is the fact that she has to compete with a dead woman.

Carly's Sound is a sensitive story about loss and renewal. Ali Vali shows a masterful use of the language in the way she deals with Poppy's feelings. There are no long tortuous passages about how much she misses Carly. Instead, Vali uses her words and actions to show how much Carly meant to Poppy and what a devastation her loss was. Vali doesn't bludgeon the reader with sadness, but the feeling is still there. One of the best devices used in the book is to have Carly's ghost appear in the story. Whenever Poppy's misery threatens to become too strong, Carly pops in and provides some comic relief. The great affection between the two characters is obvious, but so is the fact that Carly is ready for Poppy to move on. 

The reader can also feel Poppy's confusion as her feelings for Julia begin to develop and she feels that she is somehow betraying the relationship she had with Carly. Julia provides a perfect character study as the woman who wants to love Poppy, but is afraid she will never be able to live up to what Poppy had before. 

Vali shows herself to be a talented writer in how she tells her story and presents her characters. Whether or not the reader has ever experienced such a loss, you will feel empathy with the characters and know that you've read a good book.

Calling the Dead by Ali Vali

Publisher:                Bold Strokes Books


How bad would your life have to be for you to find that chasing a serial killer is a welcome distraction? Detective Sept Savoie finds herself in that position. Hurricane Katrina didn't just cause physical damage in New Orleans, but left psychological scars on all of the people who were there. Sept got her unusual name because she was the seventh child in the family, but now there are only six. The flood waters took her beloved sister and her young niece and the family is struggling to recover from the loss. Her brother-in-law is walking a thin edge of sanity and Sept tries to cope with the stresses by devoting herself to the family business, being a top police officer.

The first body that turns up outside of a restaurant seems to be a routine murder and the logical suspect is the restaurant owner, Keegan Blanchard. The Blanchards are an old New Orleans family represented in the current generations by very feisty, independent women. That guarantees an immediate clash between Sept and Keegan that quickly grows into an attraction as more bodies turn up and it becomes clear that the serial killer who is on the loose isn't Keegan. 

As the crimes unfold, ritual overtones of voodoo and Santeria begin to emerge and the killer switches from random killing to waging a personal attack on Sept. She begins to worry that her growing relationship with Keegan could be dangerous to the Blanchard family, especially when the evidence indicates the killer might be someone close to her. The authorities expect Sept to rescue the city from this horror, which she tries desperately to do while holding her family together and protecting Keegan from being swept into the madness.

Ali Vali uses New Orleans as a character in Calling the Dead. The unique culture sets the mood of the book in a way that could only occur in this city. As a survivor of Katrina, Vali is able to capture the brooding overtones of the city and evoke the destruction that was created in the people's lives. Some of the most interesting parts of the book are the descriptions of what happened to the people during the flooding and to the city in the aftermath. 

Vali also takes you into the twisted mind of the killer so that the reader can understand what is motivating him even while sharing the horror of what he is doing. The character development in the book is especially strong and there are supporting cast members who contribute as much to the tone of the book as the main characters. The feel of this book is very compelling and contributes to it being a very satisfying reading experience.

The nightmare that was Katrina had a residual effect of creating a powerful storytelling voice in Vali. Always an accomplished writer, the books she has set in this environment have been particularly strong and demonstrate her ability to pull a reader into a story. Calling the Dead is one of those books that the reader doesn't want to end and presents characters that would be worth using in another story. This one goes into the "keeper" category.