Speart, Jessica Books

Black Delta Night: A Rachel Porter Mystery

Jessica Speart

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Another series for Nevada Barr Fans 3 out of 5 stars.
4 of 6 people found this review helpful.

While not as well written as the Anna Pigeon series, Rachel Porter more than makes up for it with her bizarre friends. Her landlord the gay ex-wrestler, gourmet cook Vinnie, her transvestite doggie yamulke designing friend are only two of a cast of way out characters. In this novel Rachel stumbles onto an illegal paddlefish roe business, run by an overweight Russian mafiosi who thinks he's Elvis. But this is only a side line for him, his real business is the white slave trade.

This is an entertaining and highly unrealistic novel. Good for an escape and alot of fun.

Editorial Review:

It's called Delta Gold -- caviar from the endangered Mississippi River paddlefish that rivals the world-renowned beluga. And now that greed has all but decimated a billion dollar Caspian Sea industry, the Russian mafia is casting its lethal line into the land of Elvis

Tennessee is the purgatory where the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has consigned Rachel Porter for making trouble. Now, posing as a dirty agent on the take, she's diving into a shark pool of hungry predators drawn by the scent of big money. But there's more roiling these waters than a thriving trade in the illegal poaching of paddlefish for their roe -- as Rachel's investigation reveals even scarier secrets...and murder. In guarding the golden egg, Rachel has gotten in way too deep over her head. And now she's in grave danger of learning the meaning of "extinct" firsthand.

Blue Twilight: A Rachel Porter Mystery (Rachel Porter Mysteries)

Jessica Speart

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Blue Twilight 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

The rare Lotis Mission Blue butterfly, is every collectors' dream piece. Very few have the Lotis Blue. When the biologist originally sent to investigate an illegal butterfly trade goes missing, Rachel Porter is put on the case.

Rachel Porter is an agent for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. She believes the previous person was murdered. While looking into the disappearance, a little girl also goes missing and witnesses start dying. Rachel must quickly learn what makes this butterfly so valued and why collectors are so interested in such a delicate creature. More importantly, why would someone become a cold blooded killer to get one.

**** Definitely a good read! The last thirty pages kept "butterflies" in my stomach. Author Jessica Speart spins a tale that is guaranteed to keep her readers on the edge of their seats and up well into the night. ****

K. Blair

Editorial Review:

Something precious and beautiful is being ruthlessly destroyed. And those who champion the small, fragile, threatened lives are endangered themselves. An agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Rachel Porter has been assigned to the northern California wilds, where a biologist recently vanished while searching for a rare blue butterfly believed extinct -- a hunt that may well have led him to his death. And now a young girl has gone missing also, and her disappearance might be connected, so Rachel cannot ignore it. But bodies and lies are piling up in her path, and beyond them catastrophe is waiting for Rachel Porter. Because in a world of heartless greed and cruel obsession, there may be nothing that separates a fanatic collector from a cold-blooded killer.

Gator Aide (Rachel Porter Mysteries)

Jessica Speart

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

What Do You Do With A Dead 'Gator? 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Rachel Porter is a special agent for the US government. Big deal, you say. Been there, done that. However, Rachel is a special agent for the US Fish & Wildlife Service - not one of the typical literary government crime-busting agencies. This allows the author to approach the crime from a completely different direction, which was a nice change of pace.

The characters were interesting. Rachel is a person who is used to running from her problems, and here she's forced to make a choice and decide whether or not to take a stand. Her boss, who initially seemed like a stereotypical boss from hell, has depth to his character. The detective in charge of the investigation is not one of the usual stalwart heroes - there are a lot of dark shadings to his character. The secondary characters all have their own charm.

The story takes place in New Orleans and its surrounding swamplands. Rachel is called in when a dead alligator is found at the scene of a murder - a hooker has beeen ritualistically slashed to death. The story begins with that and then takes off into political corruption, murder, drug running, neo-Nazis, and the Mob. The descriptions of the people, politics and places are vivid and realistic.

This is the first of the Rachel Porter series. I enjoyed this one so much, I bought the sequels.

Editorial Review:

In this energetic and engaging debut mystery, a dead alligator leads novice U.S. Fish and Wildlife agent Rachel Porter to the body of the woman who owned it. A large part of the fun is watching Porter--a disillusioned New York actress--learn her job as she stumbles through the swamps of Louisiana and the even more dangerous streets of New Orleans in search of poachers, drug dealers, and other local wildlife. Fans of Nevada Barr and her forest ranger character, Anna Pigeon, should enjoy the start of this fascinating series.

Unsafe Harbor: A Rachel Porter Mystery (Rachel Porter Mysteries)

Jessica Speart

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

New respect for US Fish & Wildlife Service 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

After reading Jessica Speart's latest Rachel Porter mystery, I've gained new respect for the challenges and accomplishments of the US Fish & Wildlife Service. Rachel is a USFWS agent, recently transferred to Port Elizabeth in New Jersey, where she investigates illegal imports of banned wildlife products (ivory, shahtoosh wool, etc.) Speart has done her homework about the issues, the port, and Manhattan's Lower East Side, where Rachel lives with Jake, her significant other. The ending could have been stronger, but I'm still looking forward to reading Rachel's earlier adventures.

Editorial Review:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent Rachel Porter's devotion to endangered creatures has carried her to many remote, exotic places. Now she's in Port Elizabeth, New Jersey, trying to help stop the import of illegal flora and fauna. This is a different jungle—dark, dangerous, and filled with predators—a fact that's driven home when a body is discovered just steps from Rachel's post.

She would gladly steer clear of this homicide investigation except for two things: It may touch an old woman Rachel's recently befriended . . . and the victim had been wearing a priceless shawl made from the skin of an Asian animal perilously close to extinction. And when a second murder occurs, Rachel suddenly realizes she's already neck-deep in this deadly affair—and her return to "civilization" may soon be cut short by a killer's primal urge for blood.

Border Prey (Rachel Porter Mysteries)

Jessica Speart

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Border Prey 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

In BORDER PREY, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Rachel Porter has been booted from her post in Miami to the ever scenic El Paso/New Mexico border with Mexico. Here in the desert Southwest, she takes on the illegal monkey trade, lecherous ranchers, mad scientists, and vultures. Dealing with smuggling and the misuse of monkeys is bad enough, but the stakes are raised when her only informant is murdered. However, Rachel is no shrinking violet; she and her in-your-face attitude will get the job done, one way or another.

Like Speart's previous novels (GATOR AIDE, TORTOISE SOUP, and BIRD BRAINED), one of the book's biggest strengths is its original, colorful characters! Rachel herself is smart and determined, in addition to possessing a wonderfully dry wit. The supporting characters, from Rachel's tracking mentor Sonny Harris to the lecherous rancher Frederick Ulysses Krabbs (a.k.a. F.U. Krabbs) to the mysterious Dan Kitrell along with numerous other characters, add regional flavor and a richness to the book. And, Rachel is not immune to romance, but Jake Santou hasn't come back into her life just yet.

Perhaps the book's biggest strength is its humor, not unlike that of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. The humor comes from both Rachel's dry wit and the Lucy/Desi type physical comedy situations that she gets herself into. This colorful, zany, mystery is about serious topics (murder, animal smuggling, and research), but will make most readers chuckle if not laugh-out-loud. This is a very entertaining read!

Editorial Review:

Even Murder Is Bigger In Texas

Primates are being smuggled over the Mexican border, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agent Racheal Porter has a hot tip that they're hidden somewhere on the Happy Hunting Ranch. Bad enough that the game ranch provides rare antelopes, Indian deer, and African oryx for the rich to hunt. Now Rachel's sure the hidden illegal chimps are being used for a far more nefarious purpose than exotic target practice.

But when a smuggler is murdered minutes before Rachel can get his insider information, and a mysterious thug comes gunning for her after she unearths enemy territory. For on the border, where coyotes roam and mountain lions prowl, the rule is kill or be killed, and Rachel's no longer a hunter-now she's become the prey.

Coastal Disturbance

Jessica Speart

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Everyone knows a new word.... 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 5 people found this review helpful.

This would have been a five star book if it had not been for the repetitive use of "for crissakes". The first few times caused me to chuckle. Then,everyone used the expression at least 10 times, and our heroine used it probably 50-60 times. Gee, what happened to the good old "F" word? Surely it could have been thrown in a few times. Other than that gripe, it was very good read as has been all of the others Ms. Speart has written. Her books always make me want to visit the area Rachel has found herself.

Editorial Review:

In many ways, hot-tempered field agent Rachel Porter deals better with endangered animals than she does with people -- which is why her superiors at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service dispatch her to the most god-forsaken places. Georgia's steaming coastal swampland is her latest assignment, where she quickly runs afoul of the local authorities. But someone is operating an illegal manatee water park here, and Rachel is determined to shut it down. Worse still, these fascinating mammals are dying in alarming numbers for unknown reasons. And when people being dying as well, Rachel's righteous fury is tinged with fear. Because answers and predators alike are waiting for her in a dark and terrifying place: a toxic "Dead Zone" that spells certain doom for any trespassing human, manatee ... or wildlife agent.

Restless Waters: A Rachel Porter Mystery (Rachel Porter Mysteries)

Jessica Speart

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Still another 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Jessica Speart just keeps on going, and going. This latest book featuring Rachel Porter is a great story. Full of descriptive characters and fun.

Worth 3 1/2 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Special Agent Rachel Porter of the US Fish and Wildlife Service is back, this time posted in Hawaii. She brought longtime love, FBI agent Jake Santou, along, but kept extraneous characters to a minimum. Rachel and Jake are living with Jake's surfer friend Kevin in a shack off the infamous North Shore, and Rachel and Kevin share an uneasy relationship.

Rachel spends less time on the home front than in the last book in the series, instead conducting two intriguing investigations. The first is into illegal reptile breeding, which is decimating several native species in Hawaii, and then she looks into the gruesome practice of shark finning, wherein a shark's fins are cut off its still living body to be made into soup, the rest of the doomed animal cast back into the water to die. The practice had been banned in Honolulu, but Rachel meets an informant who convinces her it's still going on, with political protection going all the way to the top. Though she receives several warnings, Rachel won't give up her investigation, believing too much is at stake. Naturally, her snooping turns up a number of murders, one of which is very nearly her own.

It's very obvious Jessica Speart believes wholeheartedly in her conservationist cause, which is a noble endeavor. She does have a tendency to be preachy about it, though, delivering one side of the argument, and not missing an opportunity to tout a cause, be it conservation, racism, or welfare. While some may agree wholeheartedly with her, it's a bit off-putting. Her voice and message would be more clear if she pared it down a bit, like she has done with excess characters. It would be unfortunate if politics turned away some mystery lovers who otherwise might have learned something.

All that aside, this was a pretty good mystery, where Rachel Porter's investigation into one illegal activity blows the lid off of something much bigger. Though not as amusing or engaging as some of her earlier work, it was a big improvement over her last effort, Blue Twilight. This series is still worth reading.

Editorial Review:

For most people, Hawaii is heaven on Earth. But U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent Rachel Porter sees the rot beneath its natural splendor. Its pristine shores are harboring a new breed of criminal, those who would upset the fragile ecological balance in the name of profit ... those who would kill in the cause of greed.

On the trail of illegal traffickers in exotic animals, Rachel stumbles upon something far more insidious and frightening -- and a suspiciously shark-devoured human corpse that washes up on the rocks is only the beginning. Suddenly everyone wants her off a case that is too hot to handle. But she won't be warned, coaxed, or threatened away, even as the blood that darkens the tropical waters marks Rachel Porter as the most endangered creature in Paradise.

A Killing Season

Jessica Speart

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Speart IS one of the best! 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I had heard about the Rachel Porter Mystery Series but didn't buy one until I read something about the author in the CT Post: 'One of the best contemporary mystery writers.' I agree! She writes the kind of books you can't turn fast enough - my favorite way to escape! But she's funny and very bright. A Killing Season was the best in the series. However, in every book she does an excellent job informing readers about environmental issues and endangered species, and how politics and greed and even murder can play an interesting part in these topics - without preaching. They're fast-fun reads and this is the best Rachel mystery!

Editorial Review:

Agressive and independent, agent Rachel Porter has long been a thorn in the side of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service -- and for her sins, she's been assigned to remote Montana. In this cold, windswept country of private militias and survivalists, grizzlies are being killed at an alarming rate. And while following up on a rumor that someone from the local Blackfeet tribe is responsible, Rachel uncovers an even more terrible truth: Native Americans are mysteriously disappearing as well. In this land that the Unabomber called home, it appears that endangered animals and humans are equally fair game. And the next casualty may well be one gutsy wildlife agent who refuses to let sleeping bears lie.

Bird Brained (Rachel Porter Mysteries)

Jessica Speart

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

You Go GIRL! 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Fish and Wildlife Agent Rachel Porter is a fabulous and very believable character. Placed in a job mainly considered by her various superiors (all male) to be a "man's" job she fights the bad guys and the social stigma (that in reality is ALL too common even in the year 2000) to show that women CAN do anything they put their minds to. Jessica Speart does wonderful research on the locations and geography of the locations Rachel is assigned to and enlightens readers on issues of endangered species and lands, poaching, legal issues in prosecuting violators etc. all the while keeping us alternately laughing out loud and sitting on the edge of our seats. You can't help but be touched by the diverse, hysterical and lovable recurring friends whose personalities and quirks make them more memorable with each new novel. Get to work Jessica - we're waiting!

Editorial Review:

Tangling with animal smugglers in southern Florida-from the Customs counter at Miami Airport to the lush estates of the rich and corrupt-is all part of the job for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agent Rachel Porter.

Working on a hot tip, she investigates the compound of an alleged smuggler of exotic cackatoos and parrots. But once inside, Rachel finds her prey laying in a pool of his own blood-and all of his winged bounty has flown the coop. Though her ornery Cuban boss tells her that birds are her business, not killers, the indomitable Rachel sets out to find both. With a list of suspects that includes a sleazy snake dealer, Cuban cigar smugglers, airboat cowboys, and exiled anti-Castro terrorists, Rachel finds the field spread as wide as a peacock's tail-and just as colorful. And if this dedicated wildlife chick isn't careful...she might end up a sitting duck.

Tortoise Soup (Rachel Porter Mysteries)

Jessica Speart

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Don't know who I'm craziest about...Rachel or Jessica! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I've been watching for this book ever since I finished Ms. Speart's first novel. I fell for Rachel then and continue to be a big fan after this second adventure. I'm male and really enjoy finding a female character to cheer for. I love the series so far and although I hate the wait between books...it IS fun to have Rachel's next escapade to look forward to. Ms. Speart has a way with words that truly amazes me and keeps me turning the pages. I actually paced myself on this one though so I wouldn't read it all in one night. Okay...I'm addicted...what can I say? Please keep those Rachel Porter Mysteries coming! It's a wonderful series and I hope it continues for a very long time.

Editorial Review:

Having transferred from steamy New Orleans, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agent Rachel Porter learns her new assignment in the Nevada desert is no picnic, either: three hundred and fifty endangered tortoises have disappeared from a federal hatching site. Rachel finds no shortage of suspects in the tort-napping: a trio of eco-nuts living in an ark, who fear the creatures are about to die off; trigger-happy ranchers who hate the new government restrictions on ther grazng lands; and developers whose greedy land grab has been forced to halt.

When Rachel discovers the decaying skeleton of a reclusive landowner and her home and office are bombed, her instincts tell her that the missing tortoises are at the center of all the mayhem. And as the deception, dirty dealing and fatal secrets escalate, Rachel finds herself deep in desert danger--from critters two-legged and otherwise!