Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

A NAIL THROUGH THE HEART by Timothy Hallinan: American travel writer Poke Rafferty who now calls Bangkok home is trying to build a family with Rose, a former bar girl with whom he is in love, a homeless girl named Miaow and a mysterious boy of the streets known as Superman. In the meantime Poke gets involved in not one, but two potential life-threatening mysteries. One involves a notorious Khmer Rouge torturer, the other a series of child-porn photos. Rafferty matures rapidly as he tries to meet his lover’s culture more than halfway and find his moral compass at a time when the victims can be as guilty as the murderers are innocent. Completely different from the Bangkok series by John Burdett, but imminently readable although portions are not for the squeamish. 07/08 Jack Quick

NAKED ADDICTION by Caitlin Rother: This police procedural is apparently the first attempt at fiction by a Pulitzer Prize-nominated former journalist who has written at least two “true-crime” books. Detective Ken Goode is trying to obtain a transfer from narcotics where he feels burned out, into Homicide, which is the “major league”. He catches a break when he discovers the body of a beautiful young woman in an alley near the beach, while other Homicide detectives have full caseloads. He is given a shot at solving this case, which quickly becomes one of multiple homicide, drugs, and sex. To be written by a journalist, the books seems to wander a bit more that one would expect, as through the author is trying out different scenarios to see which one would best set up Goode for further adventures. Not bad, but hopefully future outings will be more straight-forward and easier to follow. 07/08 Jack Quick

NAKED MOON by Domenic Stansberry: San Francisco PI Dante Mancuso “bought” his release from the intelligence agency for whom he had been forced to work, by claiming that he had secreted a copy of an explosively dangerous document to be released to the press in the event of his “accidental” death. In fact, Mancuso thought the document was too dangerous and he destroyed it. Now the “agency” has come back after him because of leaked secrets. All will be forgiven if he returns the document. Meanwhile, Leanora Chin, a cop with Special Investigations, is threatening Dante’s cousin Gary, who runs a shady warehouse operation, and Gary fears the wrath of the powerful Wu Benevolent Association if he cooperates with Chin. Trapped in a three-way vise, Dante searches for a way to neutralize the explicit threats to his cousin and others dear to him, while knowing that the only permanent solution is to disappear. If you have any feeling at all for San Francisco, you gotta love this series which IMHO perfectly captures Herb Caen’s “Baghdad by the Bay.” 03/11 Jack Quick

THE NAME OF THE STAR by Maureen Johnson: Louisiana girl Rory Deveaux is spending her senior year in London at Wexford. The day of her arrival just happens to be the anniversary of the murder of Mary Ann Nichols, thought by many to be the first victim of Jack the Ripper. Normally only a big deal if you’re into that kind of thing, except this year a body has been found in homage to Jack’s first kill. Word is out that Jack is back! As each new anniversary results in a new killing, the folks in charge at Wexford become understandably more tense. And when Rory sees someone near the site of yet another murder, she becomes the one and only witness in the case. I loved this book: a teen paranormal mystery with great appeal for adults, in my opinion. Rory is a solid character and The Name of the Star is wonderful set up for continuing into a series. Plus the use of Jack the Ripper, one of history’s most famous unsolved crimes, is incredibly clever. 4/12 Becky Lejeune

The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus: The tell-all sensation of a couple of NY nannies about the lives of the rich and not-so-nice. Funny as hell, but equally disturbing. Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE NAPIERVILLE WHITE HOUSE by Mark Pedriani: If you have ever played Madden NFL football or been part of a fantasy sports league in any sport, you can relate to the appeal of “Nationizer”, software available in the none too distant future that enables you to play fantasy government games. Players can take on the roles of cabinet members and congressmen–passing laws, handling crises, and solving problems with their own independent views. Now guess what happens when fantasy becomes reality. Jay Weise, an insurance adjustor by day in Napierville, Illinois, serves as President of the United States; Julia Ortiz, a quiet librarian at Northwestern University is Secretary of State; Duane Kilmer, a part-time truck driver and obsessive gamer is Secretary of Defense; Edward Hoffman, a gas station owner, is Director of National Security and Chief of Staff Alesia Thorpe, a customer service representative, play key roles when terrorists strike at the very heart of the nation’s capital, pulling off the kidnappings of the century leaving the Naperville White House as the nation’s only real hope of saving the hostages. As reported by Jerome Bartels, crusading vagabond journalist, former White House press secretary, and part-time Radio Shack employee, The Naperville White House is a clever piece of fiction, we hope, and not some vision of the future. Offbeat but compelling in this age when the lines between fantasy and reality become more blurred by the day. 12/10 Jack Quick

THE NARROWS by Michael Connelly: In this sequel to The Poet (1996) retired LAPD Detective Harry Bosch begins to suspect that the notorious serial killer The Poet, presumed dead, may be the culprit in the death of ex-FBI profiler Terry McCalab. As he digs deeper, Bosch meets and eventually joins forces with FBI agent Rachel Walling, who went up against The Poet the first time around. The interactions between Bosch, Walling and The Poet make this a delightfully twisty addition to the Bosch legacy. 05/06 Jack Quick

NATURAL BORN CHARMER by Susan Elizabeth Phillips: Susan Elizabeth Phillips is one of the queens of the romance world, one of the elite few that have crossed over from original paperback publication to hardcovers, along with the likes of Nora Roberts, Jennifer Crusie, and Jayne Anne Krentz, AKA Amanda Quick, AKA Jayne Castle and who knows who else. The crossover has been hugely successful; her books are best sellers.
The main hunk in this book was apparently introduced in her previous book, Match Me if You Can. Dean Robillard is the “natural born charmer” of title fame. A star quarterback for the fictional Chicago Stars, he’s gorgeous, rich, and famous – a deadly combination for Blue Bailey. Blue is our down-on-her-luck heroine, who Dean rescues after her boyfriends dumps her for a blonder model, and effectively strands her in the middle of nowhere. She allows Dean to rescue her, and they embark on a road trip to his vacation home in rural Tennessee, bantering all the way. Of course, nothing is more attractive to a man like Dean than a woman he thinks is playing hard to get. Little does he know that Blue is determined to be impossible to get.
The small town setting in Tennessee adds to the appeal; there are no malls and no chain stores, and the dowager who inherited the town is determined to keep it that way. Lots of crisp, witty dialogue highlight this warm, fast-moving story that draws the reader in. The characters are sympathetic and believable, and we get to know them well. There are multiple story lines that mesh well together, creating a heartwarming, romantic tale that is fast, sexy and fun yet still emotionally appealing. Not my usual, but rather a diversion as light and sweet as a snow cone, perfect for a summer day. Just out in paperback, and that makes it my first recommended beach read of the summer. 05/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch
NATURAL SELECTION by Dave Freedman: Jason Aldridge and his research team have been contracted to track a possible new species of manta ray. An undersea virus has been plaguing the depths of the ocean. As a result, an ancient species of manta has made its way to the surface in search of food. Immature manta are spotted soaring from the water in an attempt to find sustenance. Suddenly, Aldridge and his team are in for something more than they bargained for, as a creature known for is passive nature has now become a deadly predator. Initially, I expected this to be a fun, if somewhat unbelievable read. However, Freedman’s debut turned out to have many more cons against it than pros in its favor. The characters lack depth and emotion and the romantic aspect is awkward at best – it would have helped the story more if it had been altogether eliminated. Even the scientific aspects of this book overpowered the story itself. This was a highly disappointing and overall bland read. 10/06 Becky LeJeune

THE NAVIGATOR by Michael Pocalyko: This debut thriller opens with the titled “Navigator,” an American soldier, translating at the liberation of the infamous Bergen-Belsen Nazi concentration camp. He spends the rest of his life trying to “bury it deep” and recover, which we now know is not the best advice for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He has two sons who grow up witnessing their father dealing with “health issues” and their parents’ subsequent divorce. The boys end up in the finance world; one belly up and the other, the super successful architect of the first multi-national, trillion-dollar tech deal. When that much money is on the line, anything is liable to happen and it does, from Washington political intrigue to corporate espionage to murder. Characters aren’t especially well developed but the real star of the story is ViroSat, the technological behemoth start up at the center of everything. Lots of financial babble and tech talk slow the pace a bit but the various storylines are interesting enough, especially as they start to intersect late in the book, as every loose end is cobbled together. Christopher Reich and Joseph Finder fans will enjoy this. 6/13 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2013 Booklist, a division of the American Library Association. Reprinted with permission.

THE NAVIGATOR by Michael Pocalyko: A well researched and written book about the communication system after the internet; Internet next, a system that is faster, safer and considerably more versatile than anything available today. It is brilliant fiction but could be a reality in the near future. The cost of getting such a system up and running around the world is projected at more than a trillion dollars. Pocalyko’s expertise in both high finance, and the technical problems of launching the system make for fascinating reading. The story opens with the visit in 1945 of a navigator from a B-24, part of the U S eighth air force to a concentration camp in Germany. Due to his fluency in German his job is to assist the army with liberating the camp and helping the survivors. The trauma of conditions seen there will haunt him throughout his life. Move to the present day where one of his two sons is involved with directing the progress of setting up and launching Virosat, the internet next system. The other son is caught up in a fraud perpetrated by a company that he was applying to. He is also trying to resolve the estate of an elderly woman that sought him out to help her with her apparently small financial worth. How the two sons are tied together in the overall progress and problems of the Virosat launch comprises the very fascinating meat and potatoes of the book. We follow, thanks to Pocalyko’s knowledge of high level international finance and technical expertise, the twists and turns of the Virosat launch which include an attempt by the U S government to take the system over and control it. The ending is logical and does bring all loose ends together. All in all a very satisfying read and look at what is probably coming in our lifetime. 6/13 Paul Lane

THE NEAR WITCH by Victoria Schwab: All of the kids in Near have heard of the Near Witch. It’s the bedtime story they all hear growing up. In fact, the town of Near has a particular dislike of witches… and strangers. When a stranger arrives and kids begin to disappear, the townsfolk immediately look to the man as the cause. But Lexi fears that the truth is something much worse: the Near Witch has come back for revenge. Lexi knows that if parts of the old legend are true, the key to finding the Near Witch and saving the children might also be buried in the story. With the help of the stranger and a pair of sisters long rumored to be witches themselves, Lexi will have to outsmart a wicked being whose very power travels on the winds of the moor. Schwab’s tale has a fantastic folklore feel to it, something that brings to mind the classic fairy tales I grew up with. The Near Witch is an enjoyable and creepy read that will appeal to readers of all ages. 11/11 Becky Lejeune

A NECESSARY END by Peter Robinson: Chief Inspector Alan Banks of Britain’s Eastvale Regional Police is the good cop while Superintendent Richard (“Dirty Dick”) Burgess, a special investigator from London CID, has no hesitation in being the bad cop in investigating the murder of a young constable sent to keep order at an anti-nuclear demonstration in Eastvale, a drowsy town of 14,000 that time has passed by, yet a murderer–one of the demonstrators–undeniably has struck with a flick-knife (switchblade). Dirty Dick, a notorious stud and heavy drinker, roars into town, convinced that communists and terrorists have arranged for the murder of PC Gill. A user of terror tactics himself, he’s intent on making a collar even if the evidence must be bent. He brushes off Banks’ suggestions that the demonstration may have been used as cover for a grudge killing. Who is correct? Another strong outing from Robinson. 10/06 Jack Quick

NEED by Carrie Jones: After the sudden death of her step-father, Zara is sent to live with her grandmother in Maine. Her mother had hoped that the trip would do her some good considering she’s been walking around like a zombie ever since the funeral. Zara is dreading it, though. Then she meets Issie and her friend Devyn and things begin to look up. And then there is Nick Colt, resident hunk, who also seems to want to be her friend. Yep, things are definitely looking up for Zara. That is until she learns about the missing boys in town, and she realizes that a strange guy has been following her around. Could he be connected to the disappearances? You bet. After some research, Zara and her friends come to the conclusion that the guy in question is actually a pixie, and not the Tinkerbell variety either. Nope, this kind of pixie feeds off of human blood. It also seems that this is not the first time the pixies have plagued their small town. Need definitely bears strong resemblance to Twilight, but is interesting in that pixies have not really been cast in much of the paranormal fiction hitting shelves of late. This read will most likely appeal to younger teens who enjoy paranormal fiction. 12/08 Becky Lejeune

NEED YOU NOW by James Grippando: While this not a Jack Swytek novel, this terrific standalone does feature Jack’s girlfriend, FBI agent Andie Henning. This novel is set in New York in the aftermath of a Bernie Madoff type Ponzi scheme, this one perpetrated by the fictional Abe Cushman, who does the overburdened courts a favor and kills himself. Meanwhile sixty billion dollars is gone with no hopes of Cushman ever revealing what he may have done with the money. Enter Patrick Lloyd, an employee of a large multinational Swiss bank with offices in New York. Patrick has just returned from a stint in Singapore, where he met and fell in love with co-worker Lilly, who ends up under suspicion of helping funnel some of Cushman’s missing sixty billion dollars. This is a complicated story, yet in Grippando’s hands it is incredibly fast paced and believable. Some really great twists throughout and a surprise ending that again, is believable, make this a must read for thriller fans, and anyone with an interest in the international financial markets. I loved it. 1/12 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

NEED YOU NOW by James Grippando: Grippando is the author of a wide variety of novels, most of them with enough pizazz to bring in the reader almost immediately. Need You Now is engrossing and timely with a very intriguing ending not telegraphed during most of the book. Three years prior to the actual opening of the action a giant fund collapsed à la the recent Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme. Many shareholders lose their investments and the government gets involved in trying to find most of the funds which should have been available even with the collapse and do not appear anywhere.
Patrick Lloyd, a young financial advisor in the private accounts section of a huge Swiss bank’s New York office, is recruited by an FBI agent to temporarily relocate to one of the bank’s Asian offices to make contact with a young lady who is suspected of funneling the missing funds to private individuals. Why he was selected is an important part of the action in the book and revealed as a major part of the story. An interesting sidelight is that the FBI agent that recruits Patrick is Andie Henning, who is sent from her base in Miami to handle the case in New York. Andie appears in other Grippando novels as Jack Swyteck’s girlfriend, a Miami lawyer who is a frequent protagonist in Grippando’s books.
Patrick makes contact with Lilly and while investigating, they fall in love. Lilly is fired by the Swiss bank and she and Patrick meet again in New York. That is where the actual action for most of the book takes place. Patrick and Lilly are threatened with death by two different groups as they continue investigating the Ponzi scheme in order to absolve Lilly from unwarranted accusations of fraud. Their investigation is also impaired by actions of the government that is seemingly at odds with the idea of finding out where all the money went. Andie Hemming is suddenly sent back to Miami at a crucial juncture in Patrick and Lilly’s investigations and the case “closed”. The ending is a surprise, but upon retrospect is quite a logical outcome of present day politics. Gripping and timely. 1/12 Paul Lane

THE NEIGHBORS by Ania Ahlborn: When Andrew Morrison moves in with Mickey Finch, it’s to be a new start. He’s left his old life behind and is doing something for himself for the very first time. Sure, Mickey is a little odd at first and the house is a bit of a wreck, but it’s nothing a little cleaning and polishing won’t fix. And the neighbors are great. Red and Harlow Ward are warm and welcoming, even going so far as to offer Drew a job. Behind closed doors, though, Drew’s perfect new neighbors are hiding a dark and twisted secret. A secret so terrible Drew will wish he’d never met the Wards. This second release from Ahlborn is a twisted and creepy read. Ahlborn does an excellent job building the underlying sense of unease through the beginning of The Neighbors before revealing the Wards’ true nature. One of the best things about this book, though, is that while the violence is intense, there’s also a good bit left to the reader’s imagination. It makes The Neighbors more unsettling than you’d expect. 12/12 Becky Lejeune

THE NEON GRAVEYARD by Vicki Pettersson: This final installment in the Sign of the Zodiac series is an action-packed bombshell ending. Joanna Archer has lost everything and in doing so, she’s survived and come out stronger than ever. Now is the time for her to start taking back. Time for her revenge. And time for her new troop of rogue agents to come to power. After being banished from the light, Joanna has become the leader of a troop of misfits—rogue agents who’ve left or been banished from their own troops for one reason or another. Together, they plan to infiltrate Midheaven, save the man she loves, and bring down the dark for good. All while hiding a pregnancy that could make her a walking target for both Vegas troops. If she succeeds, it would mean big changes for Vegas and the Zodiac. I’ve been with this series from book one and have loved each new installment. Pettersson has created a story unlike anything else out there right now and I can’t wait to see what she’ll come up with next. 06/11 Becky Lejeune

NEUROMANCER by William Gibson: Someone said science fiction is science not yet discovered. If you ever wanted to try science fiction you could do worse than this one – the first novel to win the holy trinity of science fiction: the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award and the Philip K. Dick Award. This is the beginning of cyber space which has now come to be an integral part of all our daily lives. Case was the hottest computer cowboy cruising the information superhighway–jacking his consciousness into cyberspace, soaring through tactile lattices of data and logic, rustling encoded secrets for anyone with the money to buy his skills. Then he double-crossed the wrong people, who caught up with him in a big way–and burned the talent out of his brain, micron by micron. Banished from cyberspace, trapped in the meat of his physical body, Case courted death in the high-tech underworld. But now he has been given a second chance. Outstanding. 08/09 Jack Quick

NEVER COME BACK by David Bell: Leslie Hampton’s death has all the earmarks of a homicide, something that shocks her family quite a bit. With the exception of trips to the library, Leslie was a bit of a shut in who’d devoted her life to caring for her son, Ronnie. Ronnie was born with Down Syndrome and though he’s quite self-sufficient and high functioning, still relied very heavily on his mother. Elizabeth, Leslie’s daughter, hadn’t spoken to her mother for over a month before her death. She’d only recently returned to her hometown to attend grad school but Elizabeth never considered herself close to her family. The death leaves both of Leslie’s children reeling and the added suspicion of murder is almost unfathomable. When the police seem to turn their eye to Ronnie as a suspect, Elizabeth is even more confused. Surely they wouldn’t seriously suspect her brother as the killer? Elizabeth finds herself in an odd position, forced to dig into her mother’s past in order to help her brother, and she soon learns that Leslie was hiding a few secrets. Still, who would want to hurt Leslie Hampton? Never Come Back starts with promise but unfortunately fails to deliver. The plot becomes muddled and predictable. There are some interesting twists early on but they become more far fetched as the story progresses ultimately making Never Come Back more disappointing than thrilling. 10/13 Becky Lejeune
NEVER CROSS A VAMPIRE by Stuart Kaminsky: World War II has begun and PI Toby Peters is taking on his strangest case ever. Someone is sending threatening letters to Bela Lugosi. Boris Karloff asks Toby to take the case, and it’s not long before Toby and Bela are tangling the Dark Knights of Transylvania, a group of vampire fans who are at best loosely wound. The case takes an odd twist when the police find the murder weapon from a literary agent killing in the hotel room of William Faulkner (yes that William Faukner). Two cases, or one? It only gets weirder for ace detective Peters in this latest movie making romp. 04/09 Jack Quick

NEVER GO BACK by Lee Child: The Jack Reacher series is my version of literary comfort food. The books are consistent in their excellence, character development and action. Never Go Back adds another layer to the seemingly simple yet truly complex character that Jack Reacher has evolved into, and it is done flawlessly. Jack has spoken to the new commanding officer of his old 110th MP base, his replacement if you will, and he is intrigued by her voice and demeanor. Being Jack, he makes his way down to Virginia, wanting to meet her and maybe take her to dinner. But when he arrives, he finds she’s been arrested and he’s about to be next. He’s put up at a cheap motel nearby, and a carful of men – not in uniform but soldiers nonetheless – try and convince him to leave town in a hurry. Reacher does not respond well to threats, and has never backed down from a fight, and he doesn’t start in this book. He’s determined to prove his innocence and hers, even if it means busting out of jail in the process and hitting the road to California to find the answers they need. Another riveting tale from one of the masters of the thriller genre and probably the best one in the series. Don’t miss it. 9/13 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

NEVER KNOWING by Chevy Stevens: Sara Gallagher has long known that she was adopted. Sure, she’s wondered about her birth parents, but when she stumbles upon an article about adoption while planning her wedding, she decides it might be time to find out more about where she comes from. What she discovers is not at all what she’d expected: not only is her birth mother uninterested in getting to know Sara, she’s downright angry about being sought out. What’s more, Sara suspects that she’s lying with regards to the birth father. Unable to let it go, Sara hires a private investigator. His brief search reveals that Sara’s birth mother is the only person to have escaped an attempt by the notorious Campsite Killer. Based on the time of the crime, the PI and Sara both determine that the killer must be Sara’s father. Sara’s lineage is soon spread all over the internet and she begins to receive calls from a man identifying himself as her father. This connection is the first lead the police have ever had with the crimes and they ask Sara to continue contact with the man in hopes that they may finally be able to close the case. But Sara knows that speaking to the Campsite Killer will surely put herself and her family in danger. This second release from Stevens is just as dark and suspenseful as her debut, Still Missing, and is equally as fast paced and intriguing as well. Sara is a complicated character and Stevens does a great job delving into the psychological aspects of her circumstances. 6/12 Becky Lejeune

THE NEVER LIST by Koethi Zan: Jack Derber is a bad man. For years, he held four girls captive in his basement. Sarah and two others were saved. Derber will soon be up for possible parole and Sarah is going to make sure that never happens. As kids, she and her best friend Jennifer thought they were prepared for anything. They were wrong. All it took was one night. One night when their guard was down and Jack Derber had them in his sights. Derber took everything from Sarah, including Jennifer. Now, Sarah wants answers and she wants to make sure that Jack Derber can’t ever do what he did to her and those other girls again. In order to do so, Sarah will have to face all of the things she’s tried to put behind her for so long. Chilling doesn’t begin to describe Koethi Zan’s debut. This is the kind of story that unfortunately has proven to be all too real of late, which makes it that much more intense and unsettling. Zan’s heroine is strong, though, and she and her story draw readers in compelling them to stay with her through the end. Fans of darker thrillers the likes of Chelsea Cain and Thomas Harris’s work will appreciate the level of suspense and the numerous twists. 7/13 Becky Lejeune

NEVER LOOK AWAY by Linwood Barclay: David Harwood is a newspaper reporter in the small town of Promise Falls, where he lives with his wife Jan and their young son Ethan. David’s been ruffling feathers while working on a story about suspicious dealings between the local politicians and a privately run prison looking to move into town. Things have been stressful at the struggling newspaper, and Jan has been acting strangely. David is worried but then Jan surprises him with tickets to a nearby theme park for a day of family fun. But it’s not much fun when Ethan momentarily disappears, and when he’s found, Jan vanishes. Not only can she not be found, there is no record of her buying the tickets or entering the park. David becomes the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance, and sets out to prove his innocence and try and find his wife. VERDICT: The pages fly in this gripping, twisty tale of betrayal and heartbreak. Barclay takes ordinary people and puts them in extraordinary circumstances, creating a tense, fast paced thriller without stretching the limits of credulity. Sure to please fans of Harlan Coben and Lisa Unger. 03/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch. Copyright © 2010 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Reprinted with permission.

NEVER TELL by Alafair Burke: Sixteen-year-old Julia Whitmire commits suicide, but her wealthy, politically connected parents force an investigation. NYPD Det. Ellie Hatcher (212; Angel’s Tip; Dead Connection) lands the case and isn’t too sympathetic. The private school Julia attended is full of privileged children under enormous pressure, many of whom are abusing prescription drugs. Julia’s computer reveals she was cyberbullying someone, and her best friend doesn’t even know whom she was dating, just that Julia was on the wild side. Meanwhile, Hatcher’s relationship with her district attorney boyfriend reaches a critical juncture when the subject of children comes up, adding more personal suspense to this story. As the investigation continues, Hatcher realizes that Julia’s death may indeed be a murder, and the list of suspects is narrowing. Verdict: What initially appears to be a simple story quickly becomes more intricate and compelling, making the pages fly. Highly recommended, especially for Lisa Gardner or Laura Lippman fans. 6/12 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2012 Library Journal, a division of Media Source Inc. Reprinted with permission.

NEVER TELL by Alafair Burke: Ellie Hatcher’s latest case seems like an open and shut suicide: the girl, a sixteen-year-old prep school student whose rich parents leave her pretty much on her own most of the time, shows signs of an eating disorder and prescription drug abuse. She’s even left a note. The girl’s mother is insistent that in spite of everything, she is certain her daughter would never have taken her own life and the girl’s father has enough pull to make sure the police treat the case as a homicide. When Ellie and her partner begin to dig deeper, they discover not all is as it seems. In fact, there are so many inconsistencies that even Ellie begins to wonder if the girl’s mother could be right. Alafair Burke once again presents a tightly woven and completely convincing plot that will keep even the most avid mystery fans guessing. This is the fourth installment to the series and while there are references to earlier titles, Never Tell can most definitely be read on its own. 6/12 Becky Lejeune

NEVER TELL A LIE by Hallie Ephron: After years of trying, Ivy and David Rose are finally expecting their first child. The two decide that in preparation of their growing family, it is time to clear out some of the junk left behind by the home’s previous owner. Unfortunately, their yard sale brings one particular patron who will prove to be bad luck for the happy couple. Melinda White went to high school with both Ivy and David, though they were never really friends. After David promises to show Melinda around the house, the woman mysteriously vanishes. Ivy and David assumed she had left on her own, but when she is reported missing, the police begin to look pretty close at the Roses. It doesn’t help that Melinda’s bloody clothing is discovered in a trunk set out by the curb for the trash. This debut thriller is the perfect example of what the term “page-turner” refers to. From page one, I was glued to my seat! The plot is tight and chilling and packed with suspense. This is without a doubt going to be one of the big books of 2009. 01/09 Becky Lejeune

NEVERLAND by Douglas Clegg: Never has a family vacation been so wrought with terror and wicked imagination as in Neverland. Originally released in 1991, Clegg’s creepy tale of children facing off with an evil entity has been re-released featuring wonderful sketches from the talented Glenn Chadbourne (who also illustrated the recently released Isis, also by Clegg). Beau and his family expected their annual trip to Gull Island to be business as usual: mosquitoes, exquisite boredom, and snippy adults for two whole weeks. When they arrive, however, Beau’s cousin Sumter reveals a secret. A secret that Beau is sworn to keep with blood. Sumter has claimed the old shed as his own Neverland. Inside, he has hidden something powerful. Something that will come to life using the children’s vivid imaginations. Something evil that has been waiting all this time to be let out once again. Clegg’s graphic imagery is frightening on its own, but paired with the possibilities of a child’s creative mind, Neverland becomes one of the most chilling reading experiences I’ve had in ages. 04/10 Becky Lejeune

NEVERWHERE by Neil Gaiman: Richard Mayhew had a nice life. Not a great life, but a nice life. He had a job and a fiancée, and for an unassuming young man, this was enough. The old woman did warn him about doors, though. When Richard meets a young girl wounded and bleeding in the street, he feels obligated to help. He takes her home and gives her a place to stay for the night. He searches out the one person she thinks can help her get home and he helps her to get on her way. And for all of that, Richard loses everything. After the girl called Door leaves his apartment, Richard seemingly disappears, at least to everyone around him. His act of chivalry has left him with some serious problems and the only solution he can find is to follow Door into London below for some answers. Gaiman’s debut solo novel (after co-authoring Good Omens with Terry Pratchett) is considered by most to be the very first urban fantasy. The book is actually an adaptation of a mini-series created by Gaiman for BBC. The novelization was released simultaneous to airing of the program. A whimsical and magical fairy tale for adults. Gaiman is someone everyone should be reading. 11/08 Becky Lejeune

THE NEW DEAD edited by Christopher Golden: Zombies have claimed their position at the top of the horror genre, and deservedly so. They’re super fun. The New Dead is a collection of all new zombie tales, some of them funny, some of them sad, and some of them highly disturbing. With contributions from authors such as Max Brooks, Joe Hill, David Wellington, Jonathan Maberry, and many, many more, The New Dead is definitely a must-have for zombie fans and horror aficionados. I loved reading each author’s different take on the walking dead: zombies have come so far since George Romero’s films, and yet I’m sure that each author has paid tribute in their own way to those clumsy flesh-eating monsters we saw in Night of the Living Dead. Holly Newstein’s “Delice,” for example, is a tale of voodoo based around the notorious Lalauries of New Orleans. John Connolly’s “Lazarus” takes zombies all the way back to biblical times and Joe Hill brings zombies up to date with a Twitter based tale in “Twittering From the Circus of the Dead.” Whether you like your zombies post-apocalyptic style or suddenly walking among us, this book has something for everyone. Zombies of all shapes and sizes. 03/10 Becky Lejeune

NEW TRICKS by David Rosenfelt: Whatever you may think of Andy Carpenter’s litigation skills, for sure, he has smart clients, in this case a Bernese Mountain puppy named Waggy. Walter Timmerman, a big wheel in the pharmaceutical industry has been murdered, and a custody battle arises between Walter’s widow Diana and her stepson Steven. Andy gets appointed to represent Waggy, but just as he is about to leave Diana’s home after picking up Waggy, she is killed in a bomb explosion at her home. Turns out she stood to inherit $400 million after Walter had cut son Steven out of the will. In addition to those $400 million reasons, Steven is known to have detested Diana and learned all about the type explosive that blew up the house while he was in the Marines. Now Andy is representing an accused murderer. Then, when Andy’s police chief girlfriend, Laurie Collins, who’s visiting from Wisconsin, is shot and wounded while playing with Waggy, Andy comes to realize that Waggy was the real target all along. It is another great outing for Andy Carpenter, the dog’s best friend and not a bad attorney. 09/09 Jack Quick

NEWS BLUES by Marianne Mancusi: Maddy Madison has just been promoted. Her excitement is almost too much to bear, especially when the boss assigns her a hot new photographer as a partner. With Emmy aspirations fueling her, Maddy sets out to find the story of a lifetime, the story that could finally earn her a coveted job at Newsline. The powers that be at News 9 have different plans for Maddy, though. Every new story she suggests is shot down and replaced with something asinine like “Cosmetics that Kill.” Worse yet, the hottie photographer is engaged to someone else and Maddy’s parents have just revealed that after over 20 years of marriage, they are getting a divorce. While her mother goes gallivanting off on a worldwide shopping spree and her father holes up with his pregnant mistress, Maddy is saddled with the responsibility of watching over her 16-year-old sister. What’s a girl to do? Mancusi, a two-time Emmy award winning producer herself, draws upon her own experiences in the industry to create a realistic and sweet tale that deals with some fairly heavy issues while remaining light-hearted and warmingly humorous. 03/08 Becky Lejeune

THE NEWTON PROPHESIES by Keith Katsikas: Michael DiBianco is a Professor at Harvard Divinity School. He’s committed his entire life to discovering the hidden truths within the Bible. In a matter of moments, his world is upended. He is questioned by the FBI about some research he did on the Newton papers, a document that details the exact date of the end of the world and the Second Coming. Murders of important officials and dignitaries have occurred, and DiBianco appears to be the prime suspect. He learns about a brotherhood known as the Descendants of Lucifer (DoL) who are attempting to prevent the Second Coming so that their master can assume his rightful position. DiBianco also discovers that his entire life, as he has known it, as been a lie. He was implanted with a nanoprocessor that has been sending flashes of false memories, and in the days following his confrontation with the FBI, has begun to send him messages. DiBianco soon learns that some of his closest friends can no longer be trusted, and begins a long journey to stop the DoL in their plot to destroy mankind. Newton Prophesies is a mind-blowing, faced-paced and exciting book! Very reminiscent of Dan Brown, but yet very unique as well. There is a great and exciting future in store for this up and coming author. 07/08 Jennifer Lawrence

THE NEXT BEST THING by Jennifer Weiner: This latest effort from the author of Good in Bed and In Her Shoes, among many others, really delivers with this sweet story of a Hollywood sitcom gone wrong. Ruth Saunders was disfigured in a tragic accident that cost her parents their lives, and she is raised by a loving grandmother. After college she decides to try her hand at writing for TV, and her grandmother moves along with her. There they both find love and heartache, work and unemployment but mostly they know they have each other no matter what. The inside scoop on what really happens from the creative germ of an idea to sitcom fruition is fascinating, and since Weiner went through this experience herself with the quickly cancelled ABC sitcom, “State of Georgia”, I’m not sure how much of this is fiction and how much is fact. Either way it is a most entertaining and delectable read. 8/12 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE NEXT KILL by Aaron Trance: There is a new sheriff in town. Trance brings us San Francisco homicide detective Trane Ravenwood who ends up in Japan following the trail of a serial killer. The story starts in Egypt, winds through Jamaica, Johannesburg, Paris, and San Francisco before hopping to Tokyo. Someone is killing beautiful women and taunting Ravenwood about the murders. The crimes are modern but the roots lie well into the past. This is an exciting adventure with lots of pretty women and a protagonist somewhere between Jack Reacher and “Dirty” Harry Callaghan. The only rules that apply are Trane’s rules – and learning them can be painful. Hopefully, this will be the start of a fresh new series that will be like Ravenwood’s choice of beer – long and satisfying. 03/10 Jack Quick

NICE GIRLS DON’T HAVE FANGS by Molly Harper: Jane Jameson, children’s librarian. Make that former children’s librarian and now vampire. And it’s hard to keep something like that under wraps in the tiny town of Half-Moon Hollow. It all begins with her getting fired. Instead of severance, Jane’s years of service and effort earned her a gift certificate for the local Shenanigans. Less than steady on her feet after $25 of potato skins and electric lemonade, Jane makes her way home only to have her car die. As she attempts the rest of the trip by foot, the local idiot mistakes her for a deer and shoots her drive-by style. Fortunately, Gabriel Nightengale saves her … sort of. A hilarious start for Harper’s new paranormal series. Jane is a lovable character and her plight is truly laugh-out-loud. Great for readers looking for a funny paranormal tale with a great balance of romance included. 02/10 Becky Lejeune

NIGHT AND DAY by Robert B. Parker: The eighth Jesse Stone is lightweight, even for Parker. The action revolves around two cases, one almost silly, and the other a bit more serious. The silly one involves Junior High School Principal Betsy Ingersoll’s efforts to maintain morals and dignity amongst her young teen minions. While what she did may not have been criminal, it certainly provoked a firestorm. The other case has far more serious ramifications – a Peeping Tom calling himself the Night Hawk escalates from mere peeping to home invasions. Jesse needs to stop him before someone gets hurt. So while they may take a “bite out of crime” in Paradise, this one is more of a late night snack than a full meal. It’s still Parker, however, and even a weak Parker is still pretty darn tasty. 04/09 Jack Quick

THE NIGHT BOOKMOBILE by Audrey Niffenegger: A graphic novel from the author of The Time Traveler’s Wife seems like a natural; Niffenegger was an artist long before she hit the bestseller list. This is the first graphic novel that I’ve read in years that really spoke to me. A friend told me it was almost too emotional, shocking and that it would make me cry. It was an emotional read, but probably not the way he thought I might take it. It is about a woman in Chicago that stumbles upon a bookmobile that is only open at night, from “dusk to dawn”. As she wanders through the bookmobile, it turns out to have a somewhat surprising collection; a life changing collection, in fact. I loved this book and it should probably be read by librarians, booksellers and avid readers everywhere. If one of those categories fits, check it out. 09/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE NIGHT CALLER by John Lutz: Ezekiel “Coop” Cooper is a former NYPD detective whose cancer forced him into early retirement. After finding his daughter’s dead body, his experience and instincts are that she is the victim of a ritual killing, likely by a serial killer. Then he is contacted by Deni Green, a writer working on a true crime story who thinks that Coop’s daughter was the victim of a killer who had struck both in Florida and the Pacific Northwest. The two form an uneasy alliance as they work to track down the killer before he claims other victims. Well written and intriguing. Lutz is a master. 08/06 Jack Quick

THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern: This is probably the most talked about debut of the year, with the most extravagant praise being heaped upon it, from being compared to the Harry Potter books and Twilight, to this quote from an independent bookseller in USA Today: “Let’s say The Help and The Da Vinci Code were high-water marks in our bookselling history. My prediction is The Night Circus is the 200-year flood. I loved (those books),” she says, “but this is better than The Da Vinci Code and better than The Help. It’s a whole different level of writing.” This all leaves expectations high, and I am delighted to say this book exceeded those expectations. This is a marvelous book, an escape from reality into a world you can’t help wanting to visit. It is about a magical circus, and the people involved in creating it and keeping it going. Two of them, Marco and Celia, are magicians, raised to compete in a game not of their choosing, yet they also fall in love. The writing itself is magical, the story compelling and completely engrossing, the ending is fitting and the book is just fantastic. Don’t miss it, and expect a movie. 10/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE NIGHT FOLLOWING by Morag Joss: In Joss’s third stand-alone, a nameless woman and a single inadvertent slip of attention cause the intersection and eventual downfall of two individuals. A trip in her husband’s car to the grocery store leads to our narrator’s discovery of her spouse’s infidelity. Rather than being upset or angry, she is relieved and feels as though this is the push the couple needs to finally end a marriage that has quietly fallen apart. Her distractedness, however, results in another woman’s death. The resulting guilt over the murder leads our nameless character to the victim’s husband. She feels an overwhelming sense of responsibility towards the man for having taken away his loved one and, as a result, becomes fixated on his wellbeing. She begins by spending nights in his garden, watching him, and soon escalates to entering his home. She cleans and cooks, all the while realizing that the man has begun to believe that she is his deceased wife, come back to take care of him. This unhealthy relationship eventually leads to their destruction as neither of them is willing to accept reality any longer. Joss has used this sort of theme before, the sort of slipping into or taking over a false persona. Our nameless character remains so because she becomes someone else, albeit someone of her own making. In the end, she becomes a nobody. Joss’s distinct style makes for interesting reading. I did find, however, that the strong similarity in themes between Night Following and Half Broken Things was a bit disappointing. For an author known for her unique plots I would have liked to see something different this time around. 03/08 Becky Lejeune

NIGHT FREEZE by Lee Emory: I suppose by definition all serial killers are creepy, but this one is off the creepiness scale. Ex-Marine and ex-Phoenix Police Detective Niall Malone is leaving the Valley of the Sun. His wife has divorced him after the death of their child in a school bus accident and he is looking for a fresh start. Maybe the fact that a highway sniper wounds him on his way out of town should have caused him to re-think his options. However he has already accepted the new post in Kansas City and a Marine always go forward and onward. What he finds in the “Heart of America:” is a weirdo who is sending packages of gruesome, butchered body pieces, usually frozen, to the local Medical Examiner, Dr. Shyla Clifford. Each has been marked with a meat stamp designed in a US Marine Corps insignia. The good Doctor, a Navy retiree, is the ultimate target of this whack job, but can Malone save her. Interesting departure from Ms. Emory’s other efforts. 12/08 Jack Quick

THE NIGHT GARDENER by George Pelecanos: Pelecanos is a literary crime fiction writer. Most crime fiction is plot driven, but it is the characters in The Night Gardener that drive this plot. Set in the inner city of Washington D.C. (as opposed to the political side) there is a series of murders, the bodies being found in small gardens scattered through the city. It remains unsolved for twenty years, and then there is a remarkably similar murder. The victim happens to be Detective Gus Ramone’s teenage son’s friend. Ramone was a patrol cop when the earlier murders occurred. He worked the original case with Dan (“Doc”) Holiday, who later left the force under a cloud of alcoholism and suspicion, and the retired detective T.C. Cook. They join forces to try and solve this new murder, and while that storyline does propel the pages, it is the way we are drawn into the lives of these “police” that truly makes this an outstanding novel. 08/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

NIGHT KILL by Ann Littlewood: Iris Oakley has had it with her husband, Rick, and his drinking. They’re both employees at the Finely Zoo in Vancouver, Washington, a zoo that suffers from severe budget issues and low funding. After a fight that results in a temporary separation, Rick vows to quit drinking and begs for a second chance. The following morning, though, Rick is discovered dead in the lion pen, reeking of booze. Had he lied and gone on another bender? And what was he doing at the zoo in the middle of the night? Iris asks herself these questions and promptly sets them aside in an attempt to move on with her life. Then she has an accident of her own and she begins to wonder if maybe the two “accidents” are connected. The question is this: who could be behind them and what’s the motivation? Iris stirs up a whole mess of trouble in trying to uncover the truth behind the incidents and someone at the zoo is willing to do whatever it takes to shut her up, permanently. Littlewood, a former zoo keeper herself, combines an interesting behind-the-scenes look at zoo life with an intriguing plot. Her fun debut is guaranteed to keep readers on edge until the very end. Night Kill reminded me of Nevada Barr’s first Anna Pigeon mysteries. First in a new series. 09/08 Becky Lejeune

NIGHT LAWS by Jim Michael Hansen: Kelly Parks is an attorney at Denver’s largest law firm when she is warned by a vicious killer that she is his next target. It is up to Denver homicide detective Bryson Coventry to find out why Parks is a target and exactly what secrets her firm is concealing. Parks realizes she must also learn the truth to save her life and to satisfy herself about her possible unwitting participation in a murder. Action in some ways is reminiscent of Grisham’s The Firm, i.e., powerful law firm above the law. Talk about a Rocky Mountain high, this is my sixth book so far this month with a Denver setting. 02/06 Jack Quick

THE NIGHT MONSTER by James Swain: I think this is the first time Swain has included both P.I. Jack Carpenter and casino gambling expert Tony Valentine in a single volume. Admittedly Valentine’s role is a cameo as Carpenter, former head of the Broward County Missing Persons Unit, is re-living a nightmare. As a young cop he failed to stop the kidnapping of a college coed by a shockingly large assailant–and neither of them was ever seen again. That one case led him into missing person work. Now after eighteen years, it’s about to become terrifying reality once more. A voyeur kidnaps one of Carpenter’s daughter Jessie’s FSU college basketball team teammates. Carpenter’s hot pursuit of the video voyeur leads him smack into another run-in with his old hulking nemesis. While the Broward County cops are determined to pin the rap on a convenient suspect, Carpenter isn’t about to let grim history repeat itself. Jack and his trusty Australian Shepherd dog, Buster, hit the ground running. The chase is on and it is breathtaking. Definitely recommended. 11/09 Jack Quick

Night of the Avenging Blowfish by John Welter: It’s an original, charming, deliciously funny love story from a guy’s point of view and an absolute delight to read. Don’t miss it! Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEED by E.J. Copperman: Alison Kerby, a recent divorcee who now has a chance to realize her dream of opening a guesthouse on the Jersey Shore, is in for a big surprise. Her newly purchased historic fixer-upper is perfect for her plans, but if she wants to see any sort of profit, she’s got to stick to a strict timeline for renovations. And since she’s doing them herself, there is certainly no room for distraction. After getting hit on the head by a can of joint compound, though, she finds that she has some unexpected guests in her new home. Paul Harrison and Maxie Malone, a PI and the previous owner of the house, want Alison to help solve the mystery of their deaths. Ruled a double suicide, the spectral pair insist that they were in fact murdered. Alison wants no part of it, until someone starts threatening her as well. Now, in order to save herself, it seems she’ll have to investigate for Paul and Maxie as well. Copperman (aka Jeffrey Cohen, author of the Double Feature mystery series) injects just the right amount of humor into his cozy paranormal “debut,” making it a fun mystery and a great start to a new series. 07/10 Becky Lejeune
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEB by Susan McBride: This series is one that I always look forward to; they are light and fluffy and just so much fun to read. Andy Kendrick, the almost-Dallas-deb, is back only this time it’s personal. Andy’s boyfriend, Brian, a straight arrow attorney, went to a bachelor party at a swanky strip club, but instead of being the designated driver and taking the groom-to-be home, he skipped out with a hot blonde stripper. That would be bad enough, except his car is found abandoned at the airport with a dead blonde stripper in the trunk. Brian seems to have disappeared and the cops think he’s a murderer in hiding. Andy knows something’s wrong with this whole scenario, especially after she gets a mysterious phone call about her mother’s cabbage soup. Andy is determined to find out the truth and she does, with a lot of laughs along the way. This is the latest and greatest of a terrific series. 01/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

NIGHT OF THUNDER by Stephen Hunter: Jim Croce said it first – You don’t tug on Superman’s cape, you don’t spit into the wind, you don’t pull the mask off that old lone ranger, and you don’t mess around with Jim. You also don’t mess around with Bob Lee Swagger or his family. When a hit man runs his reporter daughter’s car off the road in Tennessee leaving her seriously injured, Bob Lee steps in and follows the trail to drug-running along the Tennessee-Virginia border and to a NASCAR event. Proving it ain’t over until it’s over, Swagger takes care of business in his own non-low key way. Another good one. 10/08 Jack Quick

THE NIGHT RANGER by Alex Berenson: John Wells was presented to the literary world in April 2006 via The Faithful Spy. He was introduced as a CIA agent at the final point of working within an al Qaeda band in Pakistan for two years and is described as the first American to ever successfully infiltrate an al Qaeda group. After that most unusual beginning John has taken part in several very well written and researched books mainly involving Islamic terrorists as protagonists. The Night Ranger is the first book set on the African continent. A group of American volunteers are working with a charity group in Kenya involved in helping Somali refugees in camps there. They decide that a short vacation is needed to get away from the stress of trying to keep up with the overwhelming needs of the refugees. While traveling they are taken prisoner by Somali bandits whose intentions seem to be to ransom them and subsequently release them. When their captivity drags on John Well’s estranged son calls him after years of no contact to ask him to intervene and try to free the four. John agrees to try and rescue the captives in order to possibly reestablish a relationship with the boy, and travels to Kenya to try and free them. Like the other Well’s books the action is fast and keeps the reader glued to the pages. John, while no longer a member of the CIA coordinates his efforts with his ex-supervisor since the US becomes officially interested in rescuing the volunteers, up to and including possibly sending in an invading force. There are a large amount of twists and turns in the action, not all of them logically following what has gone before, but what Berenson is good at is describing the thoughts, motivations, ideas and actions of all parties participating in the story. The people involved have different ideas revolving around the events and are described as somewhat in conflict with each other in response to what is happening to them. Well done, and keeping us anxiously awaiting the next John Wells book. 2/13 Paul Lane

THE NIGHT RANGER by Alex Berenson: John Wells would never have considered the mission except for one thing – the request for his intervention came from Wells’ estranged son. Four friends – two men and two women – recent college graduates, travel to Kenya to work at a giant refugee camp for Somalis. A “vacation” turns deadly as bandits hijack them. They wake up in a hut, hooded, bound, no food or water When Wells arrives, he finds that the truth behind the kidnappings is far more complex than he imagined. The clock is ticking. The White House is edging closer to an invasion of Somalia. If Wells can’t find the hostages soon, they’ll be dead – and the U.S. may be in a war it never should have begun. 3/13 Jack Quick

NIGHT ROAD by Kristin Hannah: This was my first Kristin Hannah book and it certainly won’t be my last, despite my crying through half of this book. This one is a heartbreaker, at least for me and probably for any parent. Jude Farraday knows she is a “helicopter parent,” one who hovers over her children, interfering with their lives at every turn but always with the best of intentions. The children are twins, Zach, who is bright and extremely popular, and Mia, the shy loner, who both appreciate how good they have it. Newcomer Lexi has just moved in with the great aunt she never knew she had after years of bouncing around between foster homes, while her drug addict mother moved from prison to overdose. On the first day of high school, Mia takes her lunch outside and eats alone while reading. Lexi has also planned on eating alone and reading, but instead she approaches Mia. There is instant rapport, and the girls become the best of friends. Mia & Zach live on the right side of the tracks in a beautiful home and have the best of everything, while Lexi shares a small trailer with her WalMart employed aunt. Nevertheless, the threesome becomes inseparable, especially when Zach and Lexi give in to their feelings for one another. But the reader knows these idyllic lives are bound to face some tragedy, and a drunk driving accident is the beginning of the end of innocence. This is a compelling, gut wrenching read, with warm, wonderful characters that we get to know and love. I couldn’t put it down. If I only had the power to get every teenager in America to read it… 04/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

NIGHT RUNNER by Max Turner: High school science teacher Max Turner makes his writing debut with this interesting twist on the classic vampire theme. Zack Thomson has lived in the Nicholls Ward of the Peterborough Civic Hospital since his father was killed eight years ago. Nicholls Ward is for mental patients, but no one else is equipped to care for Zack after his father’s death. That night, eight-year-old Zack became infected with something doctors could not explain. He was left with strange allergies to the sun and just about every kind of food. The only thing Zack can stomach are what his best friend calls “brain shakes,” made special each night and containing a syrupy substance that looks like it could be strawberry. Zack also needs regular blood transfusions and must be kept out of the sun at all cost. When a strange man crashes through the doors of the ward with a warning for Zack, he thinks that surely the man belongs in Nicholls Ward himself. Days later, others show up looking for Zack and this time he heeds the warning. Now he’s on the run and looking for answers. Turner incorporates a unique scientific twist in the popular vampire mythology and brings something a little different to the table in Night Runner. A great new one for teen paranormal fans. 09/09 Becky Lejeune

THE NIGHT SEASON by Chelsea Cain: While Portland faces flooding unlike anything seen in decades, a series of recent deaths throw the local PD for a loop when one of their own becomes a target. A killer is stalking the city and Detective Archie Sheridan must unravel the clues in time to save his best friend’s life. Meanwhile, Susan Ward is set on identifying remains found dating back to 1948, the year of the tragic Vanport flood – an event that wiped out an entire community. The Night Season marks a change of pace for this series, it’s less graphic in nature and is steered away from the previous Gretchen Lowell focus, making it a great jumping off point for readers new to the series and opening up lots of possibilities for later installments. Cain’s smart plotting and quick pacing make this a satisfying read for longtime fans as well. 03/11 Becky Lejeune

NIGHT SHIFT by Lilith Saintcrow: Jill Kismet is a hunter and as such, it falls on her to take care of the things that go bump in the night – the things that are outside local law enforcement’s area of specialty. When a rogue were and a crazy hellbreed go on a killing spree in Jill’s town, she’s the one who gets called in. But Jill doesn’t have the whole story and she knows that people are holding out on her. It helps that she has a reluctant agreement with a local demon in power, but this is one agreement she’d rather do without. Jill must use her instincts to get her through this one and stop the bloodshed before it’s too late for her city. Making matters worse, she finds that she is paired with a visiting tracker, also a were, who in spite of her fears, might just do her some good for a change. Jill is very different from Saintcrow’s previous heroine, Dante Valentine. Even though Danny’s adventures have come to an end, readers will be pleased to know that Jill is just as much fun to follow. 12/08 Becky Lejeune

NIGHT SOLDIERS by Alan Furst: Furst has delivered another winner. Young Khristo Stoinav, a Bulgarin, saw his brother kicked to death by fascist militia. The event makes him an easy recruit into the Soviet espionage network, where he excels. He is sent first to the Spanish Civil War and is both bloodied and betrayed there. Then he flees to Paris to avoid being purged by Stalin. There he begins to work against his Red spymasters. As World War II begins, it appears that Stoinav’s secret contacts will enable him to evade the revenge of his former Russian overlords and eventually find his way to a well-deserved refuge. Exceedingly well-written about a time and place that have not previously received much attention. 11/08 Jack Quick

THE NIGHT STALKER by James Swain: South Florida PI and people hunter Jack Carpenter is back with a delightfully twisty case. His client is imprisoned serial killer Abb Grimes, known as the Night Stalker. Abb’s grandson, Sampson, has been abducted to discourage Grimes from talking with the FBI before his pending execution. The police and FBI are fixated on Sampson’s father, Jed Grimes, but Carpenter thinks he is innocent, even in the face of some strong circumstantial evidence. Like Jack Reacher, Jack Carpenter is a tenacious and uncompromising character who is willing to take chances and bust a few heads. What’s not to like about that? Recommended. 10/08 Jack Quick

THE NIGHT STRANGERS by Chris Bohjalian: Chris Bohjalian is very good within the genre of macabre fiction and has another winner with The Night Strangers. Chip Linton is an airline pilot moving up in the necessary progression of his career from piloting smaller passenger planes to hopefully progressing to huge trans oceanic 747s and Air Buses. He and his wife Emily and their twin daughters live quite well in an affluent suburb of Philadelphia. The horror of a plane he is piloting crashing turns their lives upside down. The cause of the crash was a flock of birds flying into the engines, and Chip is exonerated of any blame by the various boards of inquiry. Chip, however, cannot excuse himself for the deaths involved in the crash and in a short period of time withdraws from reality. Emily after trying to bring him back to himself somehow convinces herself and Chip to move to a small New Hampshire town with the hope that the peace there will help him recover. Why they are attracted to that town is one of the dark secrets of the novel. It is there that the family is drawn into the company of a group of “herbalists” that quickly develop an eerie attraction to the Linton’s twin daughters. It would seem that somehow this group drew them to their town in order for a ceremony to take place needing the mental and psychological attributes of the Linton family. Chip withdraws ever deeper from reality and if any defense is made to negate the growing evil of the herbalists it must fall to Emily. The ending is a most logical one given the circumstances of the story with evil emerging as the winner. The dark overtones of the novel continued logically through to the end are one of Chris Bohjalian trademarks in electing to write the type of fiction he excels in. 11/11 Paul Lane

THE NIGHT VILLA by Carol Goodman: Classics professor Sophie Chase didn’t realize that protecting her students from crazed gunmen was part of her job description, but she didn’t hesitate when the need arose. She nearly died thanks to her efforts. After recovering from her wounds, Sophie learns that evidence has been recovered from a dig site in Italy that suggests Iusta, a slave girl who was the subject of her own thesis, may have been in residence at a villa that has been uncovered on the island of Capri. The villa had been destroyed in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, but the site and even some scrolls were actually preserved by the ash that covered the island. The evidence is enough to convince Sophie that a trip to Capri might be more than just an opportunity to recuperate. As Sophie and the team translate the discovered writings, they learn that there may be more scrolls hidden on the grounds, scrolls that a cult of Pythagoreans might even be willing to kill to obtain. Goodman’s wonderful prose and lush settings always make for such enjoyable reading. Her literary mysteries are interesting, well plotted, and obviously well researched. I’m in awe of her talent. 09/08 Becky Lejeune

NIGHT VISION by Randy Wayne White: Unfortunately, IMHO, the author of DEEP SHADOW has gone off the deep end with this one. Sanibel Island marine biologist Doc Ford and longtime friend Tomlinson get into the middle of a dispute between the steroid freak manager/owner of a Florida trailer park populated by illegal immigrants from Mexico and Central America and an offended drug lord. However, the focus of the book is on an adolescent girl, Tula, rumored to possess mystical ability, who sees herself as Joan of Arc and who saw the manager feeding a body to his pet gator. Lots of action, but also lots of introspection and a bit too much woo for me. Even the animals get into the story with a possible sighting of bottle nose dolphins feeding among the mangroves on dry land. I am a fan but this one just didn’t do it for me. 03/11 Jack Quick

NIGHT WALKER by Donald Hamilton: Hardcase Crime #16 from the creator of the Matt Helm series is a reprint of the 1954 classic about people on the run from a dead man. Things aren’t going well for Larry Wilson. First his “Red” leanings cost him his job as a naval architect. Then his plans to disappear by switching identities with Navy Lieutenant David Young are screwed up when Young survives the fiery car crash in which the victim was to be identified as Wilson. But the worst part was when he went home to his estranged wife and managed to goad her into shooting and killing him. Young knows part of this when Mrs. Wilson and the family Doctor whisk him out of the hospital while his face and head are still swathed with bandages. He learns the rest a few days later when the three have a sit down. Suddenly, what they will do gets even more complicated as forces are at work to find the missing Wilson. Dated, but still a first rate read. 11/06 Jack Quick

THE NIGHT WATCHER by John Lutz: NYPD Detectives Ben Stack and Rica Lopez have seen some pretty horrifying things but this serial killer exposes them to something more horrifying than they have ever seen. His modus operandi is to bind, gag and burn his victims to death in their swanky high rise apartments. As Stack and Lopez investigate the cruel deaths, they have no idea that they are being watched from the shadows by a cunning murderer picking up all the clues necessary to stay one step ahead of the police while perfecting a deadly craft. When a pattern slowly emerges, the detectives realize that the killings aren’t the random acts of a maniac, but the personal campaign of someone bent on retribution, someone who’s been watching closely and knows their case too well. Oldie but goodie from 2002. 1/13 Jack Quick
NIGHTCRAWLERS by Bill Pronzini: Nameless was good, but Nameless, Tamara and Jake together – what a trio. Jake is trying to reestablish a relationship with his gay son whose partner is the victim of a brutal attack. Tamara is skip tracing and gets caught up in a child napping, and Nameless (Bill) has past family matters come back up to take up his time. All eventually attain their goals, but the getting there is great. Does anyone do the private eye better than Pronzini? Recommended. 05/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

NIGHTFALL by Nelson DeMille: Demille’s latest centers on the investigation of the July 1996 crash of flight TWA 800. Now in July 2001, Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force detective John Corey accompanies his FBI agent wife, Kate Mayfield, to the fifth anniversary of the disaster. John, whose wife worked the crash in 1996, understands that Kate has brought him along because she doesn’t buy the official finding of “mechanical failure” and wants him to mount his own investigation. There are 200 eyewitnesses who swear they saw a missile lift into the clear night sky and bring down the airplane, a charge dismissed by the CIA as an optical illusion. He uncovers evidence that a man and a woman, on the beach that fateful night videotaping their adulterous affair, inadvertently caught on tape the missile hitting the plane. Fasten your seatbelts, bring your seats upright and return your tray tables into their original locked position. You may also need your oxygen mask from this point onward. 04/06 Jack Quick

NIGHTFALL by Stephen Leather: After a disastrous final case that ended with Jack Nightingale accused – but never tried – of murder, he’s hung up his negotiating hat and opened his own PI business. He spends most of his time following around married folk convinced their significant others are having affairs, and though it’s certainly not exciting, it pays the bills most of the time. Then Jack gets a strange call. It seems he has just inherited a mansion from Ainsley Gosling, a millionaire who committed suicide recently. In his will, Gosling claims that Jack is his son and heir. Jack’s own parents have been dead for a while, but after a DNA test proves Gosling was telling the truth, Jack begins to dig deeper into his biological father’s life. Gosling was into some nasty things and in a final message to his son, apologizes for having sold Jack’s soul to a devil. Either Gosling was crazy, or Jack has just three weeks to figure out a loophole in the deal and save himself. This is the first in Leather’s Jack Nightingale series. Nightfall is a great paranormal mystery/thriller and a really fast-paced read. 4/12 Becky Lejeune

NIGHTLIFE by Thomas Perry: A tale of two women, although at times it seems there are dozens. Technically Charlene Buckner is not a classic serial killer because she totally changes her persona after each murder. Yes, as a child she had a slutty mom, and yes, she was abandoned in her late teens, but her life story is hardly the horror show of most fictional serial killers. On the other side Portland police detective Sgt. Catherine Hobbes has issues of her own to deal with as she follows Charlene et al from Portland to San Francisco, L.A., Las Vegas and other locales, where she pauses just long enough to commit another murder. By the end the two women have grown close not only in proximity but in identity as well. One of Perry’s best to date. 05/06 Jack Quick

NIGHTMARE ALLEY by William Lindsay Gresham: Number Five in an awesome anthology entitled CRIME NOVELS: American Noir of the 1930’s and 40’s, and the source for what some critics call Tyrone Power’s best movie. The title refers to the fact that inside each of us is a personal nightmare alley. At the far end is a light, a goal we want to reach, and behind us are our own personal demons that, if we allow them, will catch us and prevent us from reaching the light. Those demons can be alcohol, ambition, sex, greed, hatred, jealousy – all these and more are evident in the daily life of the traveling carnival and its troop of misfits and rejects. In this world, while everyone gets a glimpse of the light, you know, none of them will ever bask in it. 07/07 Jack Quick

NIGHTSHADE by Andrea Cremer: Calla Tor has always followed the rules. It’s her nature. It’s what she’s been taught as a Guardian. Calla’s loyalty to her pack and the Keepers has never come into question. But Calla breaks the rules, revealing herself and saving a human boy from a bear attack. Turns out that boy—Shay—is very important to the Keepers and Calla is the one assigned to be his bodyguard. With their first meeting kept secret from those around them, the two become closer and Calla begins to tell him about her world and her life: the Guardians, the Keepers, and the Searchers. Curious, Shay begins to dig deeper and finds that what Calla’s been told about her own history may not be entirely true. As they each learn more, the secrets continue to pile up. Can Calla hide what she now knows and continue to protect her friends and loved ones? Or will Shay tempt her beyond the point of no return. Nightshade has a bit of a rocky start as the reader is literally thrown into Calla’s world, but as bits of the backstory and the history of the Guardians unfold, Cremer’s unique vision draws readers in. Excellent world-building and a story that will leave readers, both young and old, begging for more. 12/10 Becky Lejeune

NIGHTWALKER by Jocelynn Drake: Mira is a nightwalker with a special ability – she can control and create fire with her mind. This makes her different from other nightwalkers, but until now she’s never really understood how different. Five hundred years ago, three vampires banished most of the naturi (the fey) from our world. Amongst them was their queen, Aurora. Now the naturi have assembled their forces and are ready to bring their people back, at the expense of both the humans and the nightwalkers. Mira must join forces with a mysterious hunter who kills her own kind in order to save mortal and undead alike. Jocelynn Drake joins the cream of the urban fantasy crop with this interesting and original debut. I’ve not yet come across another title that pits vamps against the fey – and these are by no means cute little pixies and elves, or impish fairies. These guys are nasty. Nightwalker hits the ground running with a great fight scene that begins on page one, from there on out the action is almost non-stop and the pacing is excellent. I’m especially interested to see just how this series is going to develop after the mind-blowing revelation that comes at the very end. 07/08 Becky Lejeune

NIGHTWATCH by Sergei Lukyanenko: In this bestselling Russian fantasy series, the world is made up of others, people with extraordinary powers, who must each choose whether they serve the light or the dark. In order to maintain the balance between the light and the dark, a pact was established. According to the pact, the Night Watch, agents of the light, will monitor and ensure that the Day Watch, agents of the dark, sticks to the pact. The Day Watch, in turn, will monitor the Night Watch. This first book of the trilogy contains three stories involving the Night Watch.
In “Destiny,” Night Watch agent Anton Gorodetsky is being tested as a field agent when he discovers Svetlana Nazarova, a woman who has been placed under a curse so terrible that it could cause mass destruction in Moscow. The Night Watch must discover who is behind the curse and work to reverse it as soon as possible.
In “Among His Own Kind,” an uninitiated other has been killing low-level members of the dark. The Night Watch fears that the Day Watch may be trying to frame Anton as the murderer. Anton is forced to discover the true identity of the killer or die trying.
Finally, in “All For My Own Kind,” the Night Watch agents have been allowed a much needed vacation. Unfortunately, their vacation is cut short when Day Watch agents attack a courier carrying a very special item.
While the book is entertaining and interesting on its own, fans of the movie will be disappointed. The movie is based very loosely on “Destiny,” but otherwise, the two are considerably different. I would still recommend reading the series as it is clear why the books have done so well overseas. 04/07 Becky Lejeune

Nine by Jan Burke: The F.B.I.’s Ten Most Wanted list is shrinking rapidly. No, they haven’t been apprehended, but they are being murdered. A serial killer going after, well, other serial killers, and terrorists, and rapists, et al, and leaving the bodies all over Los Angeles County, creating a most intriguing dilemma for the L. A. Sheriff’s Department. Detective Alex Brandon has been assigned to head up the investigating task force, and something about these killings seems familiar to him. There are similarities to a previous case he worked on, and despite public opinion that the killings are really a community service, Brandon is determined to end it. Good character development, fast paced plotting and lots of twists and turns are the hallmarks of a good thriller, and this is one of the best. Nine is a 10. Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

NINE FINGERS by Thom August: Twenty years ago, the Boss of the Chicago mob thought Franco was having an affair with his wife. He couldn’t prove it but he told Franco to leave Chicago and never return. To be sure the jazz pianist didn’t forget, the Boss cut off one of Franco’s fingers. Vinnie Amatucci is a part-time Chicago cabbie and part-time jazz musician. Members of his band are dying one by one, victims of a hit man known as the Cleaner. One disgraced homicide cop stands between the band and total extinction. Why is this all happening? Could there be some connection between the killings and the new guy playing piano, the one with only nine fingers? Outstanding thriller from Dorchester Publishing, the folks who do the Hard Case Crime series. 06/08 Jack Quick

THE NINTH CIRCLE by Alex Bell: Gabriel Antaeus has no memory of his life before he awakens lying in a puddle of blood on the floor. His apartment is filled with research materials on angels and demons, his walls are covered in fine art, and he finds cash—lots of it—in his possession. Gabriel begins chronicling his day-to-day life in a journal as he tries desperately to recall his past. As his story unfolds, he is plagued by nightmares, worries of family that has yet to come forward, and loneliness. When he meets Zadkiel Stephomi, Gabriel believes that his days wandering the city alone have come to an end. In Stephomi he has found a friend, finally. But then Gabriel begins to receive messages, clues about his life before the amnesia. Who could be sending them? And what is new companion Stephomi hiding from him? Alex Bell’s debut is a compulsively readable book in spite of some uneven pacing. The twist ending may be a love it or hate it situation for some. Personally, I thought it made for a very interesting read, though the angel mythology was the driving force of the tale for me. 10/09 Becky Lejeune

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN by Cormac McCarthy: Llewelyn Moss would have been better off if he had missed the antelope completely. Then he wouldn’t have tried to track down the wounded animal and he would not have found the remains of the drug deal gone bad or the two plus million dollars. Unfortunately for Moss both the buyer and seller want him and the money. Sheriff Bell can only do so much to help Moss and his wife move around the drug war bull’s-eye. When silenced sawed off shotguns and machine guns aren’t enough, there are other ways to kill. The body count grows as Moss’s options narrow down. Sparsely written ala Robert B. Parker. 08/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

NO CURE FOR DEATH by Max Allan Collins: A 1983 effort from one of America’s most prolific writers, this was apparently a series attempt that didn’t take. At least this is the only “Mallory” adventure I’ve come across. Mallory is a Vietnam vet who has bounced around through several jobs before becoming a mystery writer. The Thanksgiving holiday death of acquaintance Janet Taber in an engineered accident sends Mallory throughout the city looking for answers. 11/06 Jack Quick

NO GOOD DEEDS by Laura Lippman: Following on the heels of the haunting standalone thriller, To the Power of Three, Tess Monaghan is back in the ninth entry of the award-winning series. A young homeless man, Lloyd, becomes the center of this superb cat-and-mouse tale when an assistant U.S. Attorney is found stabbed to death in his car. Tess meets Lloyd after her soft-hearted boyfriend, Crow, brings him home so he won’t have to spend the cold Baltimore night on the streets. Turns out Lloyd may know something about the murder and Tess gives the story to her old newspaper with the understanding that they won’t reveal her source – but they do reveal that Tess leaked the story. Lloyd takes off until his friend gets killed, making him realize that he’s going to be next. He goes into hiding with Crow but a very persistent triumvirate of law enforcement – an FBI agent, a DEA agent and an assistant U.S. Attorney – go after Tess to name her source and reveal his whereabouts. Tess is determined to protect them and things get really sticky until the highly satisfying and surprising ending. 07/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2006 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Reprinted with permission.

NO GOOD DEEDS by Laura Lippman: Lippman’s ninth Tess Monagham opens with Tess’ boyfriend, Edgar “Crow” Ransome, bringing home a homeless teenager, Lloyd, who slashed Crow’s tires outside a Baltimore soup kitchen. When PI Tess discovers that Lloyd has information regarding the recent murder of an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Tess gives the local paper Lloyd’s story, except for his name. What follows is a confrontation between Tess and a sinister trio of law enforcement agents demanding to know her source. Crow flees with Lloyd while Tess suffers growing pressure, including the threat of federal jail time. Lippman’s first hand experience as a reporter gives her the inside knowledge to tell this one with incredibility reality. 09/06 Jack Quick

NO HOUSE LIMIT by Steve Fisher: Hardcase Crime #45 is a reprint of a 1958 release set in Las Vegas, not the over the top glamorous Las Vegas of today, but rather the early days when the city was really beginning to prosper based primarily on the mob-financed casinos. The Rainbow’s End is one of the few independents, and while owner Joe Martin is a savvy kind of guy, the syndicate has decided its time to take him down. The plan – front the infamous Bello, billed as the best craps player around, to win $10,000,000 from Rainbow’s End, thereby bankrupting Martin. The process starts early on a Sunday morning and everyone knows it will be over sooner than later. Martin knows what’s coming but in addition to having to monitor Bello’s play, he must also deal with a few other curveballs the syndicate has thrown his way – a lounge singer who has caught the eye of Bello’s girlfriend, and a beautiful schoolteacher who has enamored Martin. While none of these “pulps” are likely to garner any Nobel prizes for literature, they sure are fun to read. 09/08 Jack Quick

NO MAN’S LAND by G.M. Ford: Mr. Ford, a fine writer of amusing mysteries, is persisting in the thriller genre, although No Man’s Land could fairly be termed a “crime thriller.” Ford’s free-lance journalist character, Frank Corso, is again thrown into a life-threatening situation and has several narrow escapes on his way to resolving the conflicts he is presented with.
The precipitating event is a jail inmate uprising in which the ring-leader announces he will kill a hostage every six hours, until he is allowed to talk to Frank Corso. Frank jumps out of a helicopter and into chaos. An ingenious escape by the mastermind with Corso in tow as reporter ensues with a wild and bloody trip across the western United States.
As ever, Ford has larger issues to chew on. He attacks his old nemesis, The Department of Homeland Security, continues to make fun of the FBI, and tilts at a new foe, privatized prison systems which are justified by authorities as cost-efficient, but more importantly, give them “plausible deniability” for the inhuman treatment of the inmates.
While I miss Leo Waterman and “the boys,” this thriller does justice to the genre. I could not put it down. 11/05 ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

NO MAN’S LAND By G.M. Ford: Picture in your mind a prison that is so technologically secure that no prisoner could possibly escape. Yes, just picture it in your mind, then throw out that possibility and change that picture to a real meltdown at that same facility! That is what occurs in G.M. Ford’s book, No Man’s Land. When the prisoners start running the “escape free” prison, it gets VERY ugly.
Author Ford has created a non-stop masterpiece in this book. The Arizona Governor, the Warden of the Meza Azul Penitentiary, the FBI, the state and local police, as well as the National Guard all attempt to quell this riot that gets uglier every hour. Timothy Driver, a former navy submarine commander has all types of Special Forces training but has turned into a brutal killer. getting even worse as he gathers his forces in the prison. He brings the worst murderers in the prison to fight all of the law enforcement agencies. When it appears the law has gotten the prison settled down, things get worse! Driver escapes during the melee, taking a cold-blooded killer, Cutter Kehoe, with him along with Frank Corso. Corso is an author that Driver had persuaded to come to the prison to obtain his story, and write a new book to tell the world what Driver thinks is wrong. The ensuing chase turns with every bend in the road.
If you think you have read action in this review, you have not seen or read anything yet. It is a “cannot put down” story that will keep you awake with toothpicks to hold your eyes open. 08/06 Cy Hilterman

NO MARK UPON HER by Deborah Crombie: Duncan Kincaid is readying himself for a lengthy leave of absence from the force when he’s called in on one last case: a female officer has been found dead, floating in the river. Becca Meredith was an avid and experienced rower. In fact, she’d been an Olympic hopeful years ago. Rumors are that she’d been considering another try. Her ex husband reported her missing after it was discovered that she’d gone out in her boat one evening and never returned. When search and rescue finds the boat and then her body, it appears that her death could be an accident, but with her level of experience in mind it seems likely the cause of her death is something more sinister. Then a member of the SAR team is attacked and it becomes clear that Becca was indeed murdered. But who would want her dead? Kincaid’s wife, DI Gemma James, soon begins a linked investigation in hopes of helping to uncover evidence on a potential suspect. Both cases could land husband in wife in hot water as well as possible grave danger. This latest in Cromie’s series is a compelling read. While I always suggest starting a long-term series at the beginning, this 14th installment does work surprisingly well as a stand alone or series introduction. 2/13 Becky Lejeune

NO MERCY by Lori Armstrong: Mercy Gunderson is one tough chick. For twenty years, she has been serving in the Army, a part of a secret group of women soldiers trained as rangers. Now on medical leave, Mercy has returned to the family ranch to take charge in the wake of her father’s death. After working so hard to leave behind her past, Mercy is once again thrust into the life she thought she didn’t want. Faced with having to sell the ranch or take over, she finds the decision is not as easy as she’d believed it would be. And when bodies begin cropping up on her own land, Mercy is dragged into the investigation. But it’s when one of her own is murdered that Mercy, the sheriff’s daughter and Army sniper, gets really pissed. The bodies in this book start stacking up before the story even begins! Armstrong starts off her latest with a bang and introduces a tough, smart heroine who is definitely up for the challenge of heading up a new series. 1/10 Becky Lejeune

NO MERCY by John Gilstrap: In this new series, PI Jonathan Grave is a combination Bruce Wayne and Rambo. He is single and rich, uses expensive gadgets and has a vigilante alter ego. In this first outing, Grave investigates the disappearance of investigative reporter Tibor Rothman, husband of Grave’s ex-wife, Ellen. Sheriff Gail Bonneville of Samson, Ind., is chasing Grave in turn, since a hostage rescue mission he fronted turned into a shootout. Maybe not the most highly developed characters and could use some upgrading in the dialogue, but for action, this one can’t be beat. 11/11 Jack Quick

NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM by Jordan Dane: A string of disappearances in San Antonio has police reeling when a family member of one of their own becomes the next victim. Officer Rebecca Montgomery has been banned from the case, but that hasn’t stopped her from looking into it on her own, and stepping on some toes in the process. She is reassigned temporarily to the Cold Case squad and sent to investigate a body that is discovered in a burned out theater. The body appears to be that of a young girl reported missing some seven years ago. Of course the case hits close to home with Becca’s own sister, Dani, missing and now presumed dead. Enter Diego Galvan a man who intrigues Rebecca on many levels, in spite of the fact that his own connection to the case has yet to be determined. One day on the new case and Rebecca is sent on mandatory vacation. Being pulled off the case is not enough to keep Rebecca out of trouble, though, and she soon attracts the attention of one very dangerous man. This thriller has an amazingly quick pace. Dane’s stunning debut will be followed by No One Left to Tell in May and No One Lives Forever in June. 03/08 Becky Lejeune

NO ONE LEFT TO TELL by Jordan Dane: When the body of a Dunhill Corporation security agent is found hanging in a church, a cryptic message carved into his chest, Raven MacKenzie knows she’s in for a difficult case. She and her partner have been ordered to cooperate with the corporation’s owner as much as possible and that means working with her handpicked head of security, Christian Delacorte. Christian has a colored past and believes dirty cops were responsible for the death of his family when he was a young boy, so he has no reason to respect or trust the boys and girls in blue. He makes his distaste very obvious, but finds that he is strongly attracted to Raven in spite of all of this. Raven is also drawn to Delacorte but can’t ignore the signs that point to him as the prime suspect in the case. Like Lisa Gardner, and Lisa Unger, Dane’s edge-of-your-seat action-packed thrillers are a perfect blend of suspense and romance. While Dane’s debut title, No One Heard Her Scream, is a stand-alone (for now) MacKenzie’s own story will continue with this month’s release of No One Lives Forever. 05/08 Becky Lejeune

NO ONE LIVES FOREVER by Jordan Dane: Jordan Dane exploded onto the scene just two months ago with her stand-alone No One Heard Her Scream. She followed with No One Left to Tell, featuring Detective Raven MacKenzie and Christian Delacorte. No One Lives Forever picks up where No One Left to Tell left off. Although Fiona Dunhill, Christian’s former employer, has fessed up to the fact that she is in fact his biological mother, she has managed to keep the identity of his father a secret, until now. Nicholas Charboneau has been kidnapped and his bodyguard, Jasmine, is calling in her favor. She asks Christian to use his resources as the Dunhill heir to help free Charboneau. Once Christian learns that the man is indeed his father, he heads off to Brazil, in spite of Raven’s fears, in order to save the man. Upon arrival, he and Jasmine are immediately targeted by one of the local police, then they find the remains of a strange ritual curse left outside their hotel room. With no one left to trust but each other, the two must work together to find out who amongst Charboneau’s many enemies may be behind the abduction. With pulse-pounding action and page-turning suspense, Dane just keeps on getting better and is already becoming a force in the realm of romantic suspense. 05/08 Becky Lejeune

NO REST FOR THE DEAD by Sandra Brown, Jeffery Deaver, J.A. Jance, Faye Kellerman, Jeff Lindsay, Kathy Reichs, Jonathan Santlofer, Lisa Scottoline, et al.: This is a serial novel, with 26 bestselling authors taking their turns at bat, and somehow they pull it off. A wealthy San Francisco museum curator is found dead in an antique iron maiden on loan to a Berlin museum. His wife is convicted and put to death, but the cop that helped convict her has always had nagging doubts about the case, causing him much personal strife. Ten years later, all the players in the case are set to meet at a memorial service for the murderess. Some nice plot twists and red herrings will keep the reader guessing all the way through the last pages of this traditional mystery with a surprise ending. Check the complete list of authors for your favorite and then buy the book; the proceeds go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. 09/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

No Second Chance by Harlan Coben: Terrific new stand-alone thriller from the author of Gone for Good and Tell No One. Dr. Marc Seidman, an altruistic plastic surgeon, is on his deathbed after being shot. Despite the odds, he survives but his wife has been murdered and his 6 month old daughter kidnapped. Seidman is understandably obsessed with getting his daughter back, and thus begins a story of deceptions and betrayals, all told at breakneck speed. Throw in an ex-girlfriend who is ex-FBI, a best friend/attorney, a red neck with a heart of gold, and a child star all grown up into a homicidal psychopath, and you have one hell of a story. Coben has once again written an engrossing tale of intrigue that takes the reader on a wild ride with wonderful characters and lots of jolts. The resolution was a bit weak, and the epilogue provided closure with its neatly wrapped update on all the characters. I was lucky enough to have jury duty, so I had several uninterrupted hours of reading time – clear the decks for this one and settle in, you won’t be able to stop once you’ve started it. Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

NO SHOW by Simon Wood: The very prolific Simon Wood has another winner with No Show. The story involves Terry Sheffield, an Englishman arriving in the United States to begin his married life with Sarah, an American investigative journalist that he met while both were vacationing in Costa Rica. The two hit it off immediately and after a very short time they married in Las Vegas. Terry went back to England in order to complete the requirements to enter the U.S. as spouse of an American citizen and consequently be eligible for residency. Now Terry arrives in the U.S. and finds that Sarah is not waiting for him at the airport. Since they had bought a house together he goes there and moves in. Still no Sarah, no notes nor phone messages from her. He reports her as missing to the local police and as much as possible with little or no information, begins to search for her himself. In the meanwhile Terry, in order to support them had contracted a job as a biologist with a local bio chemical firm and begins to work there in order not to lose the job. What happened to Sarah, where she is, and if she is still alive are the integral factors in the book. Terry finds that Sarah, as the investigative journalist that she is, had come up with common factors in the murders of five women in different parts of the country and is in trouble due to the discoveries. Also he discovers that the bio chemical firm that he has started to work for is engaged in highly illegal activities and raises the question if this is somehow connected to the murders. Wood brings the reader to an ending which, while not a fairy tale one, answers the questions raised by the facts presented. A fascinating trip into sequences of crime and well developed character reactions to the problems raised. 6/13 Paul Lane

NO TIME FOR GOODBYE by Linwood Barclay: Cynthia Bigge was a 14 year old hellion, dragged home drunk one night by her dad. She passed out and when she woke up the next morning, her life would never be the same again. Her parents and her brother vanished, and an aunt takes her in. But their disappearance haunts Cynthia and casts a shadow over her life, even after she marries and has a child of her own. Twenty-five years later, things start happening that cause her to finally hire a private detective to look into it, but then people start turning up dead. An interesting premise, lots of angst and suspense, and a neat ending make this a thriller of merit. 12/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

NO TIME FOR GOODBYE by Linwood Barclay: It’s been twenty-five years since Cynthia Archer, née Bigge, awoke to find her house empty. Her parents and her brother vanished without a trace leaving her behind. With the anniversary looming, Cynthia agrees to allow a TV crime program to showcase her story in the hopes that some witness may come forward. At first, there are no hits. Then one day, someone calls with a message for Cynthia from her family – they forgive her. Terry Archer, Cynthia’s husband, tries to convince her that it’s a crank call, but then someone breaks into their house leaving behind what Cynthia believes is an item that belonged to her father. Evidence and coincidence begin to turn police attention towards the Archers themselves and, in turn, the strain of the situation begins to crumble the delicate balance that holds their family together. This may prove to be Barclay’s breakthrough thriller. The plot alone is enough to draw most readers – what could possibly have happened to Cynthia’s family? Would they leave and start anew without their troublesome daughter? Would a killer murder them, leaving behind one survivor and no evidence of the act? Could Cynthia herself have had something to do with it? All of these are very distinct possibilities. The story is well-written, the plot is interesting, and the characters, right down to the Archer’s eight-year-old daughter, are well developed and absorbing. 09/07 Becky Lejeune

NO WAY BACK by Michael Crow: The reward from the most recent adventure of Baltimore County narcotics cop Luther Ewing is a six-month suspension. He uses the time to go undercover for the CIA as Terrance Prentice, guarding a South Korean businessman with ties to the U.S. government. Crow continues to develop Ewing as a tough customer who plays by his own rules, which may or may not coincide with those of his position. In the previous two adventures, he accomplished what he wanted to, albeit on a landscape littered with bodies. In this one, the body count is less, but the action is no less constrained. I just hope we never see Ewing and Jack Reacher on opposite sides. Think Chuck Norris and Claude Van Damme slightly restrained by Bruce Willis. Recommended. 07/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

NO WAY BACK by Andrew Gross: Andrew Gross again comes out with a “grab the reader fast and hold them” novel. The book centers on the Mexican Drug Cartel and it’s evil tentacles spreading into the United States. Two different, but very brave women are brought together by events tied to murders committed by one of the Cartels. In order to survive being hunted they must unite and find the real causes of their danger. Wendy Gould is a suburban housewife caught in a chance situation in a hotel room that forces her to kill a government agent to save her own life. Her shooting skills come from a past job with a police department. Lauritzia Velez, on the other hand, is a nanny working for a wealthy couple tending their children. Her past, which she keeps hidden from her employers, involves an indirect involvement with a Mexican drug cartel and the necessity to flee Mexico to save her life. Gross brings the two together in a very logical and well thought out scenario while keeping the reader riveted to the book. His plot and events in the story show the same attention to detail that he has exhibited in the past both while collaborating with James Patterson and writing on his own. The only problem I find with Andrew’s books is that they end and I have to wait for the next one. No Way Back continues with the trend of good plots, riveting action and logical sequences to get the reader and hold him or her. 4/13 Paul Lane
No Way to Treat a First Lady by Christopher Buckley: Christopher Buckley’s latest book, No Way to Treat a First Lady, is a wicked poke at the secret sex lives of White House occupants, trial lawyers, celebrity trials and viagra abuse. The first lady, accused of murdering her philandering husband, retains the best trial lawyer in America, who was her fiance at law school before she jilted him. The laughs are fast and furious, but in the middle of it all, Mr Buckley manages to really convey something of what it means to be a trial lawyer. “Boyce was pumped. Oxygen was roaring to his brain as if he’d run five miles. Oh, the poor mortals, the nonlitigators, the timid souls who would never in their lives know the feeling, the thrill of owning a courtroom…He was floating in an endorphin soup. He was in a state of grace.”
You can see why I liked the book. All that and mink panties. ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

NOCTURNE by Syrie James: Nicole Whitcomb has been enjoying a fantastic vacation on the slopes in Colorado, but now it’s time to return home. After one last day of skiing, of course. But that extra day leaves her driving in rapidly-declining weather conditions. As the roads get worse, Nicole suffers what could be a fatal accident. Buried under the snow, it will take a miracle for her to survive. Fortunately, the reclusive Michael Tyler is witness to the event and comes to Nicole’s rescue. His mountain home is the perfect refuge until the roads can be cleared and Nicole can return to civilization. But there’s something strange about Michael Tyler, and in spite of her almost immediate attraction to the man, Nicole isn’t quite sure she’s safe with him. The truth is more than she could ever imagine, though. Steamy vampire romance for winter. 1/11 Becky Lejeune

A NORTHERN THUNDER by Andy Harp: The author of this state of the art techno-thriller is a retired US Marine Corps Colonel which gives added authenticity to the narrative. Basically the Peoples Democratic Republic of Korea, a Communist nation in desperate financial straits, concentrates its military resources on swiftly creating missile technology that can give it power and a source of much needed foreign exchange with terrorists and other rogue nations. To protect their investment they send forth an assassin to secretly kill scientists identified as having the ability to disrupt their plans. While the FBI is trying to cope with the assassin, the US military calls up retired Marine Reservist Will Parker to flush out the scientist in North Korea most critical to their plans. Although not a terribly original plot, a smooth writing style and the author’s military expertise make this an above average read. Recommended. 04/08 Jack Quick

NORWEGIAN BY NIGHT by Derek B. Miller: Sheldon Horowitz is an unlikely hero; he’s an 82-year-old Jewish ex-Marine turned watch repairman who lost his son to Vietnam and finally lost his wife. His granddaughter, Rhea, is living with her husband Lars in Norway, home to a tiny Jewish population. They convince Sheldon to come live with them as he has no one left in New York. He agrees, and one morning is home alone when he hears the neighbors fighting again. When he realizes the woman and her son are hiding in his doorway, he pulls them in but her abuser, Enver, is coming. Sheldon disappears with the young boy into a hidden closet and she is killed outside their door. Afraid the man will demand his son, Sheldon flees with the boy, his old Marine sniper training, that muscle memory as he thinks of it, comes back to him and they escape. All that said, this is a very funny, action packed book. Sheldon is a tough old bird who has conversations with a long dead friend while outsmarting the police department, his daughter, her husband and most of all Enver, using any means at his disposal. And to make things more interesting, the child doesn’t speak English and Sheldon doesn’t speak anything else. This is a quick read, with unique characters and an interesting location. Scandinavian crime fiction is very popular now, and while this book was written in English, it was first published in Norway. 8/13 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill: When Victoria “Vic” McQueen rides her blue Tuff Burner bike she can travel a bridge that doesn’t exist and go anywhere to find anything. Charlie Manx, a serial kidnapper and all around bad guy, shares this ability. For him, it’s his old Rolls Royce and his road leads to Christmasland. For years, Manx eluded officials who never even connected his crimes. All that came to an end when Vic went in search of trouble. Her bridge led her to Manx’s house where, with the help of some very nice folks in Gunbarrel, Colorado, Manx was finally taken down. Or was he? Manx is a man like no other and he’s never forgotten the girl who got away. Vic is all grown up but things haven’t gotten any easier for her. She suspects she’s going crazy but when Manx shows up again she knows she’s the only one who can take him down for good. This latest from Hill is phenomenal. NOS4A2 is wonderfully creepy and wholly original. Definitely highly recommended. 5/13 Becky Lejeune

Not All Tarts are Apple by Pip Granger: It’s not every day that I find a mystery that is as sweet and warm and wonderful as this one. Set in England in the early 1950s, the protagonist is a sweet seven-year-old girl named Rosie. Rosie’s living with her Uncle Bert and Aunt Maggie, and is visited on a semi-regular basis by the “perfumed lady,” who is, in fact, her mother – while Uncle Bert and Aunt Maggie are not actually related at all. They decide to change that and move ahead with plans to adopt Rosie, but as the cast of memorable characters parade through their lives, some helpful, some not-so-helpful, the mystery of whether or not they will be able to make themselves into a legal family will keep you turning pages and longing to stay just a little while longer in Rosie’s world. Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

NOT ANOTHER BAD DATE by Rachel Gibson: Adele Harris hasn’t had a decent date in three years; her love life is non-existent. It’s been so bad, she’s convinced she’s cursed. As it turns out, she actually is. Things only get worse when her sister calls to tell her that her husband has left her and she’s pregnant. Adele rushes to her sister’s side as she picks up and moves back to their hometown. Then, her sister is hospitalized and Adele finds herself in charge of her teenage niece, Kendra. Fortunately, Kendra has managed to make some new friends in town, unfortunately for Adele, Kendra’s new best friend is the daughter of her long lost love from college. Football star Zach Zemaitis stole Adele’s heart (and her virginity) and then left her for another woman. Now he’s back in her life and messing with her head all over again. Will it finally work out for Adele or will the curse strike again? Not Another Bad Date is an adorable and hilarious chick-lit/romance hitting shelves just in time for summer. This will make a great beach read. 05/08 Becky Lejeune

NOT COMING HOME TO YOU by Lawrence Block: An oldie but goodie from 1974 that I had not previously read. This is based on the actual murders that inspired the film Badlands. The main characters are Jimmie John Hall, “free and white and 22” and Betty Dienhardt, plain, friendless, and oppressed by a bleak home life. In each other, they find a chance for love and fulfillment. But they are doomed. For Jimmie John has already embarked on a killing spree on the backroads of the Southwest that will leave 14 innocent people dead. Set primarily in Oklahoma and Texas, this one will make you want to double check your doors and windows before going to bed at night. When you have nothing to lose, you don’t worry about losing. 03/11 Jack Quick

NOT QUITE DEAD by John MacLachlan Gray: Election day, 1849, is a turbulent time. Dr. William Chivers, a suicidal doctor in Baltimore, is expecting victims of all sorts of violence on this day. He is not expecting, however, to come face to face with the only man he ever called a friend. Edgar Allen Poe collapsed in the street and was taken directly to Washington College Hospital to be placed under Chivers’s care, per instructions found on Poe’s body. Poe is said to be suffering from dementia, but in reality is quite healthy. Poe asks that Chivers help him to fake his own death so that he may escape Irish mobsters. The plan goes off without a hitch until investigators approach Chivers with a strange theory. It seems that the most famous publisher in all of Philadelphia has been murdered in a manner that would suggest Poe’s involvement. Poe’s “death” should keep him out of suspicion of murder, but hasn’t necessarily fooled everyone. Not Quite Dead is a smart literary mystery that combines a sophisticated plot with historical fact. Political turf wars, violent gang hostilities, and racial tensions are the heart of this novel. The plight of Poe and Dickens provides an interesting backdrop for the more serious issues of this tale. 11/07 Becky Lejeune

Not Quite Kosher by Stuart M. Kaminsky: Abe Lieberman (no relation to Senator Joseph Lieberman) is back with his partner Bill Hanrahan, or as they are also known, the Rabbi and the Priest, which causes an obviously distraught man to confess his sins – a murder – to Abe, thinking he is a Rabbi. Confessing a murder to a cop is a good way to end up in jail, although I’m sure a lawyer would have a field day with this confession, and that is pointed out in the book, too – but nothing is as it seems in this mystery. Kaminsky is quite skillful at leading us down one path, only to find ourselves somewhere completely different from where we expected to be. Unfortunately, the only characters we really get to know at all are the partners, everyone else from the victims to the suspects to the supporting players are merely cardboard props. It’s short, it’s fast, it kept me guessing. Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

NOT QUITE KOSHER (#7) by Stuart Kaminsky: And in the center ring – poor Abe Lieberman, just a Chicago cop trying to make it to retirement. All he has on his plate is the synagogue fund-raising committee, his grandson’s forthcoming bar mitzvah, a leaky roof, two inept hold-up men and merchant Arnold Sokol, who was a Jew but then became a Catholic and is now dead. In the other ring is Bill Hanrahan, Abe’s partner, who has decided to go ahead immediately with his marriage to Iris Chen, in spite, of community opposition, and Abe has agreed to handle the reception. If that’s not enough, Iris has introduced the idea of adoption – of a specific Asian-American child. The sideshow is Michael Wychovski, an inept thief whose partner’s body washes up on the shores of Lake Michigan alongside that of Sokol. Are the two connected? Will Abe be able to stand the rising cholesterol and rapidly depleting bank account? A hint, there are sequels. For more details you gotta read it yourself. 05/08 Jack Quick

NOT ME by Michael Lavigne: Originally published in 2005, and out in paperback last year, this Holocaust story is a first novel that is slowly finding its audience. Michael “Mickey” Rosenheim is a stand-up comedian who moves down to Florida to take care of his dying father, Heshel. Heshel has Alzheimers, and while he has some lucid moments, his mind is often elsewhere. One day Mickey finds an old box of books in his father’s room at the nursing home, and the nurse tells him one of his visitors left it for him. Mickey isn’t aware of any visitors, but shleps the box home to find it filled with his father’s journals. They are not close – Heshel is a Holocaust survivor who has spent most of his life obsessed with that fact and with promoting Jewish causes. But Mickey can’t help but start reading these journals, only to find out his father is not who he seems to be. But how to question a man whose mind is gone is only one of the dilemmas Mickey finds on his hands. This is a fascinating and gripping story that pulls the reader in and doesn’t let go until the last page is turned. 03/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

NOTHING BUT THE NIGHT by Bill Pronzini: After Nick’s wife is slammed into a coma by a hit and run driver in Denver, he devotes his life to finding the unidentified man who has ruined his life. Some six years later he locates him in northern California’s wine country. Cam has own problems to deal with which escalate quickly with Nick on the scene. The resulting interaction is scary and chilling. Suffice it to say, if I were ever sentenced to be tortured psychologically, I would hope that Bill Pronzini is not chosen for the task. The ending will take your breath away. Recommended. 06/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

NOTHING TO LOSE by Lee Child: Jack Reacher is back but he’s caught between Hope and Despair – two tiny towns in Colorado. When Reacher inadvertently tries to get a cup of coffee in Despair, he is run out of town, and his curiosity is piqued. Then people start disappearing, and he meets up with a beautiful, mysterious cop from Hope. Wandering that road between Hope and Despair, we see yet another side of Reacher. Another intriguing and satisfying tale, except that the last book in this series, Bad Luck and Trouble, was also the best book. Not to complain, because this one is very good, it just doesn’t quite live up to those standards. 06/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

NOTHING TO LOSE by Lee Child: In South Carolina there are two nearby towns called Prosperity and Clinton. The road sign pointing in opposite directions to the two was featured in some of the anti-Clinton campaign material. In this 12th Jack Reacher novel, our ex-military policeman finds himself in a similar situation in Colorado – between the towns of Hope and Despair. . Despair lives up to its name. All Reacher wants is a cup of coffee, but what he gets is attacked by four thugs and thrown in jail on a vagrancy charge. Needless to say, Reacher is somewhat displeased and eventually kicks some butt. On the other hand, a good looking lady cop from Hope helps him deal with a nearby metal processing plant which is associated with an apocalyptic sect that is working to end time. It is the typical Reacher action and adventure that we have come to know and enjoy. 07/08 Jack Quick

NOTORIOUS by Michele Martinez: This is the fourth book to feature Melanie Vargas, a single mom and federal prosecutor in New York City. Her on again, off again relationship with an FBI hottie is off again, leaving Melanie free time to pursue her latest case; a ten year old murder charge against rapper superstar Atari Briggs. The book opens with Briggs attorney, Lester Poe, telling her that his client is willing to trade info on a Middle Eastern drug dealer who is using his ill gotten gains to fund international terrorism, but a perfectly timed car bomb leaves that lawyer dead and his partner, ruthless attorney Evan Diamond who takes over the case, has no interest in dealing and has lots of baggage of his own. Having witnessed the bombing, Vargas can’t help but be drawn into the investigation, and starts digging. Poe had a lot of skeletons in his closet, and there was much more to the super successful defense attorney than Vargas had bargained for. But she’s tenacious, and determined to get to the bottom of all of it. Martinez has penned another terrific legal thriller. 03/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

NOTORIOUS by Michele Martinez: Melanie Vargas is back. She’s been promoted, she and Dan have split, and she’s working the case that could make, or break, her career. When a witness steps forward willing to testify that Atari Briggs, one of the world’s most famous rap stars, ordered a hit on a fellow drug dealer ten years ago, the DA’s office pounces. Melanie has been assigned to the trial and meets with Briggs’s lawyer, famed civil-rights attorney Lester Poe, to discuss a deal. It seems that Briggs may have some key information regarding a major international terrorist. Just minutes after the meet, Poe is killed in a car bombing and Melanie witnesses the entire thing. The feds are hot for Briggs’s rumored info and insist that Melanie and her team do whatever is necessary to get him to cooperate. Unfortunately Briggs’s new lawyer, Poe’s partner, insists that Briggs knows nothing and is, therefore, not willing to deal. Melanie refuses to let matters rest, especially when her key witness is attacked just days before the trial is set to begin. The only way to find out what Briggs knows is to win the case and Melanie is determined to do so. Martinez’s fourth book is a satisfying addition to the series. Melanie is a likeable heroine that the reader loves to root for. Dan is an equally likeable character, however, and I sincerely hope to see more of him in the future. The interplay between these two adds a nice and light but tense romantic element to the series. Great for readers who enjoy Lisa Scottoline. 03/08 Becky Lejeune

NOTORIOUS NINETEEN by Janet Evanovich: This is the hotly awaited latest entry in the hugely popular Stephanie Plum series. It has everything a fan will expect; cars blow up, Stephanie gets in trouble, Grandma Mazur gets in trouble, and in this outing Stephanie is leaning Joe’s way and Ranger is just an out of reach fantasy. A man who embezzled millions from an old folks retirement home disappears after some surgery, and Stephanie is trying to find him along with a few other losers. Ranger hires Stephanie as his date/bodyguard for a friend’s wedding since he and his friend are being threatened. Lots of laughs, suspense and a hint of romance make this a comfortable return to the Burg. Fans will be happy. 12/12 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith: I am normally a fan of hard, edgy, big city private eye stories and this book is none of those things. What it is is charming. The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency is the story of Mma Precious Ramotswe who takes the money from the sale of her late father’s cattle and opens the only women’s detective agency in her town of Gaborone, Botswana. It is written in straight-forward and (there is that darn word again) charming fashion.
The people of Botswana are treated with dignity and their day to day problems are taken seriously. Mma Precious solves the problems of her townspeople with logic and common sense. Missing persons, con men and philanderers are grist for her mill.
Her wisdom reminded me of Mark Twain’s Puddinhead Wilson, but her humor is gentler. I loved (darn, there is another of those words) this book and am looking forward to the sequels, Tears of the Giraffe, Morality for Beautiful Girls, (which have also now been released in paperback form) and The Kalahari Typing School for Men (hardcover, 04.29.03.)
This book is a great change of pace and a wonderful reaffirmation of the human spirit that exists in everyone regardless of their color or their nation. It came as especially welcome in these troubled times when we are trying to figure out what makes people alike and what makes them different.
I think that you will be charmed by it, too. ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

NOVEL ABOUT MY WIFE by Emily Perkins: Tom and Ann are expecting their first child and they couldn’t be happier. Their story begins with a train derailment. Ann claimed that she had been feeling ill and left work early which caused her to be on the train. Everyone was fine, including Ann, but she subsequently admits that the reason she left work early was because a man had been following her. Ann mentions the man only a few more times, and Tom assumes that the problem has gone away. Then Ann’s behavior begins to change, frantic cleaning sessions, strange smells that only she can detect, and an almost obsessive return to her sculptures – tiny protectors she leaves all around the house. Tom begins to suspect that the wild mood swings and neuroses may not be a symptom of the pregnancy after all. The story is his attempt, after the fact, to outline his wife’s spiral into madness, something of an attempt to find the moment when it all began. Tom reveals Ann’s fate almost at the very beginning, but even with that knowledge, Perkins’s characters and their pain are so real and so touching that you hope things will turn out differently just this once. 05/08 Becky Lejeune

NOW AND THEN by Robert B. Parker: Can you believe there are now 35 Spenser novels? In the latest, Spenser takes it personally when a client with a possible straying spouse is murdered. You just don’t go and kill Spenser’s clients, and with the help of Susan, Hawke, Pearl et al, our hero proceeds to find out who is responsible so they can pay the price. The usual crisp dialogue and no-nonsense action you have come to expect from Parker along with give-and-take between Spenser and Susan, who even talk about the “M’ word. It’s another very satisfying Spenser adventure. 11/07 Jack Quick

NOW PLAYING AT THE VALENCIA by Stephen Hunter: I have enjoyed Hunter’s Earl and Bob Swagger series as well as his stand alones, but never knew until now that he has served as the Washington Post movie critic. In this collection of his reviews of the past decade he turns out prose that in some cases is far more entertaining than the films he describes. His opening comments on war movies in general and Black Hawk Down in particular “The problem with war isn’t the Army stuff, the camping out, all the calisthenics you have to do at 0-dark-thirty, or even the Sergeants who call you a maggot. It’s the battles. Bummer. You could get killed in a battle. That’s what’s so terrifying about the just opened Black Hawk Down.” On gunfights: “For the current variation of Wooified Hollywood gun fighting the survival rules are also three: 1) Shoot two guns with two hands while diving through the air in slow motion; 2) Use the very best in industrial strength mousse. And of course; 3) Choose really cool sunglasses.” And lastly, “Since time immemorial mankind has worried about three important issues: a. Is universal peace possible? b. Is true love forever? c. Could Godzilla beat a space monster? The answers are (a) No; (b) For others maybe, but not for you; and (c) Too close to call.” If you are flick fan, you’ll love Hunter’s gems. 04/07 Jack Quick

NOW YOU SEE ME by S.J. Bolton: DC Lacey Flint is working the burglary beat, moonlighting in sex crimes in hopes that she can be placed with one of London’s Sapphire Units. Homicide is definitely not her department. But when Lacey finds a stabbing victim leaning against her car, she becomes involved in a case that will have London reeling. The woman is dead before paramedics arrive and Lacey becomes convinced she could have saved her given just a few more minutes. It should have ended there, but it didn’t. A reporter receives what is unquestionably a modern-day copy of Jack the Ripper’s famous “Dear Boss” letter, and Lacey is mentioned by name. Drawn into what now looks like a copycat spree of Jack the Ripper-esque murders, the police now know exactly when to expect the next victim, but don’t have enough clues to prevent the killings… until Lacey starts to put together the connection—and it leads directly to her. Bolton’s latest is a fantastic thriller. Misdirection makes this one that keeps the reader guessing until the end and even if you think you might have it all figured out, there’s guaranteed to be a twist or two you won’t see coming. 07/11 Becky Lejeune

NOWHERE BUT HOME by Liza Palmer: Growing up, Queenie Wake couldn’t wait to escape her hometown of North Star, Texas. Her family name has been synonymous with poverty, bad luck, and – thanks to Queenie’s mother, BJ – fallen women. As a result, Queenie and her sister never fit in regardless of how hard they tried. Queenie has spent her time since college moving from job to job and place to place. When she’s fired yet again, her sister convinces her to return home to regroup. What’s meant to be a temporary stay becomes complicated when Queenie is offered an odd but compelling new position cooking last meals at the local prison. The chance to reconnect with her family and the support of her sister are exactly what Queenie needs, but is it enough for the Wakes to overcome the years of North Star’s harassment? Liza Palmer’s latest is a wonderful, wonderful read. Her characters are so believable and real, it’s easy for any reader to slip into their shoes and see life through their eyes. What’s more, Palmer always manages to infuse her story with a great balance of humor, making her tales heartfelt and funny at the same time. 4/13 Becky Lejeune

NOX DORMIENDA by Kelli Stanley: Never heard of Roman Noir? Well you have now. Kelli Stanley, academic scholar and admitted noir fan, bursts onto the scene this summer with the first installment of her historical noir series. Arcturus, official physician to Governor Agricola, and sometime problem solver, is approached by a gorgeous woman in trouble. Her fiancé is rumored to be carrying a letter to Londinium that could mean the end of the governor. She appeals to Arcturus’s loyal nature and urges him to alert Agricola of the matter. Arcturus takes it one step further and has the woman followed. His man Bilicho eventually tracks the woman to an inn and whorehouse where the fiancé is staying. Later, Bilicho hears noises and follows a cart to an underground temple. The priests of the temple call for Arcturus and the physician discovers that the body of the woman’s fiancé has been left mounted on an alter, his throat brutally slashed. It is also discovered that the man may indeed be an official messenger from Emperor Domitian. If Arcturus can’t find out who killed the man and why, before the Emperor receives news of the death, Britannia could be facing dire political consequences. Stanley combines classic noir and mystery elements with expansive research into first century Roman Britain. Her efforts pay off. It’s a combination that really works quite well. 07/08 Becky Lejeune

THE NUDGER DILEMMAS by John Lutz: This has somehow turned out to be John Lutz month, but you could do a heck of a lot worse. Hapless St. Louis detective “Nudger” is the “star” of this collection of 13 previously published stories. If Robert B. Parker’s Spenser is the kick-butt, take-no-prisoners private eye we dream of being, then Nudger is the hand-wringing, Tums-popping, nonconfrontational sleuth who probably is truly more realistic. I mean who but Nudger could have started his police career as Coppy the Clown, appearing with red nose and oversized shoes at benefits and children’s parties throughout the city, until the Police Commissioner decided that this really wasn’t the image he wanted the Department to portray. Being unable to stand the rigors of life on the streets as a uniformed officer, Nudger drifted into the only thing he felt comfortable doing – being a private eye, albeit a low-key non-violent one. He maintains his office upstairs over Danny’s Donuts, and in true cop fashion starts each day with coffee, a Dunker’s Delite, and a side order of Tums. A fun read. 08/06 Jack Quick

NYPD RED by Marshall Karp and James Patterson: I got this book because I have enjoyed Marshall Karp, in spite of not liking James Patterson. It was not a disappointment. NYPD Red is the special task force handling high profile crimes and top NYPD Red Detective Zach Jordan is working with his beautiful new partner, Detective Kylie MacDonald-who also happens to be his ex-girlfriend. The two are not quite as charismatic as LAPD detectives Mike Lomax and Terry Biggs in Karp’s previous works but they will do. Jordan and MacDonald are facing a serial killer who is taking advantage of Hollywood on the Hudson to get revenge on the wealthy producers, preeminent directors, and famous stars gathered in the city. With the whole world watching, they have to find a way to stop a psychopath who has scripted his finale down to the last explosive detail. Not bad, not bad. 1/13 Jack Quick

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