Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

DADDY’S GIRL by Lisa Scottoline: Natalie Greco, better known as Nat, or as she thinks of herself, “gnat”, is a young, timid law professor at the University of Pennsylvania – which happens to be Scottoline’s alma mater and her current employer. Her students don’t seem to be too interested in the History of Law class she’s teaching, so when a colleague asks her to be a guest lecturer in the law class he teaches at a nearby prison, she agrees. While they are there, a prison riot breaks out and in the confusion, Nat finds herself trying to save the life of a prison guard who’s been stabbed. His final words are for his wife, and Nat tries to deliver the message but there are a few stumbling blocks along the way: threats, an attempt on her life and an eventual frame up for the murder. Nat is too much of a meek mouse to make a strong protagonist, and while she often compares herself to Nancy Drew, she just doesn’t have that kind of spunk. Not Scottoline’s best. 04/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

DAEMON by Daniel Suarez: Ever heard of a self-published book being picked up by a major publisher and re-released in hardcover? If you are any kind of computer geek or just one who enjoys chills and thrills, you will quickly see why this unlikely chain of events occurred. Gaming genius Matthew Sobol, the 34-year-old head of CyberStorm Entertainment, has just died of brain cancer, but death doesn’t stop him from initiating an all-out Internet war against humanity. When the authorities investigate Sobol’s mansion in Thousand Oaks, Calif., they find themselves under attack from his empty house, aided by an unmanned Hummer that tears into the cops with staggering ferocity. Sobol’s weapon is a daemon, a kind of computer process that not only has taken over many of the world’s computer systems but also enlists the help of superintelligent human henchmen willing to carry out his diabolical plan. When it ends and you come back down to earth, don’t worry, a sequel has been promised. 04/09 Jack Quick

DAMAGED by Pamela Callow: A part of Canadian Kate Lange’s motivation to become an attorney is the fact that her father was a convicted criminal. Her ex-fiance’, a homicide detective, has broken up with her for that reason and now she has moved to a new high-powered law firm, with which Ethan has some bad history. Stuck in family law, she discourages the grandmother of a lonely private school student in a proposed custody case. But then the teen is brutally murdered. Not only Kate but also the firm’s managing partner have doubts over how Kate has handled the matter. Determined to salvage her reputation and for personal redemption, she pursues the case on her own. Remember the movie scene in the haunted house where everyone is saying “Don’t Open That Door” – same logic applies here. A bit too “chick-lit” for me, but not badly done. 06/10 Jack Quick

DAMAGED by Pamela Callow: Kate Lange is nearing the end of her probationary period as a newly hired attorney at Lyons McGrath Barrett when Barrett himself hands over a particularly sticky case. The client, a grandmother who would like to gain custody of her granddaughter—the daughter of a high-powered judge in Halifax—seems to have no concrete grounds for her dispute. Kate advises the woman to call family services, but she refuses, instead promising to come up with irrefutable evidence. When the girl is brutally murdered, Kate blames herself. Convinced that she could have done more, Kate begins to dig deeper into other recent missing persons cases that she believes are connected, catching the attention of a twisted serial killer in the process. Unfortunately, this first in the series is not a stand out read, but I do think Callow shows promise. Her heroine seems to have a complex backstory, which, if developed well, may prove to be the backbone for a strong series. 12/10 Becky Lejeune

DAMASCUS COUNTDOWN by Joel C. Rosenberg: A taut 300 page thriller packed into 485 pages of prose. Israel has successfully launched a first strike on Iran, taking out all of their nuclear sites and six of their nuclear warheads. US President William Jackson threatens to support a UN Security Council resolution condemning the Jewish State for unprovoked and unwarranted acts of aggression. Meanwhile, CIA operative David Shirazi has infiltrated the Iranian regime and intercepted information indicating that two Iranian nuclear warheads survived the attack and have been moved to a secure and undisclosed location. David and his team are in a race against time to find the remaining nuclear warheads before disaster strikes. Surprise, they succeed. 3/13 Jack Quick

DAMNABLE by Hank Schwaeble: Jake Hatcher is serving out the remaining eight weeks of a sentence in military prison when he is granted leave to attend his brother’s funeral. Problem is, Jake never knew he had a brother. Garrett Hatcher was killed while trying to save a woman who was snatched in a coffee shop one afternoon. Garrett and the woman’s assailant were killed, but somehow the woman survived. Now, in an attempt to understand what happened and learn more about his brother, Jake has decided to track the mysterious woman down. While he is visiting her in the hospital though, another attempt is made on her life. This time it is Jake who saves her, but it doesn’t end there. The woman in question, and the local cops, would like Jake to stand in as her bodyguard while they try to figure out who is targeting her. Jake reluctantly agrees and soon finds himself an unwilling pawn in a dark and evil game. Hank Schwaeble’s debut is a gritty horror story with a quick plot. It’s also one of the first in what I suspect will be a big upcoming trend in the genre—demons and dark mythology in the Prophecy/Revelations vein. A sure hit for horror and thriller fans. 09/09 Becky Lejeune

THE DAMNATION GAME by Clive Barker: In Warsaw, following World War II, there are tales of an unbeatable cardplayer. To play this man is to gamble away your soul and one determined thief is about to do just that. He will learn the truth behind these tales and it will cost him his life. Years later, Marty Strauss is approached by a man named Mr. Toy and offered a deal on behalf of Toy’s employer, Joseph Whitehead. Strauss will serve as Whitehead’s personal bodyguard and, in exchange, he will be excused from the remainder of the prison term he has been serving. Whitehead, a rich and powerful man, has become eccentric since the death of his wife. He has become paranoid and begins to surround himself with security – dogs, cameras, fences, and bodyguards including Toy and Marty. Unfortunately, Whitehead is right to fear for his life and Marty is about to become an unfortunate pawn in a game that has been playing out for decades. The mythical card player is about to call in his debts and Marty is stuck in the middle. Barker’s debut novel is just a taste of what he would become in the following years. The Damnation Game is still shocking and disturbing even for today’s readers. Barker pushes you beyond the brink of terror and, in some cases, may just take it too far. Not for the faint of heart. 08/07 Becky Lejeune

DAMNED IN PARADISE by Max Allan Collins: Collin’s Nate Heller goes to Hawaii to help family friend Clarence Darrow by investigating the rape and murder of a bride only to uncover a morass of bigotry, lies, and revenge. Its a classic 1930’s story with all the warts and attitudes of the time. 2/12 Jack Quick

DANCING ABOVE THE WAVES by Susan Walerstein: Wealthy Bostonian Jack “Scooter” McCalister has it all – a degree from Brown, a Vassar graduate trophy wife, houses in Boston, Clary’s Cove, Palm Springs, Maui and Aspen; a Commander 24 powerboat, a restored Porsche Speedster, enough money to cash in stocks for $500,000 without a problem, and a mistress who was once “the prettiest girl on the Island.” But now it all comes crashing down as Jack, rushing to meet the ferry, hits a pedestrian with his car – a young girl, and then he leaves the scene, not knowing whether she is dead or alive. There are witnesses – the girl’s boyfriend, and Jack’s pregnant mistress who starts having second thoughts about Jack’s suitability as a father. There are problems at the magazine he and his wife co-manage, a blackmailer appears, and Jack’s once wonderful life is now going down the tubes. An interesting psychological thriller, although there are truly few sympathetic characters. Even the dead teenager had sneaked out of her home and was high on drugs when the accident occurred. Enough suspense to keep you going to the end of this debut novel. 05/08 Jack Quick

A DANGEROUS AFFAIR by Caro Peacock: After the death of her father, Liberty Lane finds that she has a penchant for solving problems. Still, it’s not a respectable way for a lady to earn a living, and she takes her cases with reluctance. When a politician approaches her, requesting that she learn more about a certain dancer with a colored past, Liberty’s immediate reaction is to decline. Her curiosity gets the better of her, however, and she soon finds herself snooping around backstage at the “lady’s” latest show. Columbine, or Margaret Priddy, the dancer in question, is a woman loathed by many. It seems Columbine has made many enemies in her past and one of them has set their sights on revenge. When she is discovered dead, the result of poison, a young dancer by the name of Jenny Jarvis stands accused. Liberty is convinced of the girl’s innocence and decides to pursue the mystery further, but each new lead seems to be a dead end and time is running out for Jenny. A Dangerous Affair (published as Death of a Dancer in the UK) can be read on its own but is actually a sequel to A Foreign Affair (aka Death at Dawn) in which Liberty investigates the death of her own father. Readers who enjoy period mysteries are sure to embrace Liberty Lane and her adventures. Peacock has created a heroine that readers will root for and want to see more of. 03/09 Becky Lejeune

THE DARK AND HOLLOW PLACES by Carrie Ryan: This third in the post-outbreak/apocalypse teen series that began with Forest of Hands and Teeth is a dark book about survival. Annah has made it this long in the Dark City, fending for herself and surviving while Elias has been away working for the Recruiters. Now she’s given up. Deciding it’s finally time to move on, she plans to leave the city, only to see the last thing she ever expected: her twin sister. As the zombie horde takes over the Dark City, Annah must fight to once again be reunited with Abigail (Gabry). Along with the horde, the Recruiters themselves, once the protectors of the world’s survivors, have become a brutal force taking what they want and leaving everyone to fend for themselves. As enemies, they are a danger, but as allies, they may be even worse. Each of Ryan’s books set in this seemingly bleak future contains a shimmering edge of hope that mankind may once again be able to take back the zombie-ridden world and create a new life for humanity. Really fantastic and well written. 03/11 Becky Lejeune

DARK DREAMS by Michael Genelin: In Genelin’s second mystery featuring straight arrow Bratislavan police commander Jana Matinova (after 2008’s Siren of the Waters) Jana is initially pleased when childhood friend Sofia is elected to the Slovakian parliament. However, when Sofia is (correctly) linked romantically to a male colleague it starts a fire that flares higher and higher. A huge diamond given to Sofia ends up causing Jana to be investigated for corruption. She really doesn’t have time for this nonsense since bodies are piling up in Slovakia and neighboring countries. As Jana races to figure out the motive for the murders she becomes aware of a multi-continent smuggling ring that is apparently killing off her suspects. Having never been to Slovokia I am clueless as to the accuracy of the author’s portrayal of life there. However, as a veteran reader of many police procedurals set in various places, I have to rank this as one of the better ones with believable characters and nice plot twists. Looking forward to adventure number 3 and beyond. 09/10 Jack Quick

DARK ECHO by F.G. Cottam: When retirement begins to seem a bit mundane for Magnus Stannard, he sets his sights on Dark Echo, a ship with a haunted history. Magnus wants his son, Martin, to accompany him in sailing the ship and they both set about learning as much as they can prior to their maiden voyage. But Martin and his girlfriend, Suzanne, also uncover some of Dark Echo’s secrets from the past, including those about her original owner. What begins as a chance for some quality father/son bonding turns into a nightmare for Martin and Magnus, one that can only end if Suzanne can unravel the curse of the Dark Echo itself. F.G. Cottam’s US debut, The House of Lost Souls, kind of blew me away. His building of atmosphere and development of story were chilling and the pacing worked fantastically. Dark Echo, while entertaining, didn’t quite live up to the expectations set by Souls. The atmosphere was there again, but some of the key plot elements in Echo felt forced. 11/10 Becky Lejeune

DARK END OF THE STREET: New Stories of Sex and Crime by Today’s Top Authors edited by Jonathan Santlofer & S.J. Rozan: This compilation of short stories are hot, hot, hot! Converging sex and crime well is no easy feat, but these authors do a fantastic job. Perhaps because this is a stellar list of writers, including Joyce Carol Oates, Laura Lippman, Lawrence Block, Stephen L. Carter, Lee Child, Edmund White, Jonathan Lethem, and the editors as well. In fact, Santlofer’s story is one of my favorites, as are Lippman’s and Block’s. But with a collection this good, why pick? Read them all, this is one terrific book. 06/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

DARKFEVER by Karen Marie Moning: MacKayla Lane’s world falls apart when she learns that her sister has been murdered. Alina had been attending school in Ireland when she was brutally killed and dumped in an alley. The gardai have no leads and Mac and her family are helpless back home in Georgia. Mac is disturbed to find that her sister managed to leave her a mysterious voicemail just before her death. While the message makes no sense to Mac, she is sure that it could help in finding her sister’s killer. And so, against her parents’ wishes, MacKayla decides to take matters into her own hands and travel to Dublin herself. She soon discovers that Alina was hiding a second life, one in which the formerly serious student’s studies took a backseat to a relationship she’d kept secret even from Mac. But the biggest surprise is the one that Alina discovered about her and Mac’s heritage. Dublin awakens a part of Mac that she never knew existed, one that could save our world from the fae threat that’s coming. Darkfever is the first installment in Moning’s wildly popular Fever series. It’s a bit dark for paranormal romance—something I enjoyed quite a bit—but Moning does lighten things up with Mac’s snarky attitude. It’s fortunate that the whole series is available now as the cliffhanger ending here definitely leaves readers anxious to dive into the second installment. 4/13 Becky Lejeune

DARK FRIDAY by Jeffrey Leever: The people of Jasonville, Indiana are about to experience their worst nightmare. Five teenage girls are slaughtered in one evening. A sixth girl barely survives being attacked and the town’s own chief of police is stabbed while pursuing the killer. Cameron Ford is arrested at the scene but the case is far from being closed. Police Chief Bertrand Rix is convinced that Cameron could not have acted alone. His theory is shared by visiting reporter Kevin Gibson who is determined to uncover the story especially after a group of masked kids assaults him and orders him to leave town. Leever hatches an interesting concept in his debut mystery but does not really focus on the motive behind the killings. Rather, he chooses to direct readers’ attentions to the effects of this heinous crime on the town and specifically the teenagers directly associated with, but not necessarily responsible for the murders. 09/07 Becky Lejeune
DARK HARBOR by David Hosp: Scott Finn has come a long way since his days as a Boston tough, part of the Irish gangs that grew up into organized crime. He’s a successful lawyer whose life takes a turn for the worse when his ex-girlfriend Natalie turns up dead. There’s a serial killer on the loose, nicknamed “Little Jack” after Jack the Ripper, but did he kill Natalie? Hosp pens a scarily believable tale of intrigue that will keep you riveted until the last page. And did I mention this is a first novel? A really good read. 05/05 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

DARK HARBOR by Stuart Woods: Stone Barrington’s cousin and his family are found murdered at their house in Dark Harbor, Maine. The local police think it was a murder-suicide, but when Stone learns from his CIA contact that cousin Dick was working covertly for the CIA, Stone decides to look into matters himself. Accompanied by Lance Cabot of the CIA and other series regulars Holly Barker and Dino Bacchetti, Stone heads up to Maine. The more Stone examines Dick’s house and learns about his life, the less convinced Stone is that Dick killed his family and himself. Stone’s worries increase even more when additional bodies turn up and Holly disappears after going out jogging. Either you like Woods (I do) or you don’t. This one breaks no new ground but feels awfully comfortable. 06/06 Jack Quick

DARK LEGACY by Anna DeStefano: Once upon a time, twin sisters Maddie and Sarah Temple came across a letter written long ago by one of their ancestors. Long forgotten now, Sarah lies in a coma and Maddie is trying to get beyond the accident that took her father and her sister from her. Maddie has worked hard to get where she is today: a resident in the ER with an astonishing ability to diagnose patients’ traumas. But Maddie’s nightmares have started keeping her up at night, and the effects of these terrible dreams are becoming apparent in her everyday life. Maddie always shared a link with her twin sister, but now it seems as though she is becoming Sarah, as she was before the accident—temperamental, moody, and at times violent. What Maddie doesn’t know is that Sarah has been part of a government experiment involving lucid dreaming. And that letter they found all those years ago was in fact a legacy that can bring about great things for the Temple sisters, or can be used against them for serious destruction. Dark Legacy is paranormal romance with a Firestarter twist. First in a promising new series. 08/09 Becky Lejeune

DARK LIGHT by Randy Wayne White: Doc Ford is picking up in the aftermath of a hurricane that’s ravaged the Florida coast when he and his dive team discover Nazi artifacts inside the old wreck of a pleasure craft, the Dark Light. Ford runs into trouble immediately from Bern Heller, a nearby marina owner who claims his company has rights to the wreck site and doesn’t hesitate to use violence to get his way. Ford soon discovers, it is not about Lugers, war medals and a few gold bars. What is at stake is the ownership of thousands of acres of Florida beachfront property. White just keeps getting better and better. 04/06 Jack Quick

DARK MAGIC by James Swain: Peter Warlock has magical powers. Real powers. He makes a living as a magician, using his abilities minimally and under the guise of parlor tricks. But Peter and a small group of others hold frequent séances, letting the spirits guide them in preventing horrible misdeeds and crimes. Their latest meeting reveals an individual about to commit a truly heinous act that will devastate New York City. If Peter can prevent it, he can save thousands – maybe even millions – of lives. Before they can begin to identify the would-be mass murderer, Peter and his friends become the targets of an assassination attempt from the Order of Astrum, a very secret group who happen to be responsible for killing Peter’s parents. I thought Dark Magic had real potential. Sadly, Swain spends too much time on repetitive and uninteresting aspects of the main character’s personal relationships and very little time explaining or supporting other main plot points and revelations. And while Warlock’s relationship issues are a necessary point in the story, their treatment here actually detracts from the rest of the tale. 6/12 Becky Lejeune

DARK OF THE MOON by P. J. Parrish: In this series opener, Louis Kincaid is the product of an alcoholic black mother and an absent white father. He returns to Black Pool, Mississippi from Detroit to take care of his dying mother. In Detroit, Kincaid was on the police force so it is only naturally that he applies for a similar position in Blackpool. Sound familiar so far. It gets even more so when the remains of an apparent lynching victim are discovered. Louis attempts to establish the man’s identity and the motive for his killing but meets stiff resistance from diplomatic good-old-boy sheriff Sam Dodie and shifty local politicos who consider the past “over, totally irrelevant, and certainly not worth digging up.” As the investigation progresses Louis’ efforts are soon compounded by the suspicious deaths of several town elders, which suggest the desperate attempt of someone, possibly the mayor or the district attorney, to keep the town’s dark and dirty history secret. So while Louis is not Virgil Tibbs (In the Heat of the Night), this reads like a script from that television series starring Carroll O’Connor and Howard Rollins. (In the premiere episode, Tibbs had traveled to Sparta, Mississippi for his mother’s funeral. He was persuaded to remain by the city government, which wanted to make its police department more diverse.) Hopefully future episodes will allow Kincaid to develop and become a character in his own right. 10/09 Jack Quick

DARK OF THE MOON by John Sandford: Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigator Virgil Flowers who played a minor role in Invisible Prey moves into the spotlight for this adventure. While enroute to rural Bluestem to assist local law enforcement with the murder of an elderly couple, he happens upon a fatal house fire on the edge of town. Bill Judd was an elderly recluse who, back in his youth, ran an elaborate pyramid scheme and simultaneously bedded half the women in town. After a murder free half century in Bluestem, there are now three in one week. Coincidence? Hardly. Flowers begins digging into the situation seeking connections. An unexpected one is with the sister of the local police chief. Although I am still a Lucas Davenport fan, it will be interesting to see where Sandford takes Flowers who is a totally different type of hero. 11/07 Jack Quick

DARK PLACES by Gillian Flynn: Libby Day is broke. It’s been almost twenty-five years since her brother, Ben, murdered her family and each time the story was told, people pitched in to help out the surviving Day. But now, a grown woman (and not a very likable one at that), Libby has used up all of her funds. Then she is contacted by the Kill Club—a group obsessed with true crime—and they are interested in Libby’s story. They have their own theories about what happened that night and none of them believes that Ben is the killer. In fact, they vehemently insist that Libby was either coached or flat out lied about that night. Truth is Libby witnessed nothing at all. Libby’s plan to make money is to begin investigating on her own, with the Kill Club funding her every step, but as she begins digging deeper into the ages-old murder, even she starts to doubt her own testimony. Flynn’s second release is a dark twist on the classic cold case mystery, and a great follow-up to Sharp Objects. Flynn is not at all afraid to dig into the dark depths of the human psyche and her heroine is not spared. In spite of this, I rooted for Libby Day and thought her brutal honesty was refreshing in some ways. 04/09 Becky Lejeune

DARK ROAD TO DARJEELING by Deanna Raybourn: Lady Julia Grey is back in this fourth entry of the Victorian mystery series. Julia and Brisbane are enjoying their long awaited honeymoon when they are interrupted by the arrival Julia’s brother Plum and sister Portia. Portia’s lover, Jane, is in the final months of pregnancy and recently widowed when she reveals to Portia that she is afraid for the life of her unborn child: If Portia gives birth to a son, he will be the sole heir to her late husband’s estate — a tea plantation near Darjeeling. Jane has started to suspect that her late husband’s death was not the accident it seemed and if that is the case, if someone has their eye on the estate, Jane and her child could be next. At Jane and Portia’s requests, the family travels to India to investigate. Julia, anxious to prove to Brisbane that she is a worthy partner in the investigation, vows to solve the case and begins digging on her own, something that has always created friction with the couple in the past and proves more so now that they are husband and wife. Dark Road to Darjeeling is a fun mystery and I always love the interplay between the characters. I did think that some of the dark, ominous feel that is characteristic of Raybourn’s work was missing here: very Victorian mystery, less gothic than usual, still a fantastic addition to one of my favorite series. 09/10 Becky Lejeune

THE DARK RIVER by John Twelve Hawks: In book two of the Fourth Realm Trilogy, The Tabula have taken steps to eliminate any and all persons who may have had contact with, and therefore support, the Traveler known as Gabriel Corrigan. When it is learned that not only did the community of New Harmony offer shelter and support to Gabriel, but that the leader may have received correspondence from Gabriel’s long lost father, Matthew, The Tabula sends in a team of mercenaries to find out what they know and wipe them out. The Corrigan family was attacked when Gabriel and Michael were young boys; Matthew’s body was never recovered. Though the boys always believed that their father somehow survived the attack, there was never any evidence to support this theory. After learning of the massacre at New Harmony, Gabriel and his remaining team of supporters are forced to flee their hideout in New York City. When they become separated, Gabriel decides to follow the only clue to his father’s whereabouts and travel to England in search of the elder Traveler. Meanwhile, despite the occurrences of book one, The Tabula is moving forward with their plan to launch the virtual Panopticon – a system that will not only allow them to tap into every existing eye in the sky, but will also allow them access to information on every single person. Hawks’s vision of the future is creepy to say the least. This modern day 1984 contains a certain a sense of realism in that Hawks shows how all this is possible with existing, as well as some as yet non-existing, technology. 07/07 Becky Lejeune

THE DARK ROOM by Minette Walters: On the evening of June 13, 1994, Jinx Kingsley is discovered unconscious in an abandoned airfield, apparently having been thrown from her car during a suicide attempt. Upon waking, she can remember nothing following June 4, when she left for a weeklong visit at her father’s house. She cannot remember her fiancé Leo calling off the wedding, nor can she remember his revelation that he has been having an affair with her best friend Meg. Jinx can’t remember her first suicide attempt either, the one where she tried to kill herself in her garage. In fact, when she is told all of this, she can’t believe that she would try to kill herself at all. She’s not particularly bothered by the fact that Leo was leaving her either. She claims that she was going to call the whole thing off herself. Leo and Meg cannot be reached for any help, as they seem to be vacationing in France, or are they? Barely a week has passed since Jinx’s accident when two bodies are discovered in the woods just miles from the airfield. The bodies are identified as Leo and Meg. Evidence seems to point to Jinx’s involvement especially since the two have been killed in the same manner as Jinx’s first husband. Is Jinx a cold, calculated murderer? The police seem to think so. With leads pointing in so many different directions, it’s anyone’s guess what the investigation will reveal next. Is Jinx lying or is she telling the truth? Is she faking or is she hiding a terrible secret? Walters is one of the masters of psychological suspense. This tangled tale of deception will leave readers guessing until the very end. 04/07 Becky Lejeune

THE DARK ROSE by Erin Kelly: In 1989, Louisa was at the beginning of her adult life. She had her whole future ahead of her when she met and fell in love with Adam Glasslake. Twenty years later, Louisa has cut herself off from the world and no one knows of the dark secret she’s been keeping for all those years. It’s 2009 and Paul is in big trouble. The teen fell in with the wrong crowd and ended up involved in a criminal enterprise that could land him in jail. He’s told that if he testifies against his best friend, he can save himself from a sentence. In exchange, he is sent to a historic garden restoration program offering positions to troubled youths. It is here that Paul and Louisa’s paths cross. Together, they find comfort in one another. When their respective pasts begin to catch up with them, though, they soon find their new relationship and newfound peace together is threatened. Erin Kelly’s debut, The Poison Tree, was one of my favorite books of 2011, so I had great expectations for The Dark Rose (aka The Sick Rose in the UK). Kelly did not let me down. I was sucked in from the first page and loved every enthralling minute. 2/12 Becky Lejeune

DARK SECRETS OF THE OLD OAK TREE by Dolores J. Wilson: Evie Carson’s had a rough time of it lately: her father has recently passed away and she’s in the midst of divorce proceedings with her husband. In an effort to recapture some of the spirit of her youth, Evie climbs the old oak tree behind her childhood home. But once she gets to a resting point, she hears a noise in the clearing below and witnesses something that will change things forever. A local man Evie has known all her life buries the dead body of Evie’s best friend just below the oak tree. Though Evie is certain the man couldn’t have been responsible for the murder, he’s the prime suspect until he himself turns up dead. Now Evie is determined to expose her friend’s killer at any cost. Wilson’s characters are well built, but the mystery itself was lacking spark. An easy read, but unfortunately not a stand out. 03/10 Becky Lejeune

DARK STAR by Alan Furst: The year is 1933. The location is Europe. Andre Szara is a Polish born Jew, a foreign correspondent for Pravda, and he becomes a spy. A small espionage task for the NKVD leads to his becoming a key figure in efforts to obtain information of German aircraft production by tracking stainless steel wire production figures from a Jewish German industrialist. Complicating the situation is that Szara has strong feelings for Marta, the daughter of the wire maker. Furst captures the uncertainty of these times beautifully as the alliances shift and fortunes ebb and flow on a daily basis. Szara’s juggling act of a life gets even more complex when a wealthy Jewish Frenchman pleads for Szara to honor his own Jewish heritage by trading his steel wire information to the British in exchange for desperately needed immigration certificates to mandated Palestine. As the darkness of war descends on the continent of Europe, Szara clings to life while trying to decipher what it all means. Extremely well written. 09/08 Jack Quick

THE DARK TIDE by Andrew Gross: Gross’s compelling second solo novel begins with a bang and escalates from there. Karen Friedman is in her daily yoga class when reports come over the news that there has been an explosion in Grand Central Station. Only moments later, Karen realizes that her husband Charles took the train into work that morning. Months go by and she is finally coming to grips with the fact that her husband is gone, when two men show up on her doorstep claiming that Charles stole $250 million from their employer. The executor of Charles’s estate swears that everything is on the up and up and the two men are not heard from again. Almost a year after the explosion, though, Karen makes a startling discovery about her husband’s death and the men reappear. She and her children’s lives are threatened and Karen turns to the only person she can trust, Ty Hauck, head of Greenwich’s Violent Crime Unit. Ty had been investigating a link between Charles and a hit-and-run accident that occurred the same day as the explosion, but what seemed at first to have been a strange coincidence now appears to be much more. With more twists and turns than a Six-Flags roller coaster, The Dark Tide kept me up reading into the wee hours. Gross, co-author of six best-selling novels with James Patterson, made his solo debut last year with the highly anticipated The Blue Zone. Thriller fans who haven’t read Gross’s work are seriously missing out. 03/08 Becky Lejeune

THE DARK TIDE by Andrew Gross: Andrew Gross without James Patterson is much better than he was partnered with James Patterson. In this thriller, Charles Friedman, a New York hedge fund trader, dies when a bombing at Grand Central Station destroys the railroad car in which he was riding one morning from his home in Greenwich, Conn. Ty Hauck, head of the Greenwich police’s violent crime unit, enters the picture when Friedman’s death is linked, vaguely to a hit-and-run accident. Next, Friedman’s widow and her kids are threatened by men searching for vast sums of money her late husband never earned. From there on its hang on to the fast finish. Not the most intellectually stimulating book out there, but good for a weekend getaway. 02/09 Jack Quick

DARK TIDE by Elizabeth Haynes: The age-old story of good girl turned bad gets a fresh look in this intriguing story of a London pole dancer with a mission. Genevieve’s father died, along with their dream of buying an old boat and refitting it together, but she is determined to follow the dream anyway. Doubtful his dream included his daughter becoming a pole dancer, but Genevieve hates her high pressure sales job and finds that dancing will increase her income substantially. Then she gets an offer she can’t refuse; hide a small package for a few months for big money. She buys a boat, moves on board and hides the package. A few months later, she has a party, but one of her dancer friends turns up dead, floating in the marina. Genevieve suddenly realizes that the package she is holding may be trouble, and trouble surely comes. The two storylines of her city life and boat life are neatly interwoven, taut as a nautical knot and as dangerous as a rogue wave. Lisa Jackson, Chevy Stevens and Lisa Unger fans will find much to like here. 3/13 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2013 Booklist, a division of the American Library Association. Reprinted with permission.

DARK TIDE by Elizabeth Haynes: It was Genevieve’s father who sparked her dream of one day buying and fixing up a houseboat. For years it was her only goal and now she’s finally been able to make it a reality. She scrimped and saved, working two jobs—one as an exotic dancer—to earn enough to finally purchase Revenge of the Tide. But a celebratory housewarming party quickly takes a turn for the worst when one of Genevieve’s friends is found dead in the water. At first, Genevieve denies any connection to the girl who once worked alongside her at the Barclay Gentlemen’s Club. It was dark and she’d hoped she was wrong when she recognized her friend’s face. But then more strange things start to happen around Genevieve and she begins to realize that someone is after her for something. Genevieve’s story alternates between the present and her time working at Barclay’s, leading up to the big reveal of who’s targeting her and why. While Dark Tide is much less brutal than Haynes’s debut, Into the Darkest Corner, I found it to be just as intense and well written. Another excellent thriller from Haynes. 3/13 Becky Lejeune

DARK TIME: MORTAL PATH BOOK ONE by Dakota Banks: In 1632, Susannah Layhem was burned at the stake for a crime she did not commit. Accused of witchcraft, this healer devoted to helping her fellow townsfolk was pushed to the utter brink when she lost her child while in prison, something she could never forgive her accusers for. At the moment of her death, a demon appeared to Susannah, offering her a reprieve: if she carried out his work, she could have her revenge and live forever. She accepted. Over three centuries later, however, Susannah longs for death. The fate that awaits her for her crimes is a truly terrible prospect, though, and she is given one last chance to undo what has been done. In order to restore the balance, Susannah must save lives instead of take them. But no one has ever succeeded in setting right their wrong. Determined to be the first, Susannah begins anew as Maliha Crayne: an author by day and vigilante by night. This first in a projected two-part series is a great concept and a fun read; an original story with just the right blend of action, suspense, mythology, and romance. 08/09 Becky Lejeune

DARKBORN by Alison Sinclair: In this first book of a new trilogy, Alison Sinclair weaves a tale of political intrigue and social upheaval set in a world with a fascinating history. Ages ago, the people of this world were cursed, leaving two races: The Darkborn and the Lightborn. Darkborn can never go into the light; they see through sound and abhor the magic that left them they way they are. They live in a dark world that the Lightborn can never enter. The Lightborn revel in their magical abilities, just one more reason for the Darkborn to fear their differences. For the most part, these two races live completely separate, but in the town of Minhorn they live side by side. Physician Balthasar Hearne has become friends with his own Lightborn neighbor and this friendship will be his saving grace. When thugs attack Bal looking for information on a recent patient, it is his neighbor who comes to his aid. His wife, Telmaine, a woman with significant magical abilities that have been thus far successfully hidden, even from Bal himself, manages to save him with the help of another. Sadly, though, one of their daughters has been taken hostage and they are all about to become pawns in a game that could mean the end of peace between the races. This rich and creative tale is just the beginning and readers will be as anxious as I am to continue the series. 05/09 Becky Lejeune

A DARKER PLACE by Jack Higgins: Dillon, et. al. are involved in arranging the defection of a famous Russian writer and ex-paratrooper named Alexander Kurbsky. As usual the “Prime Minister’s private army” is ultimately successful after a number of twists and turns. Of interest to fans is the inclusion of the backstory of the wheelchair bound Major Giles Roper. Fast and enjoyable read as usual with Higgins work. 02/09 Jack Quick

THE DARKER SIDE by Cody McFayden: Agent Smoky Barrett and her band of merry men (and woman) are on the trail of a serial killer. It starts with the in-flight stabbing of the transsexual child of Texas Congressman Dillon Reid, front-runner for the Democratic Presidential nomination. Barrett, specifically requested for the case by the grieving mother of the late Lisa/Dexter Reid, learns from the medical examiner that Lisa/Dexter met her/his maker in a window seat and that the killer stuffed a wee crucifix in the fatal stab wound before disappearing. Further investigation shows that there have been scores of earlier crucifix-stuffed victims, perhaps as many as 150. So the search is on. Lots of actions but few thrills. Probably my last McFayden. While the plots are good, the execution leaves much to be desired. It becomes the kind of book where you are ready for a break after every chapter rather than feeling a desire to keep turning pages. 12/08 Jack Quick

DARKER STILL by Leanna Renee Hieber: It’s the summer of 1880 and Natalie Stewart has just been released—from school. Mute since the death of her mother, Natalie’s father sent his precocious daughter to a school that specialized in such disabilities. Now, Natalie hopes to make herself useful by pursuing a position in acquisitions with her father at the Met. She sets her sights on a captivating painting of a young English lord that has recently arrived in New York. The painting features the dashing Lord Denbury, a man with a tragic tale. After the death of his family, Denbury apparently committed suicide. The painting has such a presence that Natalie imagines it almost speaks to her and Denbury looks as though he could step through the frame at any second. Danger swirls around the piece and others have big plans for the painting themselves. Then Natalie discovers its real secret, one of dark magic and strange mystery. Leanna Renee Hieber’s gothic tale is full of atmosphere, suspense, and a damsel in distress—with a modern twist of course: Natalie is no wimp, she’s a strong and smart heroine. 3/12 Becky Lejeune

THE DARKEST NIGHT by Gena Showalter: They were ancient warriors of the highest order until jealousy prompted an irreversible mistake. The story of Pandora and her box is well known, but Showalter adds another twist to this famous myth. Pandora was one of these ancient warriors, set to guard a box housing all of the evils of the world. Maddox, a fellow warrior is so incensed over Pandora’s assignment that he and his fellow warriors steal the box, accidentally releasing the demons housed within. As punishment, each of the warriors must house within them one of the demons from the box. Maddox’s punishment is the demon of violence. As further punishment for killing Pandora, he is murdered every night at midnight, his soul sent to hell, and resurrected each morning. The men live in a tower in Budapest, surprisingly supportive of the surrounding community who view them as angels. Ashlyn Darrow has been plagued with psychic abilities – she hears voices and conversations everywhere she goes. She seeks out the men in hopes that they may be able to help her and gets much more than she bargained for. She and Maddox are instantly drawn to one another, which could mean real problems since the men have taken great pains to avoid bringing outsiders into their sanctuary. This is an intriguing concept for a romance series, and it’s going to be a definite favorite amongst fans of the paranormal. 05/08 Becky Lejeune

DARKNESS, MY OLD FRIEND by Lisa Unger: In this return to The Hollows, Jones Cooper, now retired, has been keeping himself busy helping out where he can. He keeps an eye on neighbors’ houses when they’re out and fixes little things here and there, but when Michael Holt returns to town trying to finally understand the truth of his mother’s disappearance, Jones begins investigating as well. The case always troubled Jones: Marla Holt was married, with two kids, and she just vanished one day. The story was that she left with another man. No evidence otherwise was ever found, but it bothered Jones nonetheless. Meanwhile, another local has asked Jones to investigate another missing person, her stepson’s mother. This tie-in to Fragile features many of the same characters, but can be read as a stand-alone. Again, Unger’s focus on the characters and their individual tales and connections to one another works to keep the reader guessing until the very end. The Hollows books have each kept me up reading late into the night and I hope there’s more in store for this little New York town. 09/11 Becky Lejeune

THE DARKROOM OF DAMOCLES by W. F. Hermans: Written in Dutch in the 1950’s by Hermans and newly released in English, this thriller evokes comparison to other noirish works about World War II. The mysterious Dorbeck visits tobacconist Henri Osewondt during the German occupation of Holland. Dorbeck gives Osewondt a series of missions involving helping British agents and eliminating traitors, which ultimately leads to Osewondt killing his own wife after she denounces him to the Germans. At war’ end, Osewondt is taken for a traitor and captured. When he tries to prove his innocence he finds there is no evidence of Dorbeck ever existing and no available photos, which is interesting because Dorbeck is Oswewondt’s spitting image – in reverse. Osewondt is blond, effeminate, and beardless – Dorbeck, dark, masculine and bearded. So, is Osewondt a hero or a villain? A patriot or a psychopath? Did Dorbeck exist or not? Draw your own conclusions. 08/07 Jack Quick

DARLING JIM by Christian Moerk: This dark and intense debut is a story of absolute love and unforgiving hate. It begins with a shocking discovery in a small Irish town. A local postman has found a dead body. When police open up the house where the body is found, they discover that the woman has suffered a brutal beating. But there’s much worse hidden in this unassuming house. Upstairs there are two more bodies. Both are younger women who appear to have been poisoned and starved. One has suffered multiple stabbings and her condition is so bad that they can’t determine the true cause of death. Shackles and locks are present throughout the house and the only keys lie around the neck of the first dead body. The police finally find the connection between the women, they are an aunt and her two nieces, but no one knows what really happened in the house. No one, that is, until a young postal employee discovers a “dead letter” with the name of one of the murdered women on the outside. Inside, the young man discovers a journal chronicling the events leading up to the women’s final days. This tragic and chilling tale is easily one of the best debuts I’ve read so far this year. From page one, Moerk weaves a tale that is so completely enthralling that you won’t want to stop until you turn the final page. 04/09 Becky Lejeune

DARLING JIM by Christian Moerk: From beyond the grave Fiona Walsh provides the means for Niall, a young mailman in Dublin, to solve the mystery of the murder of Fiona, her sister and her aunt, while maybe saving the remaining sister. Jim is an itinerant story teller who leaves behind young female victims. It seems that his macabre mythic narratives are more fact than fiction, as Niall learns from a diary found in the dead letter box after Fiona’s death. Will Niall become another victim of Darling Jim, or will he be able to unravel the Celtic knot? Moerk captures the darkness as well as the light that combine to form the Irish spirit. Nicely done. 06/09 Jack Quick

DARWIN’S RADIO by Greg Bear: We are about to face our greatest crisis, caused by a virus that has been passed from generation to generation since before the dawn of humankind. Now it’s active and there are three people standing between us and the end of our race. Mitch Rafelson is a discredited anthropologist who discovers the mummified remains of a Neanderthal couple in the Alps. Kaye Lang is a molecular biologist specializing in retroviruses, who has postulated that so-called junk DNA may actually have an unknown purpose in the scheme of life. Christopher Dicken is a virus hunter at the National Center for Infectious Diseases in Atlanta, hot in pursuit of a mysterious illness, dubbed Herod’s flu, which seems to strike only expectant mothers and their fetuses. Gradually, as these three scientists pool their results, it becomes clear that unless a cure is found, our days on the planet are numbered. Well written although a bit heavy on the science side. Hopefully, the sequel, DARWIN’S CHILDREN, will be as interesting. 01/08 Jack Quick

DATES FROM HELL by Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Kelley Armstrong and Lori Handeland: If you love supernatural romance or have ever been the unfortunate victim of a really bad date, this is the anthology for you.
In “Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil,” Kim Harrison treats readers to a rare look at Ivy and the events that lead up to her partnership with Rachel. Ivy knows that her best shot at a promotion has nothing to do with her job performance. When her arrogant boss takes things just a bit too far, she plans the perfect revenge. Unfortunately, her plan will either ensure her path to the top or get her demoted straight down to the bottom.
In Lynsay Sands’ “The Clair Switch Project,” an accident at work causes some interesting side effects for Claire Bennett, and on the same day as her high school reunion, too. When her longtime crush finally asks her out on a date, Claire can’t refuse. Too bad a favor promised to a best friend could ruin the whole thing in this quite funny tale of a strange “double” date.
Kelley Armstrong’s “Chaotic” features a half-demon tabloid reporter who feeds on chaos. A terribly boring blind date is about to turn into an unexpected adventure for Hope when she tracks a jewel thief at a museum gala. Karl Marsten is much more than he seems, however, and Hope soon finds herself in the middle of deadly game of revenge.
Finally, in Lori Handeland’s “Dead Man Dating” Mara Naomi Elizabeth (call me Kit) Morelli is a literary agent who hasn’t had much luck in the dating department, until now. A blind date through truelove.com has finally landed this plain Jane a real hottie. Too bad Eric Leaventhall is a total jerk but that could be because he’s dead. If you’re looking for something to wind down with, but you don’t feel like you have much time, this book is perfect. Each story makes a great light read and they are each the perfect length for bedtime reading. 05/07 Becky Lejeune

DATING IS MURDER by Harley Jane Kozak: Imagine being saddled with a name like Wollstonecraft Shelly! Fortunately, she goes by Wollie which is much easier to wrap your eyes around – and so is the statuesque blond bombshell that is the heroine of this second novel by Kozak. Wollie is a Renaissance woman, L.A. style; a greeting card designer, part time muralist, part time returning college student and one of the stars of a super low budget reality TV show called Biological Clock. As bad as that sounds, it is a step up from her last part time job of serial dating (in the awesome debut Dating Dead Men). This time out Wollie’s math tutor, who is also a German au pair for a wealthy California family, goes missing and no one seems terribly concerned. Wollie goes on the hunt for her and stumbles into the middle of a joint FBI/DEA drug investigation. Luckily, she also meets a rather sexy Fed named Simon and she is gaining ground as the favorite on Biological Clock. Lots of laughs, a little romance, and a real surprise ending put Kozak firmly in the must be read category, an elite place indeed. Very well done. 03/05

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown: I loved the first third of this book, with its intricate twists and fascinating look at art and the Louvre and Paris and the depth of research into the history of the Catholic Church. But then it just started getting to be too much; too many details, too many symbols, too many cliffhangers until I found myself exhausted by it all, yet still racing through it just to see how it would be resolved – but it really wasn’t worth the race.

The curator of the Louvre is found murdered in a locked room, so to speak – and in a macabre start, leaves clues drawn in his own blood, including the name Robert Langdon. Langdon is a professor from Harvard visiting Paris to give a lecture on religious symbolism, and coincidentally had an appointment with the murder victim, who of course failed to show. The victim’s granddaughter, Sophie Neveu, is a cryptographer with the Paris equivalent of the F.B.I. but the two of them become the chief suspects in the murder. Their only hope is to solve it themselves, but with the cops hot on their tail they have to stay one step ahead as they race their way through France, then England, in this complex yet ultimately disappointing thriller.

THE DARK LANTERN by Gerri Brightwell: This historical thriller and debut by Brightwell is an enthralling read. In the late 1800s a lot depended on a person’s past and family histories. For the most part, your future was decided by your station in life and you would never break free of it. Young Jane Wilbred was born to most unfortunate circumstances – her mother stabbed a man and was hanged for her crime. Jane was raised in an orphanage with that stain already attached to her name. She gains employment with a family who makes it clear that she will never escape the “natural” suspicion inherited from her mother’s deeds. Jane does escape, though. She is hired on at the Bentley home, after some finagling of the recommendation letter written by her former employer. Jane soon learns that the Bentley home is full of its own secrets. The mistress of the house has been sickly and her daughter-in-law, Mina, suspects that the servants have been taking advantage. She asks Jane to be her eyes and ears in the home, a task that Jane is not thrilled to be assigned with. The other Bentley son is soon to return from India, but the family is informed that he has been killed in a most ill fated accident. Surprisingly, it is revealed that he left behind a widow who will soon be arriving at the home. Mina’s suspicious nature rears its ugly head once again and Jane begins to wonder what Mina herself may be trying to hide. A late-Victorian era mystery that’s brings to mind the film Gosford Park with slight gothic undertones. 03/08 Becky Lejeune

THE DARK OF DAY by Barbara Parker: The star of this one is high-profile Miami defense attorney C.J. Dunn. Her client is Rick Slater, who is in charge of security for US congressman Bob Shelby. Slater is the last person to see Alana Martin, a beautiful model who disappears from a swinging Miami Beach party. Although C.J. doesn’t care for the congressman, she realizes this case may propel her to the next level with a major news outlet (Hello, Greta Van Sustrand). As the layers of the case are peeled open, you learn more and more about C.J. – since Rick Slater’s alibi witness is a seventeen year old runaway from the same north Florida town where C.J. was born, Alana is connected to architect Milo Cahill, one of C.J.’s clients; and to Billy Medina, who is C.J.’s lover. Although parts of the book read like the script of an afternoon soap – As My World Turns Upside Down and Inside Out – it’s not a bad read. Probably worth packing on a beach trip, when you can take it in small doses between long drinks. 06/08 Jack Quick
***Check out my interview with Parker on the BookBitchBlog – SA, The BookBitch
A DATE YOU CAN’T REFUSE by Harley Jane Kozak: Wollie’s back! Wollstonecraft Shelley, that is – the greeting card artist and amateur sleuth as the need arises. It’s been a few years, but she’s still as charming as ever. As usual, Wollie needs to find other work to support herself and her severely autistic brother – the freelance greeting card business just doesn’t pay well. After serving on a jury that finds media mogul Yuri Milos innocent, he offers Wollie a job as a dating coach for his Eastern European clients. Wollie isn’t sure she wants to do it until she’s approached by an FBI agent who pressures her into not only working for Yuri, but spying for the FBI. The money is too good to pass up too, so a reluctant Wollie finds herself thrust into the crazy world of basically babysitting & chauffeuring these men around. But of course there is more to it than just that – Chai, the model that Wollie’s replaced, has died under mysterious circumstances, there is a houseful of strange characters, not to mention Yuri’s good looking, charming son. Lots of laughs amid the suspense make this a quick, light read. 12/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE by Laini Taylor: Once upon a time, there was a blue-haired girl named Karou. She lived in Prague and was raised by monsters. Seventeen-year-old Karou is an art student with a secret life. Orphaned and raised by four chimaera, Karou is nonetheless human. She goes to school, she has friends and boyfriends, and she runs errands for a ram-horned creature called Brimstone—her surrogate father. Brimstone collects teeth, all kinds of teeth, and rewards his hunters with wishes. Sometimes, when they can’t come to him, Karou is sent to meet them instead. She’s never known the purpose of the teeth. She’s never known how she came to be with Brimstone. She does know that Brimstone’s world is not to be revealed to others. But someone is watching. Someone who has been leaving burned handprints on doors all around the world, doors that lead straight to Brimstone. Laini Taylor’s latest, and first in a new series, is one of the most imaginative and amazing books out there. Her mythology and world-building is beyond outstanding. To give too much away would be ruining the surprises held within the pages of her creation. Of course, there’s a big cliffhanger of an ending that will leave readers desperate to get their hands on the follow up. 10/11 Becky Lejeune

DAWN PATROL by Don Winslow: Three words: epic macking crunchy. That’s “surfbonics” for big, freaking, wave. Take a dip into Southern Cal’s insular surf culture with Don Winslow’s latest, Dawn Patrol. The biggest wave of the last decade is headed toward Pacific Beach and the gremmies are stoked to go down on their guns. Sadly, a stripper’s death gets between local legend, Boone Daniels, and the ride of a lifetime. Boone and his gang, the dawn patrol, set out to solve the murder. These cool cats and kittens meet up with angry Samoans, illegal aliens, drug dealers, shady attorneys, and child slave traders. These divergent paths all lead to a satisfying climax as the big wave finally reaches the beach. Meticulously researched. Funny. Sad. Poignant. Brilliant. 06/08 Dan Cawley

THE DAWN PATROL by Don Winslow: A gnarly rad epic that is macking crunchy. Don’t worry, if you, like me, don’t speak surfer. There is an on-going surfer-English dictionary embedded in the book. Unfortunately this tends to take away from the flow of a nicely done P.I/police procedural with some really neat characters. Boone Daniels was conceived on the beach to surfer parents, has lived all his life where he can hear the waves, and lives to surf. He is a key member of the Dawn Patrol, a mixed bag of aficionados that start each day with a “run” on Pacific Beach. Some of the members have j-o-b-s, but for Boone, all he wants is to make enough for fish tacos and wetsuits, and to be n the water to surf. Nevertheless, this ex-cop is actually a pretty good investigator, working primarily for a surfing lawyer bud that has asked him to find a missing stripper the lawyer needs to testify at an upcoming trial. When one of the stripper’s friends is murdered in a possible case of mistaken identity, Boone becomes obsessed with solving the case, even if it means dealing with a gorgeous, but bossy, female lawyer from Great Britain, who thinks that anyone still remaining in the pool, must be an evolutionary reject. All in all an excellent book that truly is macking crunchy. 09/08 Jack Quick

DAY AFTER NIGHT by Anita Diamant: Another fascinating portrait of women from the author of the The Red Tent and Last Days of Dogtown, only this time the setting is Palestine, just at the end of WWII. A group of women forge a friendship while waiting to escape from Atlit, a British detention center for illegal immigrants. While the majority of prisoners there are men, there are about 70 young women, some have been released from concentration camps, others have been hiding throughout Europe, but all have their horrors that they want to forget. At Atlit, they are not mistreated, but they are still prisoners. All they want is normalcy again, to make their home on a kibbutz, get married, have children and start their lives. Their stories are varied but all are interesting, and in Diamant’s skilled hands, unforgettable. I was surprised to find myself weeping at the end. 10/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED by Ed Gorman: It is a cold day in Iowa, in February, 19858. Specifically, it is the day after Sam McCain, a small town lawyer who earns most of his income working as an investigator in Black River Falls for the wealthy and eccentric Judge Esme Anne Whitney, attended the last concert of Buddy Holly before he died in a plane crash along with Richie Valens and the Big Bopper. Judge Whitney has sent McCain to check on her rotten nephew Kenny. At Kenny’s McCain discovers the body of Kenny’s wife, and then is unable to stop Kenny from killing himself. Everybody, including the local police chief, is sure that Kenny murdered his wife, but McCain has his doubts. Black River Falls is populated with a wealth of characters which Gorman describes in great detail. This looks to be the start of an interesting series. I look forward to Number 2 – Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow. 12/09 Jack Quick

DAYS OF RAGE by Kris Nelscott: The time is fall 1969, and Smokey and his adopted son have fled Memphis for Chicago. Dalton is an African-American private investigator on Chicago’s South Side, maintaining a low profile because of his knowledge of the Martin Luther King, Jr. assassination which threatens his life and that of his adopted son, Jimmy. Dalton is working for on-again-off-again girlfriend Laura Hathaway. Laura has inherited her father’s business empire only to learn that it was built on less than firm moral ground. She is trying to right past wrongs with Smokey’s help, while also making sure she doesn’t push so hard that the entire structure tumbles. In this environment, Smokey is contributing by inspecting rental property’s for Laura’s company, Sturdy Investments, when he discovers three corpses in the basement of one of the buildings. This gruesome find quickly becomes worse as more bodies are found. On the one hand, Dalton and Hathaway know this needs to be taken to the authorities and the families of the victims are entitled to some kind of closure. On the other hand, the Chicago Police have not proven themselves to be beyond reproach and if the discovery can be tied to Laura’s father, she may lose everything. All the action occurs against the backdrop of the Weathermen sponsored “Days of Rage” demonstrations in Chicago after the earlier Democratic convention and its high profile confrontations. Over all, a well-written book as Nelscott, skillfully interweaves “headline news” and its impact on the lives of ordinary people as they try to live their normal lives. 09/06 Jack Quick

D.C. NOIR edited by George Pelecanos: Apparently the prosperous Northwest section of D.C. isn’t a perfect place to live after all. Ten of the sixteen stories in Akashic’s salute to the U.S. capital are set there, although Georgetown, Mt. Pleasant, Chevy Chase, the Hill and other sections of D.C. are also represented. Highlighted by Pelecanos and Washington area native Laura Lippman, D.C. NOIR also includes first-rate offerings from Robert Andrews, Jim Beane, Ruben Castaneda, Richard Currey, Jim Fusilli, James Grady, Jennifer Howard, Lester Irby, Kenji Jasper, Norman Kelley, Jim Patton, Quintin Peterson, David Slater and Robert Wisdom. 01/08 Jack Quick

THE DEAD by Ingrid Black: Irish author Black invades Val McDermid territory and comes out a winner in this first mystery set in gritty, moody Dublin. Saxon (no first name given) is a former FBI agent turned true-crime writer. Her lover, Detective Chief Superintendent Grace Fitzgerald has persuaded her to remain in Dublin after her unsuccessful attempt to write a book about vanished Dubliner Ed Fagan, a vicious, Bible-quoting serial killer. Newspaper reporter Nick Elliott, whose book on Fagan was a success, gets a letter with a threat to kill five prostitutes. With each murder the killer taunts the police. Fitzgerald pulls Saxon into the investigation and Saxon determines this is a copycat killer. A true mystery as well as a crime novel, worthy of comparison to the efforts of Val McDermid. 08/06 Jack Quick

Dead Aim by Thomas Perry: Perry is yet another mystery writer who has turned his hand to more lucrative suspense thrillers. I have been hooked on his work since Metzger’s Dog (which is actually the name of a cat that gets thrown at an intruder.) His Jane Whitfield books, including Vanishing Act, were also well-received.
Dead Aim is the story of Robert Mallon who saves a would-be suicide from drowning. After she runs away again, he becomes determined to find out the reasons for her wanting to die. The answers lie in a paramilitary “self-defense” training camp in California where spoiled thrill-seekers are taught the ultimate hunt. As you might suspect, Mallon soon becomes the quarry. The police refuse to accept his story and he is alone with nowhere to turn and no one that he can trust.
Perry is a fine story teller and this book is hard to put down. I think that one of the reasons I liked Dead Aim was because it does have a lot of the elements of a vintage California mystery story. The solitary hero with some sadness from his past. An encounter with a beautiful woman that comes to naught when she is found dead. And plenty of mayhem committed by frighteningly well-trained killers. This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

DEAD AIM by Collin Wilcox: I can’t understand how I discovered and devoured all the Ed McBain 87th Precinct series without learning about Collin Wilcox and his Lieutenant Frank Hastings. In this third outing Hastings is dealing with the mugging murder of a a young housewife and the torture slayings of two residents of Pacific Heights, San Francisco’s “gold coast”. These two victims are the wayward daughter of one of San Francisco’s more affluent families and her gigolo companion, a dabbler in the local drug business. Another solid outing from an era when detectives smoked cigarettes and used pay telephones. 12/10 Jack Quick

DEAD AIR by Ed Goldberg: Anyone who dedicates their crime novel to the memory of their cat can’t be all bad, and this particular crime novel isn’t bad either. Lenny Schneider leaves the Big Apple to go all the way cross country to Portland, Oregon, so obviously he is smart. He moves in with his buddy Walter, a controversial radio show host at the aptly named KOOK-FM. Before you know it two of Walter’s colleagues have been killed with a bayonet from Walter’s knife collection, and Lenny may be the next request on the murderer’s “hit” list. Originally released in 1998, this was a review copy of the apparent planned re-release next year. 10/07 Jack Quick

DEAD BEFORE DYING by Deon Meyer: South African Police captain Mat Joubert is near suicidal two years after the death of his wife, who was killed in the line of duty as an undercover agent. Now a new commanding officer, a political appointee, is on a tear, touting the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. He orders Joubert to see a psychiatrist and gives him one last chance to prove himself, putting him in charge of an investigation into a serial killer who uses a 100-year-old German handgun. Meanwhile Joubert struggles to bring himself back to life by chucking the cigarettes, cooking low-cal meals, and taking up swimming. A interesting police procedural, but also an intense character study as well, as we see Joubert struggling to reclaim his life, his dignity, and his profession. An excellent read. 04/11 Jack Quick

DEAD CENTER by David Rosenfelt: I just love Andy Carpenter, the smart-ass New Jersey lawyer with the huge inheritance that allows him the luxury of working – or not. When his ex-girlfriend Laurie calls to say she thinks she’s arrested the wrong guy for murder and needs some help, Andy and his beloved dog Tara are on their way to Findlay, Wisconsin to lend a hand. Laurie dumped Andy and moved back home when she was offered the job as Findlay Chief of Police, but Andy still has feelings for her. Nevertheless he gets to work, investigating the victims who were both members of a religious sect called the Centurions. Smart, engaging characters, lots of laughs, some nice plot twists and simply superb storytelling make Dead Center irresistible. (Make sure you read the acknowledgments page – Rosenfelt manages to turn that into entertainment and I’m not just saying that because I’m first…) 05/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

DEAD CENTER by David Rosenfelt: “Sex without love is just not what I’m looking for anymore, those days are behind me.” Those are the words that form in my mind but don’t actually come out of my mouth. What my mouth ends up saying is, “Absolutely, check please.” When New Jersey defense lawyer Andy Carpenter gets a call from his former lover, Laurie, a police detective who has moved home to Wisconsin, to tell him she may have arrested an innocent man for murder he packs his bags and sets off for the Midwest to lend a hand. He quickly finds himself going up against a very shady religious group, but it’s his feelings for Laurie that cause him the most distress. Another strong outing for what is becoming my favorite wisecracking attorney who only works on what interests him, having made his fortune earlier in the series. Would that I could also. 05/06 Jack Quick

DEAD CONNECTION by Alafair Burke: Burke takes a break from her terrific Samantha Kincaid legal thriller series (Judgment Calls; Missing Justice; Close Case) with this novel of Internet dating, murder and high tech mayhem. Young New York City police detective Ellie Hatcher is temporarily re-assigned from the robbery division to maverick homicide detective Flann McIlroy. McIlroy is trying to tie together the murder of two young single women and wants some input from someone who can relate. An email is found on the body of the second victim and traced to an online dating service called FirstDate.com. After determining both women were members, the online dating service is approached about the men who had contacted the victims, but FirstDate is not too forthcoming – and anonymous men make difficult suspects. Hatcher and McIlroy dig deeper but more bodies start piling up, forcing the detectives to chase all over – including New Iberia, Louisiana, in a lovely homage to the author’s father, James Lee Burke. This stunning thriller ends with a tantalizing glimpse into what is sure to be a highly anticipated sequel. 07/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2007 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Reprinted with permission.

DEAD CONNECTION by Alafair Burke: Ellie Hatcher is a rookie detective in New York City who takes a special assignment with the NYPD homicide division to pursue a psychopath who preys on single women searching for love online. In this new cyberworld a click of a mouse can make someone vulnerable to danger in the real world. It’s a long way from Ellie’s Wichita, Kansas home, but could there be a connection with the death of her father, a career Kansas police officer. A lot of story for one book, but hey, you can’t argue with the bloodlines on this one. 09/07 Jack Quick

DEAD COPY by Kit Frazier: Perky young Cauley MacKinnon is on the obituary desk at the Austin Sentinel as the result of having “accidentally” slept with the publisher of the competing Austin Journal. Now she is helping her FBI Special Agent boyfriend Tom Logan create a fake obituary to make a key trial witness “disappear.” I’m sorry but after a decade in the real newspaper business, I feel a great disturbance in the force. While I am willing to suspend belief to a certain extent, i.e., Hogwarts, and muggles, and stuff, this one was just too “in my face.” It’s probably well written and will appeal to those whose concepts of media were shaped by endless episodes of Mary Tyler Moore and WKRP in Cincinnati. Sorry, there are just some things up with which I will not put. 07/07 Jack Quick

DEAD DANCING WOMEN by Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli: Opening of chapter one – “This Monday was like all Mondays up in Northern Michigan. No better. No worse. Another garbage day where first I lugged the battered can a black bear had been tossing around for the last few weeks up the drive, and then back down again…Some days things got worse.” Closing of chapter one, when Emily goes to put the garbage can back – “I was laughing still, as I stared into the wide black eyes of an old woman’s severed head.” Journalist and would-be mystery author Emily Kincaid has come to the woods of northern Michigan to get away from a philandering husband and work on her latest forgettable novel, when real life brings more mystery into her life than in any of her writings. The Women of the Moon, a group of older ladies who sing and dance around a bonfire late at night, are being killed, one by one. In addition to hosting her ex and his female ‘assistant’, reluctantly raising a rambunctious new puppy, and forming an uneasy alliance with local curmudgeon Deputy Dolly, Emily tries to put an end to the killings, and somehow preserve her own sanity. 12/08 Jack Quick

THE DEAD DON’T LIE (#10) by Stuart Kaminsky: A long-lost journal rumored to prove that the Turks were not responsible for the horrific massacre of Armenians in the early 20th century draws Chicago police force living legend Abe Lieberman, into a series of murders. There are more problems at home and in synagogue that compete for his attention while his longtime partner, Bill Hanrahan, is preoccupied with the birth of his newest child as well as some amateurish thugs who stumble into a more complicated crime during an attempted mugging. Its not so much the events as the way Kaminsky is able to bring you into the lives of his characters and make you feel you know them as well as they know each other. 06/08 Jack Quick
DEAD EVEN by Frank Zafiro: Just as Ed McBain created and populated the 87th Precinct with a host of interesting characters and off the wall villains, Zafiro had done the same for the River City, Washington Police Department. Drawing on his own career in law enforcement Zafiro accurately portrays the good, the bad, and the indifferent in these fifteen tales of theft, murder, mystery and detection. Nicely done with a gritty street feel, DEAN EVEN is reminiscent of Joseph Wambaugh in its treatment of the cops as human beings behind the badges and Browne belts. Nice read. 12/10 Jack Quick

DEAD HEAD SHOT by Victoria Houston: It’s Thanksgiving in Loon Lake, in the north woods of Wisconsin, but more bodies are falling than stuffed turkeys. It’s a holiday Chief of Police Lew Ferris had just as soon forget, what with credit card theft, dysfunctional families, a Canadian connection, and general disruption of everyone’s plans. Ninth in the series, and in spite of the subject matter, it is a breezy read, with great descriptions and likable characters. 12/08 Jack Quick

DEAD LAST by James W. Hall: This overly complex outing from James W. Hall addresses the issue of art imitating life, or life imitating art. A Miami based cable TV series featuring a killer who uses obituaries published in the local paper as a blueprint for selecting his next victims is floundering in the ratings and looks to be cancelled but midway through the season, a copycat appears off-screen, a real-life killer who is using the same strategy to select victims. When this serial killer crosses paths with the reclusive Thorn, he has no choice but to leave his sanctuary in Key Largo and join forces with a young policewoman from Oklahoma who is investigating the murders. There are plenty of suspects and Thorn is in for the shock of his life as he wades through the blood and mayhem. Okay, but far from his best work. 5/12 Jack Quick

THE DEAD MAN’S BROTHER by Roger Zelazny: “Hi, I’m your friendly neighborhood CIA agent and do I have a deal for you. We can give you a Get of Jail Free for the NYPD, and arrange for them to overlook your dead former partner found in your art gallery. All you have to do is fly to the Vatican City and trace the trail of a renegade priest who is missing with millions in church funds. Why you? Well, there is this dame…” Ovid Wiley’s past as an art smuggler has caught up with him, in spite of his now being a respectable art dealer. Turns out that the priest’s lover is a woman from Wiley’s previous life. Great thriller from a noted SF writer, this is Hardcase Crime Number 52. Grab it while you can. 02/09 Jack Quick
DEAD PEASANTS by Larry D. Thompson: Jack Bryant is an über successful lawyer who decides to retire after winning a huge wrongful death case. Jack moves back home to Fort Worth where he can spend more time with his college football playing son. But he’s really too young to be retired, so he sets up an old RV in a bad part of town, offering free legal help to whoever needs it, and stumbles upon one of the biggest cases in his career. June Davis is widowed, and accidentally finds out her husband’s old employer had a very large life insurance policy, a “dead peasant” policy, on her husband, which made the employer the beneficiary. A string of seemingly unrelated accidental deaths are paying off handsomely for the financially strapped business. There isn’t much to the mystery that most readers won’t figure out in a hurry, but legal fiction fans will still appreciate the courtroom scenes. The pacing is fast, the characters well developed and the lawyer is likeable. John Grisham aficionados should be delighted with Thompson. 10/12 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2012 Booklist, a division of the American Library Association. Reprinted with permission.

DEAD RENEGADE by Victoria Houston: Things might be okay in River City but there’s trouble in Loon Lake as retired dentist and sometimes Loon Lake deputy Doc Osborne stumbles upon human remains in the basement of an antique store. His granddaughter has been traumatized and refuses to talk, and a dangerous man with a dark history is on the loose. Chief of Police Lew Ferris shares her time, her fly fishing advice, and sometimes her bed with Osborne but in this one Osborne’s neighbor, fellow deputy, and fly fishing whiz Ray Pradt must lend a hand with his tracking skills. There is more going on here than a three-legged race and leisurely fly fishing, that’s for sure. Loon Lake may be off the beaten path but it’s never dull. Take a deep breath and stay for awhile, you never know what will pop out of the woodwork next. 11/09 Jack Quick

DEAD SILENCE by Randy Wayne White: There is very little of the mild-mannered marine biologist in this, the 16th Doc Ford outing. Doc kills a man in the first chapter, and then heads off to New York to get involved with a kidnapping and subsequent attempts to save the victim while preserving the secrecy of his past. All the action occurs within 36 hours after the kidnapping but there is plenty socked into that short time frame. At issue are the private papers of the late Fidel Castro. The United States has them and certain pro-Castro Cubans want them back. Everyone is connected in some way and it is up to Doc and Tomlinson to fill in the blanks, otherwise a fourteen-year-old Minnesota boy will die a gruesome death. It is a different path than most of the previous books, but still first rate. 04/09 Jack Quick
DEAD SPY RUNNING by Jon Stock: Daniel Marchant worked for MI6 until his suspension after the CIA forced the British to dismiss his father from his post as head of England’s intelligence service. When Daniel prevents a suicide bomber from killing the American ambassador during the London Marathon, he comes under even more suspicion, becoming a target of both MI5 and the CIA. Now, Daniel must avoid a global Agency manhunt to foil a terrorist plot and salvage his father’s reputation. It’s the ultimate spy vs. spy – although supposedly all are on the same side. A film version is already in development. A new Bond is born, maybe? 06/11 Jack Quick

DEAD TIME by Stephen White: If I had to describe this book in one word it would be “messy”. Messy plot line and even messier presentation. If it were anyone other that Stephen White I would have chucked it, but I persevered and am glad I did. Here’s the messy theme – At the end of White’s last book, Dry Ice, his bi-sexual friend and neighbor Adrienne is killed in a suicide bomb attack while visiting Israel. She has left instructions that she wants Alex and his wife, Lauren, to adopt her son Jonas. At Adrienne’s memorial service her uptight brother from back in New York tells Alex he wants Jonas to come live with him. While Alex is processing this, Alex’ ex-wife Meredith shows up. She tells Alex she is pregnant and engaged. All this adds strain to Alex’ relationship with current wife Lauren whose MS is acting up. Lauren leaves for Europe with their daughter to look for a daughter she had given up for adoption before meeting Alex. Alex goes to New York City to be close to Jonas while Jonas is spending three weeks with Adrienne’s brother and his family. While in New York, Meredith contacts him. She had miscarried her child and then she and fiancé Eric had engaged a surrogate to bear their child, using fertilized eggs left over from the in vitro process. Still with me? Eric was involved in a decade old mystery involving the disappearance of a woman at the Grand Canyon that connects back to the disappearance of the would-be surrogate mother. Now, to make it even more interesting the story is told in alternating chapters from the standpoint of Alex and then from ex-wife Meredith, interrupted by flashbacks to the Grand Canyon trip involving Eric. If you can keep all the balls bouncing it’s a good story and everything ends well, sort of. To learn more, you’ll just have to try it yourself. 05/08 Jack Quick

DEAD TO ME by Anton Strout: Simon Canderous has a gift: he can see pieces of peoples’ lives simply by touching something they’ve owned. He’d been using his talent for personal gain, but after barely avoiding a stint in jail, he’s learning to use his power for good as an agent with the Department of Extraordinary Affairs. When he and his partner stumble upon a dead woman who seems very alive – and believes she is – they decide it’s their job to find out what’s going on. Their investigation brings them face to face with a group of cunning cultists who may or may not be behind the murder, but are most definitely up to no good, and an agent of the cultists’ who can’t help but fall for Simon even when she’s supposed to be killing him. With this first in the series, Strout introduces a character and a setting that definitely leaves room for lots of original possibilities. Simon and his posse of supporting characters are great fun. 12/10 Becky Lejeune
DEADWORLD by J.N. Duncan: Jackie Rutledge is more aware of the “other” things around her than most FBI agents. For example, her partner, Laurel, can sense the dead and sometimes has premonitions. But when the body of a young boy is found drained of blood, their only clue a valuable old penny left behind at the scene, even Jackie isn’t ready for the most obvious suspect. PI Nick Anderson knows all too well who is responsible. After all, the vampire detective has seen this killer before and knows what will come next. The case will take all of them to places they couldn’t have imagined, but will they all survive? Jackie Rutledge and Nick Anderson are each emotionally scarred and flawed characters. Hard-drinking Jackie would be at home in any noir-esque mystery and Nick could pull a series on his own. Together, with Duncan’s original spin on urban fantasy, the characters make a great team. J.N. Duncan makes his debut with this first in the paranormal thriller series. Book two is due out in October. 04/11 Becky Lejeune

THE DEAL by Adam Gittlin: Jonah Gray has it all, wealth, power, and all the drugs and women he wants. As the third generation of a family of real estate moguls, he has learned the business well and is one of the best. When a longtime friend, and heir to one of the world’s most powerful international businesses contacts Jonah and tells him that the company wants him to orchestrate a huge deal for them, Jonah and his team jump at the idea. The chances of earning out an enormous payday are almost guaranteed. Unfortunately, like all things that seem to good to be true, this deal might be Jonah’s downfall. As everything begins to fall apart around him, Jonah starts to put together the pieces that will eventually uncover a conspiracy that has been years in the making. To tell anymore would be to give too much away, but I can tell you there is more to this book than greedy real estate deals. A crazy stalker, murder, and stolen Faberge eggs all play a part in this smart thriller by newcomer Gittlin. If you like Joseph Finder and Stephen Frey, you’re going to love Adam Gittlin. 05/08 Becky Lejeune

DEAR NEIGHBOR, DROP DEAD by Saralee Rosenberg: Mindy Sherman certainly believes that the grass is greener on the other side. Her neighbor, Beth Diamond, has a figure to die for, a seemingly endless supply of funds to support her fashionista lifestyle, and a perfect family. In spite of their common fence, the two have never become what you would call close friends. Instead, they have formed a sort-of reluctant truce out of necessity. Circumstances beyond both of their control are about to force the two women to rely on each other more than they would prefer, though, and Mindy will to discover just how wrong she is about Beth’s perfect life. Dear Neighbor is a fun and charming read. Everyone knows what it is like to envy a neighbor, and unfortunately most of us know what it’s like to have neighbors from hell, too! Mindy is a loveable housewife that is easy to sympathize with and surprisingly, Beth sometimes manages to steal the show, too. Rosenberg has a true talent for creating wonderful characters and utterly funny situations. Her light and mischievous tale is hilarious and heartwarming at the same time. 07/08 Becky Lejeune

THE DEATH DEALER by Heather Graham: After surviving the ordeals of The Dead Room, Genevieve O’Brien and PI Joe Collins return in Graham’s The Death Dealer. When a member of New York’s Poe Society is poisoned and another is involved in a multi-car accident, Genevieve becomes convinced that someone may be targeting the Ravens (members of the society). Since her own mother is a member, Genevieve has good cause to be worried so she hires Joe to look into things. Not one to sit idly by, Genevieve forces her way into the investigation despite Joe’s protests. Of course, just as Joe suspects, Genevieve has once again placed herself right in the killer’s sites. Meanwhile, the growing attraction between the two becomes undeniable and their long awaited affair finally begins. Their burgeoning relationship is quickly disrupted when Genevieve calls in Harrison Investigations, the team of psychics that also appeared in Dead Room. Genevieve suspects that someone from the other side is trying to communicate with Joe and that Harrison’s team may be able to help. The mystery surrounding the Poe killings is interesting, but the paranormal aspect seems to be almost an afterthought. The book would have been better served by either playing up the supernatural elements, or leaving the ghosts out altogether, as they become more distracting than anything else. 04/08 Becky Lejeune

DEAD EX by Harley Jane Kozak: It’s been a couple of years since the last book in this series, Dating Is Murder, but it was worth the wait. I really like the protagonist, Wollie, and her new boyfriend, FBI hottie Simon. Wollie is a struggling greeting card designer and previous star of a really bad reality TV show. This time she’s fake dating soap stars to dish about them on a really bad talk show called SoapDirt. The dying producer of a related soap opera is murdered and Wollie’s best friend is the primary suspect. It’s a nice twisty story that offers some insight into the soap business as the author used to star in one, plus one of the funniest interrogation scenes ever – it had me laughing so much that my daughter was calling me Miss Giggles all night. All in all, a very enjoyable way to while away an afternoon. 08/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch
DEAD HEAD by Allen Wyler: Brain surgeon Russell Lawton must develop an innovative computer that can manipulate a robot by using brain activity. Otherwise the terrorists who have kidnapped his eight year old daughter Angela will bury her alive. When he learns how the terrorists plan to use his work, he knows that not only is his daughter’s life at stake, but also the lives of millions of other innocent people. Although well written, I couldn’t stay with the plot. A claustrophobic who sees too much medicine in real life, I couldn’t relax and enjoy this one at all. Not for me. 02/07 Jack Quick

DEAD IN RED by L.L. Bartlett: Second full length outing for Bartlett’s Jeff Resnick, a former insurance investigator who acquired certain psychic “powers” as the result of brain injuries incurred during a mugging. Let me say at the outset, I am not much for so-called “paranormal” phenomena but Bartlett does this so well it is largely reminiscent of a Matthew Scudder tale. Resnick has been hired to look into the murder of a part-time bartender by the victim’s cousin who also engages Resnick to replace the cousin as part-time bartender. This gets him somewhat out from underfoot on his brother and brother’s girlfriend with whom he has been living since the events first set forth in Murder on the Mind. Visions of bloody hands and red rhinestone studded stiletto lead him into the world of drag queens and foot fetishists. Richard insists on helping and the two end up on the dark side. Not my favorite book ever, but nicely done and well written. 09/08 Jack Quick

DEAD LINE by Stella Rimington: Spy vs. Spy. MI6 has picked up some disturbing intelligence from Syria. A Lebanese businessman living in London and a freelance journalist are suspected of planning to disrupt an upcoming Middle East peace conference at Gleneagles resort in Scotland, and lay the blame for the projected attack on Syria. It falls on the shoulders of Liz Carlyle (perhaps a younger and more naïve Rimington) to determine whether the threat is real or if this is disinformation, and if so, to what end. Liz’s intuition proves correct when she uncovers an ingenious conspiracy that, if successful, could throw the entire Middle East into chaos. Rimington, the former director general of MI5, has borrowed a plot from Ludlum and pulls it off quite nicely. 08/10 Jack Quick

DEAD MAN RISING by Lilith Saintcrow: While still mourning the death of her demon lover, Tierce Japhrimel, Dante is once again dragged into the middle of a mystery that threatens her very own. Danny has been neglecting her necromance skills in fear of meeting Japhrimel on the other side. Instead, she has been throwing herself into bounty hunting, taking one job after another to keep herself busy. Jace, the Shaman, has given up his place at the head of his mob family in order to work alongside Danny. The bounties have been visibly wearing him out and though Danny’s newfound demon powers keep her from being physically exhausted, she is pretty close to a mental breakdown. Then, Danny is hired to help solve a series of mysterious deaths in Saint City. Three bodies have been discovered, gruesomely shredded to pieces, and the clues seem to point back to Rigger Hall, the government run school where psion orphans were sent to learn to use their powers. Danny had managed to block all memories of the horrible events that took place there, until now. All the secrets of Rigger Hall will once again be revealed and Danny will finally have to face them, or die trying. Saintcrow has created an intriguing alternate universe with a complex history and mythology of its own. Part sci-fi/fantasy, part mystery, this series is one of the best amongst the many that have shown up on the urban fantasy scene lately. 01/08 Becky Lejeune

DEAD MAN’S DUST by Matt Hilton: If you find Jack Reacher somewhat boring and Ted Bundy kind of ho-hum, this one is for you. Ex-military and ex-CIA Joe Hunter, defender of the weak and hero to those who need help, is out to rescue his half-brother John who has a gambling jones and a habit of getting into trouble. This time his trouble is really serious as he has stolen the Bowie knife of psychopathic serial killer Tubal Cain, who wants to become America’s most noted mass murderer. As Joe and his friend Jared “Rink” Rington follow John’s trail from Arkansas to the Mojave Desert, they come to realize that John’s troubles run deeper than just unpaid debts. At the inevitable showdown in Southern California it is up to Hunter to end Cain’s spree. Frankly, this was somewhat of a FATLUTE for me – FAilure To Live Up To Expectations. 03/10 Jack Quick

DEAD ON by Robert W. Walker: Walker credits Ed Gorman for the idea and inspiration for this first of a new series. Thank you Mr. Walker and thank you, Mr. Gorman. Marcus Rydell is a disgraced ex-cop and failed PI on the verge of suicide, and Kat Holley is an attractive doctor bent on revenge. They join together to pursue Iden Cantu, a psychopathic killer who four years earlier, slew six people in an Atlanta bloodbath, among them was Rydell’s then police partner and Holley’s cop husband. The chase leads to a remote cabin in Georgia’s Blue Ridge Lake area where Rydell, Holley and another at-risk couple have taken refuge. Besieged and taunted by Cantu, Rydell and Holley seek to turn the tables on the sadistic hunter. Uneven in places, but I think this one has potential as an evolving series. Good descriptions of Atlanta and its environs. 08/09 Jack Quick

THE DEAD PATH by Stephen M. Irwin: After the tragic accidental death of his wife, Cate, Nicholas Close discovers that he can see ghosts. Unfortunately for Nicholas, that includes Cate reliving her death over and over again in their apartment. Nicholas decides to return home to Australia, to leave behind the memories and the specter of his wife. On the night of his arrival at his mother’s home, a young boy goes missing near the local woods. His body is discovered and his killer is apprehended, but the case is remarkably similar to another murder: In 1982, Nicholas and his best friend tried to escape a would be attacker in the very same woods. Tristram was killed, and his own killer confessed to the crime. With the growing suspicion that there is much more to the murders than initially thought, things become much stranger in Nicholas’s life. Are the deaths connected, and what part do the woods play in all of this? The Dead Path is a great debut and a horror read that truly gave me chills. 10/10 Becky Lejeune

THE DEAD PLACE by Stephen Booth: Cooper and Fry are pursuing separate cases which may or may not have a common link. It starts with the discovery of a human skeleton of a female left exposed in the woods for over a year. Through facial reconstruction Cooper obtains a likeness which leads to the identity of the woman. Now, the real case begins because this woman died of natural causes and was supposedly cremated, according to her family. If her body wasn’t cremated whose body was? In the meantime Fry is assigned the task of finding out who is making anonymous phone calls that indicate a disturbed mind with an unnatural passion for death. Cooper and Fry are hoping against hope that the caller is just a harmless crank having some sick fun, but the clues woven through his disturbing messages point to the possibility of an all-too-real crime, especially when a woman vanishes from an office parking garage. The dead woman is linked to the mystery caller, whose description of his twisted death rituals matches the bizarre manner in which the body was found. Can they solve the case(s) before another body is found? 8/13 Jack Quick

DEAD POLITICIANS SOCIETY by Robin Spano: Clare Vengel is a brand new cop but already bored with routine police work. I mean, after all, she rides a Triumph and turns her own wrenches. So when the Mayor of Toronto keels over while delivering a speech and The Society for Political Utopia, a local university secret society, takes credit for his death, it opens the door for Clare to go undercover as a student. With her background, Vengel is not the most dedicated of students and quickly is at odds with one of the more popular professors. This causes her police bosses to have second thoughts. However, a second murder occurs, with a follow up message from the secret society dedicated to creating a better political system (apparently by killing off the members of the current one). Two more politicians die before Clare is able to uncover the key culprit. Somewhat reminiscent of Barbara Seranella’s beloved Munch Mancini, except Vengel is fighting from within the establishment that Munch dueled from outside. 09/10 Jack Quick

DEAD STREET by Mickey Spillane: (Hardcase Crime 37). Mulligan: In golf, a “do-over.” Hit a bad shot? Take a mulligan and hit it again. For twenty years NYPD detective Jack Stang fears his old fiancée, Bettie, is dead, killed in a kidnapping gone wrong. Now, soon after his retirement, he is told that Bettie is, in fact, alive and living in Florida. However, she is blind and suffers from amnesia from the car crash that killed her abductors. However, the men who arranged the abduction would still like her dead, so Stang has the opportunity to try to save her this time, an opportunity he missed twenty years ago. One of a handful of novels he was working on at the time of his death DEAD STREET was prepared for publication by Hard Case vet Max Allan Collins. It is solidly Spillane with dolls, louses, and the hero packing a trusty .45. If it is, in fact, the last one, it’s a damn good one. 11/07 Jack Quick

THE DEAD-TOSSED WAVES by Carrie Ryan: It’s been years since the Return and Gabry has only ever known safety within the confines of the Barrier. She and her friends were taught to fear the Breakers and the Mudo. They were trained to fight them. They were told the rules of living in Vista. But one night, they throw everything away for some fun beyond the Barrier. No one expected to be attacked, but in the end, two of their friends are left dead, two are missing and sure to be infected, and the rest are caught by the Militiamen. Gabry escapes and the others agree to keep her secret, but only if Gabry will cross the Barrier once again to find one of the missing. Gabry’s loyalty to her friends will prove to be the catalyst that changes her life forever. Now, with the Recruiters chasing her, she will have to fight for everything she loves and face a future that’s more uncertain than ever. Amazing. Simply amazing. This companion to Ryan’s debut, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, is every bit as fantastic as its predecessor. I’m blown away by Ryan’s worldbuilding and imagery. Ryan’s is a talent that completely amazes me. 03/10 Becky Lejeune

THE DEAD TRAVEL FAST by Deanna Raybourn: After the death of her grandfather, Theodora Lestrange receives an invitation to visit a school friend at her family’s estate in Romania. Theodora has long planned to write a novel of her very own and believes that this trip could provide the inspiration she’s needed to get started. Upon arrival, she realizes just how correct this assessment was. The estate proves to be a moldering castle on the brink of ruin and the village is filled with superstitious and cautious folk. Theodora also finds that Count Andrei, her friend’s betrothed and master of the estate, is the perfect model for a gothic hero. But matters become complicated when a servant girl is murdered within the castle walls and rumors of vampires begin to stir. Because of her loyalty to her friend, Theodora finds herself unable to cut ties and run, but can she help unmask the real killer before things get completely out of hand? The Dead Travel Fast is a wholly satisfying read. Raybourn expertly captures the style and tone of traditional gothic literature. A note to fans: this is a standalone, but a new Lady Julia Grey book is said to be in the works. 03/10 Becky Lejeune

DEAD ZERO by Stephen Hunter: It is hard to imagine a Bob Lee Swagger novel where Vietnam War hero “Bob the Nailer” never pulls a trigger, but Hunter has done it. There is still plenty of shooting and various forms of hand to hand mayhem as the mid-60 year old Swagger tries to save one of the truly good guys from doing something very, very bad. Sergeant Roy Cruz, the modern day equivalent of Swagger, has been betrayed in Afghanistan and his spotter killed. Thought to have also been killed, Cruz surfaces to advise he plans to complete the sniper mission as originally planned. The problem is that the target, an Afghan warlord known as The Beheader, has subsequently “seen the light”, switched sides, and is potentially a candidate to become the next President of Afghanistan, which is now our ally against the Taliban. Although heavy on the technical details of the art of sniping, Hunter’s ability to move the story along keeps you in the middle in this first rate thriller. 1/11 Jack Quick

DEADFALL by Robert Liparulo: I swear I heard dueling banjos mid-way through this book. Think Deliverance in Canada. Four middle aged Colorado buddies are braving the remote wilds of North Saskatchewan when they encounter a crazed millionaire who plans to obliterate an entire town and its 242 inhabitants using a space-based laser. (James Bond, where are you when we really need you?) Anyway, bow-hunter and journalist John Huthinson leads his buddies in a battle for survival. Some questionable technological assumptions and an extremely predictable ending tend to work toward offsetting neat guy toys and good writing. It’s better than the reading the Yellow Pages, but no threat to my top ten list. 01/08 Jack Quick

THE DEADLIER SEX by Randy Wayne White: In this Randy Striker penned outing, Dusty MacMorgan and his pal Westy O’Davis catch a naked woman while fishing along South Florida’s Ten Thousand Island coast. A nearby trawler explodes, but that is nothing compared to the tale she tells MacMorgan and O’Davis. It seems there is a hard-core women’s group secreted on a local key. When Mac and Westy escort the lady home, they quickly learn that not all is as it appears and maybe they would have been better off throwing their catch back. A fun read that no one would ever classify as great literature. 01/09 Jack Quick

DEADLINE by Mira Grant: Shaun Mason and the After the End Times news team are back in this second of the Newsflesh trilogy. After the intentional infection of his sister, George, Shaun has made it his mission to track down those behind the conspiracy. When new research emerges regarding the Kellis-Amberlee virus (the life-altering merging of two “cures” that created zombies), Shaun and his team become involved in a plot that is so far-reaching and deadly, it could mean the true end of times. With the help of a rogue CDC employee, the journalists plan to reveal everything to their readers, if they can live long enough to go live. What a killer read. Mira Grant’s trilogy is so much more than simply zombie horror. Her research into outbreaks and infections, politics, and journalism adds complex layers to the story, which will appeal to readers beyond the genre but will also please hard-core horror and zombie fans. Book three, Blackout, is due out in 2012. 07/11 Becky Lejeune

DEADLINE MAN by Jon Talton: Writing a newspaper column is like writing in chalk on a sidewalk. The time is here and the place is Seattle. A life long newspaper man known only as “the columnist” joins with an aggressive young reporter to see if one explosive story can save a newspaper. It’s the deadline of their lives, and it all starts when “a source” takes a dive off a downtown skyscraper. Will the newspaper survive? Will the two newsmen survive? There are mysterious forces at work including federal agents, corporate schemers, and murder intrigue and secrets everywhere. And what is eleven-eleven? I don’t usually do “newspaper” books, but this is one has it – in spades. 05/10 Jack Quick

DEADLY CODES by J P O’Donnell: When Jennifer Clark is killed in a car bombing in her own driveway, was she the intended victim or was the bomb meant for her husband. Bill Clark holds a top-secret position in the counter-intelligence division of the National Security Agency and the bomb was planted in his car, so logically he should be the target. However, Jeanne Campbell, Jennifer’s twin sister thinks the mysterious woman, Jennifer’s secret lesbian lover, who vanished immediately after the bombing is the key to finding out what is going on. She hires Daniel Cormac Gallagher, Jr., a Boston private eye, to look into the matter since the authorities are only pursuing their suspicions that the terrorist act was intended for Jennifer’s husband. Gallaher soon learns that a bounty has been placed on his own head and the car bombing is only a backdrop to a complex, treasonous scheme to sell code-breaking formulas to a hostile enemy nation. Nicely done. 11/09 Jack Quick

DEADLY NIGHT by Heather Graham: The Flynn brothers; Aiden, Jeremy, and Zachary, learn they have inherited a plantation home from an aunt in New Orleans they never knew. At first, they contemplate selling the house, but upon seeing it, decide to fix it up instead. Aiden, the oldest, finds human bones on the property. His instincts as a private investigator kick in and he begins to research the history of the home, and of missing persons in the area. He soon learns of decades of missing women, all last seen in New Orleans. With the help of Kendall, a local tarot card reader who has close ties to Aiden’s aunt and the plantation, Aiden reveals the plantation’s dark history. He is aware of the rumors that the plantation is haunted, but he refuses to believe in ghosts. That is, until Kendell starts seeing things during her tarot card readings. Women she does readings for disappear. Is it all tied to the Flynn plantation? This was my first taste of Heather Graham’s writing. It is obvious that she did a lot of research into New Orleans, and the civil war, in preparation for writing this book. The storyline and characters were well thought out and developed. I’ve read many a mystery, and most I’ve figured out before I reach the book’s halfway point. This one intrigued me up until the end. I’m looking forward to starting the next in the Flynn Brothers series, HAUNTED HARVEST. 11/08 Jennifer Lawrence

DEADMAN’S BLUFF by James Swain: In this follow-up to Deadman’s Poker, a legally blind poker player named Skip DeMarco is scamming the world’s largest poker tournament in Las Vegas, and cheating-expert Tony Valentine and his son, Gerry, have been hired to find out how. DeMarco is tied to some dangerous characters who will go to extremes – even cold-blooded murder–to ensure that he wins big. While Gerry works in Atlantic City, Valentine stays in Vegas and teams up with an aging grifter named Rufus Steele, who has his own score to settle with DeMarco. On opposite sides of a deadly game, father and son work their way through a colorful landscape of conmen and hitmen. Together, they will have to prove there’s more to any game of chance than meets the eye. 06/06 Jack Quick

DEADMAN’S SWITCH by Barbara Seranella: Charlotte Lyon, victim of obsessive compulsive disorder, has turned her illness into a career, as a crisis management specialist. No matter how bad the situation, Charlotte can think up even more dire scenarios. This case involves a train wreck, a Hollywood star who is fatally injured, possible sabotage, and even a new love interest for the widowed Lyon. Throw in Charlotte’s dysfunctional mother and voluntarily absent sister, and you have quite a cast. Unfortunately it ends all far too quickly. From The Big Chill: Richard is having a late-night snack while talking to Sam and Nick “There’s some asshole at work you have to kowtow to, and you find yourself doing things you thought you’d never do. But you try and minimize that stuff; be the best person you can be. But you set your priorities. And that’s the way life is. I wonder if your friend Alex knew that. One thing’s for sure, he couldn’t live with it. I know I shouldn’t talk; you guys knew him. But the thing is… no one ever said it would be fun. At least… no one ever said it to me.” Barbara, no one ever said it would be fun, and no one ever said it would be fair, but you were a winner and went out at the top. God Bless. She saved her best for last. 05/07 Jack Quick

DEAD RUN by P. J. Tracy: The mother/daughter writing duo, P. J. Tracy (Monkeewrench, Live Bait), has once again penned a furiously paced tale with their trademarked humor and quirky characters, only this time adding a personal twist. Deputy Sharon Mueller suspects a serial killer at work and asks prickly, paranoid Grace McBride and Queen-size sexpot Annie Belinsky of Monkeewrench fame to accompany her to Green Bay to try and get to the bottom of it – but they never make it there. Their car breaks down in the tiny town of Four Corners, which appears to be a recently vacated ghost town. They quickly find out that they are not alone, however; an extremist paramilitary group has garrisoned the town and is hunting them down with orders to shoot on sight. The men they left behind grow concerned when the women don’t arrive in Green Bay and set out after them, but this is no damsel in distress tale. These women are smart and feisty, but there is a much bigger problem afoot than they realize. Four Corners is just part of a much larger terrorist plot that takes the combined efforts of the sheriff’s department, the FBI and the Monkeewrench crew to resolve. 04/05 Copyright © 2005 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Reprinted with permission.

DEAD RUN by P.J. Tracy: Grace and Annie of Monkeewrench and Wisconsin deputy Sharon Mueller are headed to Green Bay, where Sharon believes a serial killer has set up shop. After Grace’s Range Rover breaks down the women seek refuge up in the town of Four Corners, which is abandoned. They discover all the phone lines have been cut and then witness the cold blooded killing of a couple. Soon Federal, state and local authorities are all involved while our three heroines remain at risk right in the middle of the action. Tracy’s work just gets better and better. 01/06 Jack Quick

DEAD WATCH by John Sandford: The president hires Jake Winter to investigate the disappearance of former Virginia senator Lincoln Bowe. Bowe’s wife, Madison, believes his bitter political rival, Governor Arlo Goodman, is behind her husband’s disappearance and eventual murder. Bowe was not a saint: he was obsessed with destroying Goodman’s political career. This may have driven him to contemplate political blackmail, which could have cost him his life. Sandford shows that he knows insider Washington just as well as his more familiar Minneapolis. There’s dirt enough to cover everyone, although not enough to cover the odor of day-to-day political infighting. A first rate book. Lets hope it is not a stand-alone and we will see more of Mr. Winter. 07/06 Jack Quick

DEADLOCK by Robert Liparulo: “The mission was simple – kill everyone. The complications came in the details, such as the directive to keep it quiet.” No “dark and stormy night” here, just the beginning of an action packed thriller that makes Rambo read like a nursery rhyme. Brendan Page is a billionaire military industrialist who is used to getting what he wants. What he wants now is to teach John “Hutch” Hutchinson as lesson. Hutch has uncovered some dirt that jeopardizes Page’s empire – specifically that Page is using a private army to settle his own scores. But Page’s teaching operation goes terribly wrong, and Hutch’s son is kidnapped. Now it’s Die Hard, Mission Impossible, and every other unrealistic but satisfying foray in which one determined man overcomes all obstacles and exacts his own brand of revenge. I wore my seat belt throughout this one. 06/09 Jack Quick

DEADLY ADVICE by Roberta Isleib: Dr. Rebecca Butterman has her own problems – a recent divorce, her practice as a psychotherapist, and her advice column for Bloom magazine. Now she finds that her next-door neighbor, Madeline, has been found dead, under circumstances that suggest suicide. Madeline’s mother insists that the suicide note wasn’t written by her daughter and after having talked Butterman into taking care of Madeline’s cat, also persuades her to look into her late daughter’s life. What Butterman finds in Madeline’s blog – a lively and up to date chronicle of dating adventures, causes her to wonder, as well, since there are no signs of depression. When Butterman’s editor assigns her to do a column on the modern singles scene, Rebecca finds out just how deadly some advice can be. 06/07 Jack Quick

DEADLY BELOVED by Max Allan Collins: Number 38 in the Hard Case Crime series is the first Ms. Tree novel. Ms. Tree, aka Ms. Michael Tree, is the groundbreaking female P.I. featured in the longest running private-eye comic book series of all time. Not a kids’ comic here. Ms. Tree is investigating a conspiracy that involves murder. Marcy Addwatter shot and killed her husband in the motel room where he was entertaining a blonde hooker. Shot the hooker, too. But before she gets sent away, Ms. Tree is going to dig out the truth – or die trying. Another Hard Case winner, with lines like “Dr. Sander’s icy smile, however, wasn’t that soothing – her lipstick was dark red and the effect was that of a cut in her face…Her laugh was as chilly as her smile.” Where is my trench coat and gat? 11/07 Jack Quick

DEADLY BEAUTIFUL by Sam Baker: Annie Anderson has traded in her investigative journalist shoes for a pair of high heeled Jimmy Choos. Her current assignment has her at New York’s Fashion Week reporting on some of the lesser-known designers at Bryant Park (her boss gets the A-list). But when her best friend and fellow reporter, Lou McCartney, comes to her for help, Annie can’t resist. See Lou’s been holding out on Annie. It seems Lou McCartney is really Luella Ulrich, the abandoned daughter of rich industrialist Rufus Ulrich. That means that Lou’s little sister is Scarlett Ulrich, the world-famous child model. Scarlett, or Lettie as Lou calls her, would appear to have all the luck until she goes missing in Tokyo. Despite Lou’s attempts to appear otherwise, she is worried about her little sister, and Annie has a history of being able to track down hard-to-find people. Annie’s fear lies in the fact that all of those people she tracked down were dead. Two bodies have already been found in Tokyo and Annie sincerely hopes that Lettie won’t be next. Sam Baker, editor-in-chief of Red, draws on her own experience as a journalist to give readers a glimpse of the dirty side of the fashion industry and skillfully wraps it up in a thrilling package. You can read more about Annie in Baker’s debut, Fashion Victim, or you can read Beautiful all on its own. Deadly Beautiful has been published as This Year’s Model in the UK. 08/08 Becky Lejeune

DEADLY COLLECTION by Elaine Flinn: This is the third installment in Flinn’s Molly Doyle mystery series and they just keep getting better. This one has an interesting twist; Molly’s twelve-year-old niece Emma is helping her aunt with the antique store she runs, and with the murder she stumbles over. Molly is commissioned to sell the contents of an estate in Carmel, California. The owner is an old friend-of-a-friend of Molly’s, so even though she doesn’t really like the woman Molly agrees to take on the sale – and the commission doesn’t hurt either. But a murder, a fire and other mysterious happenings spoil the sale and create a lot of tension for Molly and her friends. A good mystery in an appealing setting and strong, believable characters add up to another great read from Elaine Flinn. 10/05

DEADLY COLLECTION by Elaine Flinn: I don’t do cozies but my sweet wife opines that this is the best Molly Doyle yet. Taking away nothing from the first two books, but in this one the characters really seem to come to life. She said even after she figured out whodunit, she never figured out the whydunit. Five stars according to my bride of many years, with whom I never disagree. 11/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

DEADLY DIAMONDS by John F. Dobbyn: This is the fourth entry in the Knight and Devlin series after Black Diamond (2011). Criminal attorney Michael Knight finds himself in the middle of a Boston mob war when Irish Mafia don O’Byrne forces Knight to help his teenage son. The younger O’Byrne took a car for a joyride that turned out to belong to Italian mob boss Santangelo, and in a case of really bad luck, had a body hidden in the trunk. Knight tries to broker the peace between them but the young O’Byrne disappears, Devlin runs into serious trouble, and the Santangelo family doesn’t want to deal. Knight is being followed by another gangster, this one directly from Ireland, and he can’t figure out why. Meanwhile there is a secondary plot about stolen blood diamonds from Sierra Leone that are thought to be in Boston, and a deadly hunt is on. Dobbyn manages to take the two storylines and tie them together in a brilliant knot in this fiercely violent story that somehow also tugs at the heartstrings. This should appeal to fans of Tess Gerritsen, Jon Land and Dennis Lehane. 9/13 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2013 Booklist, a division of the American Library Association. Reprinted with permission.
DEADLY ERRORS by Allen Wyler: A scary thriller that will cause you to have second thoughts about going to the hospital. .A comatose man is given a fatal dose of insulin in the Emergency Room—even though he isn’t diabetic. An ulcer patient dies of hemolytic shock after receiving a transfusion—of the wrong blood type. A recovering heart patient receives a double dose of the same medication—triggering a fatal cardiac arrest. When the doctors and nurses at Seattle’s prestigious Maynard Medical Center start making preventable drug and treatment errors that kill their patients, neurosurgeon Dr. Tyler Mathews suspects that something is murderously wrong with the hospital’s highly touted new “Med-InDx” electronic medical record. But when he airs his concerns to the hospital’s upper management, he’s met with stonewalling, skepticism—and threats. Millions of dollars, and the future of Med-InDx, are at stake. Powerful corporate forces aren’t about to let their potential profits evaporate. Tyler soon finds that his career, his marriage, and his very life are in jeopardy—along with the lives of countless innocent patients. Will the last surviving patient please turn out the light? An excellent read. 10/06 Jack Quick

DEADLY EXCHANGE by Geoffrey M. Gluckman: Of course this is a work of fiction, isn’t it? Jennifer Chance is a world-renowned motivational speaker who is not who she seems. She works for Lectures and More, Inc., a company representing the world’s top motivational speakers. Ulrich Rogers who spearheads the company and its reeducation programs has a new technological advance: a mind-altering radio frequency device sold as a work-site enhancement product. Jennifer learns of Rogers’ plan to use the device to take control of America. She teams up with Frank Revere, an enigmatic former government counterintelligence agent, as they try to untangle deception. Gluckman is a former federal agent and international lecturer. Although you may think his premise somewhat absurd, a reminder that an injectable sub-dermal RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Device) the size of a grain of rice which can send and receive data and be tracked by Global Positioning Systems has been around since early 2002. Makes you wonder. 06/09 Jack Quick

DEADLY GAMBLE by Connie Shelton: Charlie Parker and her brother Ron are RJP Investigations in Albuquerque. Normally Ron handles the detecting while Charlie, a CPA, handles the financial end. Unfortunately Ron is out of town when Stacy North shows up needing RJP to find a missing Rolex watch. Unfortunately, because ten years earlier Stacy had eloped with Brad, Charlie’s fiancé. Needless to say, Charlie is somewhat reluctant to get involved but does so, against her better judgment. Things start to get sticky when she does, in fact, find the watch in a pawn shop where the alleged thief sold it. The “thief”, it turns out, is having an affair with Stacy and when he is killed, Stacy is immediately a suspect. Charlie soldiers on and additional murders occur. This is quite different from pushing numbers around a spreadsheet. First installment in what looks to be an interesting series. 08/06 Jack Quick

DEADLY HARVEST by Heather Graham: The second installment of the Flynn Brothers Trilogy has middle brother Jeremy Flynn traveling to Salem, Massachusetts to help his old partner whose wife has gone missing. Rowenna Cavanaugh, a native of Salem, has been living in New Orleans and met Jeremy through her friend Kendall (of Deadly Night). Ro has a gift that allows her to see things. She says it is simply the fact that she can easily get into the victim’s mindset and that there is nothing supernatural about her ability, but her almost-father-in-law, a Salem detective, has used her help in many investigations. Jeremy is definitely a skeptic when it comes to all paranormal mojo and initially believes that Rowenna is an attention-seeker who should be avoided at all cost, in spite of his attraction to her. Upon learning that they will both be working the case in Salem, however, the two finally give in to temptation. Their burgeoning relationship becomes fraught with tension when Ro discovers a body in a local cornfield. Though the body is not that of Jeremy’s friend, it’s clear that someone is stalking women in Salem and that she, or even Ro, could be the next victim. The light paranormal aspect to this trilogy is great. It’s not overpowering, but still fits easily within the stories. Plot-wise, I love that each of these tales fits around a different holiday, thus far. Deadly Night is set in New Orleans around Halloween and was released in October and now Deadly Harvest deals with the Fall Harvest Festival in Salem in the month of November. We’ll see if the holiday link continues with the final installment, Deadly Gift, coming in December. 10/08 Becky Lejeune

DEADLY INTEREST by Julie Hyzy: People are always asking me how to spell my last name, and I suspect Ms. Hyzy has the same problem. Fortunately, her heroine, Chicago TV reporter Alex St. James doesn’t seem to have that problem. Everyone seems to know who she is because of her work on Midwest Focus News Magazine. When Alex’ neighbor Evelyn Vicks is murdered, Alex becomes involved whether she wants to or not. She is stalked by an ex-con and has to deal with Evelyn’s estranged son. Combined with romance and caring for her handicapped sister, its all part of the complicated life she leads. Relatively fast paced for a cozy, Deadly Interest will probably have greater appeal to the female reader who would have a greater appreciation for the angst of broken fingernails and unruly hair than do I. Still a quality read, and second in the series after Deadly Blessings. A third, Deadly Messages, is in the works. 08/07 Jack Quick

DEADLY LAWS by Jim Hansen: Fourth in the Laws series, drawing us again into the life and work of hard charging, coffee drinking, womanizing, homicide solving Denver detective Bryson Coventry. A man is abducting women, and then calling other women to go rescue them. If the proposed rescuer refuses, the abducted woman dies. One such rescue leads to the killing of a rapist, which brings Coventry onto the scene. A security camera video leads him to the “rescuer” and the most recent victim. They don’t want to cooperate, because of the circumstances of the rapist’s death, and because they have vowed to find and kill the abductor themselves. So Coventry begins a long, drawn out investigation/ assignation, the latter of which is thoroughly enjoyed by all concerned. In the meantime, the ladies are trying to use to get more information on the abductor, as well as……. Crisp as a Rocky Mountain morning and as exciting as a new powder run at Vail, this is the best “Law” yet. 10/07 Jack Quick

DEADLY NIGHT by Heather Graham: The Flynn brothers have just inherited a home in New Orleans that has a quite sordid history. Locals say that the Flynn’s ancestors have haunted the home since the end of the Civil War when two cousins, a confederate and a union soldier, killed each other and one of their wives threw herself over the home’s balcony. For Aiden, Jeremy, and Zachary, news of the family estate and its history come as something of a surprise; they only learned of the home after the death of an unknown aunt. The three are all formerly involved in law enforcement and run a successful private investigations firm. When Aiden, the eldest Flynn, discovers two human femur bones on the same day, one on the estate itself and another nearby, he comes to believe that there is something fishy going on. Local agencies chalk it up to Katrina damage on graveyards, but Aiden soon uncovers evidence that suggests someone has been stalking women in the Big Easy and possibly using the estate as their dumping ground. This first in a new trilogy proved to be a great read. Graham ties in a slight paranormal storyline that works to the book’s advantage. She is true to her setting, post-Katrina New Orleans, something that is much appreciated by this Louisiana native. The subsequent titles leave the south for other locales, but I’m really looking forward to continuing the Flynn brothers’ adventures. 10/08 Becky Lejeune

DEADLY STILLWATER by Roger Stelljes: It starts with a well-executed high profile kidnapping of the young daughter of a notable Twin Cities lawyer who has been involved for years in both criminal and high stakes civil cases. From the start the case doesn’t feel right to St. Paul detective Mac McRyan, a fourth-generation cop. Then there is another kidnapping – identical in style – and the victim is the Police Chief’s daughter. There has to be a connection. Is this for revenge or for money? What ties the two victims together? Interesting and twisty police procedural evocative of John Sandford. 12/12 Jack Quick

DEADLY VINTAGE: A MOLLY DOYLE MYSTERY by Elaine Flinn: I’m not a fan of traditional mysteries, yet there are a few series that I really look forward to and enjoy and this is one of them. While the mystery aspect is always interesting in this series, it’s the characters that keep pulling me back. Molly Doyle is an antiques dealer with a troubled past who settles in Carmel, California, to manage the antique store of an old friend. She makes some good friends in this small town, including the chief of police who’d like to be more than a friend. Along the way she also inherited her niece, a dream child who adds to the richness of the story. This time out Molly is trying to expand her bank account and takes on a decorating project for the tasting room at a local winery. But the owner’s husband is abusive, and Molly has a very loud, very public fight with him. When he gets killed, Molly is high on the suspect list. This a terrific read and a must for any mystery fan. 12/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

DEADMAN’S POKER by James Swain: Gerry, son of gambling expert, casino consultant and retired cop Tony Valentine, has a lifelong friend, Jack Donovan, who tells Gerry he’s concocted an undetectable scheme that “can beat any poker player in the world,” but dies before he can let Gerry in on it. Gerry is convinced Jack was murdered and his investigation leads him and his reluctant father to the World Poker Showdown in Las Vegas, where they encounter tournament darling Skip DeMarco, the legally blind nephew of a notorious mobster. Every expert Tony and Gerry speak with thinks Skip is cheating, but no one can prove it. Swain’s knowledge of the con, and of his leads, make this one another winner. 05/06 Jack Quick

THE DEAL KILLER by Jack Bludis: Its 1951 and Hollywood P.I. Brian Kane has been hired for the princely sum of $50 per day to find out who is threatening Hungarian born actress Hanna Mills. Before he can even get all the basics Hanna’s fellow Hungarian and friend is ambushed and killed, followed by a kidnapping. There are also contract issues and lots of money involved as Kane is up against the postwar Hungarian mob. His life and the fate of the studio hang on the ruse of Kitty Chaney, Kane’s high priced lady friend. After reading THE BIG SWITCH and this one, I wish we could persuade Jack Bludis to give us more. Recommended. 03/08 Jack Quick

Dealing in Murder by Elaine Flinn: I just loved this first novel and terrific mystery. Molly Doyle is a disgraced antique dealer in Carmel, California (with that famous mayor, Clint Eastwood). A friend is helping her get back on her feet and has her manage a shop that has been woefully neglected. Molly hits the garage sales and finds a good desk, but when she gets it back to the shop the drawers are locked. She returns for the key, a woman dies in her arms, and things get a bit sticky after that. Lots of nice twists, interesting characters and terrific tips on the antique business make this a fun, fast read. This book has been nominated for several awards.

DEARLY DEVOTED DEXTER by Jeff Lindsay: You have to give credit to an author who can make you feel sympathetic towards the plight of a stone cold serial killer who has to “act” human because he has none of the normal range of emotions. In Dexter’s second outing he helps sister Deborah and the Miami police deal with a South American monster who is now loose in their area. In the meantime he pursues his own hobby of providing permanent solutions to child molesters. Actually, Lindsay doesn’t really portray Dexter in a sympathetic fashion, but more in the sense of an unemotional occurrence, like a thunderstorm or avalanche. Dexter just happens and while the results aren’t pretty you can’t really blame him, just as you couldn’t blame an errant gust of wind. In the meantime, the police procedural written around Dexter is as good as any. 08/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

DEATH AND HONOR by W.E.B. Griffin: Only Griffin can write the same story so many times and keep the concept fresh and freely flowing. This is the fourth in the Honor Bound saga of World War II espionage in Germany and Argentina. Cletus Frade, a wealthy Marine pilot recruited by the OSS, with strong family ties to Argentina, has a lot on his hands. OSS chief Wild Bill Donovan has asked him to set up his own (and OSS) airline in Argentina, using “loaned” Lockheed Lodestars and Constellations. This is in furtherance of the overall war effort but also tied to two Nazi inspired operations that the OSS is trying to get into. The first allows Jews outside the Fatherland to purchase the freedom of their relatives in concentration camps, who will then be transported to Argentina and Uruguay. The second, called Operation Phoenix, involves the use of these funds to establish a sanctuary for senior Nazi officials in South America. Another great outing from a master. 06/08 Jack Quick

DEATH AND LIFE OF BOBBY Z by Don Winslow: About the only thing worse than being a three-time loser facing life without parole at age 27 is being a three-time loser, facing life without parole in California where the Aryan Nation has a hit order out on you. So when the man wants to talk to Tim Kearny, an admitted career screw-up, Tim listens. He has won a get Out of Jail Free card, if he will serve as a lookalike in a hostage switch with a Mexican drug lord. You see no one has actually seen the legendary Laguna Beach surfer-turned-drug dealer Bobby Zacharias for years. Kearny quickly learns that the Hell’s Angels want to terminate him/Bobby Z, so it’s not all fun and games. Fantastic ending is the icing on the cake of this great outing by Winslow. 03/10 Jack Quick

DEATH AND THE RUNNING PATTERER by Robin Adair: How does one investigate a murder in a city full of criminals? This is just the question faced by Nicodemus Dunne, a patterer (he earns a living reading out news stories) and former cop living in 1800s Australia. Dunne, a convicted criminal himself, has been brought on board by Sydney officials to help investigate the murder of a soldier. With his past experience and his current position, Dunne is adept at investigation and easily fits into most crowds without notice, something he can use to his advantage in digging into the crime. As more bodies are found, Dunne is drawn deeper and deeper into a most curious mystery. Unfortunately, he’s caught the eye of the killer. Adair’s experience as a journalist serves him well in bringing historic Sydney alive for readers. The plot is a classic whodunit that will keep mystery fans guessing to the very end. 12/10 Becky Lejeune

DEATH BEFORE DINNER by Gerald Anderson: In some circles, parting the chef’s hair and head with a meat cleaver after the meal might be considered as a form of criticism. When it is done before the meal and inside the chef’s locked kitchen in the heart of rural Minnesota, Sheriff Palmer Knutson considers it homicide. The victim is the self-serving widely disliked President of Fergus Falls State University and there is no shortage of suspects – basically everyone who has ever come into contact with Dr. George Gherkin -with a name like a pickle, he has to be sour – (sorry, my bad). Knudson’s dilemma, after determining that Gherkin was not in fact cooking up Hot Dish, isn’t about motive or opportunity, but how did the killer gain access and who, of the many suspects, actually did the deed. A most interesting variant on both the traditional locked room and culinary sub-genres. I’d vote for Sheriff Knutson again – and avoid breaking any laws in his territory. 05/07 Jack Quick

DEATH BY HOLLYWOOD by Steve Boccho: If you witness a murder, you normally would call the police and report it, unless you are a down and out Hollywood screen writer. Bobby Newman’s career is in the tank, he’s drinking too much and his wife is finding comfort outside the marriage bed. So when he sees a neighbor kill her lover with an acting trophy, Bobby sees this as a chance to both solve his writer’s block and propel him to the top of the heap in Hollywood. Told by Newman’s agent, it is a typical Hollywood tale, but very well done. The author, Steve Boccho, has produced Hill Street Blues, NYPD and other crime shows, and knows his way around a mystery. 12/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick

THE DEATH COLLECTORS by Jack Kerley: Mobile, Ala., PD detectives Carson Ryder and Harry Nautilus are tracking a serial killer who leaves a tiny beautiful painting with each body. Retired police detective Jacob C. Willow hears of the murder/painting connection and tells Carson he thinks it has something to do with a serial killer case he worked early in his career. That killer has been dead for years, but a peculiar group of collectors specializing in murder memorabilia is keeping his memory alive. Another excellent outing from the author of The Hundredth Man. 03/06 Jack Quick

DEATH, DOOM AND DETENTION by Darynda Jones: This second installment in Jones’s new teen series finds Lorelei and friends facing a new challenge: something dark has come to their tiny town and it’s affecting everyone it touches. Kids Lorelei has known all her life are suddenly surly and confrontational. School is becoming a battlefield and Lorelei, Jared, and Cameron are the targets. Meanwhile, Lorelei’s grandparents are convinced the only solution is to send her away, a decision that’s not met well with others amongst the Order. But how else can they protect Lorelei as the last prophet and their only defense in the coming otherworldly war? Jones’s Darklight series features all of the same attitude and humor as her adult series, but with a cast of teen characters, making it fun for adult fans as well as teens. While DD&D does little to move forward the actual trilogy, it is still a fun and quick read. Lorelei discovers some new talents, there’s a bit more development in the relationships, and it’s a good set up for the third piece of the story, Death and the Girl He Loves, which is due out later this year. 3/13 Becky Lejeune

DEATH AND THE GIRL NEXT DOOR by Darynda Jones: For Lorelei, life hasn’t exactly been easy. Ten years ago, her parents went missing. Since then she’s been raised by her grandparents. With the support of her family and friends, each anniversary of her parents’ disappearance gets a bit easier, but Lorelei also has a secret. Lorelei sees things that others can’t. Like the vision of the new guy fighting a dark and demonic being. And with the arrival of said new guy, another student seems to have begun stalking Lorelei. Strange things are starting to happen and Lorelei and her friends will soon face a challenge of epic proportions. Death and the Girl Next Door launches Jones’s new YA series. The premise is unique and the set up leaves readers on the edge of their seats waiting to see what will come next. The only downside is that this first has such a cliffhanger of an ending that it can’t stand on its own without the rest of the series. Kind of a bummer since it’ll be spring 2013 before we get to read more of Lorelei’s story. 10/12 Becky Lejeune

DEATH AND THE LIT CHICK by G. M. Malliet: Second outing for Detective Chief Inspector St. Just in this light mystery series which has been described as both a homage to and a parody of the traditional British mystery. In this one, Lord Easterbrook, who is head of Deadly Dagger Publishing is hosting his annual Dead on Arrival Mystery Writers Conference with guest of honor, Kimberlee Kalder, the young chick lit author of Dying for a Latte. Kalder is not the smoothest rock in the pile of assembled writers of damsel-in-distress bodice rippers, spy thrillers, prehistoric detectives and dark-and-no-loner edgy tomes, so it should come as no surprise when the late Ms. Kalder shows up in the dungeon – dead. If you have ever read anything by Agatha Christie or Dorothy L. Sayers, you will recognize many of the characters and might even guess the identity of the evil-doer. Interesting, very interesting. 04/09 Jack Quick

A DEATH AT THE ROSE PAPERWORKS by M.J. Zellnik: The title says cozy but the new effort from brother/sister team Miriam and Joseph Zellnik has more action than most. Amateur sleuth Libby Seale is working as a seamstress for the Rose family in turn of the century Portland, Oregon when her boss Hiram Rose is reported to have been killed – caught in machinery at his own paper mill. Minutes later, a healthy Mr. Rose walks through the front door. As continued murder attempts reveal a dark agenda, it is up to Seale and boyfriend Pere Eberle, a maverick reporter for the Portland Gazette, to solve the mystery. Portland, Oregon, 1894 – well depicted – if that’s your cup of tea. A bit too sweet for me. 10/06 Jack Quick

THE DEATH CHAMBER by Sarah Rayne: UK author, Sarah Rayne, returns with yet another chilling thriller about family secrets and the people who will do just about anything to make sure they stay forgotten. Georgina Grey has lost everything. Her business partner left with all the cash, and Georgina’s boyfriend, so it’s something of a saving grace when she receives a letter from the Caradoc Society. The society was set up ages ago to deal with psychic phenomena. It seems Georgina’s grandfather, a man she never met, left a good portion of money to the society – money that, after being used to pay off the society’s debts, will fall to Georgina. All Georgina knows about her grandfather is that he once served as the prison doctor at Calvary Gaol, a prison specifically for death row inmates. She makes the trip hoping to learn more about the man and meets TV host Chad Ingram. Ingram and his team are working on a show about Calvary and Georgina promises to let them use any relevant information she finds. Unfortunately for Georgina, this is one man’s worst nightmare – not only could his family’s terrible secrets be unearthed, but for them to be aired for national viewing is something he cannot, and will not, allow. 04/08 Becky Lejeune

THE DEATH CURE by James Dashner: He survived the maze and made it through the Scorch, now WICKED has promised to give Thomas back his memories. They say that the experiments are done and that they have what they need to fight the virus that has been driving mankind to madness and certain death. But Thomas doesn’t trust WICKED and he’s not sure he wants to remember anything that came before his own part in the trials. He and a small band of fellow survivors manage to escape, but the world outside WICKED is not welcoming: Thomas is immune, which makes him a commodity for groups like WICKED and hated by those who are susceptible to the Flare. All is finally revealed in this third and last installment of Dashner’s Maze Runner trilogy. Dashner’s series no doubt draws comparison to The Hunger Games, seeing as how they are both part of the massively popular teen dystopian trend, but Dashner’s work certainly stands on its own. 10/11 Becky Lejeune

Death in Dublin by Bartholomew Gill: I should confess from the outset that I am a big McGarr fan. One of my favorite lines comes from an earlier book and involved the questioning of a bartender by the Irish police. He explains that at the time in question, he was at the trough in the bathroom. The policeman responds “I guess you have a cast-iron alibi, then.” Death in Dublin was the last book written by Bartholomew Gill before his passing and I am going to miss him and his characters.
The book starts with the theft of The Book of Kells from Trinity College and the literal sucking the life out of the watchman who admitted the crooks. Atlhough the signs point to a cult proclaiming itself to be the New Druids, the plot grows increasingly more complicated. It involves such current matters as oxycontin addiction and the Opus Dei organization and such old themes as lust, politics and money.
McGarr’s progress throughout this maze is monitored, assisted and hindered by a young aggressive female reporter and the rich, despicable, but politically-connected publisher of the newspaper for which she is working.
McGarr is assisted in his investigation by two former members of his squad who were forced to resign from the Garda Soichana when their communal marriage was exposed by that newspaper. They become vital when a “pretty boy” on the way up is put in charge of the Guarda.
By the end of the story, McGarr has not only solved the crime, but exposed corruption at the highest levels of government, religion and industry. And as a bonus, learned the true facts surrounding the earlier murder of his wife and father-in-law.
As to whether he would have found love or happiness afterwards, we can only speculate. I hope so. This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

DEATH IN SMALL DOSES by Bernard Steele: This is either a work of Christian fiction occasionally interrupted by action sequences, or else a thriller in which characters periodically feel the need to moralize and preach. The ploy idea is good – someone has created radioactive cocaine – which is even more deadly than the normal kind. DEA officers are frantically trying to locate the source, aided by an incredible series of coincidences that further strain the imagination. In the end it’s the Jihadists versus the good guys in the New York City subways. Guess who wins? 10/08 Jack Quick

THE DEATH LIST by Paul Johnston: Struggling author Matt Wells still gets the occasional e-mail from a devoted fan or new reader. With no new releases, however, hits to his site have dwindled. One devoted fan – he calls himself WD – has decided to help Matt combat his writer’s block. See, WD has been keeping a list of all the people who have wronged him throughout his life and he wants Matt to chronicle their punishment. To encourage Matt along the way, WD will be keeping an eye on him, as well as his family and friends. If Matt disappoints WD… well, there may be more additions to that list. To make matters worse, Matt suspects that WD may be setting him up to take the fall for the crimes. This gruesome and intense thriller is the first installment of a new series for Johnston. I raced through The Death List and I can’t wait for the next installment. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for what promises to be an exciting new series. 07/07 Becky Lejeune

DEATH OF A COZY WRITER by G.M. Malliet: No, this actually is not THE CAT WHO KILLED LILLIAN JACKSON BRAUN. It’s the first of a series featuring Detective Chief Inspector St. Just (with a name like that he’s got to be good). Millionaire mystery writer Sir Adrian Beauclerk-Fisk gathers his four children together for a family dinner to announce a secret elopement with the beautiful Violet, who was once suspected of murdering her husband. Within hours, eldest son and appointed heir Ruthven is found cleaved to death by a medieval mace. Its just an typical English parlor mystery for St. Just until Sir Adrian himself is found slumped over his writing desk – an ornate knife thrust into his heart. Who is the killer and who is the potential next victim? 12/08 Jack Quick

DEATH OF A DISSIDENT by Stuart Kaminsky: The first of Kaminksy’s Porfiry Rostnikov police procedurals. A dissident is murdered the day before a show trial where he had hoped to get his message to the western media. It quickly becomes clear that this isn’t a KGB murder but that a mad man is out there. Kaminsky weaves and bobs us through multiple false clues and red herrings until the crime is finally solved. Although he paints a dreary picture of Moscow, the dynamics of the police – crime interplay are universal. 01/06 Jack Quick

Death of a Red Heroine by Qiu Xialong: This strongly written mystery is set in contemporary China. Qiu takes the reader on a journey through Chinese culture and politics. Fascinating read.

DEATH OF A RUSSIAN PRIEST by Stuart Kaminsky: Inspector Porfiry Rostnikov investigates the murder of elderly, politically outspoken Father Vasili Merhum in the village of Arkush, while his deputy Sasha Tkach–newly and uncomfortably partnered with Elena Timofeyeva–competes with a stone killer to comb the hot-spots of Moscow searching for Amira Durahaman, daughter of the Syrian oil minister. The link between the two cases–the fact that Colonel Lunacharski of the KGB, hot for a public relations coup that will consolidate his conservative political position, is plotting to steal Rostnikov’s credit for solving both of them. In his spare time Rostnikov reads 87th precinct procedurals while his day job is being in them. One of the best yet in this fine series. 02/07 Jack Quick

DEATH OF A SCHOOLGIRL by Joanna Campbell Slan: Ever wonder what happened to Jane after Jane Eyre ended? In this first of Joanna Campbell Slan’s series, Jane and Edward are living at Ferndean and have recently welcomed their son Ned to the family. When they receive a disturbing letter from Adele in London, Jane decides that a trip to the city is in order. Adele has been living at the Alderton House School for Girls, a highly recommended boarding school known for turning out well educated, proper young ladies. While her correspondence has always been spotty — something the couple assumed was her way of expressing annoyance with them – this recent letter includes a note of a disturbing and threatening nature. Edward has been ordered to rest and recuperate, so Jane sets off alone for London. When she arrives, she is shocked to see a body being carted away from the school. Adele is safe, but reports of an investigation lead Jane to believe that the death may be of a somewhat suspicious nature and wonders if it has anything to do with the threat Adele received. Luck is with Jane, though, when the headmistress mistakenly assumes that she is the new teacher Alderton has been waiting for. Now Jane is perfectly positioned to investigate the happenings at Alderton herself – and also perfectly positioned to catch a killer’s attention. I loved returning to the characters and thought Slan did a wonderful job creating a convincingly Bronte-esque Jane. I did find that the end faltered a bit but overall found Death of a Schoolgirl to be great fun. 8/12 Becky Lejeune

DEATH OF A WRITER by Michael Collins: It’s been years since E. Robert Pendleton has published anything of substance and he is now facing the loss of tenure in his position at Bannockburn College. Meanwhile, his former classmate Allan Horowitz has just released his latest bestseller. When Horowitz is invited to speak at Bannockburn, the chair of the college asks Pendleton to arrange it all. On the night of Horowitz’s arrival, Pendleton tries to kill himself. He leaves all of his published works to grad student Adi Wiltshire. Pendleton survives his suicide attempt but only just. Adi moves into his house and discovers boxes of a self-published book called Scream. With Horowitz’s help, Adi has the book re-released. A media frenzy and a nomination for the National Book Award follows. Adi knows all along that Pendleton used the murder of a local girl as inspiration for the novel. What she doesn’t know is that the release of the book will point police towards Pendleton as a suspect. Collins’ novel is a true literary mystery but also focuses on questions concerning moral responsibility. An intense read that will have readers wondering what they would do in similar situations. 10/06 Becky LeJeune

DEATH OF THE MANTIS by Michael Stanley: Stanley’s third outing for Detective David “Kubu” Bengu is multidimensional and his best yet. On level one, Kubu is investigating a series of murders which may or may not involve the nomadic Busmen of the Kalahari desert. On a personal level Kubu is coping, clumsily, with the concerns and stresses of motherhood as he and Joy care for three month old Tumi. Underlying the entire plot is the bigger issue of the challenges facing this part of the world in dealing with the conflict between the ancient ways of the Bushmen and the modern world. In fact, Kubu gets involved in the investigation because his old school friend Bushman Khumanego claims the arrest of three Bushman is motivated by racist antagonism on the part of the local police. Will Kubu solve the crime? Will Kubu himself survive? Outstanding. 10/11 Jack Quick

DEATH ON A PLATTER by Elaine Viets: Josie Marcus, mystery shopper is back and this time she has to check out food for a tour group company interested in doing a foodie tour of St. Louis. Josie is a bit hesitant when she learns she’ll have to eat some St. Louis gourmet staples like a fried brains and barbecued pig snout and ears. But money is money so she dives in, bringing along Ted, her veterinarian boyfriend, her best friend, gourmet cook and housewife Alyce, and Jane, her mom. The first restaurant featured another St. Louis specialty, “toasted ravioli”, a breaded, fried meat ravioli served with marinara sauce on the side. In this case, it also features a drunk restaurant customer who is giving Tillie, the owner, a really hard time. Turns out Tillie is Josie’s mom Jane’s lifelong friend. When the drunk has to be rushed from restaurant in an ambulance, Tillie is arrested. Jane demands that Josie clear her friend’s name, but that’s not going to be easy. Another fun read from one of my favorite authors, and foodies will love it. An added bonus are the shopping notes at the end about all the St. Louis food. 1/12 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

DEATH WAS THE OTHER WOMAN by Linda L. Richards: Katherine “Kitty” Panghorn doesn’t drink bourbon. Nor does she drink gasoline, which she suspects would taste a lot like bourbon, but she is still one tough cookie. She has been orphaned by the financial crash of 1929, which led her wealthy father to take that big leap, having first lost his wife, and then his fortune. A girl’s got to earn a living, particularly in a Depression, so Kitty is pretty lucky to have hooked up with Dexter “Dex” Theroux, practicing alcoholic and erstwhile Los Angeles gumshoe. At least Kitty has done okay until Dex’s latest job – a woman hires him to tail her boyfriend, who turns out to be one of Los Angeles most corrupt businessmen. When the bodies start appearing and disappearing, Kitty knows that she and Dex have to solve this one, because its far more than her paycheck that is at risk. Nicely done and reminiscent of some of the pre World War II classics. 04/08 Jack Quick

DEATH WORE WHITE by Jim Kelly: Detective Inspector Peter Shaw and Detective Sergeant. George Valentine are following up on a report of barrels of contaminants showing up on the beach. Actually, you might say Valentine is following the father’s footsteps as he had been the partner of Shaw’s disgraced policeman father. The two stumble on a corpse on the beach, get stuck in a blizzard, and soon discover another body. Harvey Ellis, the driver nearest the downed tree which has blocked the road has been killed with a chisel blow to the eye. Other bodies follow. It seems no one is telling Shaw and Valentine the truth, which ultimately leads back to the child murder case that brought Shaw’s father down. This is a delightfully twisty police procedural with well-defined characters. 07/09 Jack Quick

DEATH’S LITTLE HELPERS by Peter Spiegelman: Marsh is looking for missing Wall Street analyst Gregory Danes. A once shining star, who came crashing down along with stock market, Danes has been frantically trying to return to glory, when suddenly the alimony checks to his ex-wife stop coming. What should be a relatively simple search become very complicated as evidence of business betrayals and deception along with the involvement of the Russian mob point Marsh into a morass of wrong doing. Nice follow-up to Black Maps. 08/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

THE DEBUTANTE by Kathleen Tessaro: When Cate Albion leaves New York and her unhealthy current relationship behind, her aunt is desperate to help. She offers Cate a position with her company, sending the girl to Endlseigh House to help catalog the contents for auction. While there, Cate stumbles upon a room that has been locked for decades. Inside, she finds a shoebox filled with a fascinating collection of objects. Elegant dancing shoes, the picture of a soldier, and a Tiffany bracelet, to name a few. These objects send Cate on a hunt to discover the truth about a missing debutante from the 1930s, a woman Cate is sure is linked to the items in question. Tessaro’s latest is a mix of mystery and history. I was swept away and ended up as obsessed with Cate’s search as she was by the box itself. 10/10 Becky Lejeune

THE DECEIVED by Brett Battles: Jonathan Quinn, introduced in The Cleaner, is a former CIA agent who cleans up shadowy government agency messes. The job this time is to accept delivery of a container from overseas, and make the body inside it disappear. Things go as planned except for one hitch; the body inside is a former agent who once saved Quinn’s life. Quinn determines to find the killer and a worldwide hunt is on. He’s aided by his apprentice Nate and a co-worker/romantic interest, Orlando. Lots of action, gun fights, international locales and some nice twists make this tightly written, fast paced thriller a first rate read. 11/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE DECEIVED by Brett Battles: Jonathan Quinn, ex-CIA agent who cleans up crime scenes for a shadowy U.S. government intelligence agency, is called upon to dispose of a body. It turns out to be that of his CIA friend Steven Markoff, which leaves Quinn determined to find the murderer. His team must also locate Steven’s missing girlfriend, Jenny Fuentes, to notify her of Steven’s death. Along the way, Quinn and his mates contend with villains who appear to be linked to an international conspiracy. The chase ends in Singapore, where Quinn enlists a former underworld contact to help identify the plot’s mastermind. Breakneck pacing, colorful locales and dizzying plot twists make the Quinn series a welcome addition to the political thriller genre. 11/11 Jack Quick

DECEMBER’S THORN by Phillip DePoy: The seventh book in the Fever Devilin series has an unusual beginning; a woman, claiming to be Fever’s wife, shows up on his doorstep proclaiming that they also have a son before she disappears into the night. Fever has no idea who she is, is pretty sure he has never been married and worst of all, no one believes that it even happened. Devilin is a retired professor of folklore living in an old family cabin in the Georgia’s Appalachian Mountains. Devilin was shot and killed, revived, and in a coma for three months which caused some memory problems, among other issues, compelling his fiancé, a nurse, to ask a psychiatrist friend to help out. When bullets take out his kitchen window, the Sheriff, Devilin’s childhood friend, gets on board to try to find the woman and child. Lots of interesting folklore is woven throughout, there is a brief reference to a famous Kurt Vonnegut character, and the somehow not quite idyllic setting becomes another of the finely drawn characters in this mystical twisty tale. Fans of Southern Gothic mystery will love this. 1/13 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2012 Booklist, a division of the American Library Association. Reprinted with permission.

DEDICATED MAN by Peter Robinson: (Second in the series) Detective Alan Banks is called to the scene after an old Yorkshire farmer, out herding his sheep, discovers a half-buried body – that of a local celebrity who had left his teaching job after inheriting a sizable sum of money. Who is responsible? Is it the wife who inherits, his long time publisher, one of his drinking buddies, a younger woman from his past? Banks has to sort through all the possibilities. Narrowing the list becomes a higher priority after a second victim is found. Excellent police procedural of the mold of Ed McBain, but with fewer characters. 09/06 Jack Quick

DEEP BLUE ALIBI by Paul Levine: Steve Solomon and Victoria Lord are back for another adventure in this worthy sequel to the winsome Solomon vs. Lord. Steve & Victoria are frolicking in the ocean when they are practically run down by a run away boat with Victoria’s uncle – and their newest client – aboard. Victoria thinks this will be her opportunity to break away from Steve and go out on her own, but of course, Steve has other ideas. With Victoria dealing with a murder case, Steve decides to get to the bottom of his father’s disbarment, against his father’s wishes. The plot thickens and churns but the laughs keep coming in this furiously fast paced, rollicking good read. 02/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE DEEP BLUE ALIBI by Paul Levine: Straight arrow Florida attorney Victoria Lord and her partner/lover, make-‘em-up-as-you-go Steve Solomon, get caught up in family matters in this second outing. Victoria is defending. Hal Griffin, an entrepreneur and onetime business partner of Victoria’s late father, who stands accused of murdering an EPA official with a spear gun. Meanwhile, Steve is attempting to discover the truth behind his father’s scandalous suspension from the Florida judicial bench. In the process both uncover family secrets that have not seen the light of day in a long time. Solomon and Lord – fast becoming my favorite odd couple. 06/06 Jack Quick

DEEP DISH by Mary Kay Andrews: I look forward to Andrews’s books because they are usually romantic suspense that are fast and funny reads. This one is not really any of those things. I loved the premise, the two main characters are TV chefs who end up competing for their own show on “The Cooking Channel”. But that these two competitors would get together was apparent from day one, yet it just dragged on and on. I kept waiting for a dead body to turn up or for something to happen, but it never did, so there was no suspense to speak of other than the how and/or when they would end up together. I was looking for some behind the scenes cooking show drama, and there really wasn’t any of that either. It was a quick read and there were a few laughs, but most of it just felt repetitive. All in all, it was a major disappointment. 04/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

DEEP SHADOW by Randy Wayne White: Doc Ford’s friend Arlis tells him he just bought some property with a lake that he believes is hiding a downed plane filled with gold from Cuba, before Castro. So Doc takes his old hippie friend Tomlinson and a new young friend on what’s supposed to be an easy dive in the lake. But a cave collapses, trapping his two friends, and when Doc Ford gets back to shore for help, he’s met by two ex-cons on the run from a killing spree. They have Arlis and want the gold, and don’t really care who dies in the process. There appears to be some sort of giant swamp creature lurking about as well, ratcheting up the tension even more. An outstanding story and the 17th entry in the series, proving some authors just keep getting better. Don’t miss it. 03/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

DEEP SHADOW by Randy Wayne White: Doc Ford may be on the way to achieving a fortune bigger than he ever dreamed. There are just a few problems in his path, one above the surface and two below. One problem below the surface is that his best friend Tomlinson and teenager Will Chaser are trapped under tons of limestone at the bottom of a Florida lake. The problem above the ground is that the fourth member of their group, cranky old-timer Arlis Futch, is being held hostage by two psycho killers, who have already slain five people in a botched home invasion near Winter Haven. But perhaps the scariest of all is the presence of a sea monster in the lake capable of killing cows and almost anything else in its path. Maybe the best Doc Ford yet, as he tries to simultaneously deal with all these complications. 09/10 Jack Quick

THE DEEP SIX by Randy Wayne White: This is the second of White’s pre Doc Ford works originally published under the name of Randy Striker. A Key West scavenger, who has a golden chain that appears to be part of a bigger treasure, approaches Dusty MacMorgan. Before MacMorgan can learn more, the scavenger disappears. It’s too much of a coincidence for MacMorgan that the old man was killed by sharks – the marine variety at least. He sets out for vengeance fighting predators in and out of the water looking for the old man’s treasure. Obviously not as polished as the Doc Ford series, but still a good read if you like Florida danger and deception. 12/06 Jack Quick

A DEEPER DARKNESS by J.T. Ellison: When Sam Owens receives a call from an old friend asking for a second autopsy on her son, she can’t refuse. After all, Sam knows all to well the pain of losing those closest to you. The fact that the deceased is also Sam’s ex, Eddie Donovan, is something she has to set aside. The police investigating the death have deemed it a carjacking gone bad. All evidence seems to point to this assessment as being the most logical, but the case becomes more complicated when another man connected to Donovan is murdered as well. Sam’s findings during her autopsy also reveal something missed the first time around. Unraveling the mystery may be the job of the detectives, but Sam needs to see it through to the end. Losing Donovan is painful enough, but delving into his past and helping with the investigation means a reprieve from facing her own losses back home. This spin off from the Taylor Jackson series is the first to feature Dr. Samantha Owens as the main character. While readers may feel they know her well from earlier books, Ellison has turned this character’s world upside down in launching the new series. Owens is quite different from Jackson, but is no less fascinating. Ellison’s plotting is always smart and this new character means the cases are a bit different from those of the previous books as well. A great start to a new series. 12/12 Becky Lejeune

DEEPER THAN THE DEAD by Tami Hoag: In 1984, four kids discover the body of a woman in a park. She was buried with only her neck & head showing, her mouth and eyes glued shut. Their teacher, Ann Navarre, heard the children scream and went to investigate. There’s a hotshot new detective, who is into this new high tech strategy of profiling serial killers. He investigates and finds two other women have been killed in a similar manner. He calls in a friend from the FBI, who recently came back from medical leave after being shot in the head. Meanwhile, the entire town is in turmoil. The characters are really well developed, even the children who are often just used as props have their stories told in this fast paced, riveting yet somewhat predictable read. 01/10 Ariel Alesi

THE DEFECTOR by Daniel Silva: Should have the subtitle, Moscow Rules II. Russian defector and dissident Grigori Bulganov ended up in London after enigmatic assassin and art restorer Gabriel Allon saved his life in Moscow Rules. Allon himself went into semi-retirement restoring artwork for the Vatican. Then Bulganov disappears from London. The Brits think he has re-defected after deceiving Allon and the intelligence services of both Britain and Israel. Allon is not so sure. His efforts to find Bulganov and the truth lead him straight into the path of Ivan Kharkov, the former KGB agent and Russian oligarch who opposed Allon in Moscow Rules. Reminiscent of the best of LeCarre, Silva just keeps getting better. This is his ninth Allon and let us hope for another. 09/09 Jack Quick

DEFENDING COLLEGE HEIGHTS by Stuart Nachbar: Military recruiting in the sixties was hazardous duty on some college campuses. Now, Army Captain Kevin Callahan has survived Iraq only to be stabbed to death at Hudson Technical University, a small private engineering school located in College Heights, in New York’s Hudson River Valley. A message left on Callahan’s shirt reads, “No more lies.” Is this the result of opposition to the war and current recruiting practices as the news media and pro-military and anti-war activists believe, or is there more to this story? Callahan’s uncle, Philadelphia area urban planner Jack Donnelly, is determined to find out. He takes the position of special assistant for campus planning at Hudson Tech, working with president Martina Tiernan. Callahan isn’t sure about Tiernan’s motives, but he is determined to find why his nephew died. The answer shocked him and will surprise you. 06/09 Jack Quick

DEFENDING JACOB by William Landay: Andy Barber has been the top district attorney in his small, middle-class, Massachusetts town for 20 years. When a teenage boy is murdered, Andy focuses on a neighborhood pedophile as the chief suspect. There are concerns about a conflict of interest since Andy’s teenage son, Jacob, attended the same school as the murdered boy and the investigation seems to be lagging. But after Jacob’s best friend provides evidence against him, Jacob is arrested. Andy is taken off the case and suspended, but he is determined to prove his son’s innocence. VERDICT: This brilliant novel by the author of The Strangler and the award-winning Mission Flats is equal parts legal thriller and dysfunctional family saga, culminating in a shocking ending. Skillful plotting and finely drawn characters result in a haunting story reminiscent of Scott Turow’s Presumed Innocent. 2/12 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch x Copyright © 2012 Library Journal, a division of Media Source Inc. Reprinted with permission.

A DELICATE TRUTH by John le Carré: Typically twisted le Carré wherein you read the first third of the book trying to figure out what is going on, the middle third determining who to root for, and the final third being completely surprised. It starts with an unsanctioned counter-terrorist operation, codenamed Wildlife on the British crown colony of Gibraltar. Three years later, a disgraced Special Forces Soldier delivers a message from the dead. Was Operation Wildlife the success it was cracked up to be—or a human tragedy that was ruthlessly covered up? Toby Bell, Private secretary to Minister Fergus Quinn must choose between his conscience and duty to his Service. If the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing, how can he keep silent? A great book. 6/13 Jack Quick

DELIRIOUS by Daniel Palmer: This debut thriller is a twisty tale of a man’s fall into madness – or is it? Charlie Giles is a technological wunderkind who has sold his business for millions and been hired on to run the project. But when a woman he doesn’t know offers him proof that a higher-up is trying to sink his baby, Charlie crashes a meeting and things start to fall apart, beginning with the mysterious woman who apparently doesn’t exist. After he finds notes he doesn’t remember writing and enemies at work start dying violent deaths, Charlie believes he has begun a descent into madness. After all, it runs in the family; his father and brother are schizophrenic. Pacing is almost frenetic here and there are lots of surprises. But no one should be surprised to learn that the author is none other than the son of medical thriller writer extraordinaire Michael Palmer (A Heartbeat Away), proving that in this family, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. An auspicious debut for sure, and it is always a delight to find a new young author at the beginning of what is sure to be a long career. 03/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

DELIRIOUS by Daniel Palmer: Charlie Giles has it all—money, a great job, and a bright future ahead of him. As the creator of InVision, the latest in must-have technology, Charlie is really going places. His startup has been bought out by a well-known national company and Charlie himself seems to turn everything he touches into gold these days. But Charlie’s luck has run out. Evidence that he’s been surfing porn on company time and sending top-secret info to competing companies, paired with his odd behavior of late, forces SoluCent to fire him. What’s worse, Charlie is pretty sure he hasn’t done what he’s been accused of. But with a history of mental illness in the family, there’s just enough doubt in Charlie’s mind to make him wonder if he might be going crazy after all. When murder is added to the list of accusations, Charlie finds himself forced to try and unravel the mystery in order to clear his own name. Daniel Palmer, son of bestselling author Michael Palmer, makes his debut with this paranoia-driven techno thriller, proving that a talent for suspense really does run in the family. 1/11 Becky Lejeune

DELICATE CHAOS by Jeff Buick: Leona Hewitt, Director of Corporate Acquisitions and Accounts at DC Trust bank, has just received a promotion. She will soon be elevated to the much lauded title of Vice President. The title, however, comes with one stipulation. In order to receive the promotion, she must handle a request on the part of one of the bank’s largest clients, Coal-Balt, Inc. Coal-Balt is a company that does double duty mining coal and then using that coal to produce electricity. Since it handles both aspects of the industry, they have been very successful, until now. A Utah senator is rallying for a new bill to be passed that would require Coal-Balt and other businesses like them to clean up their act in an effort to limit the amount of harmful waste that is being emitted into the atmosphere. Leona is in a position to make life very hard for Coal-Balt. The question is, does she comply and earn her promotion or does she fight for what she believes is right. There are many more aspects to this political/eco-thriller that make this a very interesting read. Buick has taken what could be some very complicated concepts for readers – clean-air requirements and “scrubbing” statistics – and presented them in a way that makes it easier to understand. He’s also focused on a very timely topic, that of the current state of the environment and how far some people are willing to go to earn a buck at the expense of others. 01/08 Becky Lejeune

DELICIOUS by Mark Haskell Smith: A familiar plot hilariously recounted. The mafia is trying to take over the catering trade in Hawaii and local businessmen fight back. But caught up in the madness are a trash-talking lap dance addicted stroke survivor, a gay TV producer whose recent breakup has led him to painfully overdose on Viagra; his homely assistant, who, on the advice of a local pimp, gets a wild haircut that turns her into an androgynous sex symbol; and a hit man who takes too much Ecstasy and paddles off into the sunset. What a cast of characters. Smith outdoes himself in this, his second outing after Moist. 03/06 Jack Quick

DELIVER US FROM EVIL by David Baldacci: Baldacci’s sequel to The Whole Truth (2008) is quite good, even though it feels like a transitional book to a new series. Evan Waller, outwardly a respectable Canadian businessman but secretly a human trafficker who sells children into prostitution, has expanded into arranging nuclear weapons deals with Islamic fundamentalists. Shaw, the lead of The Whole Truth, sets out to stop Evan, as does Regina “Reggie” Campion, a British femme fatale, who works for a clandestine group that tracks down and executes war criminals. Reggie and Shaw cross paths while maintaining their cover stories, when both move against Waller who is on vacation in Provence,. Shaw becomes attracted to Reggie, even as he fears that Evan, who’s in fact a sadistic Ukrainian who served the Soviets, will abduct her. Better leave the lights on for this one which is reminiscent of some of the early Robert Ludlum thrillers. 07/10 Jack Quick

THE DELTA SOLUTION by Patrick Robinson: Nicely done tale of modern day pirates operating off the Somali coast who make the mistake of seizing two United States ships at gunpoint and demanding $15 million ransom. The US response is to send Hero Mark Bedford (Diamond Head and Intercept) with a part of SEAL team 10, now known as The Delta Platoon. Told with great technical detail, but suffers from lack of character development and a fairly straight forward plot. Read it for the details and remember “Our game is the sudden, devastating arrival, specifically designed to frighten and if necessary to kill whoever doesn’t immediately surrender.” Just don’t expect great literary merit. 05/11 Jack Quick

THE DELUGE by Mark Morris: It begins with a mysterious earthquake that shakes all of London. Then, floodwaters cover the city and thousands end up dead. The few survivors wait until, three days later, the water recedes. Many strike out to find others. Some do the best they can to make parts of London livable again – burning bodies to prevent contagion, cleaning buildings so they can start over. Some have other, more violent ideas about repopulating the world. Everyone’s main concern is survival, including those new inhabitants left behind by the flood. No one knows where they came from, or what they are exactly, but they feed on humans, and when they are done, they inhabit the body. Like a parasite, they use our own as bait luring more victims to feed on. Now the true test is whether humankind can survive this new enemy or if man’s time on earth has come to an end. Mark Morris reads like a great apocalyptic action flick. It’s fun, it’s uncomplicated, and there really is no explanation about the flood or the aliens – if that’s what they are, it could be that they have always been here – this leaves it open to the reader to come up with their own theories making it a plain fun read. 11/07 Becky Lejeune

DELUSION by Peter Abrahams: Although not as powerful as James Lee Burke’s Tin Roof Blowdown, this Southern thriller is also set in the wake of a fictional Katrina type hurricane. Twenty years ago Nell Jerrau’s eyewitness testimony sent Alvin “Pirate” Dupree to prison for the murder of her then boyfriend, Johnny Blanton. In the process Nell also met Clay, her current husband, then detective and now Chief of Police of Belle Ville. The flooding from the hurricane has unearthed potential exculpatory evidence that would free Dupree, if it is valid. The stress from the resultant spotlight on their family adversely affects Norah, Nell’s daughter, who is Johnny’s biological child. Nell knows she must uncover Johnny’s true killer if she will ever be able to regain control of her life. Evocative of some of Greg Isles modern Southern gothic tales and quite readable. 04/08 Jack Quick

THE DEMANDS by Mark Billingham: For DI Thorne, the case is not that unusual or offbeat. He has been told to re-investigate the death of a young prisoner to see if it was in fact, suicide as ruled, or actually homicide. The twist is that the boy’s father is holding Detective Helen Weeks and a civilian hostage. Akhtar, the boy’s father will only free his hostages when Thorne successfully solves the case. Not only must Thorne quickly find out the truth, he must also help forestall the growing pressure from the on-site team to storm the shop and possibly further endanger the hostages. Very well done. 9/12 Jack Quick

THE DEMI-MONDE: WINTER by Rod Rees: The military has turned to a state-of-the-art computer program for urban warfare training. This program, called The Demi-Monde, is an adaptable, self-learning artificial world populated with some of history’s most heinous sociopaths. Anyone who enters the Demi-Monde experiences the world as a complete reality: death in this world also means death in the real world. When the president’s daughter becomes trapped in the Demi-Monde, Ella Thomas is hired to save her. Though Ella is a civilian, she most closely matches a character already inserted in the world. But while Ella could certainly use the money that comes with this job, no one could truly prepare her for the dangers she’d find within the program. This first in Rod Rees’s series is a fast paced, cerebral read. It is just the first part of a four part series, however, and that’s definitely clear. The massive amount of set up and world building works without being overwhelming, but the end is a pretty big cliffhanger. 3/13 Becky Lejeune
Demolition Angel by Robert Crais: I’m definitely in the mystery mode so far this year. This is well written crime fiction, with a strong interesting female protagonist. Non-stop action makes it easy to understand why it has already been optioned for a movie. Don’t miss his previous novel either, the Edgar Award nominated L.A. Requiem.

THE DEMON TRAPPER’S DAUGHTER by Jana Oliver: In Riley Blackthorne’s world—2018 Atlanta—the economy has collapsed, the future is uncertain… oh, and there are demons. Riley’s father is one of the most well-known demon trappers around and she hopes to follow in his footsteps. Her days as an apprentice have been tough considering it’s a pretty male-dominated job, but Riley is good at it and her father is the best teacher she could hope for. But when Paul Blackthorne is killed in a trapping gone bad, Riley is left on her own and forced to fend for herself. With debtors knocking and necros after her father’s body, things couldn’t get much worse for Riley, until it becomes known that the demons are all calling her by name. The Demon Trapper’s Daughter is an excellent urban fantasy series debut. A teen read with definite appeal for older audiences, Oliver’s carefully constructed future world comes fully to life and her heroine is wholly appealing. 09/11 Becky Lejeune

THE DEMONOLOGIST by Andrew Pyper: David Ullman is a college English professor specializing in literature concerning demons. Milton’s Paradise Lost is one of his favorites. When an unusual woman approaches him with a mysterious offer—an all expenses paid trip to Venice for himself and companions, in exchange for his expertise as a demonologist—Ullman is most definitely prepared to decline. By no means does he consider himself a demonologist, plus the woman is either unwilling or unable to provide him with any additional details pertaining to the offer. But when Ullman discovers that his wife is preparing to leave both him and their daughter behind for another man, he decides a trip to Italy could be the perfect thing for his shrinking family. A strange encounter in The Floating City leaves Ullman shaken and dead set to return home immediately. Before they can leave, though, Ullman’s daughter goes missing. Last seen tumbling over the edge of a building, the case is ruled a suicide. Without a body to prove otherwise, however, Ullman is certain that his daughter lives. He’s also certain that he can save her even if it means going up against the very demons he once believed were the stuff of fiction. This latest from Pyper is a tense and cerebral tale that perfectly blends classic literature and horror. 3/13 Becky Lejeune

DENIAL by Stuart Kaminsky: This is Kaminsky’s fourth outing for Lew Fonesca, former investigator for Illinois’ Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, currently struggling to get by as a hard-up Sarasota, Florida process server consumed with grief over his wife’s death in a hit-and-run accident. In this one, he gets involved in looking for two murderers, one accused by a resident of Seaside Assisted Living of killing another resident, and the hit-and-run driver who killed a local actress’ 14-year-old son. With each succeeding book, Kaminksy brings Fonesca out a bit more and adds facets to the character. Hopefully, since Kaminksy himself now lives in Sarasota, he and Lew will continue to entertain for a considerable time. 12/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

DEPARTMENT THIRTY by David Kent: Ryan Elder’s parents commit suicide literally minutes after he arrives home in Oklahoma City from UCLA for Thanksgiving. He begins an odyssey from radio station to radio station as a newsman. Seven years later a letter mailed by his mother the day before her death finally catches up with him. It contains a newspaper clipping and an Oklahoma City telephone number for Department Thirty. Elder calls the number and arranges a meeting in Cheyenne, Oklahoma, his father’s hometown, to try to find out what is going on, but the government agent he meets is shot and killed before he can explain anything to Ryan. Then things get interesting. Ryan hooks up with a mysterious woman whose father, an Alzheimer’s victim, insists that Ryan’s father is not from Cheyenne as Ryan always thought. An examination of the high school annuals supports Cassandra’s father’s claim. A sheriff’s deputy arrives and Ryan and Cassandra must leave to try to solve the mystery. Get the picture? A well-written thriller. E-book also available in print. 09/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

THE DEPARTMENT OF LOST & FOUND by Allison Wynn Scotch: Natalie Miller is the top aid of one of New York’s women senators. She’s devoted all of her time and energy to her career. Then she learns that she has breast cancer, and she’s forced to devoting all her time and energy to her survival. She takes a look at the decisions she’s made throughout her life and puts all of her energy into finding her past loves of her life so she can determine what went wrong. It turns out that she is the one to blame—she consistently chooses her job and her career over love and her own personal happiness. Natalie’s therapist suggests that she use a journal to channel her pain into, rather than falling into a state of depression. She learns how to embrace life and live it at its fullest. This book was amazing. The journal entries allow the reader to witness the evolution Natalie goes through during this self-discovery. Rather than being a downer, this book was incredibly uplifting. It realistically portrayed the frightening truth behind cancer and its victims but still provided hope. 05/08 Jennifer Lawrence

DEPRAVED INDIFFERENCE by Joseph Teller: Rule number one – if your client is already widely known and has even been given a nickname by the press, specifically, the Audi Avenger, it is not a good thing. When you are asked by his wife with whom you are sharing a bed, to defend him, it is not a good thing. When you are already on suspension for previous acts “unbecoming” by a member of the bar, accepting such a public challenge is not a good thing. On the other hand criminal defense attorney Harrison J. Walker, Jaywalker to friends and colleagues alike, has never steered away from a fight – even when his client is charged with driving his Audi sports car at high speed on the wrong side of the road, and forcing an oncoming van off the road, killing all nine occupants …eight of them children. It’s a messy case and it may turn into a personal disaster, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s the Jaywalker. Outstanding. 04/10 Jack Quick

Derailed by James Siegel: Married man with some stress at home, and no, that’s not redundant, commutes to work in New York City from Long Island by train, like thousands (millions?) of others. But one day circumstances allow him to get involved with a gorgeous woman sharing his train car. As Joe Average, our hero never wonders why this knockout thinks him “the sexiest man” she’s ever met, and therein lies the premise, and the problem, of this twisty thriller. Having taken that same train many times, I enjoyed the references to my hometown but that wasn’t enough to override the fact that despite some nice twists along the way, the solution to this suspense story was rather obvious.

THE DESERT by Bryon Morrigan: In Morrigan’s debut, two men on recon in Iraq discover a strange cave in the desert. Inside lie the remains of an American soldier who appears to be part of a troop that went missing in 2003 (it’s now 2009). Along with the soldier, they also find a journal. Because no trace of the missing troop was ever found, the soldiers are hoping that the journal will give them some clue as to what happened six years ago. As they read and continue on their mission, they come across a town, the same town that is mentioned in the journal, the same town in which the journal stops. Before it ends, however, the dead officer has one last warning for the people reading and that is to stay high, and under no circumstances enter the hole in the ground that his fellow soldiers discovered in 2003. So what do these two new men do? The enter the hole. But they kind of have to because for some reason, when they try to drive away from the town, they end up back where they started. I love the blend of horror and military fiction in this novel. It’s not a combination that comes along very often, but it’s one I feel is perfect for the horror genre. Morrigan’s blend of the real horrors of war combined with the beasties and creepy crawlies of the paranormal world make for a great chilling read. 02/09 Becky Lejeune

DESERT NOIR by Betty Webb: Lena Jones of Desert Investigations sets out to track down the killer of her friend who runs a Scottsdale, AZ art gallery in this first outing. Lena is a former cop with plenty of contacts still on the force. She’ll need their help as she investigates Clarice Kobe’s abusive husband Jay, Apache artist George Haozous whose paintings had been taken out of the gallery, as well as other members of Clarice’s family and the owner of the adjoining gallery. To top it off there may be a connection between this case and the shooting of Lena as a four year old child, who left for dead grew up in a series of foster homes. Well written with all the makings of a great series. 03/06 Jack Quick

Desert Wives by Betty Webb: A fascinating look at polygamy – yes, it is illegal but what is going on in this country will shock you, or it should. This is fiction based on fact, and the author includes her sources at the end of the book. But while it’s intriguing and very troubling politically, the writing is strictly mediocre. Lena Jones is a private investigator with quite a past. She is privately funded, thus enabling her to take on cases whether or not her clients can pay. In this case, she’s working for the mother of a 13-year old girl whose father is trying to marry her off in exchange for two 16-year old wives for himself. Lena rescues the child but in the process finds the dead body of the leader of the polygamous splinter group. Her client is the chief suspect, and even Lena isn’t all that sure she didn’t do it. It’s downhill from there, and with everyone involved from the cops to the politicians, there seems to be no way out. Very disturbing stuff. Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE DETACHMENT by Barry Eisler: Eisler brings the characters from both his series together in this adrenaline pumped read. John Rain gets tracked down in Japan and is asked to kill three highly visible US government officials, but to make it look like they died of natural causes. These individuals are planning some outrageous acts in order to stage a coup. Rain agrees to meet with Colonel Scott “Hort” Horton, and learns he’s working on a team with his buddy Dox and a couple of men he hasn’t met before – Treven and Larison – but Eisler’s fans know exactly who these men are. A group of assassins is a volatile group indeed, and the action moves from Tokyo to Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Washington D.C. while the pacing does not let up until the very last page. Available in paperback or e-book. 10/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

DETOUR TO MURDER by Jeff Sheratt: In 1945 drifter Alexander Roberts had been conned into pleading guilty to the murder of a woman – a crime he now claims he did not commit. This was the lesser of two evils since the then District Attorney told him if he did not plead, he would be extradited to Arizona for another murder – which he also did not commit – but Arizona had the death penalty. Now 29 years later cop-turned-lawyer Jimmy O Brien, his P.I. fixer, Sol, and his partner, Rita, are given the task of representing Roberts at a parole hearing. A cursory review of the file shows that the Arizona death was not murder, but from natural causes, so Roberts was never in jeopardy from that event. Therefore, there might be truth in his claim that he did not commit the other murder either. As O Brien digs deeper into the case, there are efforts to physically dissuade him as well as to disrupt his life and business in a number of ways. Soon O Brien finds himself in the middle of an abyss of political corruption that begins with the Los Angeles District Attorney up through the office of the Governor of California and maybe even to the forthcoming Presidential campaign of Ronald Reagan. Outstanding noir. 07/11 Jack Quick

DEVIANT WAY by Richard Montanari: Jack Paris is the classic alcoholic divorced cop wedded now to the job and his young daughter. A serial killer (?) is loose in Cleveland and it is up to Paris to find him. Just what he needs – extended time in high-class bars and nightclubs, since it appears that’s where the victims are being contacted. But it’s not a “him” that Paris is looking for, it’s a “them”, a couple whose kinky needs are turning the nightlife of Cleveland into a deathtrap. To make it even worse, Paris’ daughter is endangered. With each chapter the suspense gets ratcheted up another notch. Definitely a read in the daytime book, it will also discourage you from serious bar hopping – at least in Cleveland. Over a decade old, Deviant Way is still very much current. 07/06 Jack Quick

DEVIANT WAYS by Chris Mooney: July 4th starts with a real bang at Marblehead, Massachusetts where a serial killer sets off a bomb in an attempt to erase evidence of a multiple slaying. The bomb takes out several homes and brings in Jack Casey, a former hotshot FBI profiler who’s attempting to mend his shattered life as a detective on the Marblehead police force. Six years earlier, he watched, bound and drugged, while a madman killed his wife and unborn child. When the house bombings continue Jack’s tenuous hold on reality starts to slip and he is in danger of losing a current romantic relationship. A wisecracking former profiler named Malcolm Fletcher provides some tension relief and the villain – the Sandman – is also an interesting character. Mooney’s style makes this read like a movie script and there is a temptation about mid-way to start casting the various characters. 07/06 Jack Quick.

THE DEVIL CAN WAIT by Marta Stephens: A convoluted tale involving a cursed black pearl ring, a demonic prophecy and the bodies of three local teenagers washing ashore in Chandler, Massachusetts. Newspaper reporter Jennifer Blake is captured by the story of the ring and tries to pick it up from a local pawnshop for her former college professor. This makes her a primary suspect for homicide detective Sam Harper. Throw in the Vatican, some drugs thefts, and a few other development and try to stay unconfused. Writing is pretty good, plot is not believable and book suffers from poor organization. 12/08 Jack Quick

THE DEVIL IS WAITING by Jack Higgins: The latest encounter between Sean Dillon and his cohorts known as the “Prime Minister’s private army” up against the villains of Al Qaeda The focus is on the group’s newest member, intelligence captain and Afghan war hero Sara Gideon. Not only is she talented and lovely, she is the heiress to control of one of Britain’s largest private banks. All in all a volatile combination that makes her a very attractive target to the Muslim terrorists. In the end Sean, et. al. win as usual in what will likely be my last Higgins read. As with other authors, he now seems to be writing the same book over and over, merely tweaking the characters and not providing much originality. Sad. 5/12 Jack Quick

DEVIL MAY CARE by Sebastian Faulks: You know this is the only series I’ve ever read where the characters are “locked” into my mind. 007 is Sean Connery and Sean Connery is 007. In Devil May Care it’s Bond, James Bond, shaken not stirred, in this 22nd Bond adventure released on May 28, which would have been Ian Fleming’s 100th birthday. Devil May Care picks up where Fleming left off in 1966 with Octopussy and The Living Daylights. Bond is summoned back from a sabbatical in Italy to swinging London during the 1960s to foil an Eastern Bloc plot to flood the West with heroin. The key villian is Dr. Julius Gorner, Scarlett Papava is the number one Bond girl, Moneypenny is Moneypenny and “M” is still “M”. In the author notes, it says that Faulk frist encountered Bond as a twelve year old – the books were banned at his school, but he managed to read them by torchlight under the sheets. Not the original but still as good read. 06/08 Jack Quick

DEVIL RED by Joel Lansdale: Hap Collins and Leonard Pine return in a red-hot, mayhem-fueled thriller to face a vampire cult, the Dixie Mafia, and the deadliest assassin they’ve ever encountered—Devil Red. Working on a cold case homicide, they discover that both victims were in line to inherit serious money, and one of them ran with a vampire cult. A red devil’s head painted on a tree leads them to a slew of murders with that same fiendish signature. Hap and Leonard are at their finest. After “persuading” a purse snatcher with baseball bats to refund the money he has taken from an elderly lady, they go to Walmart and buy ice cream and cookies as their reward. 3/12 Jack Quick

THE DEVIL YOU KNOW by Mike Carey: In Felix Castor’s world, ghosts, zombies, and weres are something of a normal occurrence. Castor himself is particularly sensitive to them and finds this useful in his work as an exorcist. Thing is, Felix has been pretty much retired since an incident left his best friend permanently sharing space with the demon Asmodeus. When the demon/friend warns him of an upcoming job that could mean his life, Felix is more than a little intrigued, but it’s his current financial position that is the deciding factor. The job seems simple at first: A ghost has been haunting a London archive and has recently turned violent. But when the ghost steps in and saves Felix after hours, he becomes curious about her identity and the cause of her situation. It’s exactly this that gets certain folks worried and puts Felix in trouble. Carey’s debut is a pretty much a traditional PI mystery wrapped in a paranormal package, and paired with Carey’s style, it works brilliantly. The Devil You Know is first in the Felix Castor series and is a must read for anyone who enjoys mysteries, PI or paranormal. 04/09 Becky Lejeune

THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE by Kim Wozencraft: Katherine “Kit” Metcalf does pole dances at Blaze, “Austin Texas’ premier gentleman’s club,” and is quickly becoming a total alcoholic. She was raped as a college student and is contending with post-traumatic stress. Kit’s sister, Jenny is an Austin police detective investigating a porn ring. Jenny’s fiancé, Luke Saner is an undercover cop looking into the murder of a Blaze regular. The girls’ father, Wade, is a Texas Ranger who hides immoral appetites behind a heroic image. Then Jenny is killed and her body is found in a Blanco County well. Kit finds herself in danger, along with her therapist. Who can she trust? Luke? Her dad? Herself? A first rate psychological thriller. 11/06 Jack Quick

DEVIL’S CORNER by Lisa Scottoline: No Rosato & Associates here; this is a stand-alone inspired by the drug trafficking trial of the one of the most violent gangs in Philadelphia – Scottoline watches trials for entertainment and found her inspiration for this novel. Assistant U.S. Attorney Vicki Allegretti’s father grew up in a poor area of Philadelphia known as Devil’s Corner. It has gone downhill since his childhood and has become a dangerous crack-infested neighborhood. When Allegretti and her partner show up to interview a confidential informant, the partner & the CI are both killed. Allegretti takes the law into her own hands to solve the murder of her partner as well as the mystery of the woman the CI ratted out, Reheema, who claims she doesn’t even know the CI. I found Allegretti’s complete disregard for her own safety incredibly stupid for a Harvard lawyer (or for anyone with half a brain) and I had problems with her relationship with her boyfriend and all the lying that was going on. And there is no carb counting on the South Beach Diet – where was the copy editor? A cliffhanger ends just about every chapter in this fast paced, light novel of suspense and it makes for a compelling, entertaining read, despite way too much fem-jep. (females in jeopardy.) 05/05

THE DEVIL’S ELIXIR by Raymond Khoury: Mr Khoury has written several books all involving scenarios a bit outside of the ordinary. He has written about Templars existing in the 21st century among other plots, and these books utilized two protagonists: Sean Reilly, an FBI agent and his girlfriend Tess Chaykin. The Devil’s Elixir follows suit. Reilly was involved in a raid against drug dealers in Mexico five years prior to the action in Devil’s Elixir. He killed one of the dealers thinking that it was the leader of the group. At the start of the action in this book Reilly is called by an old girl friend of his to help her as she and her son are being pursued by people apparently interested in killing her. Reilly comes to her just in time to learn that a) her son is his son b) and getting involved in an attack by a gang of rogue bikers in which the girl is killed.
Going after the bikers throws open the fact that the leader of the supposed drug dealers has hired the bikers and was not killed, and is now in the United States apparently looking for revenge against Reilly. The Mexican has been exposed to and is enamored by a drug that is beyond anything currently available in the cocaine, crack market, simpler to refine and addictive to retain a captive clientele. Both Reilly and Tess are both swept up in action to catch the drug dealer and protect Reilly’s new found son. True to Khoury’s other books the action is fast and keeps the reader engrossed in the swift changing of the plot. The ending brings out a thesis that is extremely interesting, could be the reality of the entire situation and surely gets the reader into thinking about the idea long after he or she finishes the book. 12/11 Paul Lane

DEVIL’S KEEP by Philip Finch: A decade ago, Ray Favor was a remorseless killer for the Black Ops cell Bravo One Nine. He did what he was hired to do out of patriotism and duty. Now, having amassed a fortune but deeply troubled by his past and suspicious of his own nature, Favor is motivated by something more: a chance to right the wrongs he committed and restore balance .He gets that chance deep in the Philippines, where the disappearance of two teenagers leads Favor and his Bravo team to confront an illegal operation by the Russian mob—and an evil so deplorable that it can only be righted by the means Favor once used to wreak destruction. Now, driven by a hungry sense of purpose, Ray Favor will seek retribution by any means necessary, and exact a violent justice without mercy—or regret. 12/11 Jack Quick

THE DEVIL’S MADONNA by Sharon Potts: Kali Miller converted to Judaism when she got married, and is pregnant with her first child. Orphaned as a teenager and brought up by Lillian, her cold and distant grandmother, Kali is the only family the 93-year-old woman has. When Lillian almost burns her house down by lighting dozens of Yahrzeit candles, a Jewish memorial candle, Kali doesn’t understand why her non-Jewish grandmother would do such a thing. She decides to move in with her grandmother until she can find someone to stay with her, but her husband is none too happy about that. His family is starting to think that Lillian is anti-Semitic, adding additional stress to the marriage. Lillian is acting very paranoid, and Kali starts digging through the house, trying to find out something about her past and what she eventually finds is completely shocking. This is a very unusual mystery that unfurls in a few different directions, with enough suspense to keep the pages turning until the extremely disturbing ending. Books groups will find lots to discuss here. I loved it. 9/12 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2012 Booklist, a division of the American Library Association. Reprinted with permission.
THE DEVIL’S RIGHT HAND by Lilith Saintcrow: The third book of the Dante Valentine series begins years after the events of Dead Man Rising. Danny has finally recovered after the horrific investigation that surrounded the events of her childhood school and has been traveling the world, relaxing and striving to learn more about demon lore. Her time of rest is brought to a shocking halt when Lucifer once again requests her help. It seems that since Dante thwarted Santino’s attempts to overthrow the dark lord in Working for the Devil, others have begun to try again. This time, the devil wants Danny to track down and kill four escaped demons. Reluctantly, Danny negotiates a deal with Lucifer, one that commits her to a seven-year contract. She has seven years in which to attempt to find and eliminate the demons in question. Once the contract is up, Danny is free. In return for her services, Lucifer promises to grant her safety. Dealing with the devil has its own price though and Danny soon finds herself the hunted one. Information uncovered in the course of the investigation makes Danny question where her own loyalties lie and may lead to her becoming enemy number one. The Devil’s Right Hand is an absolute cliffhanger. Extras in each of the Orbit releases provide sneak peeks into Danny’s world as well as a broader view of the happenings surrounding this series. They raise interesting questions that can only be answering in each subsequent book. 01/08 Becky Lejeune

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger: This chic read is sure to take the fashion world by storm, although the literary world may find it lacking. Weisberger, former assistant to Vogue editor Anna Wintour, has created a fictionalized tell-all à la Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus’s The Nanny Diaries. Andrea is a nice Jewish girl from suburban Connecticut who, as Weisberger repeatedly tells us, lands “a job a million girls would die for” – assistant to Miranda Priestly, the imperious editor of “Runway” magazine. But the job is more like indentured servitude with a one-year contract; 14-hour days are de rigueur and encompass such delights as sorting Miranda’s laundry, fetching her lunch, and responding instantly to such commands as “Ahn-dre-ah, hand me a scarf.” The carrot at the end of the stick is the promise of a dream job with The New Yorker, which somehow makes palatable the ensuing downhill slide of Andrea’s personal life. This fast-paced black comedy has enough dirt to please any fashionista, but should serve as fair warning for every girl who dreams of working at a fashion magazine. Despite the pedestrian writing, the prepublication buzz on this novel is big, so buy for demand. Copyright © 2003 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Reprinted with permission.

DEVIL WIND by Deborah Shlian and Linda Reid: Sammy Greene is surviving as a late night radio host in Los Angeles but she longs for more. She had left Boston after a previous mis-adventure. It’s December 1999, days before the dawn of the new millennium and the Santa Ana winds are threatening to turn the city into a fiery inferno. When a listener calls in to report the discovery of a burned body, Sammy starts to investigate and to her horror, learns that the victim is the wayward daughter of an old friend. Soon she realizes the death was no accident, but rather a murder concealed by the raging wildfires. As she begins to investigate she soon learns this is but the tip of a sinister ploy involving big money and thousands of lives at risk. Not bad. 06/11 Jack Quick

THE DEVIL’S BONES by Jefferson Bass: In this third addition to the fictitious Body Farm series, Dr. Bill Brockton is set to appear as a star witness against former ME, Dr. Garland Hamilton. Readers of the series will remember (or be reminded in the first chapter) that Hamilton, after botching up multiple cases, murdered Brockton’s lover out of revenge for his tarnished reputation. Just days prior to going to trial, however, Hamilton escapes putting everyone back on guard, especially Brockton. Not one to sit idly by, Brockton continues with his day-to-day work. A local woman is found burnt to death in her car and Brockton begins experimenting with cadavers at the famed Body Farm in order to help police with the case. In addition, newfound lawyer pal Burt DeVriess has a strange request for Brockton. Grease DeVriess has some doubts as to the contents of his dearly departed aunt’s urn and would like Bill to take a look. As always, the science is dead-on in this forensic series and the plot is wholly engaging. Unfortunately, Devil’s Bones is missing something – the wonderful character development that was there in Carved in Bone. It seems that in killing off Brockton’s love life the authors also have reverted to more dry and clinical writing. This isn’t entirely a bad thing, the story line itself makes up for some of it, but I sincerely hope it’s something that is remedied in book 4. 02/08 Becky Lejeune

THE DEVIL’S FEATHER by Minette Walters: When three local teens confess to the brutal murders of five women in Sierra Leone, Reuter’s correspondent Connie Burns has her doubts as to their reliability. Connie suspects that a particularly violent mercenary who goes by the name of John Harwood may be responsible. After being transferred to Baghdad, she runs into Harwood again. This time, the locals know him as Kenneth O’Connell. Subsequent research reveals two murders in Baghdad that bear a striking resemblance to those in Africa. While preparing to return to England, Connie is kidnapped. Three days later, she reappears, seemingly unharmed. She returns to England but refuses to speak of the incident. Connie rents a house in Dorset, under an assumed name, and continues her investigation into Harwood/O’Connell. Before long, she becomes convinced that Harwood is after her and her family. This is a taut thriller that concerns, not one, but two mysteries. The first is that of Connie, the truth behind her abduction, and Harwood. The second mystery concerns the house in Dorset and the owner, Lily, who is found, freezing and unconscious by the edge of a pond in the middle of the night. Was this the result of her fragile mental state – the confused wanderings of a sick old lady – or something more sinister? This is a fast-paced and engaging read that begs to be read in one sitting! 09/06 Becky LeJeune

THE DEVIL’S LIGHT by Richard North Patterson: Obviously written and published before the death of Osama Bin Laden, Patterson’s latest thriller focuses on the possibility of a global threat from al-Qaeda with a nuclear explosion to occur on September 11, 2011, the tenth anniversary of the World Trade Center attack. It is up to young CIA agent Brooke Chandler to persuade his superiors the target is Israel, not the United States. Patterson does an excellent job of delineating the very complex politics in the Middle East from all sides, in a book that is more intellectual than action oriented. His most chilling point is that the real danger to modern civilization doesn’t come from conflict between traditional nations with people, land and resources, but rather from “stateless” ideological groups, as al-Qaeda and others, whose objectives transcend traditional national boundaries and for whom there is no “territory “ to lose. Not a quick read but provides a new level of insight into perhaps the most complex world political situation of today. 06/11 Jack Quick

THE DEVIL’S PITCHFORK by Mark Terry: Is there a scenario worse that terrorists gaining access to nuclear weapons? What if they had a man made virus that packed the worst characteristics of Ebola, hepatitis and bubonic plague? Chimera M13 has the potential to destroy humanity. One man stands between extinction and salvation, Derek Stillwater, a troubleshooter for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security who specializes in biological and chemical weapons. Stillwater, however, has his own problems with panic attacks and self doubts that hinder his effectiveness. He has no choice but to follow his instincts while scientists work on a vaccine in Washington, D.C. He just might have a chance in hell of ending the madness-if only the government’s most experienced immunological researcher hadn’t become infected. One of the better books of this sub-genre. Recommended. 10/06 Jack Quick

DEVIOUS by Lisa Jackson: New Orleans detectives Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya are back in this latest by romantic thriller queen Lisa Jackson. A nun at St. Marguerite’s has been murdered. She’s found, dressed in an old wedding gown, with a ring of blood around her neck. The crime has shocked the city and everyone is asking what kind of a person would kill a nun. The victim, Camille Houston, has secrets in her past and her own sister, Valerie, an ex-cop living in New Orleans, is determined to find out what made her a target. Montoya is also dead set on bringing the killer to justice – Camille Houston was his high school girlfriend. What’s worse, the priest she was rumored to be having an affair with was also a friend in school and Camille’s best friend at St. Marguerite’s shares a past with Montoya’s brother. Jackson throws in twist after twist, even connecting Bentz and Montoya’s first outing, Hot Blooded, in with this latest in the series. Note that each book can be read alone, most of the connections are in place and characters – for Devious in particular, I’d recommend Hot Blooded first since there are references to that particular case, but it’s not necessary. 04/11 Becky Lejeune

THE DEVOURING: SORRY NIGHT by Simon Holt: Reggie Halloway and her family have been through the wringer lately. Her mother has walked out and Reggie, a freshman in high school, has taken up the mantle as “woman of the house,” which means that she’s responsible for all the housework, cooking, and her little brother Henry while their father works longer and longer hours. Reggie also works part-time at a local used bookstore that specializes in her favorite genre, horror. One evening, Reggie discovers an old journal in a new arrivals shipment at the store. Curious, she decides to borrow it for a few days. The journal says that on Sorry Night, December 22, something called the Vours will come. If they find you, they’ll eat your fear and steal your soul. In their infinite teenage wisdom, Reggie and best friend Aaron decide to tempt the Vours on Sorry Night. Nothing happens and they laugh it off, but then they begin to notice that Reggie’s brother is acting a little strange. Could it be that the Vours exist after all? This new YA novel is fun and satisfyingly creepy. The cryptic ending also suggests that this is just the beginning of Reggie’s tale. Great for young adult readers looking for a scary and highly original read. 09/08 Becky Lejeune

DEXTER IN THE DARK by Jeff Lindsey: I was really looking forward to the new Dexter book as it’s been a couple of years since the last one. After reading the prologue, I closed the book, planning on putting it away, unread forever. It was possibly the most annoying prologue I’ve ever read. Then I got an email about the book and noticed that the murders take place on the University of Miami campus, and since I went there (a very long time ago) I decided to give it another try. This is a different Dexter book, in that instead of killing people, Dexter loses his “Dark Passenger”, the voice inside him that directs him to kill and that helps him solve crimes. So this becomes a very introspective book, despite the fact that Deborah, Dexter’s sister, is put in charge of a murder spree at the UM campus and demands Dexter help figure out who is killing people, cutting off their heads and putting ceramic bulls on top of their necks instead. Meanwhile Rita, his fiancée, is planning their upcoming wedding along with his best man, and the South Beach prima donna caterer almost made up for the missing humor in the book. But mostly Dexter tries to figure out why his little voice is gone, what it was, and how he can get it back. A different sort of Dexter, and not one I liked as well. 10/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

DIAL M FOR MEATLOAF by Ellen Hart: Sweet wife made me the proverbial offer on this one that she loved. If I would try the book, she would try one of the top three meatloaf recipes in the back. How could I lose? Cora Rombeck’s No-nonsense Meat Loaf is worth gathering all the ingredients together. With respect to the book, Cora’s husband has painted the kitchen egg yolk yellow. She doesn’t like it, but that isn’t enough reason for him to be blown up in his Ford Bronco, and is that connected with the beloved ex-mayor’s stroke that happened the same day. Best have a pencil and notebook handy to keep up with all the characters, and I do mean characters, but in the end, truth, justice and good old American comfort food cooking prevail. I give it 3 spoons, all heaping. 05/06 Jack Quick

The Diamond Conspiracy by Nicolas M. Kublicki: This tightly written debut novel is a big, fast-paced Clancy-like thriller that takes the reader on a whirlwind, worldwide journey through corruption. Patrick Carlton is a Department of Justice maverick lawyer who is plucked from the biggest case of his career and thrust into a small antitrust case involving a diamond mine in, of all places, Arkansas. Carlton is suspicious when the shark law firm representing the mine agrees to a ridiculously high, ridiculously quick settlement, and he recruits the beautiful Erika Wassenaar, a newly minted DOJ lawyer, to help him out. Waterboer, the monopolistic diamond behemoth of the world, (think DeBeers) will stop at nothing to maintain its artificially inflated diamond prices, and Carlton suspects they are somehow involved with the Arkansas mine. Curiosity and determination lead him to pursue it further, uncovering a conspiracy that runs rampant through the upper echelons of the United States, South African, and Russian governments, but he gets assistance from the unlikely duo of the Mafia and the Vatican, with quite a few surprises along the way.

DIE A LITTLE by Megan Abbott: Welcome back to Raymond Chandler’s world. It’s 1954, and Pasadena schoolteacher Lora King doesn’t care for Alice Steele, her brother’s new bride. As ugly secrets seep out of Alice’s past Lora risks everything to uncover the truth, pocketing address books filled with cryptic code and tailing shady characters like a grown-up Nancy Drew. It’s as smelly as last night’s last cigarette and reminds you of how bad gin tastes first thing in the morning. There’s even an amoral press agent who probably wears an old overcoat and a snap-brim hat. He looks a lot like Bogart, you know what I mean. 06/06 Jack Quick

DIE EASY by Zoe Sharp: Former Special Forces soldier-turned-bodyguard Charlie Fox is sweating it out in Katrina ravaged New Orleans. Professionally, she’s at the top of her game, but her personal life is in ruins. Her lover, bodyguard Sean Meyer, has awoken from a gunshot-induced coma with his memory in tatters. Working with Sean again was never going to be easy for Charlie, but when a celebrity fundraising event in aid of still-ravaged areas of New Orleans turns into a war zone, it may all be over. Sean is part of the problem, but he doesn’t remember why. With Sean disabled, this time Charlie’s got to fight it out on her own. 1/13 Jack Quick

DIE FOR YOU by Lisa Unger: Isabel Raines is a novelist in love with her husband of five years, Marcus. Marcus is partners in a high tech computer game company and is on the verge of making the biggest sale of his career. One morning he leaves for work, and disappears. Isabel is frantic, the police won’t help – men leave – so she goes down to his office to see what she can find out. While she’s there the FBI show up and lock her in an office while they tear the place apart. They let her go, and she finally hears from Marcus, but before she can say anything, she hears a horrible scream and then the phone goes dead. That’s her last contact with her husband, but she won’t rest until she finds out what happened to him. This is killer suspense, the pacing is just relentless, and the story is intense until the shocking ending. Unger just keeps getting better and this is her best book yet. 06/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch.

DIE WITH ME by Elena Forbes: This first effort from a British author involves falling from high places – literally. Stubborn Detective Inspector Mark Tartaglia is assigned to investigate the death of a fourteen-year-old woman who has fallen from the balcony of a church. Initially ruled suicide, a subsequent toxicology report reveals traces of GHB and alcohol in girl’s blood stream. Then the investigating team discovers that Gemma Kramer was lured there to meet a man calling himself Tom, who apparently killed her. Searching the records, Tartaglia and his team uncover two other victims, formerly classed as suicides, as well as another suspicious death Tartaglia thinks is also linked to “Tom.” All involve female victims falling from high places. A few rough places as with most first efforts, but all in all, a very satisfying police procedural. Lets hope Ms. Forbes’ promised sequel comes soon. 11/07 Jack Quick

A DIET OF TREACLE by Lawrence Block: Treacle is a thick sugary syrup, and there is something syrupy about this early Block outing, reprinted as Hard Case Crime Number 39. Joe Milani and Leon “Shank” Marsten are stoners. Unfortunately for Anita Carbone, her adventure into Greenwich Viallage leads her to these two and from there to murder. In the meantime, everythung moves in the slow motion that seems to affect stoners, whether high or not. This one shows some of Block’s promise, but is obviously an early effort and not nearly as polished as his later works. I recommend it because its Block, but not the best Block. 01/08 Jack Quick

THE DIFFERENT GIRL by Gordon Dahlquist: Veronika, Caroline, Isobel, and Eleanor are all the same. The only way to tell them apart is by the color of their hair. They live on a remote island with Robbert and Irene who have told them that their parents died in a tragic plane crash. The girls accept this and everything else Robbert and Irene tell them. They spend their days studying the things around them and learning from their observations. Every day is the same until they find May, a girl like them – but different. May’s arrival brings trouble, though, and Robbert and Irene become very tense. They’ve always been careful to keep the girls a secret but as May’s story becomes more clear, they realize they could be facing a dangerous challenge. Dahlquist’s teen debut is a unique read that works in spite of being something of an incomplete story. It’s clear after at time that the girls are machines of a sort. It’s also clear that the setting for the story is a world in which technology of their kind is not welcome. As Veronika is the narrator, the details of the story are strictly limited to her own knowledge, including things she overhears and witnesses. It’s a technique that in another author’s hands might be guaranteed to fail, but one that I think Dahlquist has done wonderfully well and makes The Different Girl a true standout in my opinion. 3/13 Becky Lejeune

THE DIGITAL PLAGUE by Jeff Somers: This is a sequel to 2007’s The Electric Church. Avery Cates is a killer-for-hire who sold his services to the shadowy System of Federated Nations and destroyed the Electric Church’s plans to turn people into cyborg Monks. Now Cates has been infected with a plague of nanobots that kills anyone he encounters and then reanimates the corpses. The System authorities, who wonder why Cates himself has not fallen victim to the disease; keep him alive in an effort to identify a cure. With every moment bringing the human race closer to extinction, Cates finds himself in the role of both executioner and savior of the entire world. Middling good, somewhat uneven noirish techno-thriller. 09/09 Jack Quick

THE DIRT-BROWN DERBY by Ed Lynskey: PI Frank Johnson is the real thing. In addition to a .357 tucked in his belt, he has a tire iron underneath the seat of his beat up old car, in case he needs to change a tire fast, or whatever. Mary Taliaferro, a wealthy aristocrat owning a horse estate near Middleburg, Virginia hires Johnson to look into the death of her teenaged daughter Emily in a riding tragedy. Things get complicated when Johnson’s first suspect, a stable manager who has been involved with Emily, is murdered one day after he starts his investigation. Frank soon discovers that there is much more going on here, and he is determined to get to the truth, even if it kills him. A worthy heir to some of the pulp’s best “eyes”. 09/06 Jack Quick

A DIRTY JOB by Christopher Moore: Charlie Asher has a problem. He’s just become a death merchant. Whenever a person dies, their soul is held in an item that was special to them. It is Charlie’s job to find collect the soul vessels and help the soul along to its next host. Charlie doesn’t know all of this quite yet, though. All he knows is that a seven foot tall black man in a mint green suit was leaning over his wife Rachel just before she died, leaving him to raise their newborn baby girl, Sophie, all alone and apparently, Charlie is the only one who saw the whole thing happen. Matters are more complicated when Lily, one of Charlie’s employees at his secondhand shop steals his new instruction manual. Eventually, Charlie gets the hang of his two new jobs as dad and death merchant, but as time goes by Sophie begins to show some strange abilities as well — any time she points at a person and says the word kitty, they die. Then, something strange happens. People stop dying. At the same time, fellow death merchants in the city are being slaughtered and sightings of strangely dressed skeletal creatures are occurring all over the city. Hilarity ensues as good and evil duke it out in the city of San Francisco for control of the universe. Each new Christopher Moore title is even better than the guiltiest of pleasures and will leave you wanting more.

DIRTY MARTINI by J.A. Konrath: I heard that this book was different than the others in the series – a kinder, gentler Konrath, if you will. Well, maybe. There is still a serial killer, but instead of the usual blood and gore, this serial killer calls himself the “Chemist” and is poisoning the good people of Chicago. Lt. Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels is put in charge because of her popularity in solving other high profile cases, but she butts heads with the public relations expert hired by the mayor to keep things under wraps. A high body count, some laugh out loud moments and even a little sexual tension now and then makes this a fast, fun addition to this terrific series. 08/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

DIRTY MONEY by Richard Stark: Stark is also known as the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master, Donald Westlake. There were about $2.2 million loose ends for Parker and his two partners at the conclusion of Nobody Runs Forever. That’s the amount of poisoned (marked) loot from the armored car robbery they committed in Massachusetts. Now its up to Parker to retrieve the cash and get it spread to the right parties to allow him to leave the Commonwealth alive and healthy. A typical tale from a Master. Satisfying, but leaves you ready for another outing, sooner rather than later. 05/08 Jack Quick

THE DIRTY SECRETS CLUB by Meg Gardiner: Jo Beckett is a forensic psychiatrist; her job is to determine whether murder or suicide has been committed in questionable deaths. The San Francisco Police Department is need of her services after a string of suspicious suicides are linked together. The cops are concerned that more suicides are imminent and they’re right; bodies start piling up and the pressure is on Beckett to figure out what’s going on and how to stop it. Luckily, Beckett is tenacious, the cop assigned to the case equally so, but nonetheless things get really tense when a rising star in the District Attorney’s office is the newest victim. Beckett determines that all the suicides belong to a club; The Dirty Secrets Club, whose members all have shameful events in their past. The tension mounts as Beckett tries to figure out who will be next, but it’s not an easy puzzle to piece together, especially when her own past is flung in her face. Gardiner is an American living & published in the UK, brought to the attention of American readers by Stephen King. This impressive debut is her first novel published in the US. 06/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2008 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Reprinted with permission.

THE DIRTY SECRETS CLUB by Meg Gardiner: Forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett specializes in psychological autopsies; she’s called in to help explain deaths that make no sense. When a star prosecutor with the DA’s office leads a cop on a high speed chase before slamming her vehicle into another car, killing herself and seriously wounding her passenger, Jo and the investigators believe it’s the latest in a series of high-profile murder/suicides. The case doesn’t fit into a nice, neat package, however, and the people who knew the victim claim that she would never do such a thing. As Jo begins to look into all of the deaths, she discovers a secret that some members of the upper crust are willing to do just about anything to cover-up. It seems there is a secret club, the members of which have all done something they are seriously ashamed of, something bad enough that it would cost them their careers if it came out. As Jo delves further into this the case, she discovers shocking information about this elite group, information that could lead to her own murder at the hands of a sick and twisted criminal. I think Stephen King said it best when he dubbed Gardiner “the next suspense superstar.” Meg Gardiner’s previous series has not been available in the states until now; China Lake, the first in Gardiner’s Evan Delaney series, is being released in the US almost simultaneously with The Dirty Secrets Club. I’d recommend grabbing both – you’ll need something to tide you over once you’re finished with this edge-of-your-seat read. Beckett is a great leading lady and I really liked the fact that this was not your typical profiler book – it’s an interesting spin on the specialty that I’ve not seen featured quite this way in a mystery before. Highly recommended. 06/08 Becky Lejeune

DIRTY WORK By Stuart Woods: Ex-NYC-cop-turned-society-lawyer Stone Barrington gets a request from a well heeled client to investigate her husband’s possible infidelity, so she can break the pre-nup. He does not do this work himself, so he delegates the job to others. A shlub of a photographer is hired to take some simple compromising pictures, but ends up falling through a weak skylight and landing on the subject he’s supposed to be taking pictures of. He’s arrested and causes major problems for Barrington, until it’s learned that the subject was dead before the schlep hits the corpse. He managed to take four pictures before he fell, one of which shows the unseen face of one of the greatest assassins of all time, who happens to be a woman. All hell breaks loose from here. Stone’s dating a woman called “Carpenter” who works for the very same folks. His ex-cop partner, Dino, is also involved heavily, because this happened on his NYC turf. It turns out that this woman has an agenda and it involves British MI6. It turns out that her mother and father were killed in an MI6 ambush and she’s dropping everyone she can, quickly. Have to cut it short here, again, can’t blow the ending. I haven’t read any of the previous Barrington series, but as a stand-alone this works really well. Recommended. Oh by the way, for you NYC folks, Woods writes in the real NYC world. 05/06 DOC

THE DISAPPEARANCE by Collin Wilcox: In his first case (The Lonely Hunter), Frank Hastings was a sergeant in the SFPD. Now that he has made Lieutenant he stills goes out on some calls although most of the time he relies on his subordinates to handle the routine stuff. In this outing he is involved in two homicides and a disappearance. The two homicides, although dangerous, are relatively easy to solve compared to the mystery of the disappearance of Carol Connoly, wife of Victor, owner of Connoly Savings and Loan. As with most people Carol is a mystery to those around her who offering differing opinions about her to Hastings. It is up to him to find the kernels of truth that will lead to finding her – dead or alive. 12/10 Jack Quick

DISAPPEARING NIGHTLY by Laura Resnick: I didn’t especially like this urban fantasy, but I think there are folks out there who will enjoy it. DISAPPEARING NIGHTLY is the story of Esther, the aspiring New York actress who’s appearing in a tacky show featuring a soon-to-be-famous (if his ambitious wife has anything to say about it) magician. She’s understudying rock singer “Golly Gee” who disappears during the act one night. No, really disappears. Then Esther gets a threatening note, or is it a warning, not to do what her predecessor did – get into the magic box – or she’ll be in danger.
The sender of the note appears, much to Esther’s stunned dismay. He’s Maximillian Zadok, an alchemist who shall we say, has been around for a while. Zadok convinces her that yes, other people have disappeared during magic acts and Evil in involved. Esther tries to convince the hunky cop investigating Gee’s disappearance of the danger which gets pretty complicated. Instead she, Zadok and a cast of strange people try to solve the mystery and find the missing people.
I suspect the book would be described by some as “wacky” or “zany” or even “a romp”. I hate romps. The tone here was too “hyuk-hyuk” for me and the characters too predictable; but if you don’t mind the female amateur sleuth with a nagging mother (and who in my mind sounds horribly like a young version Fran Drescher’s “Nanny” character) who’s smitten by the good-looking cop with a nagging mother, and that the best-looking people in the story are the drag queens and everyone’s just too broadly drawn, then read this book. It’s breezy, the plot moves and clearly the author enjoyed writing it. It’s just not for me. 01/06 Andi Shechter

A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES by Deborah Harkness: Diana Bishop has spent her life denying her magical powers. Driven by a desire for normalcy, she pursued a life in academia, studying history and symbolism in ancient texts—ancient alchemical texts. When Diana requests Ashmole 782 from the stacks, it’s only as part of her continuing research, but the book turns out to be something very special indeed. The manuscript has been missing for centuries and many believe that it may hold the origins of witches, vampires, and daemons within its pages. It seems after all this time, Diana may be the one the book has been waiting for, the one who will be able to unravel its secrets. Matthew Clairmont is just one of many who would do anything to get his hands on the text, but realizes that Diana is the key to doing so. He vows to protect her from the others, but never planned to fall in love with her. A Discovery of Witches hits shelves on the heels of months of buzz and anticipation. I’m happy to report that it lived up to my own expectations. A massive paranormal tale that blends history and romance, it’s a good thing there are two more to go because there’s a ton more story to tell. No word just yet on when the second book will be released. 02/11 Becky Lejeune

THE DISTANT HOURS by Kate Morton: Edie and her mother Meredith have never been all that close. Meredith doesn’t talk much about her past and Edie’s never really asked. But when a decades-old lost letter arrives in the post, Edie realizes there is much more to her mother than she’d ever suspected. In WWII, Meredith was evacuated from London and sent to the country. The sisters at Milderhurst Castle took her in. Today, the castle still stands, but the building and the sisters all show their age. At first, Edie is only just curious about her mother’s days at Milderhust and wants to find out why she refuses to speak of her time there. But when Edie begins to learn more about the three sisters, she becomes determined to uncover their story and the secrets they seem to be closely guarding. Morton’s latest is a wonderfully textured and gothically toned tale. Rich and descriptive, Milderhurst comes alive and the reader is swept along in the bittersweet saga. 11/10 Becky Lejeune

DIXIE NOIR by Kirk Curnutt: I enjoyed this debut but suspect it would not be for everyone. It is set in Montgomery, Alabama where I used to live. Ennis Skinner is the son of a white civil rights hero and is the University of Alabama quarterback whose admission to using cocaine got probation for the University and made him one of the two most hated men in the state (George Wallace was the other one). Now Ennis is out of prison and is looking for the mentally challenged 19-year-old Dixie James, daughter of his deceased drug addict lover, Alice Faye James, and High C, a former meth king who now peddles books like The Hit Man Handbook on the Web. All of this is occurring in the middle of the Montgomery mayoral race between white incumbent Amory Justice and African-American Walk Compson, who may have a link to Dixie. Throw in a little Zelda Fitzgerald and a few Hank Williams songs along with the simmering racial tensions in the South and you have about covered it all. I found it interesting, but parochial. 03/10 Jack Quick

DOG ON IT by Spencer Quinn: Bernie Little runs the Little Detective Agency with his partner Chet, a police dog K-9 school dropout. A woman hires Little because her teenage daughter is missing and the cops won’t help – she’s only been missing a few hours. Little reluctantly takes the case and gets involved with this dysfunctional family. The thing that makes this book, the first of a series, different than most P.I. series is that Chet narrates the book, so it is told from a dog’s eye view. If you like cute, then this is your book. I doubt I’d read another. Interestingly enough, Quinn is a pseudonym for Peter Abrahams, who writes much darker books (End of Story, Oblivion). Read about his change of heart at the Daily Beast. 05/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

DOG TAGS by David Rosenfelt: Rosenfelt is now alternating stand alone thrillers with his Andy Carpenter series, and doing a fantastic job with both. This one, if you couldn’t tell from the title, is Andy Carpenter doing what he loves best; protecting the innocent, in this case a German Shepherd named Milo. Milo is a retired police dog, whose owner, Billy Zimmerman, is a former Iraq war veteran and police officer whose war injuries forced him to retire. Billy trains Milo to become a thief, and the two manage to pay the bills that way until one of their victims gets killed during the robbery. Billy and Milo are put under lock and key, and Andy first takes on Milo’s case. This is another fast paced, funny, yet touching, legal thriller with the full cast of regulars. If you’re a fan of the series run out and buy this latest entry; if you’re not familiar, Dog Tags is a terrific place to start. 08/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

DOG TAGS by David Rosenfelt: The dog may be man’s best friend, but a dog’s best friend is a lawyer named Andy Carpenter. Milo, a retired German Shepherd police dog, witnesses a murder and his owner, a former cop and Iraq war vet turned thief is charged with the crime. The first hint that this is more than a routine case, even for Andy, is the fact that Milo is being kept under armed guard at the local animal shelter. The deeper Andy digs, the greater the case becomes and it will take all Andy and Milo can do to solve the crime and prevent a catastrophic event from taking place. Even non-dog lovers have got to root for Andy Carpenter whose unique but laid back approach to the practice of law is a constant reminder that not all lawyers are bad, just the ones who are on the other side. 10/10 Jack Quick

DOG TOWN by Mercedes Lambert: Douglas Anne Munson, writing as Mercedes Lambert while working as an attorney in the Los Angeles criminal court system only wrote three books, one of which was published after her untimely death. The trilogy of Dog Town, Soul Town and Ghost Town form a noir set which is only now all in print at once for the first time. In Dog Town, Attorney Whitney Logan teams up with a street-smart hooker named Lupe, to locate a glamorous L.A. “housewife’s” Guatemalan maid. John Lutz called Dog town “a crackerjack novel with insight into the human condition. Lambert’s star should shine brighter and brighter for years to come.” Unfortunately, that was not to be. 07/08 Jack Quick

THE DOG WHO BIT A POLICEMAN by Stuart Kaminsky: After eleven straight “winners”, I guess you have to expect a bummer. Not that this book isn’t well written like the rest of this police procedural series. It features top-flight Moscow cop Porfiry Rostnikov of the Office of Special Investigation and his staff, which includes a mad pathologist who talks to cadavers; an obsessive detective called Emil Karpo, “the Vampire,” who spends “all his waking hours relentlessly pursuing criminals from both the past and present”; and Rostnikov’s son Iosef, a failed actor/playwright and veteran of the conflict in Afghanistan. As with previous works there are three main cases to be solved, which brings us to the problem. Case number one involves trying to head off a war between two mafia leaders. Okay. Number two revolves around the latest disappearance of a popular, Yeltsin-esque politician with a drinking problem. Fine. Its the third case that gave me problems. Two detectives are working undercover to infiltrate the growing business of illegal dog fighting. If you can skim over those portions the rest of the book is up to Kaminsky’s normal award winning standards. 03/08 Jack Quick

Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst: This is an odd little book. Its selection by Anna Quindlen for the Today Show book club was enough to get me to read it, but this was no Lovely Bones. Linguistics Professor Paul Iverson is devastated when his wife, Lexy, is found dead in their yard, apparently from a fall from their apple tree. The police rule it an accident but he can’t help but wonder what really happened. The more he digs, the more he finds odd about the days leading up to her death. The only witness was their dog, Lorelei, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, and Paul gets obsessed with the idea of teaching her to talk so that she may tell him the truth of what happened to Lexy – was it an accident or suicide? I wasn’t initially aware of, but was very put off by, the abuse of animals in this book, so I feel compelled to mention it here, but despite that, parts of the book were really beautifully written.

THE DOLL by Taylor Stevens: In just minutes, and with her lover and boss standing by helplessly, Vanessa Michael Munroe is overtaken and kidnapped. They made it look like an accident but while Miles Bradford and the rest of Capstone attempted to track her down, the Doll Maker’s people were illicitly transporting the unconscious Munroe overseas. Munroe comes to and quickly realizes that even her particular skill set can’t outright save her; another of her friends has been taken hostage. If Munroe doesn’t comply with the Doll Maker’s orders, her friend will die. Munroe is forced to choose between her loved ones and an innocent, but the game isn’t over yet. She still has some cards up her sleeve and she intends to make the Doll Maker pay. This third in Taylor Stevens’s series stands well enough on its own only if the reader has no intention of going back to the beginning of the series at some point. All of the details about Munroe and her job, Capstone, her relationships with Bradford and Logan (the friend who’s kidnapped as ransom), as well as previous run ins with people in the Doll Maker’s employ are all apparently touched on in the earlier installments. If you don’t mind spoilers, by all means dive in with The Doll, and if you’re a fan of the series it’ll no doubt hit the spot. If you’re new to Stevens like me, please do yourself a favor and start with The Informationist. 6/13 Becky Lejeune

DOMINANCE by Will Lavender: I think this will likely be my number one read of the year.
“What is literature?”
“Literature in emotion.”
“Literature is a writer’s secret life recorded in symbols.”
“But what if literature was more than that. What if it were a game?”
“What if you could read a book and treat it as a competition between you and its author? Like a contest.”
“In any contest there has to be a winner. How do you win against a book?”
“A brilliant professor once told me that you win when you know you have won.”
In 1994 famed literature professor Richard Aldiss is teaching a special night class at Jasper College called Unraveling a Literary Mystery —from a video feed in his prison cell. In 1982, Aldiss was convicted of the murders of two female grad students; the women were killed with ax blows and their bodies decorated with the novels of notoriously reclusive author Paul Fallows. Even the most obsessive Fallows scholars have never seen him. He is like a ghost. Aldiss entreats the students of his night class to solve the Fallows riddle once and for all. Fast forward to today: Harvard professor Alex Shipley made her reputation as a member of Aldiss’s night class. She not only exposed the truth of Paul Fallows’s identity, but in the process uncovered information that acquitted Aldiss of the heinous 1982 crimes. Now one of her fellow night class alums has been murdered — the body chopped up with an ax and surrounded by Fallows novels. Can she use what she knows about Fallows to stop a killer before each of her former classmates is picked off, one by one? And where is she in the killing order? Evocative of Thomas Harris’ Silence of the Lambs and Katherine Neville’s The Eight. If you enjoy the mystery genre as well as more traditional literature, put this one near the top of your must read list. 07/11 Jack Quick

DOMESTIC VIOLETS by Matthew Norman: Tom Violet is married, stuck in a job he doesn’t love and has been secretly writing a novel for several years. His father, a literary sensation, has just won the Pulitzer Prize but is having trouble writing a follow up. Lots of family angst but told in a very funny way, reminiscent of early Richard Russo or John Irving. These are great characters in a warm, riotous family tale. This is a terrific debut novel, and a really smart, fun read. I loved it. 09/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

DON’T BREATHE A WORD by Jennifer McMahon: It’s been fifteen years since Lisa’s disappearance. When a then ten-year-old Sam last saw his sister, she’d told him that she was going to be the queen of the fairies. She never came home again. Today, Sam and his girlfriend Phoebe are happy. But Phoebe never told Sam that she knows about Lisa. When they receive a phone call sending them to Lisa’s old hiding space and a book she’d hidden away, Phoebe becomes determined to learn more about Sam and his family. Then a letter arrives: Lisa is back. But the question remains, where has she been all this time? McMahon is one of my favorite authors. She can always be relied on for a smart and satisfying read. Don’t Breathe a Word is no exception and features a spectacular and suspense-packed plot. Another dark read with unexpected twists. 05/11 Becky Lejeune

DON’T CALL ME A CROOK by Bob Moore: During the great depression my uncle traveled from Alabama to California selling encyclopedias by day and sleeping in jails (voluntarily) at night (hey, you were safe, and usually got coffee and baloney the next morning before you headed out.) He would have enjoyed knowing Bob Moore, the Glaswegian author of this hardboiled noir memoir of a ramblin’ man who not only cheated death many times, but occasionally spit in the devil’s face as well. Through good times and bad, one thing remained true – Moore was a Scotsman through and through. As was said in A Collection of Scotch Proverbs by Pappity Stampoy – A blind man should not judge of colours. Whether it is ashore in Shanghai, or the sinking of a magnificent yacht, Moore always had some appropriate observations to share like “The trouble with people when they drink is they have no sense of time” or ”I didn’t put her three hundred in a business after all. I spent it in Atlantic City, because it takes a lot of money to have a good time in Atlantic City…” 08/09 Jack Quick

DON’T LOOK NOW by Michelle Gagnon: This second in the Persefone series finds Noa and Peter actively engaged in a battle for their lives. Noa and a group of other teens have declared open war on the company behind Project Persephone. With factions across the country, they’re thwarting Pike & Dolan’s efforts as best they can through active attacks on Persephone facilities and basic word of mouth warnings to potential targets. This is just the beginning for Persefone’s Army and they won’t stop until Pike & Dolan and their project are no more. This latest from Gagnon delivers on all fronts. While there are still a lot of questions remaining about Project Persephone, PEMA, and Pike & Dolan, Don’t Look Now continues at the same intense pace set by the series debut, Don’t Turn Around, making it equally as entertaining and satisfying as its predecessor. I can’t wait to see what’s to come in the third installment. 9/13 Becky Lejeune

DON’T LOOK TWICE by Andrew Gross: The passenger in the red Ford F-250 pickup sprayed the convenience store with a hundred or so rounds of automatic fire. Was his intended victim Detective Ty Hauck of the Greenwich, Connecticut police department who escaped with a grazed neck? Or was the target Federal Prosecutor David Sanger of the Hartford Connecticut office who was standing by Hauck and caught two in the chest? Or was this something entirely different? The trail leads Hauck first to an upstate casino gambling scheme and from there into a conspiracy of corruption which will rock this suburban town to its foundations. So far, the former James Patterson co-author, now out on his own, has the ability to entertain and thrill on his own. Almost as good as some of the early Patterson’s before he became Patterson, Inc. 05/10 Jack Quick

DON’T MURDER YOUR MYSTERY by Chris Riordan: Winner of the 2007 Agatha Award for best Non-Fiction Book, this is a must read for aspiring mystery authors. Ms. Riordan is an experienced editor who offers good advice for beginning mystery writers to those who are trying to take it to the next level. Sub-titled 24 Fiction-Writing techniques To Save Your Manuscript From Turning Up D.O.A., the book takes you through the process with catchy headings in the form of Clues like Hide the Evidence by Slicing, Dicing and Splicing, as a means of introducing backstory or Buried Agendas – Exposing a Tension Deficit Disorder. Even though I do not aspire to be a writer, I enjoyed the book as a fan of mysteries because of the additional insights it provided into the mystery writing process. 08/09 Jack Quick

DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF by Don Bruns: This fourth in the hilarious Stuff series finds longtime friends and partners in crime Skip Moore and James Lessor heading to the circus. James’s latest scheme involves earning enough money to replace their now destroyed truck. To do this, he’s taken a job with a traveling circus. The problem is, this particular show has been plagued by a series of accidents, the latest of which ended in death. The owner of the show wants Skip and James, who have conveniently just gotten their official PI license, to find the folks behind these so called accidents. Of course, things never go as planned when Skip and James are involved. An amusing installment, but a little close to Stuff Dreams are Made Of, wherein the two investigated a shady tent revival. 12/10 Becky Lejeune

DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF by Don Bruns: If you ever enjoyed Tom and Dickie Smothers than fasten your seatbelt and get read for James Lesor and skip Moore. Bruns credits the Smothers Brothers as inspirations for his two would be sleuths, founders of the now licensed More or Less Investigations. Since it’s a startup, James takes a job with a traveling carnival to make ends meet until the big money starts coming in. The only problem is the carnival a dubious reputation, having had a string of accidents and at least one death. James and Skip end up tilting at whirls and “whipping” about in a roller-coaster chain of events. Not quite an insane asylum, but then again, not your everyday run of the mill outing either. Bruns’ publisher, Oceanview Publishing is located at Long Boat Key, near the winter home of many carnie performers, and Bruns gets its right with his characterizations of this zany bunch. Recommended. 02/11 Jack Quick

DON’T TELL A SOUL by David Rosenfelt: Could the author of one of my favorite series, a light, funny legal mystery series featuring the beloved Andy Carpenter and his Golden Retriever, cross over to the dark side? Could he write a dark, disturbing thriller with a protagonist as different from Andy Carpenter as day from night? The short answer? Yes. And very, very well.
Imagine sitting in a bar one night. A stranger, sitting next to you, starts talking. He confesses to murder, tells you where the body is buried, then leaves with the admonition that now it’s your responsibility. Tim Wallace is no stranger to murder. His wife died in a boating accident, but the death was suspicious – the boat exploded – and the husband is always the first suspect. So when Tim goes to the cops about this midnight bar confession, he once again falls under suspicion. The plot twists keep coming and the action never stops until the shocking ending in this fast paced, intense and spellbinding thriller. Don’t miss it. 7/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

DON’T TELL A SOUL by David Rosenfelt: Another stand alone from the author of the Andy Carpenter series, and a good one. Tim Wallace is a thirty-something co-owner of a small construction company whose new wife is killed in a boating accident. The incident is investigated by Jonathon Novack, a bulldog like New Jersey State Police detective whose every cop “instinct” tells him that Tim murdered his new wife. Tim is also targeted for destruction by an unknown enemy who will go to any length to succeed. Quirky, funny and ironic, this one moves fast with a delightfully twisty plot and more misdirection than a spread option football offense. As you plow through it, keep in mind that even Homeland Security knows “there is no Afghanistan exit on the New Jersey Turnpike.” So there has to be something else going on when things go “boom” in the night. 08/10 Jack Quick
DON’T TURN AROUND by Michelle Gagnon: Trouble has only just begun for Noa Torson. She wakes to find herself in a hospital gown and sporting a new and nasty scar on her chest. But this hospital isn’t like any other Noa’s been in. In fact, it’s no hospital at all. She manages to escape but knows better than to return home for fear that it might be under surveillance. In a pinch and desperate for funds, Noa takes a job through a computer network called /ALLIANCE/. The network’s creator, Peter Gregory, was attacked and threatened after snooping around on his dad’s computer. Noa is one of the network’s most talented hackers and Peter’s go to for this particular job: finding out more about the company whose files prompted his assault. When Noa discovers her own name amongst the company’s files, however, she realizes that she and Peter share a common enemy. This first in Gagnon’s Persefone series is also her teen debut. A techno thriller with an intriguing premise, Don’t Turn Around proves to be equally appealing to fans of her earlier Kelly Jones series and teens alike. 9/13 Becky Lejeune

THE DOOR TO BITTERNESS by Martin Limon: Army CID cops George Sueno and Ernie Bascom are a couple of mismatched coppers in Korea in 1974. George wakes up one morning in an alley with cuts and bruises and without his gun and his badge. Two men who look a lot like George and Ernie soon use the gun in a casino robbery. Why are George and Ernie being targeted? And what else is in store for them? Again, having been there during this time period, I am truly impressed with Limon’s ability to portray the sights, sounds and smells of this exotic locale. 02/06 Jack Quick

DOORS OPEN by Ian Rankin: Quite a departure for the Scottish author of the Rebus series. In this intricately plotted heist thriller, a software millionaire (Mike Mackenzie), a high-end banker (Allan Cruikshank), a college art professor (Robert Gissing), and a struggling art student team up with Mckenzie’s schoolmate, Charles “Chib” Calloway, one of Edinburgh’s most notorious gangsters, to liberate forgotten works of art from a warehouse storing the overflow from Edinburgh’s museum collections. To quote another Scotsman, Robert Burns “The best laid schemes of mice and men go often askew, and leave us nothing but grief and pain, for promised joy!” It wouldn’t be Rankin without larger than life characters like the Norwegian Hell’s Angel named Hate and the Senior Detective determined to bust Calloway for embarrassing him early on in his police career. Not a Rebus but still nicely done. 06/11 Jack Quick

THE DOUBLE AGENTS by W.E.B. Griffin: The heroes of Griffin’s Men at War series must share the spotlight with real-life actors David Niven and Peter Ustinov, along with James Bond creator Ian Fleming, all of whom actually served Britain in WWII. Its 1943 and the OSS’s William J. “Wild Bill” Donovan is heading up a disinformation effort to trick the Nazis into believing that the western Allies won’t invade the European continent through Sicily. While the main gimmick of the story has been used in other World War II themed books, Griffin’s excellent writing still makes the tale worth repeating. If you are not familiar with Griffin, most of his books are slow starters but then pick up pace rapidly. I always force the first fifty pages and then I can’t put the book down until I have completely devoured it. 07/07 Jack Quick

DOUBLE BLACK by Wendy Clinch: Stacey Curtis wants to forget her cheating ex and live the life of a ski bum. And it’s working for her so far. Hitting the slopes by day and tending bar by night, she wants for nothing more than a warm place to spend her nights. When she finds the keys to the local condos, her dreams seem to have come true. But then she finds the body of a dead man and everything changes. Now she’s renting a room from the local sheriff and hoping that her identity as the body’s discoverer remains secret long enough for her to uncover the killer’s identity. This solid, if somewhat predictable, mystery makes for a satisfying series opener and Stacey Curtis is a likeable lead that will no doubt be a new favorite amongst cozy fans. 01/10 Becky Lejeune

DOUBLE CROSS by James Patterson: Alex Cross is drawn into his most complex case yet. A criminal mastermind is orchestrating a series of elaborate murders in Washington D.C. that has the entire East Coast in an uproar. Neither Alex nor his new girlfriend, Detective Brianna Stone, have ever run across a killer who adores an audience and turns his victims into gruesome spectacles. The media hysteria he induces prompts Alex to realize that his foe is both a genius of terror and a seeker of fame. And what role does former friend and now incarcerated serial killer Kyle Craig play in this killing extravaganza? If only James Patterson had stuck with the Alex Cross series. They are far and away the best of the books under his name. 01/08 Jack Quick

DOUBLE PREY by Steven Havill: It started out as a beautiful day for Posadas County New Mexico Undersheriff Estelle Guzman before she was confronted with a rattlesnake fang in a teenager’s eye. Then, the boy’s older brother goes missing and is found dead in an arroyo, apparently killed in an accident while riding his ATV cross country. Then the deputies find what the dead boy had discovered just before he was killed – a handgun that is a lead to a five year old cold case. Estelle and the now retired Bill Gastner find themselves looking for a murderer altogether too close to home. Beautiful; descriptions of the New Mexico countryside add to the readability of this one, along with the extended cast of characters. Nicely done. 1/11 Jack Quick

THE DOVEKEEPERS by Alice Hoffman: This is Hoffman’s re-imagining of the Masada story. There are four women telling the story of how they got there. Yael opens the book with her story of life without ever having known her mother, who died in childbirth. Her father, a renowned assassin, could not forgive Yael but fortunately her older brother, a warrior, is very loving to her. Revka is the widow of a baker, and escapes with her grandchildren to Masada, killing the men who raped and killed her daughter. Aziza is a warrior’s daughter brought up as a boy. Shirah practices magic and runs the dovecote where they all meet and work. These are fierce, independent women and their stories are just mesmerizing. This is a terrific read, especially for fans of The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, and book clubs will find lots to talk about. 5/12 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

Down Here by Andrew Vachss: Vachss’ latest Burke novel is well up to his usual high standard. The woman Burke has been carrying a torch for, the blonde former sex crimes prosecutor Wolfe, has been arrested for attempted murder. Her underground organization contacts him for help. The victim is someone that she had successfully prosecuted for rape and has been taunting and threatening her since his release after a successful appeal.
As Burke commences his investigation, his crew, including Max the Silent, The Professor and The Mole all lend their special talents. Regular readers of the Burke novels will feel at home and new readers will be fascinated by this group living as an extended “family” in the attics, junkyards and Chinese restaurants of a hard city.
Burke quickly learns that not only was Wolfe not the shooter, but that the authorities know it and want to keep her locked up for purposes of their own.
During the course of his search for the truth, Burke sets out to use the attractive and interesting sister of the accuser. But their relationship turns into something else and reaches Burke in that place he works so hard to keep untouched.
Burke’s discussions with the accuser’s victims are especially poignant and good vehicles for him to express in some detail his feelings about crimes of this nature. And from my point of view, the ending is a perfect classic private detective result. If you are a fan of hard-nosed crime fiction, put this one on your list. 04/04 ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

DOWN RIVER by John Hart: Hart’s sophomore effort surpasses his debut, the multi-award nominated King of Lies. A small North Carolina town is torn apart when a power company wants to buy up all the farmland on the river; some cling to their bucolic way of life, while others only see dollar signs. Adam Chase’s family has owned the largest parcel in the area for centuries, and his father has no desire to sell. But tempers are flaring and soon a young woman is severely beaten, a body is found on the Chase farm, and Adam is the chief suspect. Newly arrived after five years away, Adam is the town pariah. His stepmother accused him of murdering a family friend, and while the court acquitted him, his family and friends did not. But time has softened some of them it seems, while others have just been storing up their anger and are ready to unleash it. Down River is reminiscent of Raymond Chandler, hard boiled and rich with evocative metaphors. Complex relationships blur the lines between friend and foe, heightening the suspense in this intricate, haunting story of a family in crisis, and the writing is simply superb. 10/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2006 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Reprinted with permission.

DOWN TO THE WIRE by David Rosenfelt: Chris Turley is a reporter for a New Jersey newspaper, following in the larger than life footprints of his late father, a famous, Woodward-type journalist. A planned meeting with a source turns into the biggest break in his career when the building across the street blows up and Chris ends up saving several of the occupants. Another tip about the mayor results in a huge political scandal and Chris is thinking his career is finally taking off, thanks to P.T., his anonymous source. But then people start dying, and P.T. seems to be why. The story flies at a breakneck pace, and the tension and the bodies keep piling up, counting down to a New Year’s Eve climax in Times Square with plenty of surprises along the way. This second standalone thriller by the author of the fabulous Andy Carpenter series is breathtaking in intensity and just plain entertainment. 03/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

DOWN TO THE WIRE by David Rosenfelt: Bergen News reporter Chris Turley goes from reporting the news to being the news. Moments before he is to meet an anonymous informant, there is an explosion across the street, and Chris becomes an instant hero by rescuing five people from a shattered building. The explosion is assumed to be terrorism, and Chris appears on the Today Show 18 hours later. Soon other random blasts kill people, and Chris realizes that his informant is also the brilliant and demented bomber. But who is he, and why is he doing these things? Not at all like Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter series, this stand alone is gritty and features a most memorable plot. I still like the Andy Carpenter’s but this guy has plenty of talent for anything he wants to do. 08/10 Jack Quick

THE DRACULA DOSSIER by James Reese: Jack the Ripper terrorized London’s Whitechapel district from Aug 31 to Nov 9, 1888. A total of five murders were attributed to the Ripper, but people speculate that he was actually responsible for up to six additional murders through 1891. There is no doubt that the identity of the Ripper will never be uncovered and that is what makes him such a popular topic of debate today. The Dracula Dossier is a fictional account of the possible meeting of Dracula creator, Bram Stoker, and the famed serial killer. In 1888, after time abroad with William Irving’s theater group, Stoker returns to London where friend and fellow author Sir Thomas Henry Hall Caine, asks Stoker to do him a favor and help entertain an American visitor and friend. The “friend,” a Dr. Francis Tumblety, creeps Stoker out, but he relents and agrees to the favor. Soon, Stoker begins to tie the recent murders to his own sightings of Tumblety. Written in the style of Stoker’s own Dracula, Reese’s latest is set under the guise of being Stoker’s own personal documents, diaries, and letters, written and compiled just prior to his famous work. Footnotes lend actual historical credence to facts set forth and help to transport readers back in time. A fun and “believable” tale of intrigue and literature. 10/08 Becky Lejeune

DRAGON TEARS By Dean Koontz: From the opening sentence to the insane sequence of mayhem that follows, this book hooks you from the git-go. Harry Lyons encounters an immense hobo who tells him …Ticktock…ticktock… you’ll be dead by dawn. Others have also been visited by this same thing, and delivered similar messages; a homeless mom and her son, a fallen homeless ex-executive who’s given up all hope, and one very special dog. The only problem is that this thing ain’t real. It can shape-shift and do incredible things,
including stopping time. Harry and his partner Connie know their lives are on the line, and they set about trying to figure out exactly what the hell is going on. Meanwhile the other characters all try to cope with the thing that’s menacing them, Including the dog named Woofer. The rub is that Woofer discovers and understands what is going on, and thus becomes the hero of this story. He becomes the common link to all the characters resolving their problems, and leads the way to the enemy. Koontz actually made the dog a central player in this by writing Woofer’s part in what, for lack of a better term, …is Doggy Brain Speak. It’s done so well here that you almost wish you were a dog yourself. The paperback I bought is part of the “Good Read….Guaranteed” promotion by the publisher…I certainly have no argument here. 03/06 DOC

THE DRAGON’S PATH by Daniel Abraham: The Dragon’s Path introduces readers to the characters and the world of Daniel Abraham’s new Dagger and the Coin series: Cithrin, a ward of the Medean bank, charged with the impossible task of smuggling the bank’s wealth out of a city on the brink of turmoil; Marcus Wester, a hero whose exploits are the stuff of legend and the man hired to protect Cithrin and her interests; Geder Palliako, a man of noble blood who is more interested in the hidden history of the land than in military pursuits—their stories make up the intricate web of plots that begin to emerge in this first of the projected five-part epic. It should be understood that there is much more to come in the series. The characters are very well developed and the world is amazingly conceived, but the plots as they play out are obviously incomplete. As long as Abraham finishes the story, I’ve no doubt patient readers will be very well rewarded and I for one am definitely planning on sticking around. Fans of epic fantasy the likes of George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones will especially love the political intrigue. 06/11 Becky Lejeune

DRAMA CITY by George Pelecanos: George Pelecanos is one of the treasures that the Bookbitch opened my eyes to. His latest, Drama City, is up to his hard-hitting standards. Although he has put some of his earlier characters on hold for this novel, his mean streets of choice are still located in Washington, D.C. They are still inhabited by youth gangs and drugs and violence and drawn well. But this time, something is different. For the first time, there seems to be a note of hope in Pelecanos’ story-telling. I like it.
The leading characters are Lorenzo Brown, a ex-con on parole and working hard at staying straight and his parole officer, a young woman named Rachel Lopez, who is not working so hard at staying straight. As each of them fight their inner demons and the harsh realities of a brutal inner city, some nobility shines through. Lots of people, some of them good to one degree or another get hurt or killed, but Pelecanos seems to be saying now that even in a very brutal world, we have choices and those choices matter. Ultimately, Lorenzo’s choices put him in a position to save his parole officer and the ending is very satisfying.
What a surprise, though. George Pelecanos saying that things are getting better. If you are a fan of Pelecanos also, you won’t believe it. Until you read Drama City. 11/05 ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

THE DRAMATIST by Ken Bruen: The good news, kind of, is that Jack Taylor is off alcohol and heroin (since the arrest of his supplier). He still smokes and maintains his unique perspective on life. He is hired by his drug dealer to look into the death of the drug dealer’s sister when he accidentally gets involved in the life of old flame Ann Henderson. The resultant beating leaves him with some permanent damage, physically, and probably psychologically as well. But our injured tough guy soldiers on. I have about decided that the cushiest job in publishing must be that of Bruen’s editor – I mean how much can he/she cut out of this unbelievably tight prose. I’ve seen the one page chapter, now I’m waiting for the one sentence chapter and one word sentence. Another great Bruen. 08/06 Jack Quick

Dream House by Rochelle Krich: This second installment in the Molly Blume series lives up to the promise of the first, Blues in the Night. Molly is a modern Orthodox Jewish woman and a crime sheet reporter for a local Los Angeles rag. She reports on vandalisms in some of L.A.’s swanky areas that are governed by HARP, the Historical Architectural Restoration and Preservation boards, then sells the L.A. Times an article about the controversy between HARP supporters and foes. While visiting a HARP neighborhood, Molly meets retired Professor Oscar Linney when he jumps out in front of her car, apparently lost and confused. By doing some gentle probing, she figures out where he lives and takes the old guy to his daughter’s house, where he bangs on the door and yells until the neighbor comes out and explains that his daughter has been missing for several months. A short time later the Professor is killed, and Molly can’t help but wonder if her article contributed to his death. Meanwhile, she’s been dating her former high school heart throb, Orthodox rabbi Zack Abrams, and the relationship deepens here, despite Molly’s short skirts and her obsession with the professor’s death. There are lots of suspects in this whodunit and Krich kept me guessing until the very end. This book should hold strong appeal for Faye Kellerman fans, especially of her early works. Note – there is lots of Jewish terminology sprinkled throughout the book, but Krich thoughtfully provides a pronunciation guide up front and a glossary in the back.

THE DREAM OF THE BROKEN HORSES by William Bayer: David Weiss is a very successful forensic artist, but when the presiding judge in a celebrity murder trial in his Midwestern hometown of Calista bars cameras, Weiss gladly accepts an assignment on behalf of ABC as a courtroom sketch artist. His real interest in returning to Calista, however, is in another murder that occurred twenty five years earlier. Barbara Fulraine and her lover, Tom Jessup, were gunned down in the cheap Flamingo Court motel. Soon after the homicides David’s father, who was also Barbara’s therapist, committed suicide. Weiss is convinced Barbara Fulraine’s death was the cause of his family’s breakup, but his attempts to learn more are rebuffed. As he unravels the story of Barbara Fulraine fueled by her diary which he has found, he uncovers ample dirty laundry in what turns out to be a classy and compelling psycho erotic suspense tale. 05/09 Jack Quick

DRIFT by Jon McGoran: Doyle Carrick is not having a good year. First, he buries his mother, and then he gets suspended from his job as a Philadelphia narcotics cop. He decides to take the forced time off to settle his parents’ affairs at the farmhouse they had bought in a small town in rural Pennsylvania. Surprises await; he finds a young farmhand staying in the house, spots some known drug dealers driving around town, and finds a couple of burned down meth houses in the not-so-idyllic berg. He falls for his neighbor, a passionate young woman trying to make a go of her organic farm who educates Carrick on the genetically modified food industry. Being on suspension doesn’t seem to stop Carrick from investigating the drug dealers in his new neighborhood, and the local sheriff doesn’t take kindly to the interference. This biotech thriller is a complicated Frankenfood story, with lots of twists and turns leading to a startling ending. Readers who enjoy Michael Crichton or liked Spiral by Paul McEuen, or even the nonfiction bio-thrillers by Richard Preston, will find much to like here. 7/13 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2013 Booklist, a division of the American Library Association. Reprinted with permission.

DRIVEN by Eve Kenin: In the bleak and icy landscape of the Northern Waste, Raina Bowen has only one hope for securing the future of a sister who has been kept a secret from her until now. Raina has never known the warmth or security of a loving family or friends, but it is her hope that her own young sister can know better life. Raina’s only hope is to win a dangerous long haul trucking race that would earn her enough money to ensure both of their futures. The race involves carrying a large shipment of genetically enhanced grain across the frozen tundra. Raina contacts one of her father’s old acquaintances, a mysterious figure who calls himself Wizard, a man who may be able to guarantee her win. Raina is drawn to Wizard in spite of his strange demeanor and soon finds herself teaming up with him against ice pirates set on hijacking her shipment and corporate killers out to collect the bounty on her head. This steamy futuristic romance works on so many different levels. For one, it’s a complete surprise, readers may think they know what’s coming, but they can’t possibly predict where the story will lead them. Driven also takes readers directly into Kenin’s latest release, Hidden. It’s a fantastic premise and Kenin, aka Eve Silver, pulls it off with amazing skill. It’s romance on steroids. 07/08 Becky Lejeune

DROOD by Dan Simmons: June 9, 1865, Charles Dickens, one of the most famous authors in the world, survives a train wreck that will forever change his life. At the crash scene, he meets a horrid beast, “cadaverously thin, almost shockingly pale,” with “eyes set deep under a pale, high brow that melded into a pale, bald scalp.” His nose was “mere black slits” and he had “small, sharp, irregular teeth, spaced too far apart.” Upon returning to his home, Dickens becomes obsessed with finding Drood, and pulls his good friend, Willkie Collins, into the hunt. This “hunt” forever alters the lives of both Dickens and Collins. DROOD is an amazing piece of literary fiction. Fans of classic fiction, including the work of Dickens and Collins, will be absorbed by the flavorful language. Fans of thriller and horror will be drawn in by the dark, dangerous and deadly DROOD character. Simmons is spot on with the historical details, the images of London, the characters of Charles Dickens and Willkie Collins. I can’t say enough about this amazing piece of writing. Don’t let the length of this book stop you from picking it up. I guarantee that DROOD is a piece of work that you won’t forget for some time. 03/09 Jennifer Lawrence

THE DROP by Michael Connelly: This is the latest installment in Connelly’s excellent Harry Bosch series and it does not disappoint. Bosch is still working the LAPD’s Open-Unsolved unit, working on cold cases and this time out gets a most intriguing case. There was DNA left at the scene in a blood smear that was preserved. The DNA evidence points to a suspect that seems perfect for the crime, except for the fact the perp was only 8 years old when the rape and murder were committed. Bosch is working with a young partner, David Chu, and is having some difficulties with shaking off his loner mentality. Then they are handed a new case from the Chief of Police himself – Bosch’s long time nemesis, Councilman Irwin Irving has specifically requested that Bosch investigate the death of George Irving, the Councilman’s son. He appears to have leapt to his death from a hotel balcony, but it may have been murder. Bosch’s being a single dad doesn’t seem to be hindering his investigations any, but he has a parenting style that some may find unique. These storylines run parallel throughout the book, and make for an engrossing, fast paced story sure to please Connelly fans, including this one. 12/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

A DROP OF THE HARD STUFF by Lawrence Block: Scudder’s back, Scudder’s back, Scudder’s back. In this new tale, Matthew Scudder is finally on the straight and narrow when he runs into “High-Low” Jack Ellery, a childhood friend from the Bronx. Scudder has been off the sauce for a year and Jack is inspired to change his own life and follow Scudder’s lead. But Ellery, following to the letter the dictates of Alcoholics Anonymous’ twelve steps, is shot down while attempting to atone for past sins. Scudder is part of the murder investigation which threatens to put him back on the sauce, even if he survives without being killed himself. If you haven’t discovered Scudder you have not yet sampled one of the true originals of American detective fiction. Like Scudder says, “There’s no charge for seats in an AA room, but that’s because you have paid for them in advance.” 05/11 Jack Quick

THE DROWNING TREE by Carol Goodman: Juno’s best friend, Christine, has always been something of a wild card. After picking her life back up, Christine is asked to give a talk at their former alma mater. The subject of the lecture is a stained-glass window their class is having repaired as a gift to the college. The window in question was designed by the college’s founders and was always said to picture the founder’s wife herself. Christine’s research, however, shows that there was another woman in the picture, so to speak. The founder’s sister-in-law was tucked away quietly at a nearby sanitarium, the same institution Juno’s own ex-husband calls home. When Christine is discovered dead, the police rule it a suicide. In fact, others are willing to attest to Christine’s recent mental state, but Juno believes there is something more to the story and that Christine’s death may be connected to the revelations in her lecture. Carol Goodman has such a talent for weaving together art and mystery. Always a guaranteed good read. 09/11 Becky Lejeune

DRY ICE by Stephen White: Michael McClelland, the brilliant, determined killer introduced in White’s first novel Privileged Information, has left the Colorado State Mental Hospital where he has been confined and is coming after Alan Gregory’s family. Alan is in a deeply vulnerable state, facing severe doubts about his professional life, his marriage, and his own psyche while McClelland holds the most powerful weapons of all, secrets from Alan’s past, secrets Alan thought he had successfully buried years ago. Time is running out as Alan scrambles to outwit his nemesis while confronting each of his worst nightmares. Dry Ice’ has got to be one of the most memorable of White’s efforts. 03/07 Jack Quick

DUBLIN NOIR edited by Ken Bruen: Ken Bruen has assembled an awesome book with brand new stories by: Ken Bruen, Eoin Colfer, Jason Starr, Laura Lippman, Olen Steinhauer, Peter Spiegelman, Kevin Wignall, Jim Fusilli, John Rickards, Patrick J. Lambe, Charlie Stella, Ray Banks, James O. Born, Sarah Weinman, Pat Mullan, Gary Phillips, Craig McDonald, Duane Swierczynski, Reed Farrel Coleman, and others. Each explores another aspect of Dublin. Take a deep breath before you start and remember to periodically inhale and exhale. 02/06 Jack Quick

DUMA KEY by Stephen King: Edgar Freemantle had it all, a great job, a wonderful family, and the security and stability that everyone strives for in life. Eddie loses almost everything, though, when his truck is crushed in an on-site accident at work. As a result, Eddie loses his right arm and suffers a debilitating head injury that leaves him with speech impairment, short-term memory loss, and violent mood swings. In the midst of his difficult recovery, Edgar’s wife decides to leave. Realizing that Edgar is strongly considering suicide, his doctor makes two suggestions. First, that Eddie find something that he loves, some hobby to help him heal and recover. Second, he suggests to Eddie that a change of scenery might do him some good. Eddie takes the advice to heart and decides to rent a home on Duma Key, an almost uninhabited island off the coast of Florida. There he begins to sketch and paint, creating wonderful and disturbing images that are gaining him quite a bit of attention. But something dark lives on Duma Key, something that is infecting everyone on the island, something that might be coming for Eddie next. Every page of this story was a new and wonderful surprise, I had no idea where the story was taking me, but I enjoyed every minute of the ride! Duma Key is one of my new favorites! As creepy and enthralling as ever, Duma Key proves that King is still the best there is. 09/08 Becky Lejeune

DUST by Joan Frances Turner: It’s a zombie-pocalypse tale like you’ve never seen it: from the zombie’s perspective. Jessie is relatively young for a walking dead. She was just fifteen when she was killed in a car accident, and it’s been less than a decade since she rose from her grave. In zombie years, she’s still fresh. Now something strange is happening to zombies and humans around Jessie: a smell, like chemicals, and changes in eating habits, amongst other things. Jessie isn’t sure what’s going on, but she’s planning to find out before it gets to her too. Telling the story from Jessie’s perspective gives Turner plenty of room for original and unique style and storytelling, something she takes full advantage of. Be warned, it’s a bit gory and gross, to be expected when a walking corpse is doing the narrating. 10/11 Becky Lejeune

DYING FOR JUSTICE by L. J. Sellers: Detective Wade Jackson is no superhero. Not only does he not have all the answers, often he doesn’t even know the right questions. However, when he is on a case, he stays on the case. It may take awhile, but he is not someone to mess with if you are looking for a fast score or take pleasure from hurting others. With each outing Jackson gets better and better. This time he gets involved with two cold cases – one the murder of his own parents eleven years ago, the other an assault that happened two years ago, with the victim just now regaining consciousness. The common thread is a fellow cop. Is Jackson up to the dual challenge? Is there truly a connection between the two cases? Read for yourself. If you like first rate police procedurals you will not be disappointed. 03/11 Jack Quick

THE DYING HOUR by Rick Mofina: Jason Wade wants to be a reporter in the worst way – he’ll even work for the opportunity. His break may have come as he is the first with the story of Karen Harding, a Seattle college coed missing on a lonely stretch of highway in upstate Washington near the Canadian border. Working for the Seattle Mirror in cut throat competition with the other bigger local papers, Wade is determined to follow the story not knowing the toll its going to take on him and his cohorts. As a lowly intern, he knows that if he can pull this one off, he will reach his objective. A dark story that seems to fit the wild wet untamed Northwest. As a lifelong card carrying media member I usually prefer to read about other people’s occupations, but I think Mofina has nailed it with Wade. My first Rick Mofina, but certainly not my last. 04/07 Jack Quick

DYING IN STYLE by Elaine Viets: The author of the delightful Dead End Job series debuts a new series set in her hometown of St. Louis. Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper has what appears to be a dream job for most women: she gets paid to shop. But it isn’t as much fun as one might think. Her job might take her from a fried chicken fast food establishment to a discount store to a swanky shop in the mall, and she needs to dress the part for each. But Josie is a single mom and likes the flexibility of her hours so she’s determined to make a living at it and deals with having to wear disguises as needed. There are three generations living under one roof with her precocious nine year old daughter and her mother living in the apartment upstairs to keep Josie on her toes. After she gives a negative report on a very ritzy designer handbag store, Josie gets called on the carpet by her boss & confronted by the owner of the store. Later that night the owner and her lover are found murdered and Josie becomes a suspect. This mystery shopper deals with more than most and works hard to clear her name. This light hearted romp has some very funny moments and a terrific surprise ending. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series, especially since the first chapter is a tantalizing teaser at the end of the book! 11/05

DYING LIGHT by Stuart MacBride: You can’t judge a book by its cover, but sometimes a line or two is all it takes to know you have a good one. Dying Light opens with, “The street was dark as they entered the boarded up building: scruffy wee shites in their tatty jeans and hooded tops. Three men and two women, nearly identical with their long hair, pierced ears, pierced noses, and pierced God knows what else. Everything about them screamed ‘Kill me.’ He smiled. They would be screaming soon enough.” Detective Sergeant Logan Lazarus McRae has been demoted to the Grampian Police’s “Screw-Up Squad,” in Aberdeen, Scotland, after a sting operation he was manning left a senior officer near dead. He is faced with two grisly cases, either of which could be his ticket back to respectability or completely off the force. One is a fire that claimed six lives, the other a savage murder of a prostitute. Operating on a mixture of nicotine, dark ale, bacon sandwiches, and greasy chips, McRae and his bunch deals with sleazy journalists, drug-dealing grandmothers, and the world of corporate finance. No sophomore slump for MacBride after last year’s grim but entertaining Cold Granite. 09/06 Jack Quick

THE DYING OF MORTIMER POST by Barry W. Ozeroff: “Some deaths, I have learned, are slower than others. Mine is such a death; I have been dying it since August 13, 1967 – thirty six years, three months and one day ago.” Quite a powerful opening. Mortimer Post, disgraced and terminated from his LAPD job because of a drunken accidental shooting, is about to “eat his gun.” In the brief time before he performs the act, he thinks through the terrible tragedy in 1967 that caused him to enlist in the Army; his experiences in Vietnam as a helicopter crew chief during the Tet Offensive, culminating with a grievous injury and the death of his best friend in a helicopter crash. Back in the states he adopts the younger brother of his friend who was killed in Vietnam, a poor black wheelchair-bound mentally handicapped boy from Tupelo, Mississippi. Eventually he lands in Los Angeles in 1974 and joins the LAPD. Alcohol, Rodney King, the Whittier earthquake and 911 all take a toll which brings the story up to his suicide at the beginning. Only then does Mortimer discover he has always had the one thing he has spent a lifetime seeking. Powerful an painful for those of us who lived through some of these same events. 06/10 Jack Quick

THE DYING TRADE by Peter Corris: The first outing for Sydney, Australia’s tough guy private eye – Cliff Hardy. Divorced and adept at dodging bullets, he drives a beat-up Falcon, smokes, drinks, and solves problems, like the one experienced by wealthy Bryan Gutteridge. Gutteridge, a sea gull shooting real estate heir, is concerned about threats being received by his twin sister, Susan. The butler apparently didn’t do it, since he is murdered. Fists fly, bruises abound, and you begin to wonder who is a villain and who is a victim. Very, very good. 11/07 Jack Quick

EARTH ABIDES by George R. Stewart: Written in 1949, this futuristic thriller is still chilling today. A mysterious disease has sprung up almost simultaneously in every corner of the globe, all but destroying the human race. One survivor, strangely immune to the effects of the epidemic, ventures forward to experience a world without man. What he ultimately discovers will prove far more astonishing than anything he’d either dreaded or hoped for. 12/11 Jack Quick

EARTHSEED by Pamela Sargent: Ship was created in hopes of bringing the last of humanity to a new world. Its consciousness exists as part of an asteroid modified and built to provide food, shelter, and education to a group of people who will be born and raised onboard in preparation of settling this new land. Zoheret and her friends have spent all of their lives preparing for their new home. Ship regularly devises competitions to test their skills and teach them along the way, but when the latest test turns dangerous, Zoheret and the others will have a tough decision to make. Their choices will affect the teens and their new settlement but may also prepare them for an enemy they never expected. Originally published in 1983, Sargent’s series is seeing new life and an introduction to a new audience in newly released editions. Earthseed is the first in the trilogy and stands the test of time. It easily fits in with today’s top teen reads and should definitely appeal to fans of books like the Hunger Games and Beth Revis’s Across the Universe trilogy. 1/13 Becky Lejeune

EAST SIDE by John Mackie: Who is killing the priests? There is enough evidence to connect the killings, but not enough to determine why. Detective Sergeant Thornton Savage and the Manhattan South homicide squad are in a race against time to catch a priest-killer before he strikes again. Nothing will stop the cops-not even if their efforts uncover something that could bring down the whole Roman Catholic Church. In the meantime they must care for their own. A well-written NYPD procedural similar to the works of Ed Dee, Dan Mahoney, and Leslie Glass. 10/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

EASY GO by John Lange: John Lange is a pseudonym for Michael Crichton and was used by him for several books written during his time at Harvard Medical School. They are in the process of being reissued in order to help fans of the late Dr. Crichton enjoy the full range of his talent. Many of the earmarks of later books are present in this early effort, such as an exotic setting, a well researched presentation of the details of the time and place of the action, and writing that keeps the reader engrossed in the goings on and problems presented. Harold Barnaby, an active Egyptologist, manages to translate a particularly difficult set of hieroglyphics which point to the tomb of an ancient pharaoh as yet undiscovered. The writings point to the existence of riches buried with the mummy beyond anything yet unearthed. He convinces three other men, one of whom has the financial ability to back the expedition to join him in looking for the tomb. Like other Crichton books, the descriptions of the areas where pyramids and pharaohs’ tombs are located are as they most likely are based on research, and the finding of the tomb and it’s unearthing bring the reader into the locale and difficulties involved. There is even a romance, neatly done, between the secretary of the financial backer and one of the men working to find the tomb. I am looking forward to the reissue of the other books written by Crichton during this period and brought out for fans of his writings. Based on “Easy Go” these will provide all fans of Michael Crichton added pleasure in the additions to his repertoire. 7/13 Paul Lane

EASY INNOCENCE by Libby Fischer Hellman: When a teenage girl is found beaten to death in the woods, the police figure they’ve got an open and shut case. A local man, a convicted sex offender, was found standing over the body, covered in blood and holding a baseball bat. Georgia Davis has been hired by the man’s sister to find the real killer. The man in question is mentally challenged and, according to his sister, has never shown any signs of violence. Georgia also believes the man to be innocent based on the alarming rate at which the cops have been moving the case to court. Georgia, a cop on suspension, investigated a case only two years prior where a group of teens had been participating in a hazing ritual in the same place this girl was found. Her investigation turns over some rather disturbing information about these teens and their extra-curricular activities. She’s also ruffling some pretty important feathers and someone will do just about anything to make sure she keeps her mouth shut. Easy Innocence is a quick and intense mystery with a clever plot and a tough heroine. Georgia Davis one I hope we see more of soon. Highly recommended. 04/08 Becky Lejeune

EASY INNOCENCE by Libby Fischer Hellmann: It is always interesting to see how two very different writers approach a similar venue. I had been reading and enjoying Stuart Kaminsky’s Lieberman series about two Chicago detectives before turning to Ms. Hellmann’s latest. In Easy Innocence, Hellman begins a new series with Georgia Davis, a former cop-turned-PI in Chicago. Her case involves a mentally challenged suspect, Cam Jordan, who was found clutching a bloody baseball bat at the scene of the murder of 17-year-old Sara Long. Jordan’s sister is probably the only one in the world who thinks he is innocent and hires Davis to prove this. Although Davis doesn’t walk the mean streets of Chicago to the extent of Lieberman and Hanrahan, there is still enough evil-doing to go around. It will be interesting to see where Ms. Hellman takes Georgia Davis and whether there will be, in future outings, more interaction with Ellie Foreman, the heroine of Hallman’s other series. 05/08 Jack Quick

Eat Cake by Jeanne Ray: This sweet book is a delicious break from life. Sorry, the dessert metaphors just seem appropriate. Ruth is a member of the sandwich generation; her oldest son is away at college, but she still has a teenage daughter at home and her mother moves in after she is robbed in the middle of a bridge game in her own home. Her husband’s company is bought out and he loses his job, and her estranged father has a terrible accident and no insurance and moves in, too. Ruth’s way to escape is to use visual imagery; her picture of solitude and bliss is not a mountain retreat or a deserted beach, but a cake. Yes, Ruth visualizes herself surrounded by walls of cake and is comforted. And when the going gets tough, Ruth bakes. Cakes, of course. Every day. Sometimes in the middle of the night, when sleep just won’t come. As the family dynamic changes, they all must learn to adapt and adjust, and eat cake. Recipes included. Warning: do not read this book while on a diet.
Jeanne Ray is one of my favorite authors, her books just touch the heart without being cloy or cutesy. Her characters are genuine and people you can care about, her stories are simple yet hit home. She still hasn’t topped her first book, Julie and Romeo, which is on my top ten list of favorite books of all time, but this is a very enjoyable read. Her daughter is pretty talented, too – she’s Ann Patchett of Bel Canto fame.

ECHELON by Josh Conviser: Imagine where our technology can possibly take us in the future; imagine the best and then imagine the worst. Josh Conviser has done exactly that in this futuristic thriller. Echelon has consumed everything. The system controls all feasible outcomes and protects society from itself. If a threat is great enough, Echelon will weed it out and eliminate it. After years of dependence on the system, the world finds itself on the brink of global disaster when Echelon is compromised. Ryan Laing, and Echelon operative, has been engineered to be the perfect agent. When Laing dies in a climbing accident, Echelon agents use the latest in technology to bring him back. Unfortunately, it wasn’t just a matter of healing Laing. His body is inundated with drones, tiny machines that are constantly moving, thinking, and working inside of him. The drones can fix him when he is broken. They also keep him tied to the flow, a sort of 24/7 virtual reality that everyone is constantly tapped into (think The Matrix). This new existence has pushed Laing to the brink of insanity and is costing him his humanity. The drones can be turned off, though, by using the same information that can restore Echelon. Laing and his partner, Sarah, must find the key to setting Echelon back in motion and discover who is behind the sabotage plot before chaos overwhelms the Earth. Conviser’s action-packed debut should appeal to fans of techno thrillers such Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. I will admit that while I enjoyed this book, there are some aspects that are just too intricate for me to fully grasp. I dare say anyone who is not at least a bit tech savvy will be completely lost in Conviser’s future. 11/07 Becky Lejeune

ECHO PARK by Michael Connelly: Harry Bosch is back and Connelly has proven that series fiction can get better with age; this is hard boiled fiction that would make Chandler sit up and take notice. Working in the LAPD Open-Unsolved Unit lets Harry obsess over all his old cases, including the Marie Gesto file. Gesto disappeared in 1993, her clothes were found in her car a week or so later, and that was the end of the trail. Spring forward to present day Los Angeles and the arrest of Raynard Waits, who is found with body parts in his car and admits to murdering nine people. His lawyer puts together a deal – his client will provide details on some of the open cases still on the books in return for avoiding the death penalty. When Gesto is one of those cases, and it appears that Harry and his then-partner Jerry Edgar missed an important clue, Harry’s guilt kicks in but eventually so do his suspicions. As in The Closers, police politics rears its ugly head and nothing is quite as it seems to be in L.A., a “sunny place for shady people.” Connelly has elevated the art form by creating a plot as complex as the music his flawed hero listens to, which when combined with its evocative language, arguably makes Echo Park Connelly’s finest novel yet. 10/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

ECLIPSE by Richard North Patterson: Patterson pens another compelling legal thriller, very reminiscent of Exile. Successful lawyer Damon Pierce had an unrequited love affair with Marissa Brand, but she was in love with a cause in the West African nation of Luandia (think Nigeria) and its leader, Bobby Okari. The divorcing Damon receives a plea for help from Marissa, so he flies off to Africa and learns that the head of the government is tied into PetroGlobal, the American oil company making billions from West African oil. He also finds that the water supply has been repeatedly compromised by oil, there is no infrastructure, and the people are starving and disease-ridden while being brutalized by the government. Bobby had led a demonstration during the night of the eclipse, and then the government slaughtered everyone in his village and tortured and arrested him, accusing him of murder. Damon has his hands full trying to get a fair trial for Bobby, and because Marissa is an American, the world is watching. Patterson once again brings a timely, controversial subject-America’s dependence on foreign oil-to the forefront in this troubling yet engrossing read. 01/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch. Copyright © 2008 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Reprinted with permission.

ECLIPSE by Richard North Patterson: An epic legal thriller set primarily in Africa. Damon Pierce, a 40-year-old Irish Catholic lawyer, is a partner in the San Francisco office of a huge law firm, where he specializes in international law. He is recently divorced and somewhat disillusioned when he hears from Marissa Okari, a Jewish-African American woman he had known in college. He knew her as Marissa Brand and loved her but she chose to marry Bobby Okari, a firebrand reformer whose Nigeria-like country, Luandia, is awash in oil. They have returned to Luandia and Bobby has become a “Martin Luther King” for his tribesmen. Now, Bobby has been accused of lynching three oil company workers after government soldiers slaughter almost everyone in his village. Pierce risks his life by going to Luandia to attempt to defend Bobby. Because he is both a good man and is still in love with Marissa, Pierce is conflicted but determined to do his best in a situation where there are many sides and competing interests not only in Luandia but back home in the United States. Outstanding read, and in my opinion, Patterson’s best to date. 01/09 Jack Quick

ED KING by David Guterson: This is a super quirky story of a family with devastating secrets loosely based on Sophocles’s Oedipus Rex. That might give too much away, but it can’t be helped. Ed King is brought up by his adopted parents, who choose not to tell him that he’s adopted. His father, a doctor, goes so far as to forge a birth certificate. His real parents did him a huge favor by abandoning him and Ed does have a good life, growing up to become the “King of Search”, a sort of Steve Jobs type multi-millionaire tech genius. But then Oedipus rears his ugly head and this story goes deep into the mud. At best it was very entertaining in a can’t-tear-your-eyes-away from an impending disaster sort of way, and deeply disturbing in many other ways, with deft touches of black humor spread throughout. An interesting, entertaining novel, and surely one that won’t be easily forgotten. 12/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

EDGE by Jeffery Deaver: Think James Bond as a Grandmaster of Chess. Corte is a “shepherd”, an agent for the Strategic Protection Department, a super secret government agency which takes over when the CIA and FBI need help in protecting high profile targets. In this case, the target is a Washington, DC metro police detective named Ryan Kessler. Strangely, Corte and his colleagues don’t know why Kessler needs protection. All they know is that he is the target of Henry Loving, a “lifter”, who specializes in extracting information from human targets by any means necessary. Corte and Loving have history and Corte, a board game aficionado and game theory student as well as a trained agent, is going up against the best the agency has ever faced in Loving. There are no holds barred in this all out take no prisoners battle, just the dead and the survivors. Think The Day of the Condor meets The Eiger Sanction with Jack Reacher as the bad guy. Thank goodness my pacemaker had been thoroughly tested when you come across dialogue like “Loving’s low-tech. Usually he uses sandpaper and alcohol on sensitive parts of the body. Doesn’t sound too bad, but it works real well.” The physical action is on-going, but it is the non-stop matching of intellect and sheer brain power that takes this one over the edge. 12/10 Jack Quick

THE EDGE OF BLACK by J.T. Ellison: Samantha Owens has officially made the move from Nashville to D.C., leaving behind her job as a medical examiner in exchange for a new position in the classroom—or so she thinks. When an outbreak occurs in the city, Sam finds her skills as an ME in demand once again. While the outbreak was at its peak, a senator also passed away under mysterious circumstances. The last text he received before he died suggested the biological attack was a response to the senator’s own actions. While the initial suspicion is terrorism, Sam’s new boyfriend has an in with a number of survivalist groups and word is the attack may have come from one of our own. While Xander sets off to see what he can find out, Sam tries to find any connection she can between the few victims. This second to feature Samantha Owens is fantastic. Ellison is a favorite of mine and Edge of Black just solidifies that even more. 1/13 Becky Lejeune

THE EDINBURGH DEAD by Brian Ruckley: It’s 1828 and Adam Quire, one of Edinburgh’s finest, has discovered a body in Old Town. A dead man in Old Town isn’t that strange of an occurrence in and of itself, but the wounds inflicted on this victim are. The dead man’s throat has been ripped out and Quire suspects the foulest of play. When a piece of evidence leads him to the doorstep of one of the city’s upper-crust, Quire becomes convinced that something rotten is going on in his city. The officer soon finds himself cut loose and at odds with his former superiors, plus, someone seems determined to make sure that his inquiries go no further. Witchcraft, murder, and dogs of the walking dead variety, all in a dark and dank historic setting, make Ruckley’s latest an original and captivating blend of mystery and horror that will please readers across genres. 09/11 Becky Lejeune

The Edge of Justice by Clinton McKinzie: Special Agent Antonio Burns, with the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, is sent to Laramie to investigate what appears to be an accidental death from a fall while mountain climbing. Burns is suspicious, especially after seeing how inadequate the local investigation was. The town is packed with reporters, there for the trial of two brothers accused of a racially biased rape & murder. Burn’s got history in this part of Wyoming, which isn’t helping him any, and local politics keep getting in his way. Bodies start turning up and the political climate worsens, but Burns plugs on, struggling with professional, personal and family issues, but also finding a bit of romance with one of the reporters. These characters are strong and well-developed, and the story is as taut as the ropes used to scale the mountains, up through the cliff-hanger of an ending.

EDWARD TRENCOM’S NOSE: A NOVEL OF HISTORY, DARK INTRIGUE AND CHEESE by Giles Milton: Edward Trencom has been blessed with the family’s trademark nose. It is this nose that has allowed generations of Trencoms to run their renowned cheese shop in London. Unfortunately, this same nose has also lead the Trencom men to their most unfortunate deaths. As a child, Edward Trencom asks his uncle about the origin of the family nose. His uncle promptly forbids him to ever speak of the matter again. Years later, an odd occurrence leads Edward to discover a cache of hidden papers chronicling his ancestors. This discovery, along with a mysterious visitor, may end up sending Edward on the same journey that killed his father, his father’s father, and so on. Will Edward uncover the truth about the Trencoms or is he destined to the same untimely demise as his predecessors? I truly enjoyed this quirky epicurean mystery. I recommend a cozy chair, a nice glass of wine and a really good cheese to get the full effect of this highly original and fabulous fiction debut. 04/07 Becky Lejeune

THE EGYPTOLOGIST by Arthur Phillips: The unfortunate results of misinformation and the madness of unachievable ambitions are the prevalent subjects of this literary mystery. Harold Ferrell has been hired to find a possible descendant of a dying Englishman. His instructions are to track down one of his former lovers and determine whether or not an illegitimate child resulted from their brief union. Ferrell discovers that there was indeed a child, one Paul Caldwell. Caldwell was a precocious boy obsessed with ancient Egypt. He left home in his early teens and after a brief stint as a circus performer, Paul Caldwell manipulated his way into the military and a posting in Egypt. There, Caldwell befriended a British officer who also went missing in the war. Ferrell follows the trail from Australia to England and then to Boston and Ralph Trilipush. Ferrell believes that Trilipush may have information that will ultimately help him find Caldwell. Trilipush, however, is away in Egypt searching for the burial place of King Atum-Hadu. Not to be put off, Ferrell plans to follow Trilipush, but is waylaid when he becomes infatuated with Trilipush’s fiancé. The story is told through letters from Ferrell recounting his discoveries in the 1920’s and Trilipush’s journal detailing his discovery in the desert. I loved every minute of this intriguing tale. It’s a grand puzzle that slowly reveals itself to the reader. 03/07 Becky Lejeune

THE EIGHT by Katherine Neville: Somehow I missed this one when it was first released twenty years ago in 1988. Katherine Neville’s debut novel is a thriller with action divided between 1790 and 1972. The action centers on a chess set owned by Charlemagne which ended up in a French monastery. Supposedly players who use it can tap into incredible powers. As the set is dispersed during the French Revolution, a young novice risks her life to safeguard it. Alternating with her story are the present-day efforts of a U.S. computer expert and a Russian chess master to assemble the set and solve its mystery. Kind of a precursor to Indiana Jones and the DaVinci Code, the book has withstood the test of time and will probably continue to be enjoyed for many years to come. 09/08 Jack Quick

EIGHT IN THE BOX by Raffi Yessayan: The television series Law and Order meets the city of Boston in this first novel, although at times it comes close to sounding like a legal spinoff of the TV show Friends. I won’t bother you with all the details since I don’t remember most of them. In fact, I think it possibly was written as a cop/lawyer/serial killer/pyschopathic/urban life love story by a group of demented first year journalism students as a class exercise. Too many main characters, too many side stories, and an Assistant District Attorney who juggles hundreds of cases piled on his desk, puts the make on a fellow lawyer and in his spare time, helps officers and attorneys catch an elusive maniac serial killer who drains the blood from the bodies of his victims and carts off the now-empty body. Bleeh. 05/09 Jack Quick

EIGHT IN THE BOX by Raffi Yessayan: Using his eleven years of experience as an assistant district attorney in Boston, and his current experience in private practice, Attorney Raffi Yessayan makes his debut with this combination police procedural/legal thriller. The title, Eight in the Box, refers to a term Yessayan and fellow prosecutors use in regards to district court jury trials – when a person is charged with a misdemeanor, they have the right to a jury trial. The jury consists of six jurors and two alternates, hence eight in the box. Eight in the Box primarily follows three individuals (two cops and a prosecutor with the District Attorney’s office) and their involvement with the case of the Blood Bath killer. The book begins with the killer’s second attack, an attack with such strange circumstances that it causes the police to consider that they may be dealing with a serial. In both instances, the killer leaves behind a bathtub full of blood but no body. The victims seem to have no connection other than the fact that they are both single women, and the cops have run out of useful leads. Then the killer strikes again. Yessayan’s expertise in the field allows for a realistic portrayal of the process involved in a case from both the legal perspective as well as the investigating officer’s perspective. At first, the book reads as dual storylines with a common link, we follow the cops on the case as well as the prosecutor in his daily routine. But, there’s much more going on than the reader is initially aware of. Yessayan’s interesting and tense debut has a great twist ending and some of the characters will be appearing again in a follow-up title. 07/08 Becky Lejeune

EIGHTEEN ACRES by Nicolle Wallace: Wallace turns politics into a light soap opera in this novel about the first female president and her staff. President Charlotte Kramer is married in name only; the “first man” is having an affair with a television reporter. Press Secretary Melanie Kingston has risen to the top because she’s given up a private life, so when she falls for a new network news guy, her workaholic lifestyle creates difficulties. Kramer’s closest advisor does something unforgiveable, and her re-election may hang in the balance. Lots of angst among the eighteen acres that comprise the White House complex and these caricature characters. Don’t take this debut novel by a Washington insider too seriously and it’s a fun read. 1/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE EIGHTH COURT by Mike Shevdon: This final piece of the Courts of the Feyre series picks up immediately after the events of its predecessor, Strangeness & Charm. The eighth court is quickly becoming a reality in spite of the mixed feelings amongst the rest of the fey. If Blackbird and Niall can organize the fey/human hybrids and find a place they can call their own, they’ll be one step closer to becoming official. But trouble is brewing amongst the High Court. The wraithkin, while not seated in the court due to their long ago exile, still have a say in proceedings and everyone knows that they’d never accept a mixed race court. The remaining six seats are split in their opinion as well. The seventh court supporters – and the few brethren wraithkin who are present in London – are rallying and the walls between this world and theirs are at risk. Soon the feyre will have to choose sides. This has been one of my favorite urban fantasy series ever since cracking open book one, Sixty-One Nails. As such, saying goodbye to the world and the characters is bittersweet. Shevdon does bring the story full circle but I still felt there were some things left unanswered. All in all, though, a very worthy end to a fantastic series. 7/13 Becky Lejeune

THE EIGHTH DAY by John Case: Danny Cray, a struggling artist and part-time private investigator has been asked by a wealthy, enigmatic lawyer, Jude Belzer, to meet him at the Admirals Club at Washington National Airport. When Danny asks Belzer when his plane is scheduled to leave Belzer replies “when I tell it to” Belzer’s client, an elusive billionaire named Zerevan Zebet, is the target of a vicious campaign in the Italian press that threatens to destroy his reputation. Belzer wants Danny to find out who is responsible–and he will pay handsomely. Danny’s only lead is the meager estate of a recently deceased professor of religious studies, a man so deeply terrified that he buried himself alive in the basement of an isolated farmhouse. Belzer swears that if Danny can get at the late professor’s files, the conspiracy against his own reclusive client will unravel. It’s the perfect assignment, in a way, and Danny can sure use the money. But the more he probes, the more apparent it becomes that nothing is what it seems. A classic case of if something is too good to be true, then it probably isn’t. 1/13 Jack Quick

EL GAVILAN by Craig McDonald: The town has a fast-growing undocumented immigrant worker population which is causing mounting tension. Then the rape-murder of a Mexican-American woman triggers a brutal chain of events that threatens to leave no survivors. There are good cops and bad cops and the worst may be the Horton County Sheriff, Able Hawk, who thinks all Mexicans are second class. Opposing him is the new New Austin Police Chief Tell Lyon. Before you right this one off as stereotypical Southern racism, be aware that the fictional town of New Austin is, in fact, in Ohio. With its topical themes, shades-of-gray characters and dark canvas, El Gavilan is a novel for our charged times. 12/11 Jack Quick

ELECTRIC BARRACUDA by Tim Dorsey: If LSD is not your thing, or if LSD was your thing and you still suffer from its aftereffects, then you must try Tim Dorsey. The hero (?) is Serge Storms, a one-man vigilante and one-stop-all-things-Florida-trivia-buff who has been leaving corpses strewn across the Sunshine State for more than a decade. Serge has brains, vision, a sidekick named Coleman a talent for ingenious violence, and an Internet travel-advice site conveniently directing disciples on the best way to explore the Sunshine State. If you are beginning to suspect that they didn’t count all the bricks when they loaded Serge’s truck, then you are correct. While the cops chase the Storms’ troopers through his favorite locales in the “tradition of the great American chase movie,” Serge himself must attend to a pressing personal matter. His grandfather’s old Miami Beach gang is suddenly broke, their life savings vaporized. It’s Serge to the rescue with a plan that revolves around Al Capone’s little-known escapades in the Everglades. A sample of the dialogue “Who is the guy yelling at the sky, singing a Star Wars light saber and peeing on the sidewalk? Just a normal person. He is not involved.” If none of this seems to make sense remember Tim Dorsey is the author of 12 previous novels: Gator A-Go-Go, Nuclear Jellyfish, Atomic Lobster, Hurricane Punch, The Big Bamboo, Florida Roadkill, Hammerhead Ranch Motel, Orange Crush, Triggerfish Twist, The Stingray Shuffle, Cadillac Beach, and Torpedo Juice. So why should this one be any different? 1/11 Jack Quick

ELEVEN ON TOP by Janet Evanovich: I just love this series; every book makes me laugh out loud. This newest is no exception. Stephanie has quit her bounty hunter job so it moves into somewhat fresher territory, but cars are still exploding, Grandma Mazur is feisty as always, and Stephanie is still torn between the men in her life. Don’t expect more than Evanovich gives – fast paced, a little romance, a little mystery, and lots of laughs – and you’ll be happy. I certainly was. Now if only I could understand what the title means or what it has to do with the book… 06/05

ELEVEN ON TOP by Janet Evanovich: Stephanie Plum, Trenton’s favorite bondswoman, is having a career crisis. She decides she no longer wants to be threatened, beaten, shot at, burned or blown up as a bounty hunter so she resigns. Her first new job is at the button factory but she is fired before she starts as she is late on her first day. Then she is hired at Kan Klean, to the delight of everyone who wants her to take their dry cleaning in for them. That lasted two days. In the middle of her trying to get into a field with less excitement and more security, an old client is talking and scaring her, so, in essence, it’s business as usual. The regular cast of characters remains in place and, as usual, Stephanie survives none the worse for her latest misadventure. Maybe she is the cat with more than nine lives. 03/07 Jack Quick

THE ELITE by Kiera Cass: The competition grows more challenging as the Selection continues. Only six girls remain but America Singer still isn’t sure about her feelings for the Prince. With her childhood sweetheart, Aspen, serving as her personal guard in the palace things are even more complicated. Prince Maxon has already made his feelings clear and says that with her word he’d end the competition that moment. But America has witnessed some things in the course of the Selection that she isn’t sure she’s prepared to handle. Would her feelings for Maxon balance out her fears of the responsibility of being queen? This second in the Selection trilogy is just as much fun as the first. There’s a bit more of the history of Illea included in this installment as well, which makes me think there are big things to come in the final title – more than just who Maxon will choose as his bride (or better yet, who America will choose for herself.). The story as a whole is fairly light but there is a good amount of action and politics as well, all of which makes Cass’s teen series both intriguing and enjoyable. 5/13 Becky Lejeune

THE ELITE FORCE by Donna J. Henderson: Gritty, ugly, sci-fi crime fiction at its best. This is the story of an ancient sect of female Scottish warriors whose life span extends to hundreds of years. They are able to travel forwards and backwards through time via “portals” to apprehend those, primarily men, who would abuse animals, children, and women. Most of the adventures in this book occur in “current” time. On one level it reads like Power Rangers or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on steroids. But if you read the inside back cover first, the author says “As time passed I created warriors from the past to help me deal with the abuse, not only I suffered, but others. My fierce warriors would punish the tormentors and destroy them.” Thus it would seem the writing of this book has been a catharsis for the author well beyond that experienced by many writers. On a technical level, the book could have used better editing, i.e. “passed” for “past”, some reaction scenes out of proportion to the triggering force, and a few unresolved conflicts that may in fact be the basis of further adventures. On an emotional level the book is quite powerful and, for this reason one I highly recommend. The only other author I’ve read that goes this far is Andrew Vachss. 06/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

Ella Minnow Pea: A Progressively Lipogrammatic Epistolary Fable by Mark Dunn: A charming story about a town obsessed with their namesake, famed for creating the pangram “the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog”. They have a statue in his honor, with the pangram at it’s base. One day the “z” falls off and life as they know it is over. The town government decrees that the letter may no longer be used. Then another letter falls off, and soon another, and so on, forcing the townspeople to change the way they spell and write and live. This is one of the most creative, clever novels I have ever read and a must for anyone with a love of language.

ELLIS ISLAND by Kate Kerrigan: Ellie always thought things would work out when she married John. But when her young husband is injured – shot as an IRA soldier during their country’s fight for freedom – Ellie has to make a tough decision. They have no money and without surgery John may never walk again much less work their land or support a family. Ellie is offered a position as a maid for a wealthy woman in America; the job pays well and her passage overseas will be covered. It would mean being able to afford John’s surgery in just a matter of months. John objects, but Ellie feels there’s no other option. When she arrives in the States, though, Ellie’s eyes are opened to a whole different way of life. And when Ellie meets someone who offers her a future of seemingly endless possibilities, she finds that returning home has become much more difficult than it once seemed. Ellie is the kind of character readers can easily fall in love with and Kerrigan does a really amazing job of bringing her to life. The story is set between 1908 and 1924 and is the first in a trilogy. The follow up, City of Hope, is out now. 7/13 Becky Lejeune

THE EMBERS by Hyatt Bass: Ever wonder what can make or break a family? The Aschers know. As Emily, her mother, and her father look back on the past sixteen years, they each recall their missteps and mistakes, especially where the rest of the family is concerned. Though the death of Thomas Ascher (Emily’s brother) and a terrible misunderstanding were the breaking points, the cracks and fissures can be traced much earlier than that. And now with Emily about to get married and start her own family, all of the Aschers will finally be forced to face the past in order to move forward. The Embers is a debut that grips its readers and drags them along as one family falls apart and pulls itself back together. 08/09 Becky Lejeune

EMBRACE THE NIGHT ETERNAL by Joss Ware: With the second book of the new Envy Chronicles series, Joss Ware moves on to Simon Japp and Sage Corrigan. Simon, once a bodyguard for one of Cali’s toughest thugs, has been given a chance to start over and his time in Sedona has left him with the ability to become invisible at will, a power that will come in handy in helping the people of Envy. Sage Corrigan left Falling Creek years ago, looking for a new beginning as well. Falling Creek, just one of the many settlements that have cropped up since the Event, prescribes to some pretty radical beliefs and as a Corrigan, Sage is highly recognizable no matter where she goes. For this reason, she spends most of her time helping to build a new computer system that will hopefully reconnect the survivors and aid in the search for Remington Truth. Together, Simon and Sage will follow clues that lead straight back to Falling Creek. In order to breach the city’s walls, though, Sage and Simon will have to pose as a couple determined to do their part to repopulate the world at any cost. But for two people hiding so many secrets, the real challenge will be opening up to one another in order to play the part convincingly. Their lives may just depend on it. I just adore this series. Ware’s intricately wrought setting completely comes to life. 02/10 Becky Lejeune

EMERALD ENIGMA by C.J. Westwick: The last time Bret Lamplighter came to St. Martin in the Caribbean, people died and he was blamed. People are already dead when he returns to try to recover stolen emeralds but his arrival precipitates a bomb blast in his hotel room followed by a shoot-out that add to the body count. Speaking of bodies, in true techno-thriller fashion Brent is soon hooked up with the curvaceous Abby DuChamps of the French Surete. Together they tackle government corruption, terrorists, and organized crime lords in a fast paced mixture of action, mystery and suspense. Evocative of some of the earlier Ludlum offerings, Westwick has crafted a winner, in my humble opinion. Hopefully, there are more “gems” in his bag. Recommended. 11/06 Jack Quick

EMPIRE AND HONOR by W.E.B. Griffin: It’s October, 1945 and for most of the world the conflict known as World War II is finally over. However for Cletus Frade and his colleagues in the OSS, they have far more important things to do than close up shop and go home. In the closing months of the war, the United States made a secret deal with the head of German intelligence’s Soviet section. In exchange for a treasure trove of intelligence, including the identity of the Soviet spies in the American atomic bomb program, his people would be spirited to safety. If word got out, all hell would break loose, and the United States would lose some of its best sources, not to mention its most valuable secrets. It is up to Frade and company to keep them all safe. But some people have other ideas. Another great outing in the Honor Bound series. 1/13 Jack Quick
Empire Falls by Richard Russo: I loved this book about a small town in Maine and it’s oh-so-interesting inhabitants. Russo brings his characters to life as the book meanders along as it should, taking the reader on a touching and humorous journey to it’s very dramatic finish.

EMPTY EVER AFTER by Reed Farrel Coleman: Not the author’s fault but I think I would have enjoyed this one much more, if I had read the previous four in the series. In this, the fifth Moe Prager mystery the former New York cop and now PI has to endure the results of his previous investigation in the disappearance of Patrick Maloney, the brother is his ex-wife. Although the events of the book bring Moe and Katy back together, you aren’t left with a truly good feeling about this development. While this appears to be the end of the series, fans of well-written PI novels will hope to see more of Prager. In the meantime, it’s better to start with the beginning and work up to this one. 06/08 Jack Quick

ENCHANTMENTS by Kathryn Harrison: After her father’s murder, Matryona Rasputina and her sister are sent to live with the Romanov family. The Mad Monk was beloved by Tsarina Alexandra and she believes that Masha could be in possession of her father’s healing abilities. As Alyosha, the Tsar’s one and only heir, suffers from terrible hemophilia, his health and wellbeing are of the utmost importance. But revolution is nigh and the Romanovs – plus Masha and her sister – find themselves under constant guard and house arrest. To keep their spirits high, Masha tells Alexei wondrous tales – stories about her childhood in Siberia, stories about her father, and even stories of Alexei’s own parents, the Tsar and Tsarina. Kathryn Harrison’s latest is an interesting imagining of the Romanov’s final days through the eyes of Rasputin’s daughter. While the tales are entrancing, Harrison’s non-linear approach to the story itself is jarring. Chapters jump from one time period to another with an almost stream of consciousness approach. Overall, an interesting read but one that works best in long sittings. 4/12 Becky Lejeune

THE END OF EVERYTHING by Megan Abbott: Lizzie and Evie are best friends. Thirteen years old, and having grown up together, they are twins in almost every way. But then Evie disappears. Lizzie has noticed things. Things others have missed: the car that drove by a few too many times, the cigarettes that Evie showed her in the backyard one afternoon. Lizzie can help and soon becomes the center of attention with Evie’s desperate father. Lizzie, whose own father left years ago, has always looked up to Evie’s dad and would do anything to help him. Anything to find her friend. The End of Everything is so disturbing on many levels. It’s actually one of those books that left me with a truly dreadful feeling. To elicit that response in a reader makes it clear that Megan Abbot is a great writer, but I can’t say that this was a book that I enjoyed. 07/11 Becky Lejeune

THE END OF MARKING TIME by C.J. West: The secret to being a successful sneak thief is to maintain a low profile. Obviously, stealing the credit cards, cash, and car of the Suffolk County District Attorney is not the thing to do, particularly if you are only twenty years old with a lot of life ahead of you. The Tin Man gets caught as a result and is sentenced to 5 years in prison but a funny thing happens on the way to incarceration. He gets shot in the head during an escape attempt and wakes up four years later to an entirely different world. Jail has been abolished and now everyone is at risk, since no one can be sent to jail. West has brilliantly portrayed a world gone crazy where the rule is there are no rules, or are they. Crime fiction meets science fiction in this awesome thriller. 10/10 Jack Quick

THE END OF THE RACE by R. Godfrey: Return with us now to those unsettling days in the early 1970’s when an embattled US President is dealing with the aftermath of a “third rate burglary” that would have far ranging global consequences. Who would have though that William Hinton, newest driver for the leading ambulance company in Washington, DC would be involved. However, since Medical is owned by the President of the United States, it is obvious that politics will be involved, specifically dispatcher Bob Holsterman who is working for the President and following the efforts of the “The Plumbers” to obtain medical records of a government employee “Iceberg” who is thought to have leaked classified government information to the press. Its dirty politics combined with medical drama, action, conspiracies and highly classified information. In other words it is a political-medical thriller, and a pretty good one as well. I remember vividly the summer of the hearings which led to the resignation of President Nixon and Godfrey does a great job of capturing the uncertainty of that time which left you feeling at times that you wearing watching a soap opera, and not the changeover of government power that could have as easily gone as badly as it actually went well. Maybe if I had Dr. Godfrey’s book in that Columbia, SC motel room watching Nixon’s resignation on a black and white television, I would have felt better, but then again, maybe not. 06/10 Jack Quick

END WORLD: DAKOTA RUN by David Robbins: Fifth in the post-apocalyptic series about a survivalist compound in Minnesota. (A prequel was added later). It is now 100 years after World War III in the place that used to be called America. On a solo scouting mission into South Dakota, Warrior Geronimo obtains valuable intelligence. After the Big Blast a local rancher formed a survival group called the Calvary. All went well until he died and his two sons inherited the leadership of the group. Unable to lead together they split the group into the Calvary and the Legion. Both groups are about the same size and at an uneasy standoff. Will this provide an opportunity for the Family? First he has to get home, dodging the Calvary and the Legion as well as other surprises including giant red ants. 08/09 Jack Quick

END WORLD: DOOMSDAY by David Robbins: “Doomsday” is a prequel to the original “Endworld” series first published in the 80’s/90’s. It deals with Kurt Carpenter’s vision of how humanity could survive after a global war to end all wars. It opens with nuclear war in the Middle East and tracks the efforts of “Family members” to get to the Minnesota compound prepared by Carpenter to give the human race and civilization a chance to survive. If you intend to read the entire series (some 35 plus books) as I do, you really need to read this one first to lay the foundation. Nicely done. 07/09 Jack Quick

END WORLD: THE FOX RUN by David Robbins: Original first book of the now 28 book post-apocalyptic series about a survivalist compound in Minnesota. (A prequel was added later). It is now 100 years after World War III in the place that used to be called America. The Family have struggled to rebuild civilization inside a Minnesota compound they call The Home. Outside the compound is a no-man’s land inhabited by strange more or less human creatures created by the effects of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons indiscriminately used during the War. Once such group, known as the Trolls, have captured some of the Family’s women and are holding them at their own compound in Fox, Minnesota. It is up to the Alpha triad – Blade, Hitchcock, and Warrior – to rescue these women. It’s swashbuckling at its best in a post-apocalyptic environment that is frighteningly portrayed. 07/09 Jack Quick

END WORLD: THE KALISPELL RUN by David Robbins: Fourth in the post-apocalyptic series about a survivalist compound in Minnesota. (A prequel was added later). It is now 100 years after World War III in the place that used to be called America. After three unsuccessful trips east toward the twin cities, the Alpha Triad warriors of the Family have ventured west toward Kalispell, Montana to attempts to find the medical supplies and equipment they need. Actually only Blade and Geronimo are on this mission at the outset as Hickok has gone off on his own to try to rescue young Shane who has set out to “make his mark” by destroying Hickok’s nemesis, the Trolls. Blade is missing his beloved Jenny and Geronimo is contemplating leaving the Family to join the remaining tribe of Flat Head Indians. These types of issues make this series better than most escape fiction, and to me, quite enjoyable. 08/09 Jack Quick

END WORLD: THIEF RIVER FALLS RUN (2) by David Robbins: Second in the post-apocalyptic series about a survivalist compound in Minnesota. (A prequel was added later). It is now 100 years after World War III in the place that used to be called America. The surviving Family leader feels they need to begin reaching out to secure supplies and information which may help them combat the reduced life span being experienced by their members. The Alpha Triad – Geronimo, Blade, and Hitchcock – resume their mission to Minneapolis –St. Paul begun in the previous book, but once again are thwarted by events in Thief River Falls. So far, an enjoyable series. 07/09 Jack Quick

END WORLD: TWIN CITIES RUN by David Robbins: Third in the post-apocalyptic series about a survivalist compound in Minnesota. (A prequel was added later). It is now 100 years after World War III in the place that used to be called America. The third time is the charm as Blade, Geronimo, Hickok, Joshua and Bertha set out once again for Twin Falls. (Their earlier attempts were thwarted.) This time, they have Bertha as a guide as they seek to obtain medical supplies and equipment from the former University of Minnesota. But the Horns, the Porns, the Nomads and the Wacks await and soon the adventurers learn that the Twin Cities is a zoo, in the most classical sense. Pure escape and fun. 08/09 Jack Quick

Enduring Love by Ian McEwan: I received this as a gift from a dear friend this holiday season, and truly a gift it was. It is so beautifully written, with wonderful characters and description that just transports the reader. I suppose I will have to work my way through all his weird and wonderfully written books now, as if I didn’t have enough on my plate!

THE ENEMY OF GOD by Robert Daley: Police Chief Gabe Driscoll, Father Frank Redmond and journalist Andrew Troy all swam together at Fordham Prep. Now Redmond is dead, having jumped from or been thrown off a four story Harlem building. Driscoll and Troy are left to try to understand what led their friend to his death and whether it was suicide or homicide. A fourth high-school buddy, prosecutor Earl Finley, was murdered a year or so earlier in the wake of his aggressive prosecution of a Mob-connected politician. Driscoll and Troy learn that Frank’s life had changed dramatically recently, and the change hinged on Earl’s death. The roots of the current situation run deep, and began back at college. Daley, a former NYPD deputy commissioner writes with authority about a city and subject he knows well. 10/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick

ENEMY OF MINE by Brad Taylor: This is Brad Taylor’s third novel featuring Pike Logan and his partner Jennifer Cahill. His first two books and now this one bring an authenticity regarding clandestine operations based on Brad Taylor’s career with the army’s Delta Force coupled with an instructional position at the Citadel teaching military science. Pike has retired as leader of a secret clandestine group called the task force after suffering the loss of his wife and child who were murdered by a terrorist. He is convinced by a chance meeting with Jennifer in book one to return to an interest in his former life, and while not joining the Task Force again is picked by his former supervisor to lead the group in handling an issue needing solution. A truce has been brokered between Israel and Palestine and the man selected to travel to the Mideast to solidify the treaty is known to be the target of an assassin. Pike and Jennifer leading a Task Force group go after the assassin. The situation is complicated by the appearance of another possible assassin sent by another group opposed to the treaty. Action, like in the first two books is fast, engrossing and keeps the reader glued to the pages of the book. Pike has been shown to be the consummate man of action. The ending in this book is not a surprise but does advance the reader to again view him as the human being that was devastated by the loss of his wife and child and is slowly returning to feeling emotions and love. Currently the next Pike Logan book is tentatively scheduled for mid 2013 and I’m sure Brad Taylor fans will be looking for that one. 1/13 Paul Lane
THE ENGLISH GIRL by Daniel Silva: By this time readers of Daniel Silva’s series featuring Gabriel Allon know Allon as a man, a husband, a trained killer of his country’s enemies and a methodical planner. He is also a talented restorer of great art. The English Girl finds him sought out to help a friendly country with a problem. Madeline Hart is a rising star in British politics and is the mistress of the country’s prime minister who is himself on the rise to the top. Madeline takes a vacation with several other women to the island of Corsica. She is kidnapped there and the Prime Minister is prompted to ask Israel’s Gabriel Allon to find her. It is felt that he would be the best to handle the search and rescue of the lady as well as keeping the affair quiet in order not to embarrass the Prime Minister. In true Allon fashion, Gabriel follows leads from Corsica to the European continent in order to find and rescue Madeline. His surmounting of hurdles is logical and continues his steady streak of getting the job done. No Silva book allows the reader much breathing room and keeps him or her focused on the action. There are a number of references to events in previous Allon books, but this does not detract from enjoying this novel. Silva, obviously plans further books based around Gabriel Allon and his readers (especially this one) anxiously await their publication. 7/13 Paul Lane

ENVY THE NIGHT by Michael Koryta: Not sure how I missed this when it came out a few months ago because I’ve been a fan of Koryta since his first book, the award winning Tonight I Said Goodbye. This newest book is his first stand-alone thriller, and it’s terrific. Set in Willow Flowage, Wisconsin, this is a tale of revenge with twists and turns and lots of action.
The story revolves around Frank Temple III, whose father committed suicide after it was revealed that he was a hit man. The man who originally recruited him was also the one who outed him, and rumor has it that he is returning to Willow Flowage, so Frank wants to be there waiting for him. But he gets into a fender-bender on the way, and Nora Stafford, the woman who owns the body shop and is fixing the cars, becomes his ally in this intricate yet fast moving story. It’s the well drawn characters that really stand out, and that’s what separates the good books from the best books like this one. 01/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch
Equivocal Death by Amy Gutman: Fast paced legal thriller a la Grisham, Turow et al. She’s in good company for a first time novelist and holds her own. Worth a read. Read an excerpt.

EREBOS by Ursula Poznanski: When Nick’s friend Colin bails on their basketball practice and then begins screening his calls, Nick knows something is up. Colin and others in their school are beginning to slack off in class – if they even attend at all – and a strange package is being passed around. But no one is talking. Then Nick finally has a chance to discover what all the fuss is about: it’s a game. Erebos is secretive and highly addicting fantasy game that comes with rules: first, no one can know about the game. No one can talk about the game and each player plays under an alias that they must not reveal in the real world. What’s strange is that the game seems to know when someone has broken the rules. And then the game begins to bleed into the real world as well. Nick has assignments to complete IRL (in real life), assignments that earn him points and level ups in the game. When the real world assignments start to become too intense, Nick begins to wonder if it’s really worth it at all. I think I might have become as involved in this book as the characters were in the game. Erebos is a real page turner and though it’s a teen release it definitely has the right kind of elements to appeal to an adult audience as well. Originally released in Germany, this translation is the first of Poznanski’s books to be released overseas. 4/13 Becky Lejeune
ERRORS AND OMISSIONS by Paul Goldstein: The Hollywood blacklist of the McCarthy era, circa 1950’s, rears its ugly head in this modern day tale of a Hollywood power struggle and greed. Michael Seeley is a hotshot lawyer on his way down with a drinking problem, on the brink of divorce, threatened with disbarment, all the usual lawyerly crappola. He’s forced to give up his pro bono work with artists to wrangle the rights to a mega-movie franchise that United pictures has precariously lost. Or maybe they didn’t. Some interesting characters, a semi-interesting plot but it was slow going. 08/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

ESCAPE CLAUSE by James O. Born: Bill Tasker is one of my favorite heroes. An officer with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, he’s not your typical tough guy cop who solves crimes by busting heads or relying on snitches. Instead, he digs in his heels and uses his streak of stubbornness along with his smarts to a real advantage; he just refuses to give up. Through three books now, he’s shown how to work around orders from his superiors (if necessary), or the FBI, or other agencies, to get the job done. Tenacity is a trait that is often overlooked and desperately needed, especially in law enforcement work, and Tasker – whose name implies a certain tenacity about work – has it in abundance. But he’s not just a nose-to-the-grindstone guy either – he has a life that often intrudes on his work, and vice versa. He’s still in love with his ex-wife, who got tired of competing for his attention with the job, and he’s a great dad to his two young daughters. Tasker is understated and real, a hero for our times.
After a shocking opening, Tasker finds himself in the position of being forced to deal with the results of everything he went through in the first two books – a series best read in order, although there is enough information here to clarify. He’s sent out to a prison in the Everglades to investigate the murder of a wealthy Florida land developer’s son. Nobody really wants him there except for the two good looking women who hone in on the hunky visitor. But this is no romance; Tasker has a few run-ins in town and at the prison, prisoners escape and the bodies start piling up, but our hero is up to the challenge. With this third entry into the series, Born is now firmly entrenched as a “must read”. 02/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE ETERNAL ONES by Kirsten Miller: For years, Haven Moore has had visions of a girl named Constance and a boy named Ethan. Haven senses that these could be visions of a past life, but her grandmother’s influence and religious upbringing don’t allow for the idea of reincarnation. When Haven sees Iain Morrow on tv one evening, she can no longer resist the pull of her visions or the idea that Iain is meant to be hers. But Haven has also seen the tragic deaths of the doomed couple and though many of the details between their meeting and their horrible end have yet to be unveiled in the visions, she will have to beware of repeating the same mistakes that were made in the past. Kirsten Miller’s Eternal Ones could almost be a teen version of MJ Rose’s Reincarnationist. I love the idea of soulmates finding one another throughout time and trying to fix their past mistakes. It makes for a nice twist on the typical teen romance. 09/10 Becky Lejeune

THE ETHICAL ASSASSIN by David Liss: Lem Altick, a 17-year-old South Florida door-to-door encyclopedia salesman who seems to be a good guy, witnesses the murder of two potential customers in a mobile home. To save his own life Lem hooks up with the killer, Melford Kean, who may or may not be a truly bad guy. Jim Doe, the redneck corrupt police chief who saw Lem at the trailer on the night of the crimes is definitely a bad guy. Fellow bookseller Chitra is a good guy/gal. Lem’s company is a sham and appears to be a bad guy. David Liss as an author is a good guy. This book is, well, maybe you ought to read it for yourself. 04/06 Jack Quick

EVANGELINE by D.W. Buffa: Back in the 1960’s there was a party “game” making the rounds called “Lifeboat.” The scenario was that all were in an overloaded lifeboat and someone would have to be sacrificed so the others could live. Each participant had to tell why he/she should not be the one sacrificed. Then an open vote was taken and the loser “thrown off the boat.” In the next round the remaining survivors had to justify their continued existence, but with different reason than previously stated. Then another vote was taken. This continued until only two were left in the boat and/or fights and divorce actions erupted from the proceedings. I was reminded of the game by this fine Buffa probe into not only the legal system but our moral code as well. Evangeline, the finest ship of her kind, built to sail anywhere in the world, sinks in a ferocious storm off the coast of Africa. A single lifeboat with fourteen people crowded into it gets away. Forty days later, a thousand miles from South America, six survivors are rescued from the sea. One of them, the captain Vincent Marlowe, is charged with murder. His only defense is that it was necessary to kill some to save the others. “Lifeboat in real life.” 11/10 Jack Quick

EVEN by Andrew Grant: What a talented family. First Lee Child makes Jack Reacher an international thriller hero with his must-read books. Now, Child’s younger brother, writing as Andrew Grant, has begun a series that may ultimately rival that of his brother. Royal Navy secret agent David Trevellyan discovers a dead body in a New York City alley, which leads to him being arrested as the murderer. Trevellyan knows he has been set up and will get no support from home. It is up to him alone to match wits with the NYPD, the FBI, and the group responsible for the killing. Naturally, there is far more involved than the death of a simple vagrant. Thanks goodness Trevellyan survives as this one begs for a sequel or three of four or more. 07/09 Jack Quick

EVEN FLOW by Darragh McManus: McManus has been writing successfully for several years doing plays, screenwriting, and opinion pieces for several newspapers in the U.K. Even Flow is his first crime novel and comes across as a very well thought out and tightly woven novel. The basics of the plot involve three friends that band together as vigilantes to punish those in society that they decide are gay bashers, mistreaters of women and other miscreants that they deem require punishment and public scorn. Their motivations and the psychology behind their actions are well delineated in the course of the book and initially come across as something that may need to be done in the absence of regular law enforcement. The shifting of their thinking towards god complexes forms a basic portion of the book. It would seem that the Machiavellian concept of absolute power tending to corrupt absolutely becomes the end result as the three kidnap and “punish” people they deem as needing that punishment and finally end up doing murder. Opposing them is a gay detective Danny Everard, who while doing his duty in hunting the trio, finds that his feelings towards them are mixed. The ending is completely in keeping with the shifting concepts presented in the book, and the two characters of Danny Everard and the leading personage in the vigilante group are very well fleshed out. Their motivations become quite clear to the reader who will finish the book, anxiously looking forward to the next. Impossible to put down until finished and well worth the read. 11/12 Paul Lane

EVENT by David Lynn Golemon: Within the military, there is a secret organization made up of soldiers, scientists, archaeologists and historians known as the Event Group. The Group deals with “Civilization Altering Events,” events that are so extraordinary that they change the course of history. One example of such an event took place in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947. Now, it has happened again and this time, the results could be devastating to mankind. Major Jack Collins, recruited to head up the Group’s security, must lead a team into the desert to prevent what could be the end of the world as we know it. Although I found Golemon’s debut to be a bit disappointing, I think the premise of the series itself is very promising and will be looking forward to the next book – if only to see what Event occurs next. This should appeal to fans of Robert Doherty’s Area 51 series. 09/06 Becky LeJeune

THE EVER-RUNNING MAN by Marcia Muller: It took Sharon McCone the better part of 25 books and 30 years to find and marry Hy Ripinsky, and this latest case may unravel that marriage. When Renshaw & Kessell International, a maverick corporate security firm, hires McCone after a series of bombings has damaged its facilities, she starts by looking into the checkered pasts of the firm’s co-owners. It doesn’t take Sharon long to track down “the ever-running man,” a shadowy figure who has been leaving explosive devices at their various offices. However, in order to solve the case, McCone is forced to question her intensely private husband, Hy, about his involvement in some of the firm’s dark secrets. The history of corruption may jeopardize their marriage, but uncovering the secrets of the firm may be the only way she can save her husband’s life, and her own. 07/07 Jack Quick
Everglades by Randy Wayne White: Whenever a new Randy Wayne White book comes out, I push everything else on my stack to one side. Everglades proved, again, that this preferential treatment is well deserved. I find myself getting seriously annoyed these days when the blurbs on anyone else’s book covers talk about the author being “the new John D. MacDonald.” There is only one legitimate heir and Mr. White is it.
Per the MacDonald method, Everglades begins with a damsel in distress. (Remember the woman dropped from the bridge in MacDonald’s Darker Than Amber?) In this case, it is Doc Ford’s old friend Sally Carmel (hmmm-colored names) Minister. Sally’s husband has disappeared and she is being followed and terrorized.
In an effort to find out who is following her, Doc gets involved in a tussle which evokes a thorough discussion of amateur wrestling which would do John Irving proud. (At that point, I had to e-mail the BookBitch to rave to her.)
The bad guys prove to be the principals in a TV cult combining elements of the Bagwan and the Church of Scientology with canny real estate development and investing.
Strangely, however, after all the elements for the quintessential MacDonald story were in place, the book seemed to drag. Mostly because Doc Ford is feeling sorry for himself, remembering long dead friends and drinking so much that even his hippy sidekick, Tomlinson, feels compelled to intervene.
One of my favorite subplots has Tomlinson becoming an internet idol as a result of an essay he wrote as an undergraduate entitled “One Fathom Above Sea Level.” To his dismay, the essay has recently become the subject of favorable critical acclaim internationally. Sample – “Pain is an inescapable part of the human experience. Misery, however, is not. Misery is an option.” Some of the lighter moments in the book arise from his trying to flee those who are seeking wisdom from him.
I am pleased to report that Doc eventually does have a moment of clarity in which he is able to put everything back into perspective again. It is an exciting scene and I don’t want to spoil it for readers. In the process, Doc Ford pretty much fully becomes Travis McGee. The finish of the book is thoroughly satisfying.
And of course, there is intellectual sustenance in Mr. White’s writing as well. Discussions of marine life, the geology of Florida and the difficulties tribes face being recognized by the U.S. Government all have places in Doc Ford’s inquiring mind.
All in all, Everglades is a wonderful read and deserving of priority on your stack of books too. ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

EVERGLADES ASSAULT by Randy Wayne White: The few remaining Tequesta Indians live deep in the Everglades on a small plot of land separate from federal and state control. Dusky MacMorgan’s friend Hervey Yarborough is a Tequesta and he comes to MacMorgan for help when someone is trying to drive the Tequestas off their cherished ancestral land. Soon it becomes apparent that there are more dangers in the swamps than quicksand and gators – it’s big money and hired guns. Count on Dusky to solve the problem, seduce a few dames, and all in all, turn this into another rollicking adventure. Not great literature, but good not so clean fun. 02/09 Jack Quick

EVERMORE by Alyson Noël: Ever was a normal teen until a terrible accident claimed the lives of her parents and sister. When Ever awakens after the event, she finds that she now has the ability to read others’ thoughts and see their auras. Her aunt takes her in and moves her from small town Oregon to sunny California. Unfortunately, as Ever attempts to put her life back together, she finds that she must distance herself in order to keep her sanity and shut out the thoughts that now surround her. As an outsider, she’s not exactly the popular girl anymore. All of that begins to change when Damen Auguste moves to town. In spite of everything, it seems that this gorgeous and mysterious new guy has a thing for Ever. But as she gets to know him better, she discovers that Damen is hiding something more than she could possibly imagine. Noël’s debut title in her new Immortals series is an interesting twist on the standard paranormal teen read. Elements of Eastern philosophy in this tale are both effective and refreshingly original. 02/09 Becky Lejeune

EVERNEATH by Brodi Ashton: After a hundred years in the Everneath, Nikki Beckett has been given a brief reprieve. In just six months, The Tunnels will come for her. That means she has just six months to say goodbye to her family and the boy who helped get her through a century as part of The Feed. Unless she can find a way out. Classic mythology bears a remarkable resemblance to the Everneath. Maybe if Nikki can unravel the truth behind Orpheus and Persephone’s tales, maybe she can save herself from the great nothing of The Tunnels. But time is quickly running out. Brodi Ashton’s debut is an interesting and unique twist on mythology. And with an ending like the one here, I’ll be anxious to see what’s in store for book two of the series. 1/12 Becky Lejeune

EVERY FEAR by Rick Mofina: This is the second book in Rick Mofina’s series featuring rookie crime reporter Jason Wade of the Seattle Mirror. Wade is under a lot of pressure to bring in a big story and he may have one. On an ordinary morning, Maria Colson takes her baby son Dylan to the corner store where he is abducted into a waiting van. Maria climbs onto the van, but is violently thrown to the road where she is left for dead. As she fights for her life the FBI and police across Washington State search for baby Dylan. It’s a bizarre case with pieces that just don’t add up: The Colsons are a hard-working couple, former high school sweethearts, no problems, no enemies. Then Jason and his dad, a private detective, discover the Colsons are connected somehow to the grisly murder of a young woman. Can the connections be made before time runs out for little Dylan? Is this a kidnapping for revenge and not ransom? A first rate read. 04/07 Jack Quick

Everyone Dies by Michael McGarrity: Michael McGarrity stands second only to Tony Hillerman among those writers currently setting their mystery stories in the western United States. If you are enjoying any of the lesser lights in that genre and some small part of your heart remains anywhere between Bisbee, Arizona and Billings, Montana, you owe to yourself to read McGarrity’s Kevin Kerney stories.
Kerney has settled in as the chief of police in Santa Fe, New Mexico in Everyone Dies. He and his wife, Sarah Brannon, a Lieutenant Colonel and a rising star in the U.S. Army, are expecting their first child shortly as the book begins.
A vicious and cunning killer is on the loose. He begins his campaign of revenge by gunning down a gay attorney on the street in front of the courthouse. Other victims are killed in other ways. Soon, he leaves a message for Kerney that “Everyone Dies” and then makes it clear that his mission is to end the Kerney line, including not only Kerney, but his wife and his unborn son as well.
The combination of good police procedure, western locale and ever-increasing suspense make this book a real treat. ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

EVERYONE IS BEAUTIFUL by Katherine Center: Lanie Coates is kind of miserable. She and her family have left behind their lives in Houston to start fresh in Massachusetts after her husband earns a position at the university that offers free housing. Unfortunately that’s about all the job offers. Peter supplements his meager income teaching piano lessons while Lanie is stuck with their three sons all day. It’s not until another mother at the local park asks Lanie her due date that she decides its time for her to do something for herself. See, Lanie’s not pregnant at all, she’s just let herself go in lieu of taking care of her family. Soon she’s heading to the gym and taking photography classes and on her way to becoming a better Lanie, but it could end up being at the expense of her own marriage. Center has a great voice and Lanie is a charming leading lady. This touching and hilarious read will really open your eyes to what truly makes a person happy, what truly makes a person beautiful in the eyes of another. 02/09 Becky Lejeune

EVERYONE IS BEAUTIFUL by Katherine Center: Lanie Coates is the mother of three young boys. Supporting her husband’s dream to become a professional musician, she’s agreed to leave everything behind in Texas and move to Cambridge, MS. For the past fifteen years, she’s devoted her entire life to her family. Her passion with art and painting is soon replaced with diapers and crayons. Her body, much like her life, is unrecognizable. She’s lost herself, and she desperately seeks to find some semblance of the person she was. She begins to devote time to herself, and begins going the gym each night, and even signs up for a photography class. This class helps her discover a passion that was unknown to her. Unfortunately, though passion is growing in the heart of someone else as well, and it’s not her husband. Just as Lanie begins to feel at peace with herself, her world is turned over and she must struggle to fix it. EVERYONE IS BEAUTIFUL is a very honest look at hectic life of a mom. There are moments where you will laugh out loud, and moments where you will cry. As a mother of two boys myself, I could completely sympathize with Lanie’s character. This is a must read of any mom, no matter the age of the child. 03/09 Jennifer Lawrence

EVERYTHING YOU NEED by Michael Marshall Smith: With short story collections you never quite know what you’re going to get. Each tale is something different and can range in style, genre, and tone. Done well, it’s a sure bet that you’ll get little gulps of story that are as involving – if not more so in some cases – than a full-length novel. This is definitely the case with Michael Marshall Smith’s latest collection. Stories like “Substitution” where a simple grocery mix up leads a man to a shocking discovery and “The Last Barbecue” a family reunion of sorts post zombie apocalypse are fun and twisted. Others, like the title story “Everything You Need,” are more thoughtful and charming. And then there are the quirky ones like “Author of the Death” in which a character goes in search of his creator. Each story in Everything You Need is excellent and stays with you long after turning the final page. It’s a collection that showcases Smith’s talents wonderfully in my opinion. Whether you are familiar with Smith (aka Michael Marshall) or are new to his work, Everything You Need is a must have collection for any horror fan. 10/13 Becky Lejeune

EVIDENCE by Jonathan Kellerman: Evidence is Jonathan Kellerman’s latest Dr. Alex Delaware mystery. For those that are not familiar with this series Dr. Delaware is a psychologist who often assists the L.A. police force. As he puts it, “Milo calls me in when the murder’s interesting.” In this case, the murder is very interesting. The crime scene consists of two bodies wrapped around each other “in a sick parody of passion” in the turret of an unfinished McMansion in the very upscale L.A. neighborhood of Holmby Hills.
Milo is Lieutenant Milo Sturgis, a veteran homicide detective who for years has been shuffled to one side by the police bureaucracy because of his homosexual orientation but has been unleashed by the new Police Chief to focus on those “interesting” cases that no one else can seem to dispose of. There is a fair amount of this “Chief” in the novel and it is my guess that Bill Bratton is the model for this character. Although Mr. Bratton has stepped down now, he was extremely successful in both New York and Los Angeles and is a figure referred to with great respect by L.A. crime novelists like Mr. Kellerman and Michael Connelly, both of whom have used him to free up and inspire their maverick crime-solvers.
Milo, in his dogged fashion, and Alex, in his cerebral fashion, pursue the identities of the victims into a fascinating world of international architecture, eco-terrorism, banking and petro-bazillions. Unlike earlier books in this series, although Alex is doing the actual chauffeuring, Milo is in the driver’s seat with respect to the action. There is a wonderful scene where Milo, who is no mean trencherman, and Alex, meet a black detective named Irv Wimmer, who is working a related case, at “Ruby’s Theater of Turkey” where the specialty is “monumental birds dunked into deep-fryers” and served quartered or halved along with “biscuits the size of baseballs.”
But Milo’s real moment to shine comes near the end of the book where he interrogates a police crime scene investigator who they suspect of being an eco-terrorist. He goes slow, sets up his premises and ultimately destroys all her defenses, in the most gentle, likeable manner imaginable. It is a real tour de force on Milo’s part and some darn fine writing by Mr. Kellerman. I recommend this book. 10/09 Geoffrey R. Hamlin

EVIL AT HEART by Chelsea Cain: The Beauty Killer is back… or is she? Just two months after her escape in Sweetheart, Gretchen Lowell is still on the loose. Detective Archie Sheridan has taken up residence in a local psych ward in an attempt to beat his addiction to pain killers and hopefully get his life straight again. When body parts and Lowell’s signature heart are discovered at a rest stop, the task force believes their famous serial killer may have returned. Archie isn’t so sure, but is coerced into returning to the force after new bodies begin appearing in famous Beauty Killer locations. This third of the series is just as brutal and gory as the previous installments, a warning to those who may be a bit squeamish. Cain and her famous serial killer character have drawn comparison to Thomas Harris and Hannibal Lecter, and rightly so. 03/11 Becky Lejeune
EVIL WITHOUT A FACE by Jordan Dane: In the first of Dane’s Sweet Justice series, fugitive recovery agent Jessica Beckett goes up against a human trafficking ring that has its fingers in just about every corner of the world. It starts with Jessica’s vendetta against a man named Lucas Baker. Baker escapes and Jessica’s antics land her in the hands of the local PD who are less than thrilled about her rule-bending and breaking. They tell her Baker is off-limits, but Jessica neglects to reveal that she’s already stolen the man’s computer. Her assistant is unable to break into the computer’s system, but is able to retrieve notice of a package from Alaska set to arrive in Chicago shortly. They bug the computer so that they can trace Baker’s movements but Baker is killed shortly after it is returned to him. At the same time, Jessica’s friend Sam Cooper, a vice cop, is handling a missing persons case involving a teen from Alaska. When the link between Sam’s case and Jessica’s discovery is made, the two team up with the child’s uncle in order to track the organization and save the girl. This is Dane’s best yet, and that’s saying a lot. Characters from Evil will be returning in the subsequent titles. Book two, The Wrong Side of Dead, is slated for release this fall. 01/09 Becky Lejeune

EVIL WITHOUT A FACE by Jordan Dane: If Stephanie Plum is at one end of the female bounty hunter spectrum, then Jessica Beckett is at the absolute other end. While Plum keeps her gun in a cookie jar, Beckett wears a Colt Python .357 Magnum with four-inch barrel and a trigger smooth as butter. There are no giggles in this one as Beckett pursues a personal vendetta against child abuser Lucas Baker. When Baker turns up dead and is linked to a multinational human trafficking organization, Globe Harvest, the cops tag Jess as a possible suspect. Jessica is long gone however, backtracking a teen from Alaska who may have been a Globe Harvest victim. Beckett is driven and the reasons why unfold in a series of flashbacks as she puts it all on the line. Not for the faint hearted, but if you can take the heat, a great read. 04/09 Jack Quick

EXACT REVENGE by Tim Green: Raymond White is in a maximum-security prison for a crime he didn’t commit when he meets another lifer, art thief Lester Cole. White and Cole escape, with White surviving to use Cole’s stolen art to make himself a new man and to exact revenge on those who framed him. Of course, its been done before “Count of Monte Cristo”, “Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less,” etc., but it is a fast fun read and as Lester Cole says about revenge, “If you don’t do it, you’ll be a professional victim. You exact it and it’s exact. Not just a reaction, but planned out. Precise. It needs to send a message.” Root for the home team in this one. 03/06 Jack Quick

EXCITING PULP TALES by Tom Johnson: If you are a male of a certain age, i.e, you remember learning to drive on dirt roads, then you will also be acquainted with pulp magazines, radio show thrillers, and other sundry leisure activities of the 1950’s. This sequel to Tom Johnson’s PULP DETECTIVES anthology, brings you ten more all-new stories featuring classic pulp heroes such as The Angel, The Green Ghost, The Cobra, The Crimson Mask, Gentle Jones, The Purple Scar, Funny Face, Mr. Death, The Jungle Queen, and Ki-Gor. Neither long on plot nor always politically correct, to read them is to hear once again the clackity clack of a manual Remington typewriter, smell the aroma of a cheap cigar, and know that at least in one part of one’s life, good will overcome evil. So sit back and enjoy stories even dames can like. 1/11 Jack Quick

THE EXECUTION OF NOA P. SINGLETON by Elizabeth L. Silver: Noa P. Singleton is on death row. She’s run out of appeals and her execution is just six months away when Oliver Stansted and Marlene Dixon appear with a last ditch effort for clemency. Marlene Dixon is the mother of Noa’s victim, Sarah Dixon, who at the time of her murder was dating Noa’s father and carrying his unborn child. Marlene asked for the death penalty during trial but claims she’s had a change of heart. In all her years in prison, though, Noa has never fought her conviction. She’s also never told her side of the story. Oliver believes that Noa is hiding something and as she finally begins to tell her story, it becomes clearer than ever that things are less black and white than they’d seemed at the time of her trial. Silver’s debut is fantastic. Noa is the kind of unreliable and somewhat hard to sympathize with narrator that undoubtedly drives some readers crazy, but I have to admit I’m a big fan. Silver hints at Noa’s secrets throughout the book making the story an intense and captivating one all the way through to the final reveal at the end. I was hooked from page one. 6/13 Becky Lejeune

EXECUTIVE ACTIONS by Gary Grossman: Teddy Lodge might have been elected President anyway. After all, they were comparing him to Bobby Kennedy. But after Lodge survives an assassination attempt in the small town of Hudson, New York, the campaign of the Vermont Congressman seems to have unstoppable momentum. However, several people loyal to the defeated Republican President—especially Scott Roarke, a tough and resourceful agent for the Defense Intelligence Agency—begin to have suspicions about Teddy Lodge. Is he really who he claims to be? Although the narrative suffers from some choppiness it is a very nice first effort from the co-owner of a successful Los Angles production company. This is a particularly timely read in light of the current U.S. Presidency. I am not in anyway casting aspersions on President Obama, but his background has caused others to question whether there are other hidden agendas. 03/09 Jack Quick

EXECUTIVE POWER by Vince Flynn: CIA super agent Mitch Rapp is back at work after a brief honeymoon. After his exposure in a previous mission, Rapp, as special advisor on counterterrorism to CIA director Dr. Irene Kennedy, is ready to fight the war on terrorism from CIA headquarters rather than the front line. His plans immediately go astray as he gets involved with an American family kidnapped by Islamic terrorists in the Philippines, an ambush that costs the lives of two SEALs, and betrayal from the State Department. While Mitch is sorting all this out, an unknown assassin working closely with the highest powers in the Middle East is bent on igniting war. Can Rapp put out both blazes? Of course, there is already a sequel out, but how he does it – that’s what makes this one worth reading. Recommended. 10/08 Jack Quick

EX-HEROES by Peter Clines: What happens when you mix superheroes and a zombie apocalypse? You get Ex-Heroes, Peter Clines’s debut and first in a new series. It takes less than a year for the world to fall apart; the spread of the zombie plague decimated everything. Straggling survivors fight to make it day by day, but one group in LA is lucky enough to have the support of a band of superheroes for help. They are St. George/The Mighty Dragon, Zzzap, Gorgon, Cerebrus, and Stealth and together they protect and defend the Mount —the old Paramount Studio lot, which they’ve revamped into a protected compound. But they aren’t alone in the City of Angels. Outside the compound walls, a zombie horde fights to get in and further out in the city another group of survivors has come together. This second group is led by the Seventeens, a gang that once fought for control of the city and is gearing up to do so again. Ex-Heroes is great fun. It’s a perfect mash-up: the love child of classic super hero comics and zombie horror, complete with gore and inappropriate humor. 4/13 Becky Lejeune

EX-PATRIOTS by Peter Clines: St. George, Stealth, Zzzap, and Cerberus have seen friends and allies fall in the two years since the Zombocalypse. They and the LA survivors who have populated The Mount have survived though and that’s reason for celebration. Their little fireworks show catches the attention of a military outpost who soon sends an entourage to check things out. The visit proves that they aren’t the only survivors, something that comes as a relief to the superheroes and the rest of The Mount. But these are no ordinary military men and women. They’re the remains of Project Krypton, a science experiment intent on creating super soldiers. St. George and crew agree to a short trip out to Krypton’s base in Yuma but soon find that the military has plans that differ a bit from their own. Plans that they aren’t ready to outright reveal to the superheroes. This excellent follow up to Ex-Heroes gives readers a bit more insight into the existing superheroes while also introducing a few new faces—both good and bad. Ex-Patriots is equally as addicting as its predecessor and is a great fix for any zombie and/or action adventure craving. 5/13 Becky Lejeune

THE EXILE: An Outlander Graphic Novel by Diana Gabaldon, illustrated by Hoang Nguyen: The Outlander series consists of seven books so far, and I would venture those seven books are close to seven thousand pages. The basic premise, for those who haven’t had the pleasure, is that a British WWII nurse falls through some Stonehenge-like stones back into 18th century Scotland, where she meets the love of her life (who wears a kilt,) and helps him fight wars, family, and finally settle America. It’s the type of book that is difficult to describe without turning someone off – some people don’t like time travel, some avoid romance, or war novels or historicals, and so forth. But the fact is that these books defy all those conventions and are just riveting reads with well developed characters that we come to love rather quickly, lots of action and adventure and some very interesting history, learned as we are transported along with Clair & Jamie. The fact is, these books are totally enjoyable. All seven of them, and I believe there are at least two more to come.
So what’s new here with the graphic novel? Amazon.com has an “excerpt” that is Gabaldon’s story of “how this book came to be.” A former comic book writer for Disney, she was asked to write a new story for a graphic novel featuring her Outlander characters. She didn’t. Her idea was to basically re-write the beginning of Outlander, but told from Jamie’s point of view instead of Clair’s. That way we get to see what Clair didn’t know about, and Murtagh is our guide. The illustrations were sort of boring and flat, and didn’t really add much.
If you are not familiar with these characters, this is a great introduction. If you are, then it is mostly familiar, although Jamie isn’t as good looking and and Clair is much curvier than I’d always imagined – the problem with illustrations and/or movies made from books we know and love. It was an interesting read for this fan, and if more are written I would probably try another one. But if the plan is a series of graphic novels that tell the same story, then a new audience will need to be found. 10/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch
EXIT STRATEGY by Kelley Armstrong: Nadia Stafford is a cop-turned-hit-woman in her first adventure with a killer vs. killer mission. After being forcefully retired from a Canadian police force for shooting a suspect dead, Nadia becomes a temporary hit woman targeting smalltime career criminals for clients who are often their direct competitors. Now, she’s teaming up with her mentor, Jack, to apprehend another hit man–turned–serial killer known as the Helter Skelter killer. Nadia soon learns that no one is to be trusted and nothing is as it seems. Hopefully, this is the start of a long-lived series. 10/07 Jack Quick

THE EXORCIST: 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION by William Peter Blatty: Most people know the basic premise of The Exorcist: actress Chris MacNeil and her daughter, Regan, are living in Washington, D.C. while filming a new movie. Regan suddenly falls very ill and after exploring all the medical possibilities, Chris becomes desperate and turns to Jesuit priest, Father Damian Karras. Karras is a trained psychologist and, unbeknownst to Chris, is undergoing a crisis of his own faith. After investigating, Karras is convinced that Regan is possessed and that an exorcism is the only option. It’s amazing that it’s been forty years since the release of William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist. It’s clear, as someone who has never read the book before now, why it has stood the test of time. As a horror classic, it’s a harrowing read and Blatty builds the suspense in a truly great way. This newly released, polished edition features updated dialogue and new scenes. 10/11 Becky Lejeune

THE EXPATS by Chris Pavone: For some it would be a dream come true. Kate Moore’s husband Dexter is a specialist in computer bank security. When he is offered a lucrative position in Luxembourg, it means Kate can leave the Washington, DC government work force and spend more time with their two sons, while enjoying all the benefits of life in Europe. Upon arrival Kate begins to reinvent herself as an expat, finding her way in a language she doesn’t speak, doing the housewifely things she’s never before done—play dates and coffee mornings, daily cooking and never-ending laundry while her husband works incessantly, at a job Kate has never understood, for a banking client she’s not allowed to know. He’s becoming distant and evasive; she’s getting lonely and bored. Then another American couple arrives. Suddenly Kate has a problem. Unknown to Dexter, Kate’s job in Washington was as a CIA operative for 15 years and she is terrified that her past is catching up to her. But is Kate the target or is it Dexter? Soon Kate discovers fake offices and shell corporations and a hidden gun, a mysterious farmhouse and numbered accounts with bewildering sums of money. Her family, her life, her marriage – all are in jeopardy. Well done. 4/12 Jack Quick

THE EXPATS by Chris Pavone: Kate and Dexter Moore are living a somewhat comfortably strained, middle class life in D.C. when Dexter is offered an excellent position in Luxembourg. So excellent, in fact, that Kate is able to quit her job entirely when the family relocates there. Which is fortunate for the CIA agent as it means finally leaving behind a life she’s been keeping secret for so long. When the Moores arrive in Europe, they quickly become friends with another American couple, Bill and Julia Maclean. But Kate is unable to switch gears from agent to average housewife. She becomes suspicious of Bill and Julia, even considering the fact that they might be agents. But why would they be inserting themselves into the Moores’ lives? Are they there for Kate or could it even be her mild-mannered husband that they’re after? The story shifts between multiple timelines – present day, Paris, where it’s clear that some of Kate’s suspicions are correct; the family’s move to, and time in, Luxembourg; and various points in Kate’s CIA career. Pavone’s debut is a clever read that reveals new secrets at each turn. From start to finish, I had no idea what to expect but I knew it was going to be great. Just nominated for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. 1/13 Becky Lejeune

THE EXPENDABLE MAN by Dorothy B. Hughes: The New York Review of Books has developed a reprint line of classic novels that were critically well-received and popular at the time of their release, but are no longer generally available. Included in this line is a very interesting group of classic mysteries. One of these is The Expendable Man written by Dorothy B. Hughes in 1963. It is well-worth revisiting. It centers around a young intern, Hugh Denismore, who reluctantly gives a young woman a ride from California to Phoenix, Arizona. Shortly thereafter, her body is found floating in an irrigation canal in Scottsdale, Arizona. An anonymous tip to the police suggests that not only did Denismore kill her, but he may have performed an abortion on her as well. To say much more would be to give away an essential ingredient of the plot the discovery of which is part of the experience of reading this fine example of noir literature. If you are a fan of black and white 40’s movies and Raymond Chandler and Big Jim Thompson, this book is a must for you. 1/13 Geoffrey R. Hamlin
EXPLETIVE DELETED edited by Jen Jordan: What do Laura Lippman, Ken Bruen, Charlie Huston, Nathan Singer, Anthony Neil Smith, Jason Starr, Sarah Weinman, John Rickards, Libby Fischer Hellmann, and Reed Farrel Coleman have in common? They all talk dirty and is that ever great. Maybe there has been a previous book devoted to the f word, but if so, its probably out of f***ing print. Who gives a f***, when you have this collection of really neat short stories all tied together by that one little f***ing word. Not for the faint hearted, but if it don’t bother you, read on. 11/07 Jack Quick

EXPLOSIVE EIGHTEEN by Janet Evanovich: I spent a fun few hours hanging with Stephanie Plum, Ranger, Joe, Lula and Grandma Mazur in this latest installment of the screwball comedy/mystery series. This time out Stephanie returns from a trip to Hawaii with a mysterious tan line on her ring finger, and an even more mysterious photograph stuck in her bag that several bad guys are willing to kill her for. Ranger and Joe have injuries they inflicted on each other, and everything else is pretty much up to the usual standards. Fans will enjoy it and enjoy complaining about it, and the upcoming movie may find a few new fans – or lose some. Katherine Heigl stars as Stephanie Plum (after several postponements, which is never a good sign) in One for the Money. The newest release date is Jan. 27, 2012, but who knows. 12/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

EXTINCTION by Mark Alpert: Mark Alpert might be a good candidate to succeed Michael Crichton in the writing of futuristic novels based upon possible scenarios involving current scientific advances. Extinction postulates the building of an artificial entity incorporating lobotomized human beings connected to each other and to the group. The Chinese government has built such a system, but is pictured as losing control over it as the entity gathers more and more intelligence due to the humans being incorporated into it. Jim Pierce, a scientist with a military past, first becomes aware of the entity when a Chinese assassin comes to his lab looking for his estranged daughter. He has not seen her for several years, but now knows that her high level hacking of computers and computer systems has discovered something very dangerous. Jim’s daughter blames her father for the death, several years ago, of her mother and brother in a terrorist attack when all three accompany him to a dangerous area. Layla was saved by her father during the attack but feels that Jim is at fault for the death of the others. Searching for his daughter and encountering the malevolent super intelligence is a fascinating adventure into a possible sequence based upon current scientific advances. The dangers of artificial intelligence spinning out of control becomes a vividly portrayed possibility under Alpert’s guiding hand. A post novel note appended to the book very clearly goes over current day science and postulates that these may very well develop into the entity created in the book. A completely engrossing read, and for those readers not previously introduced to Mark Alpert an invitation to seek out his future books and enjoy them. 2/13 Paul Lane

EXTREME INDIFFERENCE by Stephanie Kane: Second outing for Denver defense attorney Jackie Flowers whose client, a federal judge, is accused of the kidnapping, torture, and murder of Amy Lynch, a college student and daughter of a wealthy businessman. Complicating the task is the fact that Judge Ballard is one of Flowers’ former law professors, who once told her she would never make it as a lawyer. Flowers is dyslexic and has had to struggle her entire life to attain her goals. Her coping skills are extraordinary but now she may be in danger of losing the most important case of her career, while in the middle of trying to decide whether to continue on her own or attempt to link up with one of Denver’s larger law firms. Well written and interesting, particularly in seeing how Flowers perseveres in spite of her dyslexia. 07/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

AN EYE FOR AN EYE by Irene Hannon: The second installment of the Heroes of Quantico series, this was billed as romantic suspense. Frankly, it just didn’t work for me. FBI Hostage Rescue Team member Mark Sanders is sent to St. Louis to work as a field agent after he accidentally shoots a teenager at a tense standoff. Just weeks away from returning to Quantico to resume his work on the HRT, Mark has a chance encounter with an old flame, Emily Lawson. But their reunion is cut short by a sniper. Now Mark must find the shooter, keep Emily safe, and rekindle a long-dead relationship at the same time. With lines like “While Emily’s faith gave her obvious spiritual comfort, he suspected her emotional needs went unmet,.” I seem to have missed the suspense part. 01/10 Jack Quick

AN EYE FOR MURDER by Libby Fischer Hellmann: Chapter One, Paragraph One, ten year old Rachel to Ellie Freeman, her single parent documentary filmmaker mother, “Have you ever had oral sex?” You sense this one may be a little different. This mystery begins in World War II in Europe, and results in the death in 1946 of Kurt Weiss, a GI returning home to Chicago. Decades later Ben Sinclair, a pre-WWII friend of Ellie’s father, recognizes Ellie’s name in a television documentary but is killed before he can contact her. Next to die is Sinclair’s landlady. A drive-by shooting critically wounds a young man who has been helping Sinclair use the computer in the library. Ellie’s home is burglarized and more threats surface. Then Kurt Weiss’s son contacts Ellie and the plot gets even thicker. This is the first outing for Ellie who seems equal to all the challenges thrown at her, except perhaps those presented by her somewhat precocious daughter, who, by the way, is the only girl in 4th grade who doesn’t shave her legs. Lots of action, and its Chicago, so there has to be politics. Recommended. 06/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

EYE OF THE BEHOLDER by David Ellis: Ellis is one of my favorite thriller writers, and this new one didn’t disappoint. In 1989, prosecuting attorney Paul Riley had the case of a lifetime fall into his lap. Two college students and four hookers were murdered in the space of a week, and the first suspect they looked at confessed, had overwhelming physical evidence in his home, and eventually was executed for the murders. Except fifteen years later, a similar spree of murders is happening, and the murderer is sending undecipherable messages to Riley, who parlayed that first case into a private multi-million dollar practice. The book bounces back and forth between the two cases, which feels repetitive in parts, and causes Riley to question what happened. It’s a great story that leads to an intricate, twisty ending that just sends the mind reeling. 08/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

EYE OF THE BURNING MAN by Harry Shannon: Well written adventure about a radio show psychologist who is a former SEAL alcoholic Rambo type. When the young lady who saved his life in a previous adventure, Memorial Day, runs into trouble, Callahan drops everything to rescue her and ends up battling a band of psychopaths at Nevada’s Burning Man Festival. While there is plenty of action and the plot moves along briskly, I couldn’t help but conjure up visions of Frasier whenever Callahan was doing his radio show. Somehow the idea of Dr. Frasier Crane kicking ass never quite fit. In spite of the periodic disconnect between Kelsey Grammer and Sylvester Stallone the book is still a good read. 11/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

THE EYE OF THE VIRGIN by Frederick Ramsey: A reasonably well-told tale marred somewhat by the author’s periodic “information dumps” which have the effect of taking you out of the flow of the narrative. Small town sheriff Ike Schwartz has two mysteries to solve. One involves a break-in at the house of one of Callend University’s faculty. The other involves a body, dead from a small caliber gunshot wound that was left in the waiting room at the town’s emergency clinic while all the staff was busy dealing with boy scouts suffering from food poisoning and even sicker small children with the flu. The two cases become connected with the discovery that the body is that of the faculty member’s ex-wife’s lover, who seems to have entered the country using an assumed name. Both cases also seem to be connected to an icon, The Virgin of Tenderness, in the faculty member’s possession and more importantly which has what appears to be outdated spycraft-a microdot.. Enter the CIA, followed by the mother of Ike’s fiancé Ruth, and information that implicates the involvement of Israel’s super secret Mossad, and you have a fine kettle of fish, indeed. In the end, the good, the bad, and the ugly are neatly sorted and carted away. 07/10 Jack Quick

EYE OF VENGEANCE by Jonathon King: In this stand alone from the author of the Max Freeman series, Nick Mullins is the top crime reporter for the South Florida Daily News. He is also still trying to recover from the deaths of his wife and one of his twin daughters two years earlier in a car accident with a drunk driver. The driver, having served only 18 months, is now out on parole. Nick spends his off hours stalking the driver, trying to catch in violation of his parole, so he will be sent back to prison. Traveling parallel to Mullins is ex-cop and former military sniper Michael Redman, who begins assassinating criminals that have been the subject of Mullins’ stories. With each succeeding murder, it becomes apparent that Redman is working from a list, leading up to a final “favor” for Mullins. Set a timer with this one so that you can be reminded to occasionally breathe. 05/07 Jack Quick

EYE OPENER by Michael Lewin: Lewin, an Indianapolis native who now lives in Britain, has written a series of mysteries all set in Indianapolis, involving an ensemble cast. In Eye Opener, PI Alfred Samson finally has his license restored and is ready to prowl. He soon realizes that the funk he had been in over the loss of his license was deeper and darker than he realized. He worries about his mother and daughter, both of whom seem to have grown away from him during his period of moping and drinking and being at loose ends. He begins to make up with former best friend Captain Jerry Miller who played a major role in the loss of his license. Before it’s over all of Lewin’s characters have made at least a cameo appearance – Samson’s ex-wife Adele, her new policeman husband and even the retired Lieutenant Leroy Powder. Samson gets back into the PI game, with a new girl friend, solves his first new case, and gains renewed respect for his mother and his daughter, who just may be the central character in the next Lewin adventure. As usual Lewin captures the heart and mood of the city perfectly. A good one. 06/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

EYES OF PREY by John Sandford: I feel like I came in on the very end of an orgy here….Having not read one of the previous novels,( I picked this one up in the Hospital gift shop,) I’m at a loss to explain what it all means.
However, as a stand-alone crime novel, and police procedural, It holds it’s own. Lucas Davenport is a burned out, near suicidal, Minneapolis detective who ends up being handed a mission, which he accepts…Like all of our reader ilk. we like our hero’s complicated…The more so, the better. This guy truly fits the bill. Great villains….Doc Bekker took more drugs than any villain in History…and “Druze” became Doc’s willing oaf…..and an ending that will kill ‘ya.
Got to read more of these to find what led up to this. 01/06 DOC

EYES OF THE INNOCENT by Brad Parks: Carter Ross, Newark reporter, returns in this sophomore effort from the Shamus & Nero Wolfe Award winning author of Faces of the Gone. A house fire kills two children and a city councilman goes missing, yet there are still laughs in this twisty crime novel. Ross is ordered to write the annual story about the dangers of space heaters and to take along the newest intern, Lauren “Sweet Thang” McMillan, a good looking ditzy blonde who turns out to have a gift for getting people to talk. Murder and mayhem ensue, and Ross hooks up with the detective on the case to get the crimes solved. Parks has a real gift for taking dark subject matter, lightening it up with humor, and turning it into a hell of a page turner. Looking forward to the next book for sure. 02/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde: This book is a gift for anyone literary on your list. One of the most creative and clever genre-defying books to show up on a bookshelf in a very long time, encompassing murder and mystery, time travel and other elements of sci-fi, along with enough literary references, both obscure and popular, to make any literati feel smug. Don’t miss it.

THE EZEKIAL OPTION by Joel C. Rosenberg: Also known as the book that is impossible to describe. On one level it’s a thriller not unlike some of the later ones written by Tom Clancy. Presidential adviser Jon Bennett and his fiancé beautiful CIA agent Erin McCoy are in the middle of the action – a coup in Russia, war in the Middle East, oil driven terrorism. All are familiar. However, there is also Dr. Eliezer Mordechai, former head of the Mossad and now a Christian, who opines, “The Scriptures were coming alive.” He prepares a 37-page Bible-based brief known as “The Ezekiel Option,” which postulates that supernatural powers will eliminate Israel’s enemies. Is it the Apocalypse? Is scriptural prophecy being fulfilled in today’s newspapers? To sum it up succinctly, disturbing. 02/07 Jack Quick

THE FACE by Angela Hunt: Sarah Sims was born with Treacher Collins syndrome. Her case was actually worse than most and she could not survive without a series of painful surgeries. Her mother died in childbirth and her father died working for the CIA; Sarah was told that she had no one. Twenty years later, after the death of her mother, Renee Carey discovers that her niece, thought to have died in birth, survived. Renee is determined not only to meet Sarah, but to help her have the life and love she should have had all along. It’s not as easy as it would seem, though. Sarah has lived with and worked for the CIA all her life. For Renee to gain access to her niece, she has to jump through multiple CIA hoops and eventually gets a job with the agency. After they are united, Sarah agrees to undergo a very experimental facial implant, but meanwhile, the case they are working on has become more intense and dangerous to everyone involved, including even Sarah. Hunt, a prolific Christian author, has produced what is at its heart an intense thriller that should appeal to readers of all genres. The book is thoughtful and thought-provoking, but is not at all a heavy read. A page-turner through and through. 11/08 Becky Lejeune

THE FACE OF DEATH by Cody McFadyen: In McFadyen’s debut thriller, Shadow Men, FBI agent Smoky Barrett was faced with a ruthless killer who fancied himself the heir to Jack the Ripper’s legacy. She’s lost her family and her best friend and she’s endured brutal torture. Everyday she must face the mental and physical scars left from her ordeal, but ultimately she has survived and she is still damn good at her job. Smoky has taken some long overdue vacation time with the intention of spending quality time with her adopted daughter and allowing herself to finally say goodbye to her murdered family. Her vacation is interrupted, however, when the only survivor of a multiple homicide has asked for her at the scene. The survivor, a teenage foster child named Sarah, thinks that Smoky is the only person who might believe her story and want to help. Sarah claims that a man she calls The Stranger killed her foster family just as he killed her own parents ten years ago. According to Sarah, The Stranger is grooming her for a very special purpose, a twisted plot of revenge that Smoky and her team must unravel before it’s too late. Smoky Barrett is a tough-as-nails investigator with some serious demons to battle. McFadyen seems to have no sympathy for his heroine, but each ordeal only proves to make her that much stronger. To top it all off, McFadyen twists some crazy original and relentlessly paced stories. If you’re a fan of Silence of the Lambs, and other such psychological thrillers, you need to add Cody McFadyen to your list. 08/08 Becky Lejeune

THE FACE OF DEATH by Cody McFayden: McFadyen’s second outing turns into three books in one, that probably would have more appeal for the causal mystery reader than the more devoted one. First there is a fairly detailed text on forensics complete with discussions of blood spatter patterns, evidence gathering, use of technology, transference between attacker and victim, etc. – all the stuff you have already learned about on CSI. The next part is an extensive discussion of the psychological make up of the serial killer interspersed with numerous segments on depression and how to deal with it. Lastly, interspersed with the above is the tale of “The Stranger,” a serial killer seeking revenge for a miscarriage of justice, who has targeted 16-year-old Sarah Langstrom. It is up to Smoky Barrett and her outstanding L.A. Violent Crimes Unit to catch this monster who inflicts pain on Sarah by systematically killing anyone she loves. Actually the writing is not bad, but I found myself wanting to tell McFayden on occasion to shut up the lecturing and get on with the storying on far too many occasions. I understand the third book in this series is better. I hope so. 11/08 Jack Quick

THE FACE OF EVIL by John McPartland: first published in 1954, this pulp tale is now available as a free download e-book from http://www.blackmask.com. From the opening fight in a Newport Beach, California saloon to the final moments, it is exactly what you would expect from a good pulp read. Bill Oxford was a war correspondent in the Big War, then a LA Times journalist. Now he is a fixer – for those in and around Hollywood – of problems that others might not want to touch. After all the stench of those problems has begun to settle on Oxford and he is no longer as welcome as he was once was where the beautiful people play. Now he is just hired help. But still lethal. 11/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

FACE TIME by Hank Phillippi Ryan: Reporter Charlotte “Charlie” McNally is back in this follow-up to Hank Phillippi Ryan’s debut, Prime Time. In the news world it’s all about ratings, and it’s up to Charlie and her producer, Franklin, to make sure that they are first to get the next hot story. This time a connection Franklin has with a local activist group could not only lead them to a prime ratings headline, but could also free a woman who’s been wrongly convicted of murder. Dorinda Sweeney confessed to killing her husband and has been serving a life sentence for the crime. Now, new evidence proves that she is innocent, but Dorie is sticking to her story. Can Charlie crack the case or will her involvement land her in the crosshairs of a killer who’s determined to stay out of the limelight? Charlie’s second outing is even better than her first. Hank Phillippi Ryan’s series is a great blend of suspense, wit, and lighthearted fun. 09/09 Becky Lejeune

FACES OF THE GONE by Brad Parks: Carter Ross is an investigative reporter for a Newark, NJ newspaper who is assigned to look into the execution of four drug dealers that the cops are blaming on a bar robbery. Ross doesn’t buy it, and does his own investigating, putting himself, his cat Deadline, and pretty much everyone else he interviews in harm’s way. The characters are strongly defined, from the go-go dancer’s mother to the editor with a ticking biological clock. The Newark projects and their inhabitants come to life as do the local politicians and the cops. The newsroom rings true, especially the budget issues and there are some funny moments with the competition between the newspaper journalists and the TV news reporters. New Jersey seems to produce some of the funniest mystery writers, and Parks joins the ranks of Janet Evanovich and David Rosenfelt with his gritty, humorous debut. 01/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

FACES OF THE GONE by Brad Parks: Its take a very good “newspaper” story to keep my attention and Parks has a great one here. Carter Ross, investigative reporter with the Newark Eagle-Examiner, doesn’t buy the police story that 4 bodies, each with a single bullet wound in the back of the head, stacked like cordwood in a weed-choked vacant lot is payback for a local tavern robbery. Determined to uncover the true story, he enlists the aide of Tina Thompson, the paper’s smoking-hot city editor, to run interference at the office; Tommy Hernandez, the paper’s gay Cuban intern, to help him with legwork on the streets; and Tynesha Dales, a local stripper, to take him to Newark’s underside. It turns out there is a connection between the four victims but it isn’t something as minor as a bar robbery. Carter starts out looking for a story and ends up looking for a way to save his life. Nicely done. 02/10 Jack Quick

FADE TO BLONDE by Max Phillips: The second offering from Hard Case Crime (September 2004) shows they can still write ‘em like they used to. Ex-boxer/failed screenwriter Ray Corson is as tough talking as any classic gumshoe. Blonde bombshell Rebecca LaFontaine is a classic damsel in distress (“I’m really a good girl who was made to do bad things.”) She hires Corson to protect her from murderous rejected suitor Lance Halliday, a Hollywood porn producer. Corson’s investigation of Tinsel Town’s tarnished underside uncovers drug dealing, gangland activity and evidence that LaFontaine just may not be exactly who she says she is. Classic pulp at its finest, typed out two fingered on a battered Remington with sheets of carbon paper separating the pages. Don’t need no stinkin’ word processor. 08/06 Jack Quick

FADE TO WHITE by Wendy Clinch: Avid ski enthusiast and amateur sleuth Stacey Curtis returns in this second Ski Diva mystery. When famous aging actor Harper Stone shows up in Spruce Peak to shoot a mouthwash ad, fans couldn’t be more pleased. For the younger generation, Stacey in particular, it’s just an annoyance that’s closed down the lift and slowed her day at the slopes. But when Stone goes missing, later to be found by Stacey herself, she once again begins poking her nose into police business. This follow-up to Double Black was something of a disappointment. Stacey takes a backseat to the many supporting characters, some of whom are introduced only to later disappear without mention again. The plot itself seemed somewhat promising but the big reveal in the end was overwhelmingly anticlimactic. Sad for a book I’d been looking forward to after enjoying Clinch’s debut last year. 1/11 Becky Lejeune

THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL by Carolyn Turgeon: Rapunzel has been raised in almost complete seclusion, kept safe deep in the forest. Her guardian, Mathena, has taught her everything she knows about the healing powers of plants. Together, they live a quiet and secure life. While hunting in the woods one afternoon, Prince Josef hears an enchanting melody. He follows the sound to Rapunzel and the two are immediately smitten. But the Prince is promised to another and Mathena has vowed to protect Rapunzel from danger – even the dangers of the heart. Turgeon’s latest is an interesting, if somewhat odd, twist on the classic Rapunzel and Snow White tales. It’s a quite clever blend of the two, to be perfectly honest, and one that is sure to appeal to fans of fairy tale retellings as well as Turgeon’s previous novels. 8/13 Becky Lejeune

THE FAITHFUL SPY by Alex Berenson: CIA agent John Wells, the first Western intelligence officer to penetrate the upper levels of al-Qaeda, is assigned a mission on American soil by bin Laden’s chief deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Wells, now a devout Muslim (for real), finds his years spent in deep cover have left him conflicted. Has he been turned? The scrutiny intensifies when two bombs go off in L.A., killing 300. Although a bit clunky, the mounting suspense, a believable scenario and a final twist add up to a compelling tale of frightening possibilities. It’s not for the squeamish, though: the torture sequences and bombing descriptions are graphic and chillingly real. 08/06 Jack Quick

FAITHLESS by Karin Slaughter (Bantam Dell 8/1) – The publicity blurb says Faithless will be (Slaughter’s) breakthrough hardcover bestseller. It’s the same cast as Slaughter’s previous Grant County, Georgia novels with Coroner Sara Linton, ex-husband Sheriff Jeffrey Tolliver, and Detective Lena Adams. Sara and Frank find the body of a young woman who had been buried alive in a wooden box with a breathing tube, but then poisoned with cyanide. The autopsy reveals she is pregnant and, it turns outs she is part of the Church of Greater Good, associated with a soybean cooperative that uses Atlanta homeless people as workers. Each character is involved with no single focus, which makes for very interesting reading. With sentences like this one -“(Lena) wasn’t used to being around religious people unless they were down at the police station.” – I agree with the publicity blurb. This is the best one yet. 07/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

THE FALL by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan: The strigoi have taken Manhattan. Eph, his son, Setrakian, Fet, and Nora have managed to survive the first wave, but the vampire plague is quickly spreading. The powers that be have tried to ignore the signs and now their actions are too late to stop the epidemic. Setrakian, who’s been tracking and killing the vampires for decades, suspects that the truth of their origin lies hidden within the pages of the Occido Lumen, a book shrouded in mystery and curses, currently being auctioned in New York. If he can get his hands on the book, humanity may have a hope in surviving. In the meantime, the group must continue to evade the strigoi Master and his minions. The Fall kicks off immediately where The Strain leaves off. Del Toro and Hogan have created a dark and horrific story based in the classic monstrous vampires of early legend—no romantic and brooding heartthrobs here, the strigoi are parasites feeding on and eliminating the human race. Note this series does have to be read in order. 11/11 Becky Lejeune

FALL OF A COSMONAUT by Stuart Kaminsky: It’s the thirteenth outing for Moscow’s version of Ed McBain’s Steve Carella. The three cases that occupy Rostnikov this time provide a sad picture of a country thrashing about in search of an identity. He and his son Iosef, now a fellow policeman are searching for a missing cosmonaut who happened to mention Rostnikov’s name on a tape recorded before the cosmonaut came down from the Mir space station and then disappeared. Iosef’s lover, Elena Timofeyeva, and her partner, Sasha, are involved with a nasty and pompous film producer, whose life is in danger and Emil Karpo heads the investigation into the murder of an unpopular scientist at the Center for the Study of Technical Parapsychology. As usual a satisfying conclusion is reached for all three, and our heroes all appear ready for further adventures. 03/08 Jack Quick

The Fall of Light by Niall Williams: Romantic historical Irish family saga, a little slow but worthwhile.

THE FALL OF TROY by Peter Ackroyd: In 1868, Heinrich Schliemann took over the excavation site at Hisarlik, in Turkey. The site was believed to have been the ancient city of Troy. Schliemann, his expedition, and his eccentric nature all play out in Ackroyd’s latest novel. Upon receiving his proposal, and generous dowry, Sophia Chrysanthis’s parents gladly give their daughter’s hand in marriage to German archaeologist Heinrich Obermann. It is to be a prosperous marriage, one that will secure Sophia a comfortable place in society. Soon after the wedding, Obermann carts his new bride off to Turkey where he has been laboring diligently, or more appropriately, obsessively, to uncover the once famous city of Troy. Sophia leaves her home with some trepidation but soon comes to love the excitement of discovering the remains of this lost civilization. Before long, Sophia comes to realize that any evidence that would contradict her husband’s theories – those supported by the writings of Homer – soon disappears or is coincidentally destroyed. She also discovers that her new husband has neglected to reveal certain important facts in regards to his past. Obermann’s mania reaches a dangerous peak and Sophia is forced to decide just where her loyalties lie. This slim novel is interesting if a bit anticlimactic. The real Obermann (Schleimann) and his exploits are a fascinating bit of archaeological history that makes the story much more appealing. Unfortunately, the fact that this story is partially true is only briefly mentioned on the flap of the dust-jacket, and Schleimann’s name is not mentioned at all. 11/07 Becky Lejeune

FALLEN by Karin Slaughter: I loved Slaughter’s series, and was so invested in her characters that when she killed off one of her major characters, I stopped reading her. Well, it’s been several years and time heals all wounds, so to speak, especially when so many people were telling me that I had to read this book and how terrific it was. So I put myself on the waiting list at my library and patiently waited my turn. Meanwhile, Ms. Slaughter had undertaken a project to help the underfunded libraries in her community, and other communities, and received a very special “Silver Bullet” award from the International Thriller Writers group, and my admiration. I wrote to thank and congratulate her on this project, and she sent me a copy of Fallen. Took my name off the list at the library and fell into it. I can see why everyone is raving about this book; the characters are so well drawn and the story so compelling that I could not put this book down. I still miss the character that died, but I was comfortable with how the story has evolved from there. Now I am impatient for the next book, while I am still savoring this one.
Faith Mitchell is a Georgia cop whose mother is watching her infant daughter. When the training class she’s in runs late, Faith calls her mom to let her know but gets no answer. Faith drives to her mother’s house, dread building as she still cannot reach her. Evelyn Mitchell is a retired detective, and it is not like her to be out of reach. Faith arrives at the house, sees blood on the door, hears music her mother would never play and calls for back up. But this is her mother and child at risk, so throwing caution to the winds she enters a nightmare. The story hurtles forward, twisting and turning and the tension just doesn’t let up until the last page. Apparently while I wasn’t reading her, Slaughter really amped up her game. This book is sure to make my best books of the year list. 09/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

FALLEN by Karin Slaughter: Hail, hail the gang’s all here. When the mother of Georgia Bureau of Investigation Agent Faith Mitchell is kidnapped, it brings all of Slaughter’s disparate characters together. First there is dyslexic fellow agent Will Trent who is Faith’s partner and the man responsible for causing her mother to have to resign from the Atlanta Police Department’s Narcotics Squad in a scandal that sent six of her officers to prison. Then there is Amanda, Will and Faith’s boss, who was a contemporary of Faith’s Mother at APD. Lastly there is trauma doctor Sara Linton, formerly of Grant County and now working at Atlanta’s Grady hospital trauma center and who has a soft spot for Will from their previous encounters. Hostages, drugs, cops, cons, multiple murders, and somewhere a common thread that ties it all together. Slaughter’s best effort to date and definitely recommended. 07/11 Jack Quick

FALLEN by Lauren Kate: Luce learned long ago that talking about the shadows around her would get her into trouble. Her somewhat “normal” existence is shattered, though, when a fellow student dies in a fire. Luce can’t remember the events surrounding the boy’s death, but that doesn’t matter when judgment is passed. Now she’s a new student at Sword & Cross, a reform school for trouble—and troubled—teens. In spite of a quite rude first encounter, Luce finds herself drawn to Daniel Grigori, a mysterious boy she feels a certain connection to. In fact, Luce can’t shake the feeling that she’s met him somewhere before. But Luce can’t begin to understand the bond that she and Daniel have. And if she were ever to guess their shared past, history could quite possibly repeat itself… again. Fallen is yet another fallen angel tale for teens. This one, however, had a deliciously dark and gothic feel to it. My one complaint is that although the build was fantastic, the end was very abrupt: a great premise with great development, but the conclusion just felt rushed. 12/09 Becky Lejeune

THE FALLEN by T. Jefferson Parker: Homicide Detective Robbie Greenlaw has a gift from an unfortunate accident – he was thrown out a sixth floor window. He survived, but suffers from a rare neurological disorder called synesthesia, which causes him to visualize different colored shapes coming out of a speaker’s mouth, coordinating with the emotions of the speaker; lies are red, jealousy is green and so forth. He doesn’t tell anyone but his wife about it, fearing reprisal, but it turns out to be a somewhat useful tool for a detective to have a sort of built-in lie detector. Greenlaw is assigned to case involving a former cop who is murdered. Things get really complicated when he uncovers a prostitution ring with political and police connections and the story just flies. Parker has achieved the Holy Trinity of starred reviews – Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Kirkus, and those stars are well deserved. This is an extraordinary story, told by an extraordinary writer. Don’t miss it. 03/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE FALLEN by Mark Terry: Derek Stillwater’s latest outing revolves around a GQ Summit meeting in Colorado Springs. A terrorist group, the Fallen Angels, led by Richard Coffee, has infiltrated the meeting and taken twenty world leaders hostage. Coffee’s first demand: release twenty detainees from Guantanamo Bay, or he’ll execute one leader each hour until his demands are met. Stillwater, working undercover as a maintenance man at the resort where the meeting is being held, is the only one in position to prevent the massacre. The odds may be twenty to one but don’t underestimate Stillwater. He and Coffee have a history, and Stillwater is determined that history will end here in the Colorado Rockies.. Another good thriller. 06/11 Jack Quick

THE FALLEN ANGEL by Daniel Silva: This is Silva’s 12th book about Gabriel Allon, who is portrayed as being one of the top agents of Israel’s intelligence service. Over the time involved in the novels Gabriel has become quite well known to readers of these books. His thoughts and reactions to situations have been thoroughly sketched by Silva so that he has become someone we know rather than a character created just to interact in a story. As in many of the books about him, Allon is first found working on a restoration project. This time on a painting by Carvaggio located in the Vatican. The background knowledge and descriptions of the art world and the work going into maintaining great art are a set piece in most of Silva’s books about Gabriel. While working on the portrait an apparent suicide of a female curate occurs, and Gabriel is asked by a friend of his who is a high placed official with the Vatican to “look into the matter”.
From looking at a suicide, that may be murder, into an international plot by Iran to destroy Israel Allon moves forward rapidly mobilizing a team he works with in order to foil the plots. Possibly more than a bit far fetched events as depicted and actions described succeed in capturing the reader and pulling him or her into moving forward with Allon and his team to a satisfying ending. The research that Daniel Silva undoubtedly does in setting up his novels is evident, and while the truth is somewhat distorted it does make for great reading, and a consistent look forward to the next book by him. Obviously, there are a good many allusions to previously written Gabriel Allon novels, but all can be read as stand alone books with understanding of what is currently going on. 8/12 Paul Lane

THE FALLEN ANGEL by Daniel Silva: “Rule number one at the Vatican,” Donati said. “Don’t ask too many questions.” Gabriel Allon, the wayward son of Israeli intelligence, has taken refuge behind the walls of the Vatican, where he is restoring one of Caravaggio’s greatest masterpieces. But early one morning he is summoned to St. Peter’s Basilica by Monsignor Luigi Donati, the all-powerful private secretary to His Holiness Pope Paul VII. The body of a beautiful woman lies broken beneath Michelangelo’s magnificent dome. The Vatican police suspect suicide, though Gabriel believes otherwise. Gabriel learns that the dead woman had uncovered a dangerous secret that threatens a global criminal enterprise that is looting timeless treasures of antiquity and selling them to the highest bidder. But that is not all. A mysterious operative is plotting an act of sabotage that will plunge the world into a conflict of apocalyptic proportions. With each succeeding book, Silva’s legacy grows, deftly mixing Jewish and Catholic faiths and beliefs in ways that highlight the similarities and minimize the differences all in adventure fiction that is as good as it gets. 8/12 Jack Quick

FALLING IS LIKE THIS by Kate Rockland: Ending a relationship is never simple, but moving on proves to be a little easier for Harper Rostov when she meets guitarist Nick Cavallero on the same afternoon that she finally walks out on her current boyfriend, Andy. Cavallero, a member of Hitchhiker’s Revenge, a punk rock band that Harper has been a fan of for ages, is the exact opposite of Andy. He’s older but not necessarily more mature. Just different. And it only takes a day for Harper to begin to fall for him. But is a rock star boyfriend and the punk scene really all it’s cut out to be? Can a whirlwind love affair with the poster boy of punk turn out the way Harper hopes it will? And is it all worth it in the end? Rockland has a quirky style and an interesting way of viewing things that translates well through her main character. There are moments when the new “love” and heavy flirting can become a bit overwhelming, but even that’s as it should be, I think, when reading about a young relationship. 05/10 Becky Lejeune

FALLING TOGETHER by Marisa de los Santos: Once upon a time, Pen, Cat, and Will were the best of friends. They met in college and were inseparable for years to come. Then they went their separate ways. Pen is now a single mother who has recently lost her father. Will is a successful writer who has managed to control his anger issues. And Cat… well, no one is sure. Pen and Will both receive the same email from Cat apologizing and asking for them to meet up at their college reunion. But Cat never shows. Instead, her husband is there claiming that his wife has disappeared. As Pen and Will reconnect, they decide to help Cat’s husband track her down, ultimately facing the very things that tore them apart in the first place. Falling Together is a bit slow to start, but once the story picks up it’s impossible to put down. Marisa de los Santos has an interesting voice – very banter-ish. Pen is the most well developed character in the story, and my preference would have been for her to be the overall lead character – she certainly gets the most page time and could definitely have carried the book. Instead, the story is unevenly split between Pen and Will, leaving Will feeling a bit underdeveloped as a whole. Overall a sweet story and a fairly easy read. 10/12 Becky Lejeune

FALLS THE SHADOW by William Lashner: Defense attorney Victor Carl in his fifth outing as a “Philadelphia Lawyer”, which you soon learn is somewhat different from being an attorney elsewhere. Like voting in Chicago, Philadelphia lawyers are involved early and often in various political matters. In this one, Carl takes on the task of getting a retrial for a convicted murderer. His efforts uncover some strange connections, with the usual Philadelphia political overtones. Along the way he befriends a young client assigned by Child Services and unveils a different side of Carl. Without spoiling the plot, I will say for Lashner fans that Carl does survive the various attempts on his life, so he should be back for another case. Recommended. 05/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

A FALSE DAWN by Tom Lowe: Retired homicide detective Sean O’Brien wants nothing more these days than to relax, work on renovating his new home and boat, and hang with his dog, Max. Then Sean discovers a woman who has been beaten, abused, and left for dead in the woods near his home. As the woman lay dying in his arms, Sean promises her that he will find the people responsible. Unfortunately, one of the locals seems to have an agenda of his own and pegs Sean as his number one suspect. As Sean’s investigation leads him to the heart of a human trafficking ring, connections to some of Florida’s most prominent business folk cause him to wonder just who is on the take and who is really interested in solving the case. Soon Sean finds himself tangled in a mystery that leads him back to one of his own unsolved cases from his Miami days. This is a great debut. O’Brien is a character readers will really root for, and even given the circumstances of the tale, I’ll bet you’ll be planning a Florida vacation thanks to Lowe’s descriptions and setting (I’ll avoid the gators, thanks.) 04/09 Becky Lejeune

FALSE FACES by Seth Margolis: Ostensibly, Linda Levinson had no enemies but she is murdered one balmy summer night in yuppie Seaside Harbor, N.Y. When Police Office Joe DiGregorio begins to dig into the case he learns that Linda is quite a character. To her roommate, Linda was a good though moody friend. To her latest one-night stand, Linda was a castrating bitch. To her boss, the dead woman was “quiet…sweet…didn’t go out much.” Digging further, Joe finds that Linda was running a stock market scam and her partner becomes the chief suspect in her slaying – but then he becomes a homicide statistic. Even Joe almost falls victim to the killer. When its all over, you may be left with a less than satisfactory taste in your mouth because of the shallowness and crass materialism of some of the characters, but still a darn good read. 10/06 Jack Quick

FALSE PROFITS by Patricia Smiley: L.A. management consultant Tucker Sinclair has been accused of helping a client obtain $11 million using a fraudulent business plan. When Sinclair begins to defend herself she finds the original files missing out of her office. So she goes to the office of the client neurologist, Milton Polk, and discovers not her elusive doctor but a policeman with a Polaroid of the dead Polk. From this point on, its up to Sinclair to save her reputation and livelihood by finding out who and why, and staying alive during the process. Sinclair is smarter than Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum but no match for Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Milhone in this, her first outing. It will be interesting to see how she develops in subsequent adventures. For now, not too tart, not too sweet, and an okay read. 11/06 Jack Quick

A False Sense of Well Being by Jeanne Braselton: I loved this book about a woman having a mid-life crisis which manifests itself in fantasies of her husband dying in various ways. Black comedy for sure, but so much more! The characters are well defined and sympathetic, even in their neuroses. This is a book that begs discussion. And single-handedly, Ms. Braselton has opened my mind once again to Southern fiction. A reading group guide, interview and preview chapter from Braselton’s next book are available in the Ballantine Reader’s Circle edition or online. Click here for more info.

FALSE TESTIMONY by Rose Connors: Marty Nickerson & Harry Madigan are law partners and life partners. In this fourth outing of the pair, they each have a client whose story doesn’t hold water. Nickerson is defending the Massachusetts senator whose aide has mysteriously disappeared, and Madigan is defending a very young parolee accused of murdering a priest – which he admits to doing, but claims it was in self defense against attempted sexual assault. Connors brings home the stark winter of Cape Cod in this bisecting tale of truth or consequences amid great courtroom scenes with great style and great writing. 07/05

FALSE WITNESS by Randy Singer: Bounty hunter Clarke Shealy gets an ominous phone call—a Chinese mafioso has taken Shealy’s wife hostage, and if Shealy wants to see her again, he must track down a missing Chinese mathematician, who has discovered an extremely valuable algorithm that could change Internet technology forever. That’s part one. In part two, three students at a prestigious law school in Atlanta become involved with a couple in the witness protection program. The students, an African-American ex-jock, a feisty liberated woman, and an endearing math nerd, are saved from being caricatures through the excellence of the writing. At the end, all the loose ends are pulled together so nicely, one would hope to see a sequel to follow the story even further. 01/08 Jack Quick

THE FAME THIEF by Tim Hallinan: Through his previous work, LA burglar Junior has acquired a protector and mentor. The problem is the person who has involved himself in Junior’s life is one Irwin Dressler, Hollywood’s scariest mob boss-turned-movie king. Having Dressler for a mentor is not unlike walking a greased high wire over a pit of piranhas during a windstorm. Even though Dressler is ninety-three years old, Junior is thinks hif life is over when Dressler’s henchman haul him in for a meeting. It turns out that Dressler wants Junior to solve a “crime” he believes was committed more than seventy years ago, when an old friend of his, once-famous starlet Dolores La Marr, had her career destroyed after compromising photos were taken of her at a Las Vegas party. Dressler wants justice for Dolores and the shining career she never had. After all, it’s been seventy years. Even if someone did set Dolores up for a fall from grace back then, they’re probably long dead now. But Junior can’t say no to Irwin Dressler (no one can, really). So he starts digging. As additional motivation Dressler knows Junior’s deepest secret hideaway which means the alternative would be to flee California and his daughter forever and that is not going to happen. Another outstanding offering from Tim Hallinan. 7/13 Jack Quick

THE FAMILY FANG by Kevin Wilson: Caleb and Camille Fang are performance artists; their lives revolve around their art. Their children, Annie and Buster, known as Child A and Child B, become additions to the act, and secondary to their parent’s art. The story moves back and forth from present day – Annie is an actress of some renound and Buster is a respected journalist and novelist – to their childhood as the often unwitting participants in their parents’ productions. This family puts the “fun” in dysfunctional and their story is a charming, heart wrenching and heartwarming tale. The humor ranges from broad slapstick to black comedy, and reading groups will find much to discuss here. 09/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

FANGLAND by John Marks: As an associate producer for the television news program, The Hour it Is, Evangeline Harker’s job to feel out a potential story and decide if it will make the cut and become an actual piece. Newly engaged, she grudgingly agrees to go to Romania to meet with someone who may have information regarding regional crime lord, Ion Torgu. Torgu has become a mythical figure whose existence is questionable. When Evangeline is late for her interview, she believes the whole story is blown. She’s surprised though when Torgu himself shows up. From the set meeting place, he takes her to a remote hotel in the mountains where she discovers his grisly secret. Months pass with no word from Evangeline. Hours of almost blank footage arrive from Romania. Editors begin to suffer from a strange sort of viral depression and everyone at The Hour has reported hearing strange whispering throughout the halls. This modern adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula is cleverly modified for a post 9-11, media driven world. Marks twists the literary classic to make it his own. 02/07 Becky Lejeune

FAR FAR AWAY by Tom McNeal: Once upon a time in the town of Never Better, there lived a boy whose best friend was a ghost. The boy was Jeremy Johnson Johnson and the ghost was Jacob Grimm. When Jacob died, he wandered the world looking for his brother. Having finally decided that – for reasons he still did not understand – his brother was not in fact wandering this plane of existence along with him, he settled in Never Better. He’d heard that the small town was home to an Exceptional – someone who could hear the dead – and that this Exceptional (Jeremy) would need protection from a Finder of Occasions – someone who makes trouble by taking advantage of… occasions. Jeremy’s mother left one day without saying goodbye. Heartbroken, his father cut himself off from the world. And so, Jacob Grimm became Jeremy Johnson Johnson’s protector, companion, and surrogate parent and has been ever since. The Finder of Occasions has yet to show himself and Jeremy is in his final years of high school. Jacob has been helping him with his studies so that he can get into a good college, but Jeremy’s life is no fairy tale, not even when Ginger Boultinghouse starts coming around. In fact, his troubles are just beginning and Jacob might not be able to help him when things get really bad. Far Far Away is a fun and somewhat gruesome teen fairy tale. I loved the framework of the story and thought the use of Jacob Grimm as narrator was quite clever. 6/13 Becky Lejeune

A FAR PIECE TO CANAAN by Sam Halpern: Samuel Zelinsky may have spent just three years in Kentucky, but those three years would impact his life in ways he never considered. His wife, Nora, knew this and always urged him to revisit his time there but he always found a reason to avoid the issue. That is, until Nora’s death. Her final request before she died was for Samuel to go back to Kentucky. Now in his seventies, Samuel finds himself finally returning to the farmland his family sharecropped decades ago. And while those years have long passed, Samuel finds that the memories of that time are as fresh as ever. This debut from Sam Halpern (of Justin Halpern’s Sh*t My Dad Says fame) is a wonderfully thoughtful and compelling read. The story alternates between Samuel’s childhood and present day. Halpern does a fantastic job setting the tone and scene throughout the book, even switching to what the character calls “hillbilly” dialect in the flashbacks. I’ll admit I did find that the flashback portions of the tale had more impact for me as a reader than the final chapters concerning the present day closure the character faced, but A Far Piece to Canaan is still, in my opinion, a truly excellent debut. 6/13 Becky Lejeune

FAST LANE by Dave Zeltserman: As cold and unforgiving as an alleyway off East Colfax Avenue in January, Johnny Lane is Denver’s premier private eye. He stays that way by solving the difficult cases and then writing about them in a monthly column “Fast Lane” in the Denver Examiner. Not one to mince words in print or in public he responds as follows to a red head who questions his sad expression in a local watering hole. “I just found out that I won’t qualify for this year’s Miss America contest. I guess you must have been told the same thing years ago.” The redhead, Marge, becomes another chapter or chapters in the legend of Johnny Lane. As Zeltserman says in the forward, “Hope you like your crime fiction dark and disturbing.” Whatever happened to Mickey Spillane? Now we know. He changed his name and moved west. 08/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

Family Orchard by Nomi Eve: This is a fictionalized account of the author’s family history that goes from her father’s journal to what I believe to be her version of how events happened. I found the two different voices distracting and unnecessary. There was a snippet about each character but not enough depth about anyone until the end. The first six pages were the best. Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

A Farewell to Legs by Jeffrey Cohen: This is the second entry into the terrific Aaron Tucker/Hemingway series (Tucker is the protagonist, Hemingway supplies the titles.) This time around Aaron goes to his high school reunion, and so does the girl everyone had the hots for, Stephanie Jacobs. But while they are catching up, someone kills Stephanie’s husband back in Washington D. C. Louis “Crazy Legs” Gibson was a womanizing political right winger with lots of enemies and his wife is the number one suspect, but she has an ironclad alibi. Using her political connections, she arranges for a magazine to hire Aaron to write a piece about the murder and hopefully solve the crime, and the fun and games begin. It’s the wonderfully written characters that really makes these books shine, but there are also lots of nice twists and a real surprise ending in this humorous whodunit. 12/03 Bookbitch

A FAREWELL TO LEGS by Jeffery Cohen: Called a combination James Bond and Bart Simpson, Aaron Tucker-is looking for the killer of a conservative politician who was once a classmate of Tucker’s, while also handling family matters and pursuing his ambition of becoming a successful screen writer. Other words that come to mind are quirky, adorable, and downright funny. Maybe he’s more of a Woody Allen, the master anti-sleuth. 12/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

Fat Ollie’s Book by Ed McBain: Long before Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue, Ed McBain was turning out what are almost universally conceded to be the best police procedurals of our time. His close-knit team of characters in the 87th precinct know their jobs and they perform them well.
But what characters! From Meyer Meyer to Burt Kling to the protagonist Steve Carella himself, each is richly developed over the series and absorbing in his own right.
In Fat Ollie’s Book, McBain has elevated a peripheral comic character from earlier books to center stage and done so in a way that humanizes him without losing his humorous aspects.
Detective First Class Oliver Wendell Weeks, aka Fat Ollie, is an officer from the adjoining 88th Precinct who in a previous book saved Carella’s life twice. Once by shooting a lion. In this volume, Detective Weeks has written a book which he has entitled Report to the Commissioner. Unfortunately, his manuscript is stolen from his police car while he is at the scene of the murder of a local politician. Both investigations proceed simultaneously and manage to entwine.
This story is yet further evidence of McBain’s complete mastery of this field. It is interesting, convincing and funny. If you haven’t read McBain, this would not be a bad place to start. This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin

A FATAL DEBT by John Gapper: This is a first novel and is certainly an intriguing beginning. Gapper is the chief business columnist for the Financial Times and has written two non-fiction works concerning the financial world. Ben Cowper is a psychiatrist working at a large hospital in New York City. He admits Harry Shapiro, the fired former head of a large financial firm that has suffered the problems of the recent Wall street crisis. Harry’s wife has requested the her husband be admitted due to the depression he suffers from the loss of his job. Harry objects and wants to be released, but Ben’s superiors insist that Shapiro’s request be honored since he and his wife are large benefactors of the hospital. Harry is released against Ben’s better judgment, and several days afterwards becomes involved in the murder of a former colleague . He accepts blame for the murder and is put in prison awaiting trial. Insinuations are that it is actually Ben’s fault for releasing him too soon. Ben has to begin work on clearing his professional reputation and the ins and outs of arriving at satisfactory conclusions provides a plot that keeps the reader very much involved. There is a long list of characters whose interactions are intricate and keep anyone reading the book guessing and awaiting answers. The final answer is a surprise, although Gapper has provided clues to this in the course of the action. Good read, and certainly enough for the reader to await Gapper’s next novel with interest. 6/12 Paul Lane

FATAL ENCRYPTION by Debra Purdy Kong: A non-geeky computer mystery, well, at least a minimally geeky computer mystery. Alex Bellamy, AKA Kermit the Frog on Halloween night is only a few miles away from where Zachary Ternoway is stabbed at his front door. Alex is hired to help catch a computer prankster at McKinleys’ Department Store. It gets serious when the cracker threatens to permanently encrypt the company’s data unless he is paid million in ransom for the means to preserve their data. One of the suspects is the brother of Zachary Ternoway. Is there a connection? Alex thinks so and he has less than two weeks to solve both the murder and the threatened extortion. He also has to deal with current about to be former girlfriend and former, wants to become current, girlfriend as well as family. Set in Canada and nicely done. 06/08 Jack Quick

FATAL FEBRUARY by Barbara Levenson: Mary Katz thought her little fender bender in the car wash parking lot and the results of that fateful meeting would mean the end – the end of her relationship and the end of her career. Well, it did, but in a good way. After meeting the suave and handsome Carlos Martin, Mary is discovered holding a special meeting with him in her office. She calls off her engagement, breaks up with her boyfriend (who discovered them), and quits her cushy job at his law firm. Other than the fact that her ex seems bent on exacting revenge for his hurt ego, things in Mary’s life are going great. She opens her own practice and is involved in a high profile murder trial that could really help her if it all goes her way. Levenson, an attorney and now judge, debuts with this light and funny legal thriller. An uncomplicated read that’s perfect for someone looking for a little suspense and a lot of entertainment. 01/09 Becky Lejeune

A FATAL GLASS OF BEER by Stuart Kaminsky: Toby Peters is a World War II era private eye who runs with the movie crowd in LA. This time he and his Swiss “little person” pal are employed by none other than W.C. Fields to drive across country and to find the thief who is looting all of the comedian’s secret bank accounts, carefully hidden under such fake names as Cormorant Beecham and Quigley E. Sneersight, in towns like Coschocton, Ohio, Altoona, Pennsylvania and Ottumwa, Iowa. Someone is serious about Fields not getting his money, and if it means taking out the entire group, so be it. Danger lurks and in Fields own words “A glass of beer could be fatal and then where would the lovely urchins be?” 8/12 Jack Quick

A FATAL GRACE by Louise Penny: The death of CC de Poitiers isn’t high up there in Three Pines tragedies. After all, no one but CC herself thought all that much of the woman. To say she rubbed people the wrong way would be an understatement: she was a narcissistic and mean-spirited woman in spite of her so-called self-improvement philosophy. The way CC died is particularly strange, however, and smells of murder. Gamache and his team are assigned the case and quickly discover a long list of potential suspects with motive to rid Three Pines of such a hateful personality. Once again, Gamache has his work cut out for him. What I love about this series is the carefully built setting and the lovely, well thought out cast of quirky characters. Some may call Penny’s work cozy but I find the series to be a little on the darker side and filled with attitude. This is the second installment in Penny’s Gamache series and while it can be read and enjoyed on its own, it does refer back to happenings in the series debut, Still Life. 9/13 Becky Lejeune

FATAL INCIDENT by Jim Proebstle: Interesting docu-drama novel based on a factual World War II episode wherein Minnesotan Nick Morgan, an Air Traffic Command pilot and his Okie crop-duster copilot, Red, are tapped by the Manhattan Project for classified flying duty over the isolated Yukon Flats region. They are caught up in a Soviet plot aimed at stealing top-secret bomb and test site development documents.. When Nick’s plane goes down in a botched hijacking attempt by a Russian agent, all three crew members and eighteen military passengers are presumed dead by the U.S. military. A much-delayed recovery effort reveals there was at least one survivor, which sparks a massive search to find the person who escaped with the documents. The CIA gets involved and the situation just gets messier and messier. A nicely done second outing from the author of In The Absence of Honor. Recommended. 08/11 Jack Quick

FATAL LAWS by Jim Hansen: Third in the Laws series (NIGHT LAWS and SHADOW LAWS), and hopefully there will be a lot more to come. Beautiful women surround Denver homicide detective Bryson Coventry. Unfortunately, some of them are dead. Why are women disappearing and where are they between the time they disappear and when their bodies are found? Since one of the victims is an attorney, lawyers are involved as well. Another well written combination police procedural and “attorney book” that keeps ratcheting up the ante. Definitely recommended. 06/07 Jack Quick

FATAL LEGACY by Elizabeth Corley: By all accounts, Arthur Wainwright is not a likable fellow. But did he deserve to be killed in a manner that suggested suicide? Then comes the classic English “reading of the will.” Not only was the Wainwright estate far larger than thought, the bulk of the estate, to the dismay of his other kin, was bequeathed to his nephew Alex, and Alex’s wife Sally. So was the murder Alex’s doing or that one of the disgruntled heirs? Sally starts to look into the matter when the financial controller for the Wainwright firm is brutally murdered. Enter Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Fenwick and what starts out kind of cozy becomes a first rate police procedural. If you enjoy Stephen Booth, Ian Rankin, Peter Robinson et.al, then add Ms. Corley to your reading list. I have. 03/08 Jack Quick

FATAL UNDERTAKING by Mark de Castrique: “Can I borrow a coffin?” Even for funeral director and part time sheriff Barry Clayton, this is the most absurd request he has ever heard – until he learns the casket will be the centerpiece of the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycee) haunted house. Imagine the shock when the casket is put to use in the murder of the Jaycee’s President on Halloween. Sheriff Tommy Lee Wadkins assigns Barry to be the lead investigator of a case that presents no motive and no suspects. Then someone fires a shot at Jaycee member Archie Donovan, and Barry wonders whether the victim in the casket had even been the intended target. Clayton’s ex-wife is trying to use the case as a springboard into network television. Her prying into the case leads to another murder as old wounds are ripped open, family rifts exposed, and a criminal enterprise revealed that cuts to the heart of the community. 10/10 Jack Quick

FATED by Alyson Noël: Daire is plagued by visions she can’t understand. The outbursts that result have caused a lot of trouble, so much so that her mother has become desperate. When the doctors and medications prove to be useless in helping Daire, her mother agrees to send her to New Mexico to stay with her grandmother, Paloma. Paloma and Daire share a calling: they are both Soul Seekers, able to travel between the realms. Daire should have been raised with this knowledge, but her father died before she was even born and Daire never met Paloma until now. As she learns to master her new talents, Daire is also faced with the knowledge that she is the only one with the power to defend the worlds from an old enemy. This first in Noël’s latest series is an interesting premise. Noël builds the story well, providing a unique backdrop for a fascinating blend of Native American and Hispanic legend and lore. 9/12 Becky Lejeune

THE FAULT TREE by Louise Ure: While walking home from work one evening, Cadence Moran is witness to a horrible murder. Cadence has no idea what has occurred, though, because Cadence is blind. Wanda Prentice, creator of Wanda’s Story Hour, a show loved by a generation of young baby boomers, is murdered in her home when she interrupts two robbers. The two escape after killing Wanda and attempting to run down Cadence, the only witness to the event. Of course the killers have no idea that Cadence is blind and they will stop at nothing in an attempt to tie up this one loose end. Cadence is far from helpless, however. She has spent her time honing her skills as an auto mechanic. Her sightless world is full of sounds and smells that go unnoticed by many. She may not be the ideal witness for the police on the case, but her tenacity and plain stubbornness make her one witness these killers will wish they never messed with. My first introduction to Louise Ure’s writing was through her guest blog on Muderati.com. I look forward to reading her entries and was very excited to read her new release. She did not let me down. Cadence Moran is certainly one of the most original characters in modern mystery and Ure’s ability to “show” readers Cadence’s world through scent and sound is magnificent. This fantastic mystery is not to be missed. 01/08 Becky Lejeune

THE FEAR INDEX by Robert Harris: Robert Harris has proven himself an extremely versatile author of material in various directions in his books. He has written about a victorious Germany in World War II, the last days of the Roman city of Pompeii prior to the volcanic eruption that destroyed it and the work of British code breakers looking to unlock Nazi codes during the second World War. The Fear Index touches upon the idea of Artificial Intelligence and what it can do for man and the possible problems it could bring. Alex Hoffmann is a mathematical genius and computer specialist that has developed a system based on mathematical algorithms that can direct a Swiss based giant hedge fund. The fund and the system of guidance behind it prove successful until Alex is attacked in his own house by a mysterious man and finds out that someone has been spying upon him from the very beginning of the hedge fund’s opening.

With the help of the Swiss police, and his own security force Alex looks to find a solution to his own attack and the spying and apparent meddling going on in his company. The answer to his problems is a concept that has permeated science fiction works for many years, but is handled in a very well researched form by Harris. The reader will be grabbed right at the opening and find him or her self in sympathy with Hoffmann’s problems and fascinated by the answers provided by the author. 3/12 Paul Lane

FEAR THE NIGHT by John Lutz: Although not one of Lutz’ best, Fear The Night is still quite good. It’s a cat-and-mouse game between retired NYPD Detective Vincent Repetto and the “Night Sniper”, who only strikes after sunset. While the main characters are almost stereotypical, it is in the portrayal of the various victims that Lutz shines. Each victim from whatever situation is brought to life and becomes an individual that we feel we really know, when the Sniper takes them out. Maybe this is what Lutz intended, to show the true horror of such crime by making the victims real, even if the villain isn’t quite in focus. Recommended. 08/06 Jack Quick

FEARLESS by Tim Lott: Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this book is that it is marketed as being Lott’s first for younger readers. Little Fearless is one of the inmates in City Community Faith School in a future world that is safe from terrorists, where the streets are clean, and girls labeled “juvies” or “mindcrips” have been hidden away. Birth names have been replaced by a letter and number, and all work long hours with no prospect of future change. Her faith and conviction spur Fearless to pursue a bold and unthinkable plan of escape that will either assure her freedom or her demise. Think George Orwell’s 1984 for children. I found it unremittingly bleak and not a book I would recommend for my grandchildren at all. 01/08 Jack Quick

FEARLESS FOURTEEN by Janet Evanovich: If you haven’t read this series, go right out now and buy One for the Money. Go ahead, I’ll wait. If you are all caught up and just waiting, money in hand, for the newest one, read on…and the only money I’ll save you is to tell you that all the chain bookstores will discount like crazy the first week it goes on sale, so plan to shop on Tuesday for the best deal. Every June, Evanovich releases the latest Stephanie Plum book and I have enjoyed every one. She’s taken a lot of hits the past several Junes that the books aren’t as funny, as well written, as well plotted, etc. etc. Some or all of that may be true, but the thing is, I know what to expect from these books. A light mystery, none too taxing. A light romantic threesome – will she go for Joe Morelli, the hot cop she’s had an on-again-off-again engagement with, or Ranger, the hunky bounty hunter with commitment issues? Explosions, be it cars or funeral homes. Some of the craziest and most loveable characters – it wouldn’t be a Stephanie Plum adventure without Grandma Mazur and Lula. And laughs. Lots of laugh-out-loud-so-your-family-will-wonder-what-the-heck-you-are-reading laughs. If you expect more than that, you will be disappointed. If that works for you, as it does for me, enjoy this latest romp where Lula gets engaged (!), a dead body turns up in Joe’s basement, Stephanie’s skip is a single mom who leaves her graffiti-artist teenage son in Stephanie’s care, and oh yeah, he’s a distant cousin of Joe’s, as is his uncle who just got released from prison for armed robbery to the tune of $9,000,000 that some people think he still has hidden. In Joe’s house. Convoluted? Sure, but who cares with characters as warm and funny as these, a Trenton that every New Jersey-ite will love to call home, and lots of laughs. Enjoy. 06/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

FEARLESS FOURTEEN by Janet Evanovich: I’m afraid Stephanie is “plum worn out.” It had to happen eventually and this appears to be the one outing too many. All the familiar faces are there – bounty hunter Stephanie Plum, ex ‘ho Lula, Morelli, Ranger, Tank, Grandma Mazur and even a teenager (named “Zook”) who may in fact be Morelli’s son. But all the jokes are beginning to wear thin. Stephanie sleeps with Morelli and flirts with Ranger. Tank and Lula are going to get married in a ceremony to rival that of Princess Diana. For half the book Stephanie is blue, literally, after opening a booby trapped brief case that gave her, Lula and aging diva Brenda an unplanned facial. Actually her blue face goes well with her “Zookmobile” which the teenager has tagged with fluorescent spay paint. Anyway, while there are a few laugh out loud lines, an implausible plot and repetition of the older jokes leaves this one kind of flat. I’ll try Fifteen Whatever, but if not better then I will confine Stephanie Plum to history. 08/08 Jack Quick

FEAST DAY OF FOOLS by James Lee Burke: The latest Sheriff Hackberry Holland outing continues the action from Rain Gods. Sheriff Holland still mourns the loss of his cherished wife and is locked in a perilous almost-romance with his deputy, Pam Tibbs, a woman many decades his junior. When alcoholic ex-boxer Danny Boy Lorca witnesses a man tortured to death in the desert and reports it, Hack’s investigation leads to the home of Anton Ling, a regal, mysterious Chinese woman whom the locals refer to as La Magdalena and who is known for sheltering illegals. Quickly, Hack is neck deep in trouble as various factions are searching for a missing DEA agent whose knowledge of the Predator drone would be invaluable to Al Qaeda. Throw in Preacher Collins, perhaps the most vicious psychotic this side of Hannibal Lecter and some nearly as fearsome Mexican villains and Hack probably would be better off with just a nest of rattlesnakes. Can this man ever write. 09/11 Jack Quick

FEAST: HARVEST OF DREAMS by Merrie Destefano: The town of Ticonderoga Falls has been cursed for decades. Throughout the years, though, what began as a binding punishment for the death of one of the Darklings (creatures who feed off of the dreams of humans) became a source of protection for the town. Ash, whose wife was killed all those years ago, created a boundary that kept other Darklings from entering and feeding off the townspeople. This year, things are different. It is time for the Hunt and Maddie MacFaddin has returned to Ticonderoga Falls. As a child, her family vacationed in this area. Ash protected her then and he vows to protect her now, even though he risks falling under her spell. Feast no doubt sprang from one of the author’s own dreams, and like a dream remembered, the story didn’t feel as though it came to life quite the same way. Each time the various threads of story would begin to pull together, they’d fall apart again. Interesting concept and imagery, but a story that seemed more complex than could possibly be laid out in the length of one average book. 07/11 Becky Lejeune

FEED by Mira Grant: Shaun and Georgia Mason are undeniably the product of their generation. The year is 2040—twenty-six years since the cure for the common cold combined with the cure for cancer to create an outbreak of incomparable proportions. The dead no longer stay that way. Everyone carries the infection, but for most, death is the catalyst that sets it loose. Mandatory blood tests are administered at every turn. Patio dining and public assembly are almost nonexistent and entire cities are now inhabited by zombies. In this day and age, bloggers are the new newshounds, telling the truth behind events the real media would otherwise take the safe and government approved approach to. Georgia and her brother are two of the best. Their reputations have earned them the much-coveted position of campaign journalists for the Republican party’s would-be nominee for the next presidential election. Georgia and Shaun believe that their time has finally come. What they’ll discover will change everything, and it’s too soon to tell whether they’ll live to see the story go live. Awesome. Fantastic. A post-outbreak, futuristic zombie tale that feels like it could actually happen. Feed is a totally creepy page-turner and first in the Newsflesh trilogy. 04/10 Becky Lejeune

FEEDING GROUND by Sarah Pinborough: London had been overrun by giant flesh-eating spiders. Blane Gentle-King might have been a typical thug until he discovered a way to control the beasts. Now he’s become a force to be reckoned with in the desolate remains of the city. His second-in-command, Charlie, is worried that this tentative hold on the spiders may not last and that there will be hell to pay when it all falls apart. Meanwhile, two separate groups of kids are trying desperately to survive and find a way out: one, teens hiding from King and his minions, the other a group of kids on a school trip. All of their stories will collide as they fight to beat the creatures that have infested the streets and buildings around them. I’d hoped for a sequel to 2006’s Breeding Ground after the way it left off. Although this is not that sequel, it is a great companion piece. Feeding Ground will definitely satisfy horror fans, it hits all the right notes. 10/09 Becky Lejeune

FEELERS by Brian M. Wiprud: Brian Wiprud writes very funny stuff. Not the tightly plotted Elmore Leonard funny stuff. More like Timmy Dorsey’s Serge character on a rant. Sort of like a Marx brothers’ movie. Each book sort of starts out in left field, takes all its clothes off and runs around through the stadium with cops and bad guys both chasing after a wacky hero – like his forensic taxidermist character, Garson Carson in his earlier books – Tailed, Stuffed and Pipsqueak.
In this case, the hero, Morty Martinez is a “feeler,” from Brooklyn. Fortunately, he explains right at the outset that a feeler is a person who contracts to clean out old homes, where he suspects the former occupants may have stashed away cash. The book begins as Morty hits the mother lode, a stash of 32 “tight ones” under an old couch. “Tight ones” are rolls of bills, often stashed in something like an easily-hidden peanut can, coiled so tightly as to resemble, well, you know. In this case, the total comes to over $800,000.
As you can imagine, sums of money like this most often are the result of illegal activity. In no time at all, Morty is being pursued by the sole survivor of the heist gang, the retired cop who put him away, real cops, newspaper men, and infamy of infamy, his very jealous fellow professional feelers who get wind of his amazing find.
And a merry chase it is. This book is a lot of fun and I actually think that Wiprud’s writing is getting better every time out. Summer is coming and this would be a great book to take to the beach. You will meet a lot of new people asking you “What are you laughing at? How can anything be that funny?” 05/09 Geoffrey R. Hamlin
FEET OF CLAY by Ruth Birmingham: Atlanta private investigator Sunny Childs is helping her younger sister, Lee-Lee, make a documentary about a death row prisoner. Convicted of the brutal sex murders of two local women, Dale Weedlaw is scheduled to be executed in a few days. When Lee-Lee arrives in Pettigrew, the small Georgia town where the killings took place, looking for an interview she’s arrested on false charges and thrown into jail. With Sunny’s help it becomes clear that there are likelier suspects for the murders still at large. Steel magnolia Sunny has to kick some butt before they get to the bottom of this one. May I have another one of those mint juleps, please. 07/06 Jack Quick

FELONIOUS JAZZ by Bryan Gilmer: Jeff Davis Swain is an investigator for a Raleigh, North Carolina, trial law firm. Mickey Reuss, one of the firm’s clients, a real estate developer, has his suburban Rocky Falls home burglarized and his new wife’s dog left dead in the kitchen. Then they discover that the home of one of his sub-contractors has been burglarized and the family cat killed. Swain, after talking with a newspaper reporter, suspects that the two crimes, obviously related, might be connected to a development that Reuss is building. Another oddity is that both pets had previously been saved from fatal diseases through intensive veterinary intervention. We know early on that the culprit is a hand sanitizer drinking washed-up jazz bassist named Leonard Noblac who is creating an album of crime and destruction in Rocky Falls. It becomes a personal challenge between the Swain and Noblac with potentially fatal consequences. This is a well-written book and the author captures the Raleigh-Durham area quite nicely even though he moves thing around a bit, I presume, for legal protection. The good guy is complex and the bad guy, also complex, is quite evil. The only jarring note for me was the animal cruelty, which is my own personal hang-up. 09/09 Jack Quick

The Fencing Master by Arturo Perez-Reverte: Intriguing mystery set in the late 1800’s in Spain against a backdrop of political upheaval and romance. A fascinating look at fencing as well.

FEVER by Lauren DeStefano: This follow-up to Wither, finds Rhine and Gabriel on the run and racing to New York. They have temporarily escaped the clutches of Vaughn, Rhine’s father-in-law, and hope to make it to the Big Apple to find Rhine’s twin, Rowan. They have no way of knowing if he’s still waiting, but now that they’re out in the real world, it’s their only plan. Rhine knows that Vaughn will never give her up, but if she can stay out of his reach she may be able to survive. In a world where men live to only 25 and women 20, there is little to hope for. Girls are sold as brides, servants, or prostitutes and live out their fate until their inevitable death. While some search for a cure, others have given up. The Chemical Garden trilogy is one of the stand-outs of the current dystopian trend. It’s dark and twisted—a society that’s lost hope and is dying off would have to be—and DeStefano’s characters are multifaceted and complex. I’m not sure what to expect from book three, but I certainly can’t wait to find out. 3/12 Becky Lejeune

FEVER by Bill Pronzini: Bill and Runyon and Tamara are at it again in another great outing for the Nameless Detective. The primary case involves gambling addiction. Mitch Krochek hires Nameless to track down his wife Janice, who has disappeared for the fourth time in four years. Meanwhile Jake Runyon is working a pro bono case involving a young computer expert who has been beaten. Are the two cases related? Only in that addiction can take many forms. On the plus side, Tamara is beginning to get over her former boyfriend, and even starts to build a better relationship with her father, and Runyon may be starting to have closure from the death of his wife. . No one does PI’s better that Bill Pronizin, and the San Francisco setting is absolute icing on the cake. 09/08 Jack Quick

FIDDLE GAME by Richard Thompson: Convoluted plot involving Herman Jackson, a former Detroit bookie who now resides in St. Paul where he leads a respectable, low-profile life as a bail bondsman, while keeping a watchful eye for any connection to his past. The problem starts when young Amy Cox leaves Jackson a priceless antique violin as security for her brother’s bail bond. She is murdered in front of Jackson’s place and the police like him for the crime. With his criminal past, Jackson can’t afford to even be a prime suspect for jaywalking, much less for murder. He hits the road trying to solve Cox’s murder pursued by one real and one crooked cop, a band of urban Gypsies who claim to have first rights to the violin, and an unknown killer who also wants Jackson dead. Nobody is who he claims to be, nothing is what it seems, and the violin, which is reputed to carry a 400-year-old curse, begins to take on a life of its own. Maybe Herman should have stayed in Detroit. 01/09 Jack Quick

FIDDLERS by Ed McBain: This is Ed McBain’s last book, so I asked the BookBitch if I could please write the review and try to express my thanks and bid farewell to a writer who kept my interest and gave me great pleasure over many years.
It is very fitting that Evan Hunter (itself an adopted name – interesting story, ask the BookBitch for details) should conclude his well-applauded career with a novel of his fictional 87th precinct under his pen name, Ed McBain.
It is my understanding that at one point, Mr. Hunter decided to write a conclusory book, putting an end to the precinct and its characters, so that they would not suffer after his demise at the hands of another. However, he changed his mind and I think that this way is better. Just as at the end of NYPD Blue, Sipowicz moved up to a new challenge, so too now, can Steve Carella and his cohorts of the 87th Precinct live forever in some alternate universe Isola, his imaginary city.
It is fitting also, that most of the familiar squad’s lives are illuminated in this novel. Carella is having problems controlling his wayward daughter, Fat Ollie is falling deeper and deeper in love (and getting thinner) and Kling’s interracial relationship is foundering on the rocks of mistrust.
The plot is simply your basic psychotic killer story, a man out to get revenge on everyone who did him wrong. But in the hands of a master, the killer becomes an interesting man and the story becomes so much more.
You should not only read this book, you should keep it on your shelf.
Someone once told me that “writers write.” Mr. Hunter was a prolific writer with, I think, 55 novels in the 87th Precinct Series. He not only wrote, he did a fine job of it. Thank you, sir. 10/05 ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

Last words from the BookBitch: Evan Hunter aka Ed McBain aka Richard Marsten aka Hunt Collins aka Curt Cannon aka Ezra Hannon aka John Abbot was born Salvatore Albert Lombino. He legally changed his name to Evan Hunter, which he came up with by combining parts of the names of his high school (Evander Childs High School) and college (Hunter College) because he felt that such an ethnic name would not be publishable. He was probably right, given it was the 1950’s. It was under his legal name, Evan Hunter, that he wrote the screenplay for the Alfred Hitchcock film ”The Birds.” His first success as a novelist was with the publication of The Blackboard Jungle, but it was the 87th Precinct and subsequent series that led him to sell over 100 million books in his lifetime. Rest in peace.

FIDDLERS by Ed McBain: You almost think that Ed McBain knew he was at the end of the 87th Precinct when he wrote this, the 55th and last one before his death. A killer is shooting his victims in the face at close range with the same 9mm Glock. Since the 87th caught the first one, they are also assigned the following ones. While the whole cast of the 87th is stretched thin trying to track down clues in geographically disparate killings McBain gets everyone involved in the chase – Fat Ollie, Steve Carella, Bert Kling, Meyer Meyer. Maybe not his strongest, but certainly a fitting finale. 12/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

FIDELITY by Thomas Perry: Is anyone ever who you think they are? Los Angeles PI Phil Kramer is shot dead. His wife Emily and his staff set out to solve the crime and unearth more about Kramer that anyone suspected. Meanwhile, Jerry Hobart, the killer hired to eliminate Kramer decides he might be better off learning the secret of his client that Kramer allegedly held, a secret that his principal is now willing to have Emily killed for. It gets complicated but provides an interesting insight into how certain actions can be viewed so differently by different people. Not as spare as Robert B. Parker, but approaching Parker’s economy of detail. 12/08 Jack Quick

FIELD OF BLOOD by Denise Mina: Memo to self. After 40 years in the media business, do not pick up any books featuring perky young reporters or kooky DJ’s solving world-class crimes while effortlessly going about their daily routines. The exception is Denise Mina whose Paddy Meehan, an aspiring journalist in Glasgow, Scotland, is really a natural detective but doesn’t realize it. Her first “case” involves clearing the name of an eleven- year old boy already “convicted” in the press for the murder of a three-year old child. Her family has “shunned” her because they think she is responsible for the news story that caused everyone to believe him guilty. Mix in the story of her namesake, a safecracker who may or may not have betrayed the British to the communists years earlier and its a double handful. Well written and recommended. Grab a half-pint and packet of crisps and settle in for a great read. (Release date 7/11/05). 06/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

FIELD OF DARKNESS by Cornelia Read: Madeline Dare can trace her roots back to the founding of America, but lives with her husband Dean in Syracuse, New York and works as a journalist on the small town newspaper. She hears about a twenty-year old double murder dubbed the “Rose Girls” because their bodies were left with a crown of roses, one white, one red, in a bizarre tableau. Dare’s interest is piqued when she finds out her cousin, Lapthorne “Lappy” Townsend, may be a suspect – his dog tags were found at the site. She decides to investigate and prove his innocence but twenty years later, her investigation is prompting more murders. Read weaves a tale that is both complex and sinister, and certainly deserving of all the accolades this book has won. 07/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

FIELD OF FIRE by James O. Born: Can you judge a book by its cover? Not always, but in this case you can. The cover is a large police shield and is very reminiscent of Joseph Wambaugh, and so is this book, a police procedural and a dark departure from the terrific Bill Tasker series (Walking Money; Shock Wave; Escape Clause). Our hero is Alex Duarte, an ATF agent (Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) in south Florida. Alex is Paraguayan (yet doesn’t speak Spanish) and lives in an apartment that he shares with his lawyer/brother that’s above his parents’ garage. He doesn’t trust food that his ma hasn’t cooked, and his hero is his father, a hard working, honorable man who expects the same from his boys. When a car bombing kills a young boy, Alex is assigned the case because of his experience as a bomb expert in the military in Bosnia. There is suspicion that the bombing may be linked to possible labor issues that have resulted in bombings in Seattle and California, and Department of Justice attorney Caren Larson is assigned to work with Duarte. The intended victim of the bombing is Alberto Salez, a bad guy who thwarted the ever vigilant Duarte. Lots of action and a high body count move the story along, but it is the enigmatic Duarte that offers the most intrigue. Originally conceived as a stand-alone, I’m happy to say that a sequel is now in the works. It’s not a requirement that only cops write police procedurals, but as Born proves yet again, it sure does help. 02/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

FIELD OF FIRE by James O. Born: This first of a series features Alex Duarte as a laid back Hispanic former combat engineer and explosives specialist now working for the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms section of the federal government. (Think Jack Reacher, but still working within the establishment.) The plot is interesting – a Florida migrant-labor camp bombing kills a child, and ATF agent Alex Duarte is assigned the case. The Justice Department links the incident to a series of union-related bombings across the country. Duarte is partnered with a DOJ lawyer Caren Larson to solve the case. Unfortunately Duarte is so laid back he tends to get lost among the other characters including Alberto Salez, the intended victim of the Florida bombing, who is himself a murderer. Hopefully Duarte can grow in subsequent books to become a protag that brings you back for more. 07/08 Jack Quick

The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon: I loved this historical romance/fantasy series that starts out in England in the 1940’s then transports us back a couple of hundred years and miles. The chief complaint I read in the reviews of this long awaited fifth installment was that there was no time travel involved. It didn’t bother me a bit. There were amusing references enough to be in keeping with the basic storyline. FIERY CROSS reminded me most of OUTLANDER, the first book in the series, mostly due to the amount of violence and war involved. It is a fascinating look at what life was like in America’s infancy. Each book in this series is excellent! Read them in order: Outlander; Dragonfly in Amber; Voyager; Drums of Autumn; The Fiery Cross.

FIFTEEN DIGITS by Nick Santora: This is the first book I’ve read by Santora and I was completely captivated by it. Nick’s writing credentials include several television hits, including The Sopranos, plus one other novel, Slip and Fall. Rich Mauro lost his parents at an early age due to an accident and was raised by his blue collar uncle. Rich is trying to pick himself up by his bootstraps and puts himself through college, and wants to eventually get into law school. He is helped by an old family friend of his parents to get a job in the print shop of a major law firm while going to school, and becomes friendly with several of his co-workers. Rich meets a beautiful girl that he wants to marry, but understands that the low salary he is earning and the slow pace of finishing school will prevent any serious steps for some time. His fellow workers in the print shop are also in need of improving their financial position, and one of Rich’s acquaintances, an attorney with the firm, presents them with an opportunity to make a lot of money fast. It is a very novel idea and well set up by Santora, due to his knowledge of the financial world. The fleshing out of the characters is extremely well done and they are completely believable in their reactions to what they are experiencing. The ending is not a fairy tale one, but consistent with the events depicted in the story. The book immediately captures the reader and makes it almost impossible to put down until the end. Well done, and certainly points to awaiting Santora’s next book with a great deal of anticipation. 6/12 Paul Lane

THE FIFTH ASSASSIN by Brad Meltzer: Meltzer creates a scenario that is fascinating in it’s concept and as well written as his previous books. A minor problem is that several characters from previous novels are utilized as main interests with no recap of many of their thoughts and ideas. What if our first president, George Washington, set up a secret group called the Culper Ring designed to protect and save the presidency when and if needed even if against that same president. What if a diametrically opposed group terming itself the Knights of the Golden Circle also was formed and has been instrumental in the assassinations of the four U.S. presidents killed since the days of Washington. Taking this scenario as the basis for a good story and very well researched historical presentation The Fifth Assassin becomes a fascinating journey into a centuries old conspiracy. Beecher White is an archivist for the US government, and is a member of the present day Culper Ring. He notices that murders of leading clergy bear similarities to the assassinations of the four presidents killed in US history. His theory is that the Knights of the Golden Circle are gearing up to killing the current president by setting up these murders. In a previous book Beecher has determined that the current president is unworthy of having the job, but his commitment to the ideals of the Culper Ring force him to begin the work of thwarting the anticipated assassination attempt. Meltzer is a very knowledgeable historian, and his novels have generally set up the historical backgrounds incorporated into them with a great deal of detail and accuracy. The Fifth Assassin is engrossing and fascinating reading with the only, albeit, important factor, being no explanation of previous details regarding the principal characters. The ending is one that does very clearly set up another book with Beecher and the Culper Ring involved. All in all anther winner for Brad Meltzer. 2/13 Paul Lane

THE FIFTH FLOOR by Michael Harvey: Harvey is as Chicago as Wrigley and deep dish pizza and hot dogs served only in poppy seed buns. In his second outing, PI Michael Kelly starts with a simple domestic violence case and ends up with murder and major scandal. The fifth floor is the location of the office of the Chicago mayor and Kelly’s client is the wife of one of the mayor’s “fixers”. Kelly follows him to a grisly murder scene from which unfolds an interesting story. Did Ms. O’Leary’s cow start the Chicago Fire of 1871 or was it the work of two of Chicago’s most prominent families conspiring to rid the city of Irish immigrants by burning down the city’s slums? .Kelly vows to get to the bottom of this even if it kills him, and that’s a real possibility given the power and wealth involved. Add Michael Kelly to the list of great hard-ass PI’s. 10/08 Jack Quick

FIFTH GRAVE PAST THE LIGHT by Darynda Jones: This latest installment in the Charley Davidson series picks up shortly after the end of Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet. Reyes has successfully been freed and is no longer a wanted man… well, wanted by the authorities that is. Now he’s taken up residence in Charley’s building, causing distraction and lusty feelings at every turn. But when Charley wakes one day to find her apartment is infested with numerous dead blondes, almost all thoughts of Reyes and his hot body are set aside (almost). Charley is sure the women must be victims of a serial killer but how can one man have killed so many women without ever coming to the attention of the public? Unfortunately, none of the women are talking. Meanwhile, Garrett Swopes is still recovering from his own brush with Reyes’s father after a quick trip to the other side, but he’s come back with a bit more information about reapers, Charley, and her unusual powers. His information could be key in discovering exactly how Charley plays into Satan’s apocalyptic plans. This series just keeps getting better and better. It’s really the perfect combination of paranormal mystery and paranormal romance, which is sure to make it appealing to fans of both genres. 7/13 Becky Lejeune

THE FIFTH VIAL by Michael Palmer: The lives of three individuals converge in this pulse pounding, morally driven tale of medical suspense. Natalie Reyes trained as an Olympic hopeful until a devastating injury ended her running career. Now a med-student in her mid-thirties, she has been dealt a second potentially career ending blow when she is kicked out of her residency program and placed on academic probation for insubordination. When one of her mentors sends her to Brazil to attend a medical conference on his behalf, she is kidnapped and shot, left to die in an alley. She survives the ordeal but loses a lung in the process. Meanwhile, private detective Ben Callahan has been hired by Organ Guard International – an agency established to investigate potentially illegal activities in the organ trade. The body of a young, unidentified man was been discovered in Florida with marks that appear to be the result of a bone marrow donation. Similar markings had been previously discovered on woman in the northeast who claimed that a couple in a mobile home kidnapped her and held her prisoner. Callahan’s investigation leads to a shocking discovery. The third character, Dr. Joe Anson, has been working in Camaroon to develop a life saving drug he calls Sarah-9. Anson suffers from a life threatening debilitation that could prevent him from seeing his work through to completion. Palmer’s thrillers have always been tension driven, quick reads and The Fifth Vial is no exception. I did find, however, that the end left something to be desired since everything was wrapped up just a little too neatly and abruptly. 02/07 Becky Lejeune

FIFTH VICTIM by Zoë Sharpe: Charlie Fox is on assignment on Long Island, the playground of New York’s wealthy and privileged, tasked with protecting the wayward daughter of rich businesswoman Caroline Willner. It seems that an alarming number of the girl’s close friends have been through kidnap ordeals, and Charlie quickly discovers that the girl herself, Dina, is fascinated by the clique formed by these former victims. In the middle of what has become a particularly troublesome assignment Charlie receives devastating personal news. The man who put her partner Sean Meyer in his coma is on the loose. She is faced with the choice between her loyalties to her client and avenging Sean, but the two goals are soon inextricably linked. Gut wrenching. 3/12 Jack Quick

THE FIFTH WITNESS by Michael Connelly: The return of Mickey Haller, the Lincoln Lawyer who works out of the back seat of his vintage Lincoln Town car, finds Mickey back on the defense side of things where he belongs. Business has slowed however, due to the downturn in the economy, so Mickey is working wrongful foreclosures to pick up the slack. Lisa Trammell retained Haller to help her fight off a foreclosure, but her bank protesting has earned her a restraining order. When her mortgage broker is killed, Lisa becomes the prime suspect and Haller is once more back in the courtroom defending a client on a murder charge. The sleazy foreclosure racket going on in this country is front and center in this compelling legal thriller, and don’t miss the little wink to the Lincoln Lawyer movie. Connelly has proven once again that he is the master storyteller of crime fiction today. 04/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE FIFTH WITNESS by Michael Connelly: In the fourth Mickey Haller legal thriller, our maverick L.A. lawyer has hooked up with a real growth business – “foreclosure defense.” Little does he know it will quickly return him to his old haunts as his first foreclosure client, Lisa Trammel, is the prime suspect when Mitchell Bondurant, a mortgage banker, is killed with a hammer in his office parking lot. The evidence is so compelling even Mickey has his doubts Connelly takes us through a gut wrenching trial which doesn’t end with the verdict. Be prepared for not one, not two, but three post verdict twists that showcase Connelly as a master story teller. At this point I honestly don’t know whether I want his next one to return to Harry Bosch or stick with Mickey. Tough choice. 06/11 Jack Quick

Fifty Cents for Your Soul by Denise Dietz, published by Delphi Books: If you like hot sex with demons, Fifty Cents for Your Soul is your book! If, however, you are interested in dialog, plot development, and some of the other characteristics that make a novel hang together maybe this isn’t your book? Thrill seekers will love the action and the fast pace of a horror flick filming plagued with suspicious problems. The characters can be stereotypes but, they are the kind of stereotypes that really move the action along! There is lots of suspense, and when our heroine reveals the mastermind murderer it is indeed a surprise. The body count is high. The comedy is black. The sex is varied. PS: Interesting note – – the author’s sister played some of the demonic scenes in The Exorcist. Many mysterious events plagued the filming of that movie. ~This review contributed by Ann Nappa

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY by E.L. James: I’m a librarian. I’ve been reviewing books, popular fiction mostly, for fifteen years. This is the book that everyone is talking about and I simply had to read it. It’s been front page news, literally, of the Sun Sentinel and countless other papers. Worthy of a fabulous, filthy skit on Saturday Night Live. Numerous TV interviews. Over 500 people (mostly women) showed up at one of her first book signings in the U.S. at Books & Books in Miami. E.L. James is the ‘it’ girl of the year. Why?

After reading this, the first book in the trilogy, I’m still not sure. Yes, I can agree with all the reports (including the author’s own admission on the Today Show) that it is poorly written. It is annoyingly repetitive, cliché-ridden, and smarmy more often than not, yet somehow it’s also completely captivating. The story is as old as time; fresh faced innocent college girl meets gorgeous powerful “older” (he’s 27, my son’s age!) billionaire with some added kink thrown in. Call it “Intro to BDSM” or Bondage Light. I wouldn’t classify this as romance in the strictest sense of the word as there are no wedding bells at the end of the book, but it is definitely erotica. And not very good erotica. Yet somehow it works and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. It ends with a cliffhanger, forcing me to pick up Fifty Shades Darker. Stay tuned for that review… 6/12 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch
FIFTY SHADES DARKER by E.L. James: Book Two in the trilogy of the year starts off where the first book ends. Christian and Ana are going through hell being apart. No worries, Christian works his way back to Ana, and she to him. Ana grows up a bit in this book, learns to be a bit more assertive and less intimidated by her domineering billionaire Christian. There are some subplots but the point of this book is, like the first book, all about sex. It is as poorly written as the first book, with frowns, lip biting, and smirks on every page, but there is no denying the heat between these two. It is an easy read, an easy book to skim if that is your wont, and still an engrossing story. See my review of the final book, Fifty Shades Freed, for more thoughts on this series. 6/12 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

FIFTY SHADES FREED by E.L. James: It’s hard to summarize these books without giving away the major plot points, and there is little point in reading them if you know what is going to happen. That said, as a trilogy, these books form a complete story arc. The length is due to all the sex, which is occasionally quite erotic, but more often than not, just repetitive. The glimmer of dominance and submission, bondage and discipline is fun and apparently quite fascinating to most readers. If you want more information, legitimate information, on the subject, I highly recommend Screw the Roses, Send Me the Thorns: The Romance and Sexual Sorcery of Sadomasochism by Phillip Miller and Molly Devon. If you just want titillation, stick with 50 Shades or for the real down and dirty, the Sleeping Beauty series by A. N. Roquelaure (also known as Anne Rice,) or the Story of O by Pauline Reage. The difference is that it is probably easier to identify with Ana than O for most women because the love story there goes both ways, while that is not clear in O’s case.

Final thoughts…the appeal of the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy lies with the characters and their great love affair. We can’t help but root for the insecure girl who lands the gorgeous rich guy, and the damaged man brought out of the dark by her. Ana and Christian save each other, inspire each other so that their sum is greater than their parts. Their torrid love affair, the “mommy porn” aspect is candy to some, inflaming imaginations and libidos, while others will fly past those pages. Nonetheless, Ana and her 50 Shades bring to mind other great loves in literature like Romeo and Juliet, and Scarlett and Rhett. Most romance readers are looking for that, and those that don’t usually read romance are perhaps surprised at how they are swept away with Ana and Christian, enough to overlook the abysmal writing, the lip biting, the smirking. I know I was. 6/12 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch
FIFTY TO ONE by Charles Ardai: For the 50th release from Hard Case Crime Charles Ardai has penned a 50 chapter master work with each of the chapters titled after one of the books in the series. Together they spin a great yarn about the early days of pulp fiction with a supposed non-fiction account of a heist at a Mob-run nightclub, actually penned by an 18-year-old showgirl, and the renegade publisher who puts it before the public. Both the cops and the crooks are after him and it’s a chase to the finish. A special bonus – a full color gallery of the covers of the 49 previous books in the Hard Case Crime Series. A fitting fiftieth from a master of mystery fiction. 11/08 Jack Quick

FINAL EXPOSURE by Steve Carlson: David and Rebecca Collier have a great life. A relatively young and vibrant couple in their forties, David has just retired his career as a very successful defense attorney to pursue his writing and Rebecca is about to publish a book of photography featuring California mansions of the thirties. All that comes to a screeching halt when Rebecca is gunned down and David is injured in what seems to be a home invasion. Then David is targeted again while recovering in the hospital and it’s discovered that Rebecca’s photos are missing. What at first looked to be a tragic but random event now seems to have been something much more sinister. David tries lying low while the police investigate, but every day reminds him more and more Rebecca and the life they had together. And so, David begins an investigation of his own, uncovering what is beginning to look like a huge and complex terrorist plot. Final Exposure is a quick and intense read. There are some slightly unbelievable aspects to this story, but overall it’s pretty fun. The quick action and an interesting plot make it easy to overlook any inconsistencies. 10/08 Becky Lejeune

FINAL FINESSE by Karna Small Bodman: Nicely done thriller featuring an unusual main character. Samantha Reid is the White House Deputy Director for Homeland Security, who grew up in the Texas oilfields, with her oilman father. When a natural-gas pipeline explodes in Oklahoma, she senses there is more to the story and tries to get official attention. Failing that, when there are repeat explosions she teams up with Tripp Adams, Vice President of GeoGlobal Oil & Gas, owner of the pipelines, to investigate. Inevitably the two become more than “work partners”. Then the stakes are raised to an even higher level and it falls to Reid to break all the White House rules to save Tripp and prevent further disaster. Bodman’s six years service within the White House are nicely reflected in the details of this third offering from Bodman. I hope to see more in the future. 05/09 Jack Quick

FINAL SECONDS by John Lutz: The eighteen year career of NYPD Bomb Squad member Will Harper ends with a bang – that costs him part of his right hand. Former FBI profiler Harold Addleman lost his FBI job in a bottle. While Harper is in Florida visiting his former partner, Jimmy Fahey, who works for a Tom Clancy^-like writer, a letter bomb arrives and the resulting explosion kills the writer and Fahey. Addleman thinks this is the first of a series of celebrity bombings and he and Harper are the only hope to stop the imminent death of one of the world’s most famous women. Well-written with tension ratcheting page by page as Harper and Addleman battle both uncooperative officials as well as the bomber, who seems to always be one step ahead of them. 08/06 Jack Quick

FINAL TARGET by Stephen Gore: Steven Gore spent his career as a private investigator in the San Francisco Bay Area. His international thrillers draw on his investigations throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. In FINAL TARGET, private investigator Graham Gage is trying to help his closest friend Jack Burch, who is lying unconscious in a hospital bed, the victim of a violent assault the police are calling “road rage.” If he recovers, prosecutors are waiting to indict him for conspiracy, eager to send him to prison for the rest of his life. Gage believes Burch had no part in the ever-widening criminal conspiracy surrounding the collapse of defense contractor SatTek Industries, but his search for the truth is rocketing him to hot spots around the globe and making him the target of lies, greed, and terror perpetrated by an assortment of traitors, killers, and international gangsters. The body count rises quicker than the plot but eventually we learn the FINAL TARGET is not Burch, but instead the entire country. 02/10 Jack Quick

FINAL THEORY by Mark Alpert: What if there was a weapon much more powerful than the atomic bomb? You don’t have to be a physicist in order to enjoy this break neck thriller. It starts with one of Albert Einstein’s assistants, 79 year old theoretical physicist Hans Kleinman being tortured. Columbia University professor David Swift is at Kleinman’s bedside when the old man makes a few cryptic statements, imparts a string of numbers, and then dies. Soon governments and mercenaries seeking Einstein’s proposed Unified Theory – a set of equations that could explain all the forces of nature and revolutionize our understanding of the Universe, are pursuing David. Up until now, the conventional wisdom is that Einstein never completed his work. But if he did, whoever can gain that knowledge will hold power beyond imagination. With the help of another physicist, the beautiful Monique Reynolds David manages to stay just one step ahead of his pursuers. This is The Da Vinci Code of science and nicely done. 07/08 Jack Quick

FINAL VECTOR by Allan Leverone: Sometimes the world is much smaller than we think. His wife is murdered after she uncovers evidence that a pentagon employee is selling secret information. Her husband, air traffic controller Nick Jensen, throws himself into his work at Logan International Airport in Boston. Returning to the operations room from a break, he sees three heavily armed men dressed in black fatigues and patrolling the corridors of the supposedly secure FAA facility. Unknown to Nick, they are using the information sold by the traitor his wife had unearthed. After having murdered two armed guards, the terrorists have unfettered access to the control tower while the president of the United States is nearing Logan Airport. To dismantle the terrorist assassination plot, Nick must risk everything. 10/12 Jack Quick

Final Verdict by Sheldon Siegel: This newest installment in the Mike Daley & Rosie Fernandez series is terrific and has to have one of the best opening chapters (“Assault with a Deadly Chicken”) of any legal thriller in recent memory. A first chapter sets the mood of the book to come, giving the reader the impetus to keep reading, and this book will not disappoint. It clips along briskly with Siegel’s good natured humor shining through the murder and mayhem: while questioning a potential (and not very helpful) witness, we hear Mike thinking, “If he can spew clichés, I can spout bullshit.” Lines like that just make this a most compelling and enjoyable read.

Former client Leon Walker got Mike & Rosie’s fledgling legal firm more press than they ever dreamed of when they got him off a felony murder charge on a technicality – but it also broke up their marriage. Ten years later he’s been accused of murder and begs Mike to take the case. He’s dying and will never make trial, but wants his name cleared. Rosie is none too happy with the situation, and the cops & District Attorney all have long memories about former defendants who they feel have gotten away with murder. All the evidence points towards Walker, bringing those wonderful “Perry Mason moments” to the courtroom. San Franciscans will love the local color and politics too. Don’t miss it.

Final Witness by Simon Tolkien: Legal fiction from the grandson of J. R. R. Tolkien with nary a hobbit in sight. This Tolkien is a barrister, and his legal background is at the forefront of this debut novel cum dysfunctional family saga. A young man witnesses his mother’s murder, but is convinced that his father’s new wife has masterminded the whole thing. Daddy doesn’t agree of course, and the story unfolds as the trial progresses. The characters all speak for themselves as this book seemed to consist of mostly dialogue, which grew wearying after a couple of hundred pages. But it’s all neatly resolved just in the nick of time, making for a good page turner. Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

A Fine Dark Line by Joe R. Landsdale: A Fine Dark Line is a change of pace from Mr. Lansdale’s recent beat ’em up, blow ’em up, shoot ’em up adventure mysteries featuring Hap Collins and Leonard Pine. It is a gentle coming of age story set in 1950’s Texas. It takes place during the summer when young Stanley Mitchell, Jr. not only learns that there is no Santa Claus, but more than he wants to know about sex and racism. Fortunately, he is guarded and guided by his wise father, loving mother and equally curious older sister.
At the heart of the story, there is a mystery, an old death and a haunted house. Tutored in the ways of Sherlock Holmes by the Black Indian projectionist at the family drive-in, young Stanley gets to the bottom of the mystery and discovers the truth about old families and their twisted offspring. He will have a heckuva paper to write about “how I spent my summer” when he goes back to school.
This is a nice change of pace for the jaded reader as well. ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

A FINE NIGHT FOR DYING by Jack Higgins: This is a 2007 re-issue of a 1969 Higgins sequel to The Bormann Testament. In this tale Special Agent Paul Chavesse is investigating the murder of a gangland boss by going undercover as an Australian criminal attempting to get smuggled into England. In the process he finds an international conspiracy led by some very powerful men. They aren’t about to let Chavasse interfere with their plans. Don’t worry, however, you can sense there are more adventures coming, so Paul will make it. In fact, the book reads almost like “James Bond Light”, complete with “M”, “Moneypenny.”, and a beautiful woman in peril. With Higgins, you know what you’re getting, and I, for one, like it. 05/07 Jack Quick

A FINE RED RAIN by Stuart Kaminsky: This new tale finds Inspector Rostnikov trying to save a young circus aerialist from the killer of her two fellow performers. He himself is working without a net as he is the target of both a jealous supervisor and a serial killer. In addition he is trying to help his colleague Karpo, catch the knifer of eight prostitutes and foils a plot by a Soviet official threatening his young policeman friend, Tkach. It’s a thrill a minute under the Moscow Circus Big Top and another fine outing for Rostinikov. 12/05 Jack Quick

FINGER LICKIN’ FIFTEEN by Janet Evanovich: Stephanie Plum is back, along with Ranger, Joe, Lula and the rest of the gang. This is an edgier story than most; Lula accidentally witnesses a man get decapitated and for some reason, the guys who did it don’t want witnesses. Lots of shooting, firebombing and the usual mayhem ensues, but not as many laughs this time out for me. If you haven’t read this series, don’t start here, but if you’re looking for some light summer reading, go for it. 06/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

FINGER LICKIN’ FIFTEEN by Janet Evanovich: There is an old joke about buying Playboy Magazine “for the articles.” In that same vein, don’t buy Evanovich for the well-hidden almost invisible plot. It’s the one-liners and unique characters that make this bubble gum series so much fun. Lula is witness to the beheading of culinary TV star Stanley Chipotle in a Trenton, N.J. Enter Stephanie’s on-again off-again boyfriend, cop Joe Morelli. Meanwhile, Lula and Grandma Mazur enter the same barbequing competition Chipotle was in town to promote, hoping to lure the murderers out of hiding. Let’s face it. These two have no business being around fire. Then there is Ranger who generates the inevitable sparks between himself and Stephanie, with Morelli grumbling on the sidelines. All is well that ends well and thank goodness this one ended before I was totally laughed out. A fun read. 08/09 Jack Quick

THE FINISHING SCHOOL by Michele Martinez: Manhattan federal prosecutor Melanie Vargas returns in this entertaining sequel to Martinez’s debut novel, Most Wanted. This time out Melanie’s separation from her cheating husband has made juggling the demands of her job and her one-year-old daughter even more complicated. Two Park Avenue prep school girls overdose on heroin and a third girl goes missing, prompting a middle-of-the-night page from Melanie’s difficult, politically scheming boss. Melanie’s assignment: get the dealer and get him jailed, pronto. One of the girls is the daughter of a candidate for U.S. senator and things heat up even more when FBI hunk Dan O’Reilly gets assigned to the case. But there is more to this story than fast times at Holbrooke High and the twists keep coming. The romance is hot and the suspense is high in this absorbing, fast paced novel. Highly recommended. Copyright © 2005 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Reprinted with permission.

THE FIRE by Katherine Neville: Thirty years ago, Cat Velis was thrown into a game of epic proportions, a game that had been playing out for almost as long as man has walked the earth. It is said that King Charlemagne was gifted with a chess set that hid a secret so terrible that he parted with the set as quickly as possible. Charlemagne gave the set to a knight who in turn hid the set away. Years later, the nuns at Montglane Abbey are faced with moving the set and separating the pieces to ensure that the wrong people can never obtain them. In 1972, Cat and her friends are forced into the same game. Their pieces were scattered and buried, but it seems that the game has begun anew and this time it’s Cat’s own daughter who must find them. It begins with the death of Aleksandr Solarin just moments after he sees the Black Queen – a piece that he and Cat thought was buried with the others. Ten years later, Alexandra, Cat and Solarin’s daughter, is invited to Colorado for her mother’s birthday. She arrives to find that Cat has disappeared. It is at this point that Alexandra learns of what occurred all those years ago. Like The Eight, this long awaited sequel also has a duel story line. Alexandra and her adventures begin in 2003, but Neville also tells a tale that begins in 1822 in Albania. Readers familiar with The Eight will love this twenty-years-in-the-making sequel and the story of Cat’s daughter. Those who are unfamiliar with the story won’t be left out of the adventure either, it is not necessary to have read The Eight (although I would highly recommend it) as their tale is somewhat recapped in the beginning, when Alexandra learns the story herself. The Fire shows that Neville is still at the top of her game, and reigns supreme as the master of literary puzzles. 10/08 Becky Lejeune

FIRE SALE by Sara Paretsky: V.I. Warshawski gets talked into returning to her old high school to fill in as basketball coach. She tries to obtain financial support for the team from William “Buffalo Bill” Bysen, the school’s most notable alum and founder of By-Smart, perhaps the only true competitor to Wal-Mart. One thing leads to another including arson and murder. Mix in some personal problems, and a headstrong grandson “Billy the Kid” Bysen and you have another strong performance by our favorite south Chicago ethnic female detective. 09/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

FIRECRACKER by Ray Shannon: Raygene Price, a tight end out of Florida State and the next All-pro signs with the Dallas Cowboys for a chunk of change, much of which he promptly loses in various bad business ventures. Raygene is equally careless about birth control as he’s impregnated several women who have later made financial demands. One of them also has the Super Bowl betting slip that Raygene (“Gene the Dream”) bought in serious violation of league rules and gave to her as a seduction gambit. Everything comes to a head in Las Vegas on Super Bowl Sunday, and there’s loads of action and double-crossing. Sounds too real to be fiction, doesn’t it? Well done, Mr. Haywood, eh, Shannon. Note: Shannon is a pseudonym for Gar Anthony Haywood. 04/06 Jack Quick

THE FIREMAN by Stephen Leather: The narrator, a nameless reporter, was once a “fireman:” i.e., a trouble-shooting journalist who covers global hot spots. Now booze and stress have reduced him to second fiddle on the crime beat of a London newspaper when he receives a call that his younger sister, trying to follow his career path, is dead in Hong Kong. It’s during that uncertain period before 1997 and all of the territory is on edge because of the pending reversion to Chinese rule. The police call her death suicide but the fireman thinks his sister’s death was arranged as the result of stories she had been working on that may have implicated Chinese international gangs. Although a decade old, Leather’s writing still rings true as he portrays the hubbub that is Kong Kong, and the strange alliances that occur routinely in international journalism. Nicely done. 06/08 Jack Quick

FIRES RISING by Michael Laimo: The turn-of-the-century Church of St. Peter has finally been scheduled for demolition. The last holdout of its block will soon be transformed into yet another office complex and apartment building like every other in New York City. Then, demolition crews unearth something evil in the process of tearing down the church; something the church’s forefathers had hoped would stay hidden forever. A war between good an evil is about to be waged in the city and only one man, the sinless one, can stop it. Laimo’s somewhat disappointing read is amusing for an afternoon with nothing else to do. The apocalyptic storyline is interesting but unoriginal. In fact, the gore factor is the only great thing about this book. It was satisfyingly and gratuitously violent for a horror novel. Perhaps more back-story could have saved the whole thing. 03/08 Becky Lejeune

The First Counsel by Brad Meltzer: Go backstairs at the White House and find drugs, blackmail, backstabbing and ultimately murder. This is Meltzer in top form.

THE FIRST CUT by Dianne Emley: Nan Vining is a 34-year-old single mom and detective on the Pasadena, California police force. A year ago, she was, for two minutes and twelve seconds, the force’s fifth ever officer killed in the line of duty. Only this time, they saved her. Now on her first case back, she is looking for who killed LAPD Vice Cop Frankie Lynde, a young blonde who got “too close to her work.” Nan now seems to have the ability to hear the dead. Is this connected to her own near-death experience or a symptom of post-traumatic stress? In any event it leads to cracking the Lynde case and provides a clue to her own unknown attacker, whom she and her 14-year-old daughter, Emily, have dubbed T.B. Mann or “The Bad Man.” An enjoyable read in spite of the touch of woo woo. 12/07 Jack Quick

FIRST DAUGHTER by Eric Van Lustbader: A potentially great thriller flawed by errant attempts to inject religion to the point you wonder what the book is really all about. The plot: – Nineteen-year-old Alli Carson, daughter of the U.S. President-elect, is abducted just before her father’s inauguration. The current President has become a born-again Conservative who believes God-less atheists are responsible and is seeking an excuse to have an all-out Holy war on non-believers, sort of a Christian Jihad. Dyslexic ATF agent Jack McClure is chosen to lead the search for Alli, primarily because she was the boarding school roommate of his now deceased daughter, Emma. Jack has his own issues since he feels his devotion to his job cost Emma her life. Throw in McClure’s ritualistic abuse as a child, because of his dyslexia, the First American Secular Revivalists and their secret partners, the E-Two terrorist group and you have the makings of what could have been an excellent book. Regrettably, the pauses to preach sermons and espouse various personal beliefs reduce the action to a crawl. First Lustbader I haven’t liked. 12/08 Jack Quick

First Degree by David Rosenfelt: The Edgar Award nominee for his first novel, Open & Shut, has penned another winner. Andy Carpenter, loveable lawyer (no, that’s not an oxymoron,) is back and suffering from a severe case of “lawyer’s block.” When you’ve inherited $22 million dollars, it takes away your incentive to represent any old criminal who walks through the door. But things change when a cop of questionable ethics is killed. The same cop, Alex Dorsey, that Andy’s lover, PI Laurie Collins, turned in when she was on the police force. Then a man strolls into Andy’s office, confesses, and asks Andy to represent him. Meanwhile the police have arrested someone else, someone Laurie is sure is innocent. One suspect after another fizzles out until Laurie becomes the chief suspect. Circumstantial evidence abounds, and Andy finally has a client he can get behind. It’s personal now and the stakes have never been higher as Andy has to find the real killer and exonerate Laurie. Somehow the laughs keep coming as tension mounts and the bodies pile up, no easy feat but a sure testament to Rosenfelt’s skill. This fast, funny read will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you wanting more.

FIRST DROP by Zoe Sharp: Charlie Fox is a no-nonsense, former British Army soldier (and survivor of a gruesome gang rape) who has joined the protection agency run by her ex-lover, Sean Meyer. Her first assignment is guarding 15-year-old Trey Pelzner, son of Keith Pelzner, a computer whiz working for a small software company specializing in accounting and data manipulation. After an attempt is made on Trey’s life, Charlie discovers that not only has Keith has vanished, but Sean has disappeared as well. Charlie is on her own to try to save Trey’s life and to find the missing men. Its non-stop action and Charlie is one kick-ass broad. Can’t wait for the next one. 10/07 Jack Quick

FIRST FAMILY by David Baldacci: Baldacci lets out all the stops in this fourth Maxell and King outing. Former Secret Service agents Michelle Maxwell and Sean King have been engaged to solve a kidnapping. The victim – a 12 year old girl. The connection – she is the niece of the President and First Lady (daughter of the First Lady’s brother). The villain is introduced early on (62-year-old Sam Quarry, an obsessed man from north Alabama) but his motivation remains unknown for much of the book. Meanwhile, there is also a murder or two involved, high stakes financial dealings involving Homeland Security, turf battles between the FBI, the Secret Service and the agents, while Maxwell is also dealing with issues surrounding her mother’s death. Carefully plotted and tightly written, the suspense ratchets up from page to page as Baldacci keeps you off balance until the end, even while revealing so much in the process. Recommended. 08/09 Jack Quick

FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT by Darynda Jones: Charley Davidson can see and speak to the dead. She’s a grim reaper. Her ability gives her a unique advantage in her job as a PI and she’s been known to help the local police with more than a few difficult cases. When the bodies of three lawyers from the same firm all pop up dead on the same morning, Charley is already on the scene, having been dragged there by the ghost of one of the dead men. The three murder victims believe that their deaths must have something to do with one their biggest cases, a client they believe has been wrongfully convicted of murder. All of this would be no problem if Charley wasn’t suddenly being forced to deal with recurring visions of a dark shadow following her around and some disturbingly erotic dreams that have started to hit her at inopportune moments. Darynda Jones’s debut is great fun. Charley’s got attitude and humor and the mix of paranormal, mystery, and romance is perfect for fans of any of the subgenres. 02/11 Becky Lejeune

FIRST KILL by Michael Kronenwetter: A small Wisconsin town is the setting for this first novel and winner of the 2004 PWA/SMP Best Private Eye Novel [interesting note: there was no winner selected for 2005.] Hank Berlin is a private investigator with a small practice that barely pays the bills. He’s divorced and has shared custody with his high-powered ex, so his son is living with him while his wife is in France on business. He gets a surprise visit from his high school sweetheart Liz, who dumped him to marry his best friend Jack. Jack’s been murdered and Liz isn’t happy with the police investigation, so Hank, who was never able to deny her anything, agrees to look into it. Interesting characters keep this story believable even when stretched to the max, and there is enough suspense to keep the pages turning until the surprising ending.
NOTE: From the truth is stranger than fiction file…King County Journal, Bellevue, Washington: A resident called 911 at 4:15 p.m. Oct. 20 to report seeing a handwritten note in a car window at the Safeway on Northwest Gilman Boulevard. The note read, “First Kill Michael Kronenwetter.” An investigation revealed that “First Kill” is the name of a novel by author Michael Kronenwetter. 03/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch
THE FIRST LOVE COOKIE CLUB by Lori Wilde: Sarah Collier gave up on true love at the tender age of fifteen. Before that, she dreamed of her soulmate: Travis Walker, a boy a few years older than her who lived next door to her grandmother in Twilight, Texas. Travis got married at Christmas the year that Sarah was fifteen, and Sarah humiliated herself by trying to stop the wedding. Since then, she’s kept her dreams in check, put love on the back burner, and never gone back to Twilight. Now a bestselling children’s author, Sarah has been asked to return to the quaint Texas town to attend the annual Christmas festivities. The request comes from a sick fan, a little girl whose wish Sarah cannot refuse. But when Sarah is forced to face her fears—and Travis—once again, she’ll learn that dreams can come true if you give them a chance. A cute holiday romance, Wilde returns to Twilight, Texas in this third outing, following The Sweethearts Knitting Club and The True Love Quilting Club. Each book can be read as a stand alone, but each are connected by one charming Texas town. 12/10 Becky Lejeune

FIRST PATIENT by Michael Palmer: President Andrew Stoddard is the fabulous fictional “first patient” except his doctor seems to have disappeared. So he asks his old buddy, Dr. Gabe Singleton, to leave his ranch in Wyoming and come take care of him at the White House, but he neglects to mention that he is having some very mysterious health problems. But Gabe is on it, and along the way he falls for Nurse Allison, tries to figure out what happened to his predecessor and what is wrong with the President. Throw in a little high tech medicine and some Secret Service secrets, and you have one terrific thriller. 03/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE FIRST QUARRY by Max Allan Collins: Before Lawrence Block’s Heller and Dot there was Quarry and the Broker. Killing is a young man’s game and this Hardcase Crime number 48 provides the backstory for Collins’ likable hitman. Quarry comes home from Vietnam and finds his wife in bed with another man. A couple of says later Quarry sights the man working on his car so Quarry drops the jack on him. This leads him to the Broker and finally to his first job in December 1970. The person of interest is a college professor who spends more time “counseling: coeds than he does teaching. A first rate read, and the start of a great series. 10/08 Jack Quick

FIRST RULE by Robert Crais: In this book, the “first rule” refers to a code lived by organized crime members of the former Soviet Union. The code is simple: one must forsake all family members, wives, mothers, children for his crime family. They come first, and if this rule is broken, it means death. Frank Meyer is murdered, along with his wife and children, in what appears to be another in a string of home invasions. The police believe he was involved in something shady, but Joe Pike does not. Frank was one of Joe’s team back in the day when they were mercenaries, but Frank left the life to marry and built a successful business, and had a happy family. Pike determines to find out who did this to his friend, and bucks the police, the FBI, and some scary gangsters to do so. Pike may not have much to say, he is the strong, silent type for sure, but he gets the job done. Elvis Cole, his partner, is just a minor character in this taut, complicated thriller – this is Pike’s story, and it is an excellent piece of crime fiction writing. 01/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE FIRST RULE by Robert Crais: “You don’t tug on Superman’s cape” and when Serbian mobster Michael Darko and his gangbangers hit the house of garment importer Frank Meyer and execute his family in their Los Angeles home, Darko has definitely screwed up. Meyer was one of Pike’s guys, and ex-policeman, ex-mercenary, now PI Joe Pike may be more dangerous than any caped crusader. Pike discovers that Frank’s nanny and her family have ties to Eastern European organized crime which leads him to Darko. With the help of PI partner Elvis Cole (the lead in Chasing Darkness and eight other books), Pike engages in a dangerous—and not always legal—game of cat and mouse with some of the city’s most dangerous crooks. You know Pike is gonna win, but the journey getting there is filled with excitement. Maybe the best Crais yet. 02/10 Jack Quick

FIRST THRILLS: High-Octane Stories from the Hottest Thriller Authors edited by Lee Child and Steve Berry: Previous reviewers have quibbled over some of the details but generally have given top marks to this 25 story anthology assembled by Child and Berry from stories submitted by members of ITW (International Thriller Writers), divided between fledgling authors and established names such as Gregg Hurwitz, Stephen Coonts, and Heather Graham. I won’t try to describe each individual story but they contain elements of mysteries, science fiction, and horror and feature an equally diverse cast of characters ranging from con men and killers to aliens, ghosts, and zombies. 12/10 Jack Quick

A FISTFUL OF CHARMS by Kim Harrison: Book four of the Hollows series picks up in the spring following the events of Every Which Way But Dead. Jenks is still refusing to return to Vampyric Charms and Rachel is getting desperate until the pixy’s wife turns up one afternoon begging for her help. It seems that Rachel’s ex-boyfriend Nick is a professional thief and he’s dragged Jenks’s oldest son Jax into the mess. Rachel and Jenks set off to Mackinaw, Michigan to save Jax, but first they have to make the trip a bit easier for the pixy by making him big. With his new height Jenks is able to make the trip and provide protection for Rachel as they infiltrate an island full of angry werewolves. Rachel soon discovers that Nick has stolen a valuable Were artifact that has been hidden for centuries. If the Were packs were to gain possession of the item, it would cause an all out war between werewolves and vampires. With multiple packs of pissed off Weres now on their trail, the gang has to figure out how to clean up Nick’s mess before they can safely return home. Kim Harrison is the Janet Evanovich of urban fantasy. Each book is a combination of dark humor and steamy sex appeal. A warning though, this series needs to be read in order. 04/07 Becky Lejeune

FIT TO DIE by J. B. Stanley: I don’t do many “Cozies” but as a life-long dieter, I had to try this one, particularly since each chapter is titled with a food item. The Flab Five diet group in Quincy’s Gap, Virginia, is stuck between Chilly Willy’s Polar Pagoda, a new ice cream shop serving praline caramel kiss sundaes, and the Witness to Fitness weight loss center, run by the fanatical Veronica Levitt. Maybe Veronica’s “take-no-prisoners” approach can keep them out of the Pagoda. In the meantime, when an arson investigation turns into a murder investigation, the Flab Five have a full plate they must tackle. But enough of the food jokes. Grab a bowl of celery sticks, hoist a can of diet soda and have at it. Oh, didn’t someone say that chocolate consumed while reading has no countable calories, something about the energy consumed turning pages effectively negating the effect of the “soul food.” If you need to lose a few more pounds, and have some leftover chocolate, this is the second in the Supper Club series, after Carbs and Cadavers. 05/07 Jack Quick

FIVE DAYS IN SUMMER by Kate Pepper: In this debut, Emily Parker, devoted wife and mother of three wants the end of her visit to her mother’s Cape Cod retreat to be special, but she disappears without a trace from the supermarket parking lot. Her husband Will tries to get the local police to begin a search but 24 hours are lost before FBI profiler John Geary now retired and writing a book on serial killers who were never caught, identifies a connection between Emily’s kidnapper and a killer who resurfaces every seven years. The story takes off at this point and eventually reaches a satisfactory conclusion. Apparently this works for Ms. Pepper because she has repeated the “disappears without a trace” theme in ONE COLD NIGHT and SEVEN MINUTES TO NOON. Apparently the major thrust of each, other than the disappearance, is the frustration factor for those left behind. All in all, above average, but not the best ever. 02/07 Jack Quick

FIVE LITTLE RICH GIRLS by Lawrence Block: “Five Little Rich Girls,” is the third in a series of novels about Chip Harrison, teen-age assistant to the world famous detective, Leo Haig. (Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin??) Harrison answers an ad which reads “Resourceful youth wanted to assist detective. Low pay, long hours. Familiarity with tropical fish helpful but not absolutely necessary.” Chip answered the ad because he was on the lookout for a job with a future. Chip believes the death of a girl from an overdose of heroin was murder. She was one of five rich girls (sisters), four of whom die in the novel. Were their deaths related? Were they all murders? Chip and Haig believe so. 05/06 Jack Quick

THE FIVE LOST DAYS by William Petrick: Documentary producer Michael Burns and his team travel to remote Belize in an attempt to capture the “magic” of the last curandero (healer) on film. It is Burns hope to unearth some yet undiscovered medicinal property found native to the rain forest. He meets Kelly Montgomery, a ethnobotanist that is stationed in Belize with her husband. Burns is instantly drawn to her strength, her natural beauty. Burns and his crew discover that they have gotten themselves into more than they expected and soon find themselves in the middle of a local political battle. THE FIVE LOST DAYS is a thrilling tale of ancient beliefs and local politics that will keep you begging for more. 01/09 Jennifer Lawrence

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom: I’ve been wrestling with how to write this for more than a week. When I finished it, my first thought was it was good, but not as good as I was expecting – hoping – from the author of Tuesdays with Morrie, which I loved. But the more I think about it, and I do keep thinking about it, the more of an impact I realize it made.
The story is relatively simple. Eddie is an 83 year old maintenance man at Ruby Pier, an amusement park at the shore. He’s worked there all his life, like his father before him, and he dies there trying to save a little girl’s life as a ride is about to drop on her. He arrives in heaven and is told there are five people he needs to meet, some he may know, some he may not, who will explain his life to him. Eddie thinks of himself as just an ordinary guy who’s life hasn’t made a difference, and he learns how one life interacts and entwines with another on this journey.
Most reviews have been conjuring up images of Dicken’s A Christmas Carol and another Christmas classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, and those comparisons are justified. The book is sweet and sentimental and I cried more than once while reading it, yet somehow it is never cloying. The Five People You Meet in Heaven is thought provoking, life affirming, and utterly charming. Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE FIXER UPPER by Mary Kay Andrews: Dempsey Jo Killebrew is a young, naive aid to a Washington DC lobbyist who gets caught with his hands in the cookie jar. He promptly throws Killebrew under the bus, and she is out of a job. Her future isn’t looking too good either – the FBI is investigating her. In a panic and out of money, she agrees to move to Guthrie, a small town in Georgia, to fix up an old house her father had inherited. What her father didn’t know was that a distant cousin is squatting in the house with her little dog, and that the house needs way more than a coat of paint. Leaving her Manolos in the closet, Dempsey literally steps into her dead relatives shoes, and overalls, and begins a major renovation of the house. She gets some help from the father/son attorneys who are handling the inheritance, and they introduce her to some of the local townsfolk who can help with the renovation. In this case, hard work is good therapy for the confused and desperate Dempsey, especially when the FBI and DC reporters come knocking on her door. With a little help from her new friends, and a little romance from her lawyer, Dempsey and the house undergo a remarkable transformation. Another terrific, charming Southern tale from one of my favorite authors – I couldn’t put it down and read it in one delightful afternoon. 07/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

FLAWED by Jo Bannister: In the seventh book of the series, Brodie Farrell finds herself in an inconvenient situation – she’s pregnant. She knows that she will be unable to care for a new child and still devote the time necessary to her business, Looking for Something?, so she decides to take on an employee. Fortunately, her best friend Daniel Hood volunteers for the task. On one of his first days alone in the shop, a young boy approaches him and asks for his advice. The child is the one and only son of well-known solicitor Adam Selkirk. Hood believes that Selkirk is physically abusing his son and vows to help the boy and his mother. Meanwhile, the Serious and Organized Crime Agency has launched an investigation against Terry Walsh, a self-made man whose business practices are rumored to be not so ethical. Walsh’s lawyer just happens to be none other than Selkirk himself, and the police plan to use Hood’s suspicions to force the man to turn evidence over on his client. This is a great series for readers who enjoy those fringe cozies – the ones that are barely on the edge of being a more serious and gritty mystery. Bannister’s style is smooth and easy to read and her characters are easy to identify with. I would recommend, however, starting with book one, Echoes of Lies. Readers would be doing themselves a great disservice diving into a series that is this well established. 09/07 Becky Lejeune

FLESH HOUSE by Stuart MacBride: Just when you thought it was safe to go out and play, along comes Detective Sergeant Logan McRae in MacBride’s fourth and latest novel. When human remains are discovered first in a shipping container and later in a local butcher shop, McRae’s superiors send him to round up Kenneth Wiseman (aka the Flesher), who terrorized the city 20 years earlier but was released on a technicality. McRae’s nemesis, Detective Inspector David Insch was involved in the original investigation. In spite of Insch’s continuing involvement, McRae soon realizes that the police have been looking in the wrong direction. McRae is left with a grisly puzzle and random body parts. MacBride’s writing skill makes this one less a stomach turner and more of a page turner. McRae is becoming a classic alongside Rebus, Dalziel and Pascoe. 01/09 Jack Quick

Flesh Tones by M. J. Rose: Genny Haviland is on trial for the murder of her lover, famed artist Slade Gabriel. Her defense is a tad unusual: assisted suicide. Rose writes these terrific books that just defy categorizing. This one is her best effort yet, a psychological/legal thriller based in the art world, with more passion than found in most romance novels, and enough twists along the way to make this a real joy-ride. Don’t miss it.

FLIGHT by Sherman Alexie: A fine, funny novel. This will definitely be in my year’s 10 best. Mr. Alexie’s protagonist in this book is an angry, violent, confused and lonely runaway Indian teenager who goes by the name of Zits. How could you not like it? Zits has been pushed or fled from multiple foster homes already in his young life and is of the opinion that all foster parents are jerks, Indian or not. While preparing for a revolutionary, Columbine-like act in a bank he has a moment of clarity in which his consciousness takes flight, occupying several other bodies. It is quite a ride. One of these bodies is that of his own father. This experience changes his whole life and the outcome of the showdown.
Mr Alexie proves my thesis that there are fine writers in our own country today writing about the eternal truths revealed in their own experiences and settings. Don’t miss them pursuing the latest “in” book. 07/07 Geoffrey R. Hamlin

FLIP THIS ZOMBIE by Jesse Petersen: Making a living after the apocalypse would be challenging for most, but Sarah and David have figured it out. After working through their differences and honing their skills as zombie killers, they’re officially in business as Zombiebusters Exterminators, Inc in this second of the Married With Zombies series. Sarah and David are willing to hire out their services in exchange for all kinds of goods and trade, but then a particularly interesting job comes their way. This time, they may even be able to help save the world, if they can agree long enough to finish the job. Petersen’s twisted sense of humor makes for excellent laugh-out-loud reading. I’m loving this series more and more and can’t wait until number three comes out this summer. 1/11 Becky Lejeune

FLIPPING OUT by Marshall Karp: Maybe someone mistake them for the LA Clippers, the perfectly terrible professional basketball team that also resides in Los Angeles, but then again, maybe not. The latest case for ace LAPD homicide detectives Michael Lomax and Terry Biggs is way too close for comfort. Their significant others, along with the wives of some fellow officers, are involved in a partnership with popular mystery writer Nora Bannister, to buy, fix up and flip houses in the then highly competitive Southern California real estate market, i.e. the LA Flippers. So when the members of the partnership start dropping like the current real estate market, Lomax and Biggs, set out to find damning evidence before they lose their own loved ones and/or higher-ups shut the case in their face. This third outing has the humor Karp included in RABBIT FACTORY and BLOODTHIRSTY but notches up the suspense very nicely. Definitely recommended. 05/09 Jack Quick
FLIRTING WITH FORTY by Jane Porter: Porter started out writing romance, switched to chick-lit (The Frog Prince) and now seems to have found her niche with women’s fiction, that catch-all for other genre-defying books that are definitely aimed at the female reader. Our heroine, Jackie Laurens, is celebrating her fortieth birthday, not that she feels like she has much to celebrate. Jackie is a divorced mom of two kids and a growing design business, yet she’s lonely. She wants to be paired up like all of her friends are. Her friend Anne coaxes her into a birthday weekend in Hawaii, but at the last minute married Anne has to cancel so Jackie goes off by herself. The pool is full of hopeful middle-agers, but it’s a young surf instructor, Kai, who gets her attention. Romance blooms but life intrudes, making it difficult for the single mom to juggle her life in Seattle with her romance on the big island. This is the perfect book to read surfside or poolside, frozen drink in hand. Enjoyable. 07/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

Flood by Andrew Vachss: I’ve been wanting to read this book, the first in the Burke series, for a while now. The timing was right and I ripped through it. Dark and gritty enough to leave sand in your bed. Or maybe I brought that home from the beach…

FLY BY NIGHT by Ward Larsen: An exotic setting – modern day Sudan near Khartoum; a man used to violence but intellectually gifted who is an ex US Marine and Jet Pilot named Jammar Davis, a beautiful woman placed in proximity by logical circumstances and you have ingredients that a good adventure story needs. We have a very good one in Ward Larsen’s Fly By Night. Jammar has retired from US government service, his wife was killed in an auto accident three years before the story begins and his teen age daughter is safely away with friends that live in Norway. Jammar’s ex boss approaches him and asks him to travel to the Sudan to investigate the disappearance of a top secret US Drone aircraft. Coincidentally at the same time a small fly by night air service based there has had one of their planes crash. The real motivation to get Jammar to undertake the search for the Drone is that an old enemy of his is chief pilot for the airline. Upon arrival and assuming the role of a US government investigator sent to investigate the air crash Jammar has a run in with his enemy and meets the lovely Dr Regina Antonelli. Dr Antonelli works for an agency geared to providing medical services to third world countries. The stage is set, the writing is crisp and the action fast. Suffice to say that the reader will be very satisfied with the actions and solutions presented. Ward has written another book involving Jammar, but this one does very well as a stand alone novel. 11/11 Paul Lane

FLY BY NIGHT by Ward Larsen: Jammer Davis, the NTSB’s biggest headache and best investigator is sent into Khartoum ostensibly to assist the local government in determining the cause of the crash on an ancient DC-3 flown by a cargo airline named FBN – Fly By Night. In reality Davis has two other missions – one, to assist the CIA in locating the priceless remains of America’s latest technological marvel – a top-secret drone that had crashed. Equally important to Davis is “grounding” Bob Schmidtt, who had been responsible for the death of Davis’ friend and fellow pilot, Walt Deemer. Nicely done, not too heavy on the technical details and sufficiently twisty. 9/12 Jack Quick

FLY BY WIRE by Ward Larsen: Nicely done thriller featuring Frank “Jammer” Davis, a retired U.S. Air Force fighter pilot now working as an investigator for the NTSB. A brand new C-500 freight airframe has plunged from six miles up over France killing the pilot and first officer. Just as Davis starts his investigation, news of the crash is overshadowed by a more spectacular disaster: suicide bombers attack oil refineries worldwide, sending governments and financial markets into a tailspin. Davis soon learns that the crash and the oil refinery attacks are inter-related. Finding and implementing the solution takes him literally to the final seconds of a situation in which failure cannot be an option. Very enjoyable. 9/12 Jack Quick

FLY PAPER by Max Allan Collins: “The mob couldn’t kill him, the cops couldn’t catch him, and even time can’t slow him down.” “Him” could be Nolan or “him” could be Max Allan Collins, still churning them out today. This classic from 1981 features bullet riddled bloody strongbox stealing action with one hundred fifty grand for the winner and certain death for whomever comes in second. Can you believe it all started with a parking meter scam? There’s no cellphones or Internet, just lots of old fashioned gun totin’ action. I read it in one sitting which may have been all it took Collins to write it, but like an occasional extra slice of pie, it was still darned good. 07/06 Jack Quick

Flynn’s World by Gregory McDonald: Speaking of Fletch, Gregory McDonald has just put out a new book about Fletch’s fellow crime-solver, Boston “Inspector” Francis Xavier Flynn. As was the case in Skylar in Yankeeland, McDonald takes dead, but hilarious, aim at New England pretense. In Flynn’s World, he zeroes in on Harvard University and what passes for “thinking” on a politically correct campus these days. Flynn is ably supported by his incredibly gifted and mischievous family, his retired police friend Cocky, and even the clueless Grover in responding to a request for help from the University President. This is simultaneously a good story and a broadly painted satire of academic life that will keep you laughing from start to finish. ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

FOLLOW ME DOWN by Marc Strange: This one starts with a bang – actually, its more of a swish, as a man is impaled by two arrows into the abdomen and left hanging from a tree at the edge of the forest that surrounds Dockerty, Newry County, Ontario. Orwell Brennan, Dockerty’s chief of police, wonders whether it is a hunting accident when a sergeant tells him it’s been ruled a murder. Although outside his jurisdiction the case becomes a bit of an obsession for Orwell who wants it solved—no matter whose toes he steps on. This one proves that there are secrets to be found everywhere if you just know where to look. Not a bad police procedural with some interesting twists. 05/10 Jack Quick

THE FOLLOWER by Jason Starr: Katie Porter has been having trouble meeting the right man. All that is about to change though. Peter Wells knows he is perfect for Katie. He’s been planning for months, following her and getting to know her very well. Katie doesn’t know it yet, but she and Peter are going to be very happy together. All Peter has to do now is eliminate the competition. Nothing is going to get in his way. Starr’s chilling tale of a stalker and his prey is enough to keep any reader up all night checking their windows. 08/07 Becky Lejeune

THE FOLLOWER by Jason Starr: Stalking in New York City. Katie Porter thinks her health club encounter with Peter Wells is pure chance. She doesn’t know he once dated her sister back in her hometown and has elaborate plans to marry her. In the meantime, her current boyfriend, Andy Barnett, a twenty-three year old single guy on the prowl in Manhattan, is about to dump her. When Peter decides he needs to eliminate the competition, this Looking for Ms. Goodbar suddenly becomes a very funny, dark social satire. If you are into yuppies and the New York singles scene, this one is for you. 01/09 Jack Quick

FOLLOWING POLLY by Karen Bergreen: Alice Teakle has been laid off. Unsure what she wants to do with her life, her mother suggests therapy. Her therapist suggests a life goal. Then, out of the blue, Alice runs into a former—and hated—college classmate: Polly Dawson. Polly Dawson has everything— money, class, great husband. But Polly is not a nice person. In an admittedly poor spur-of-the-moment decision, Alice begins to follow Polly: certainly if Polly has it all, she must be doing something right. Maybe in following Polly, Alice can discover the secret. Unfortunately for her, someone has it in for Polly and Alice is the perfect scapegoat. On the run and unable to turn to family or friends, Alice starts following someone else. Someone who may be in a position to help her discover Polly’s killer and clear her name. Honesty, I wasn’t sure about Alice Teakle in the beginning. By the time Polly is murdered, though, and the unlikely heroine goes on the lam, she’d won me over. Following Polly is a witty mystery with an eccentric cast of characters. It’s a debut that definitely makes you take notice. I’d love to see what Karen Bergreen does next. 06/10 Becky Lejeune

FOOTBALL’S BEST SHORT STORIES, edited by Paul D. Staudohar: Can’t really add much to what the title says. Stories are by Grantland Rice, John Updike, Damon Runyan, Ellery Queen, Michael Chabon, Don DeLillo, among others, all revolving around the sport of “American football”. As a fan of the game I had been saving this one until this first week of the season as a way of getting into the mood, so “Yea, White, Yea, Blue, Go, Team, We For You” On to victory, strike up the band, hit ‘em high, hit ‘em low, stand up and yell…..Oh well, it’s a pretty good book. 09/06 Jack Quick

FORBIDDEN by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee: FORBIDDEN is set in a post-apocalyptic world, a world almost completely annihilated by man’s greed, hatred and war. Now, almost five hundred years later, nothing remains except for the Order and one emotion, fear. Rom discovers through a message from an escaped prisoner followed immediately thereafter by a series of heart-stopping and murderous events that all is not as it seems. His father, a Keeper, was murdered to suppress the truth. Left with a vial of blood, a cryptic writing and his promise to find the leader of the Keepers, Rom flees from the Citadel Guards who now seek his life as well. When Rom discovers the truth he realizes he must enlist the help of four others to culminate his quest. The Book must be found, a suppressed princess must decipher the code and the rightful heir to the throne must be endorsed by the Senate prior to the crowning of the new Sovereign in five days time. Forbidden is the first in a new series by Dekker and Lee. As characters experience a flood of new emotions there are tender scenes emanating from ‘light’ emotions as well as violent scenes churned up from ‘dark’ emotions. The pacing ebbs and flows flawlessly between these two extremes. The plot is somewhat predictable but the sequel will still be welcomed. 10/11 Kimberly Bower

THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER by Shobhan Bantwal: Isha and her husband, Nikhil, are expecting their second child. Their first was a daughter and Isha is desperate for her second to be a son. When the sonogram reveals that Isha is having another daughter, their doctor suggests the possibility of a selective termination. Not only do Isha and Nikhil refuse, but Nikhil files a complaint with the authorities. Threats are made, but Nikhil won’t back down. He even goes as far as to steal information from the doctor’s computer as proof of his illegal practices. Unfortunately, Nikhil’s efforts result in his death and Isha is left a widow with another child on the way. Her in-laws have made it clear that she’s a disappointment to them and their superstitious beliefs lead to their blaming the unborn child for all of the ill events that have befallen the family. Isha flees, taking her two children with her, and attempts to make a life for herself without their support. Bantwal’s novel is an eye-opening read. In India, it’s currently illegal for the parents to even know the sex of their child before its birth. Statistics on selective abortion are startling. Isha’s dilemma as a young widow in a traditional Hindu family is heart-wrenching at times. Her struggles to survive and do right by her children without a means of support are admirable. Bantwal’s keen insight, not only into the current generation of mothers, but into the elder generation and their beliefs will help readers to understand an issue that is completely foreign to us here in the States. 09/08 Becky Lejeune

THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER by Shobhan Bantwal: Isha Tilak and her husband, Nikhil, have just discovered that the child they are expecting is a girl. What would be wonderful news to just about any couple is a curse to the young couple. Young Isha and Nikhil live in India, in a society where male heirs are sought out above all else; female children are viewed as burdens. When they are urged to have an illegal abortion, Isha and Nikhil are furious and adamantly refuse. Soon after, Nikhil is found brutally murdered. Isha decides that living with her oppressive in-laws is detrimental to the life and safety of her young daughter, Priya, and her unborn daughter. She leaves with a small amount of money and just a few belongings. Isha and Priya seek refuge at a local convent. It is there that Isha gives birth to young Diya, and where they meet Harish Salvi, a doctor that treats the children at the convent. Isha ultimately receives the life insurance money that she and Nikhil kept hidden from his parents and is then able to purchase a more appropriate residence for her and her young girls. She discovers that her husband has left her with evidence of the selective abortion trade, and suddenly her life, and the lives of her children, is in danger. FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER tells a difficult story of the treatment and value of women in India. The characters were very compelling as was the storyline. It has it all: love, bribery, murder, blackmail, kidnapping. Isha is an amazingly strong woman who will stop at nothing to protect the lives of her daughters. 11/08 Jennifer Lawrence

A FOREIGN COUNTRY by Charles Cumming: A spy story with a different spin. Cumming pulls the reader into a novel of a conspiracy plot that is different than any other spy novel I have read. Amelia Levene is slated to become the first female head of British MI6 in a few weeks. She takes a trip to the south of France to attend a funeral and than indicates that she intends to take a painting course before coming back to England. When she disappears the ensuing panic within MI6 causes Thomas Kell, a disgraced and ousted former agent, to be called upon to find her with the insinuation that finding Levene might bring him back into the MI6 fold. Kell travels to the south of France and then to Tunisia looking for her. This is a plot that is fascinating and very well delineated. The reason for Amelia’s disappearance and events surrounding this are the basis for the novel and provide an intriguing and compelling read. Cumming has written other spy related novels and continues his success in the field with A Foreign Country. Characters and their motivations are fleshed out quite well and keep the reader’s continued interests. No problem in anticipating and buying future novels by Charles Cumming. 9/12 Paul Lane

THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH by Carrie Ryan: Generations ago, something terrible happened. Mary does not know specifics, but she does know that she and her family are safe behind the fence. The Guardians take care of the fence and the Sisters take care of everyone within; order is very important in Mary’s world. But even with hordes of the undead surrounding her home, Mary longs for a glimpse of the world beyond. When her mother is bitten and becomes one of the Unconsecrated herself, Mary is forced to join the Sisterhood. While living within the walls of the Cathedral, Mary witnesses something the Sisters are desperate to keep secret — a girl from beyond the fence has entered their community. Mary will do just about anything for a chance to speak to the girl, but the next time she sees her, the girl has been forced out with the Unconsecrated. Mary sees her chances of escape dying before her very eyes, until the town is overrun and she and a small group of others are forced to flee. Will they find salvation beyond the fence, or are humans destined for extinction? If George Romero wrote and directed The Village, you would get The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Unlike most teen titles, which are surely fun escapes for adults, it is easy to forget that this amazing and horrifying debut is a teen read. This book is wholly appropriate for teens, but I have no doubt that many adults will find it as engrossing as I did. Ryan says her following release will take place in the same world as The Forest of Hands and Teeth. 03/09 Becky Lejeune

THE FORGOTTEN by David Baldacci: Trafficking in human slavery in the 21st century is the underlying theme in David Baldacci’s latest book featuring John Puller. John is a military criminal investigative officer charged with investigating crimes involving army personnel. He is returning home after Zero Day. Contemplating a short vacation after his ordeal in that book he visits his hospitalized father who gives him a letter from his aunt. The letter alludes to problems in existence in her home town of Paradise, Florida. John, who was raised by this aunt, decides to use his vacation to determine how he can help her. Upon arrival in Paradise he finds that his aunt has died, apparently after an accidental drowning in her back yard. John makes the determination that her death was not accidental, but murder, and begins an investigation into the circumstances. Several colorful characters are involved in the story and well fleshed out by Baldacci. There is a very large man that enters the scene after swimming miles ashore to Paradise escaping from an abandoned oil rig in the Florida Gulf Coast. The rig held a large group of captives awaiting transportation to their ultimate destinations as modern day slaves. We have a beautiful lady cop that fixes on Puller, and helps him out in his investigations. A female one star general, also somewhat fixated by John that takes a leave from her post to help him in his investigation, plus another attractive, but mysterious woman whose place in the story is not described until late in the book. Baldacci has taken it upon himself to describe the actuality of trafficking in human slaves in our time. It is a highly lucrative operation, and apparently controlled by major criminal groups in existence today. While this is very fast moving and engrossing fiction, one wonders about about the scope of modern day slavery. I have never read a book by David Baldacci that wasn’t a good read, engrossing and keeping the reader up all night. The Forgotten is no exception with only the slight flaw (remember this is fiction) of having a contrived ending which keeps moving and insures all awaiting the next Puller book. 12/12 Paul Lane

THE FORGOTTEN by David Baldacci: If they had known about her nephew, maybe they wouldn’t have killed the old lady. Army Special Agent John Puller is the best there is. A combat veteran, Puller is the man the U.S. Army relies on to investigate the toughest crimes facing the nation. Think Jack Reacher – but still in the Army. His aunt has been found dead in Paradise, Florida, a picture-perfect town on Florida’s Gulf Coast that thrives on the wealthy tourists and retirees drawn to its gorgeous weather and beaches. The local police have ruled his aunt’s death an unfortunate, tragic accident. Before she died, she mailed a letter to Puller’s father, telling him that beneath its beautiful veneer, Paradise is not all it seems to be. Underneath the beautiful beaches is a mess and Puller is just the man to clean it up. Outstanding. 1/13 Jack Quick

The Forgotten by Faye Kellerman: The newest installment in the Peter Decker series touching on teenage angst and anti-Semitism amid the murder and mayhem. Good read.

THE FORGOTTEN MAN by Robert Crais: The Forgotten Man is an unforgettable tale of intrigue and angst. Crais really knows how to build a series, giving us more insight into his characters in each outing, and he continues the trend here. Elvis Cole receives a middle-of-the-night phone call from Los Angeles Police Detective Kelly Diaz, saying that a man has been murdered, and his dying words were to find his son – Elvis Cole. Elvis never knew his father so his response is immediate. Working with the LAPD, Elvis and partner Joe Pike ferret out the truth in their own inimitable style and in the process, Elvis learns more about himself and his family. Former bomb squad technician turned detective Carol Starkey (Demolition Angel) helps out too, mostly because she has a crush on Elvis but he’s too enmeshed in memories of Lucy Chenier (The Last Detective) to notice. Quirky characters bring some dark humor to this finely written yarn of suspense, with creepy killers, praying prostitutes and enough surprises to keep the pages turning until the harrowing and extraordinary ending. 02/05 Copyright © 2005 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Reprinted with permission.

THE FORGOTTEN MAN by Robert Crais: If you are an Elvis Cole fan, buy this book. It’s the best yet. If you are not yet an Elvis Cole fan, rent or borrow this book while saving money to buy the other seven Elvis Cole books. A man dying from a gunshot wound in a Los Angeles alley tells police he is the father of Elvis Cole. Elvis never knew his father and sets forth to learn all he can. In the process we learn more about Elvis, but it gets curiouser and curiouser. Although the body count doesn’t mount until the end there is abundant action with cops and hookers, blackmail, and re-opening of old hurts. Thank goodness for friends like Joe Pike who saves Elvis’ life for adventure number nine. To say more is to spoil it. Definitely recommended. 05/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

For Whom the Minivan Rolls by Jeffrey Cohen: Another funny mystery writer, just in case you couldn’t tell from the title of the book, and he’s from New Jersey where this gentle suburban mystery is set. I’m not sure what is in the water in Jersey these days, (actually, I don’t think anyone is) but it’s working for me, à la Harlan Coben, Janet Evanovich, Steve Lopez, David Rosenfelt, and now Jeffrey Cohen.

Aaron Tucker is a free lance writer, which means he works at home while his wife, who he has the perpetual hots for, works outside the home as an attorney. Their two kids include a precocious little girl and an adolescent boy with Asperger Syndrome, which is handled with grace, dignity and apparent honesty. When the town’s most prominent citizen’s wife goes missing, Aaron is hired to find her – but why, he doesn’t know. After trying mightily to get out of the assignment, power prevails and he finds himself investigating the disappearance. It’s a mystery indeed, but it’s the characters that bring this story to life. They are endearing people, the kind you want to spend time with. And I’m glad I did.Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

FORESTS OF THE NIGHT by James W. Hall: Cherokee Indian Jacob Bright Sky Panther is number eight on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. It is no wonder that Coral Gables Police detective Charlotte Monroe is shocked to find him in conversation with her husband Parker and daughter Gracey. Before the SWAT team can respond, Panther hightails it with Gracey. It turns out Parker, who is a lawyer, is friends with Panther’s uncle. Charlotte must come to grips with aspects of her husband’s life that were previously unknown while also trying to rescue her daughter. The action ventures into the mountains and North Carolina and deep into the past of Parker, Panther and the entire Cherokee nation. It will take all of Charlotte’s skills including her uncanny ability to interpret facial expressions to accomplish her objectives. No Thorn, but still first rate Hall. 04/07 Jack Quick

THE FORGERY OF VENUS by Michael Gruber: Chaz Wilmot is a commercial artist in New York City living a modest life when his former roommate from Columbia, Mark Slade, offers him $150,000 to come to Venice and restore/reproduce the collapsed ceiling in a Venetian palazzo he has bought. What happens is not pretty as Wilmot is sucked into a bizarre world in which he begins to question his own sanity – or is he being manipulated for a purpose. Intelligent, literate, and unusual – I only wish I knew more about art in order to appreciate the nuances about which Gruber writes so knowledgably. Very nicely done. 06/08 Jack Quick

FORGET ME KNOT by Sue Margolis: Somewhere between chick-lit and romance falls this latest tale of love betrayed and new love found. Abby Crompton is a small but successful florist in London. Her business is hot-hot-hot since the local rag named her of the trendiest florists in town. Down the street is one of Britain’s oldest and stodgiest department stores/grocers. Abby shops there for the fond memories, but is frustrated by their lack of style. She’s engaged to Toby, British nobility, and is finally to meet the mother he’s been afraid of all his life. On the way she gets stuck in an elevator and gets sloshed. Needless to say, dinner with the mother-in-law-to-be don’t go well, and shortly after things end. Meanwhile, a low budget movies plans to shoot in her shop for a week and how can a romance not flourish in a flower shop? There’s high drama with the gay shop assistant that puts Abby in the middle of a feud with his ex-lover/boss, another florist, not to mention lots of laughs in this light, humorous, fun read. 09/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch.

FORGIVEN by Jana Oliver: Riley Blackthorne is back in this third book of the Demon Trapper’s series. After striking one deal with heaven in exchange for another trapper’s life and one deal with the devil thanks to a particularly charming fallen angel, Riley has become a target for the Vatican. Accused of being in the devil’s pocket, Riley must now defend herself and her honor against the worst possible punishment. Nevermind the fact that her closest ally has abandoned her and may even have sold her out. On the bright side, Riley’s father has turned up and is being safely held by Mort, a summoner who seems to have good intentions. But both Mort and Riley will have to be careful. The folks after her father’s body are still sniffing around and Riley won’t be able to do much in the way of protecting him if the Vatican hunters have their way. Oliver’s series is one of my current favorites — dark and gritty and perfect for teen and adult urban fantasy fans. 4/12 Becky Lejeune

FORGOTTEN by Catherine McKenzie: Just before her death, Emma Tupper’s mother gifted her with a ticket to Africa. Emma believed the trip would be a chance to think things over and come home fresh in the wake of losing her mom. She was only supposed to be gone for a month, but just days into the trip Emma falls ill. Deemed too sick to travel the distance to the nearest medical facilities, Emma is left in the helpful hands of a visiting couple building a school for the local children. And then the unthinkable happens: Tswanaland is struck by a massive earthquake. All lines of travel and communication are cut off and it’s six months before Emma can make it home where she’s been declared missing and presumed dead. Her bank accounts have been frozen and her apartment has been re-leased. What’s more, her best friend and her boyfriend are both out of town. Fortunately, the new tenant in Emma’s apartment is kind enough to let her stay and even helps her begin to put her life back together. Forgotten is a wonderful, heartfelt read. Emma’s story is funny, sweet, and thought provoking—it makes the reader really wonder what if. What if you had the chance to start all over? Would you? 10/12 Becky Lejeune

Foul Matter by Martha Grimes: Ms. Grimes, normally the author of the solid Richard Jury mysteries, obviously has something to get off her chest about the business of publishing authors. And she does it with a vengeance (so to speak) in Foul Matter. Her new book can easily be thought of as The Bonfire of the Vanities of the publishing oligopoly which currently victimizes both authors and readers.
After she gets done making sure that the reader fully appreciates what self-indulgent, amoral scum are running the book business these days, Ms. Grimes tells a funny tale reminiscent of Donald Westlake or Lawrence Block.
The starting point of her story is an author who is guaranteed, on the strength of his name, to sell millions of copies of his next book, no matter what it says. But the author, Paul Giverney, wants more. He wants to secure the services of the editor who he feels will make his book be taken seriously. He agrees to sign for what is a huge advance, of course, only if the publisher can get rid of the author that the editor is currently working with. The publisher, and his minions take their marching orders to “get rid of” that author, Ned Isaly, who is a fine writer and innocent chap, all too seriously.
And that it where the fun begins. The initial set of hired killers are very fussy about their victims. They want to get to know them first. They follow him. They read his books. Meanwhile, remorse is setting in at the publishing house and concern is rising in the author’s friends. Killers, detectives and bodyguards begin to proliferate. This all culminates in a trip in Pittsburgh that is like the Marx brothers cramming people into a stateroom on an ocean-liner.
This is a nice change of pace for Ms. Grimes and a lot of fun for readers who share her concern about the publishing industry. ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

FOUL PLAY IN ACADEMIA by Geohn C. McAmby: This is what I would term a “commuter read.” It’s short, lively, and not so intense that one would miss their getting off spot. Professor McAmby of Nunnery College discovers the body of a colleague in the basement of the campus theatre resting on the platform that is used to raise and lower flats from the basement storage area. There is no indication she fell, suicide is unlikely without an accomplice, so is it murder? If so, what is the motive? This is a classic puzzle mystery and the third in this series. Kind of like half a candy bar – good, but not totally satisfying. 05/07 Jack Quick

FOUND YOU by Mary SanGiovanni: Dave and his friends thought that they had killed the creature they called the Hollower. They thought they were safe. They were wrong. Their Hollower had friends and one of them has returned to seek revenge against the humans that killed its companion. Dave’s sister Sally is the first to die. It was Dave’s job to keep her safe and he failed. Now, a whole new group of people are being terrorized by this otherwordly stalker and it’s up to Dave and Erik to gather them together for yet another battle, hopefully the last. This follow-up to the Stoker nominated The Hollower proves once again that Mary SanGiovanni is a fantastic addition to the horror genre. I hope that her hints at other weird phenomena in the Jersey area will hopefully lead to many more scary tales. 10/08 Becky Lejeune

FOUR AND TWENTY BLACKBIRDS by Cherie Priest: Eden Moore has spent her life haunted by the past: long hidden family secrets, and ghosts that only she can see. The three women—sisters Mae, Willa, and Luanna—have been dead for decades, but their story is one that Eden will have to understand in order to survive today. Eden was just a girl the first time her cousin came for her. She was able to outrun him and he was institutionalized. But he escaped and now he’s after her again, convinced that she is a wicked spirit returned from the grave. As she learns her ancestors’ tales of dark magic, madness, and revenge, Eden will be faced with a task that many before her have failed: to defeat her enemy or die trying. This first of the Eden Moore series is a great spine-tingling story. An utterly perfect debut in every way. Priest creates magic with intriguing characters and dark and mysterious settings. I’m so glad that there is more to follow. 12/09 Becky Lejeune

Four Blind Mice by James Patterson: I didn’t like Roses are Red, I hated Violets are Blue (I couldn’t even read it, I just skimmed it) so this one is definitely the best Alex Cross book in years. Unfortunately, that’s not saying much. The story revolves around Army vets being set up as murderers by a for-hire group of assassins leftover from the Vietnam War. The weaknesses here are the writing and the plot; the suspense builds nicely and these are the characters we expect them to be after all these years. I didn’t enjoy it much – I’ve guess I’ve had enough of this series. His next book, The Jester, (03.03) is a complete departure for Patterson – it’s set during the Middle Ages.

FOUR SUMMONER’S TALES by Kelley Armstrong, Christopher Golden, David Liss, and Jonathan Maberry: What do you get when you give four very different authors one writing prompt? You get four very different tales, of course. The prompt: A strange visitor comes to town, offering to raise the townsfolk’s dearly departed from the dead – for a price… was conceived by Golden and Maberry one evening. The format chosen was the novella and with the addition of Armstrong and Liss, they had a book. Armstrong and Liss both took historic approaches – Armstrong’s “Suffer the Children” is set in the 1800s in a small Canadian village that has been hit hard by diphtheria. A strange man arrives claiming to be able to bring back the town’s recently deceased children. But of course there’s a price. Liss’s “A Bad Season for Necromancy” on the other hand is set in the eighteenth century in England. A man calling himself Reginald January makes a discovery that grants him the power to raise the dead and he believes it will solve everything. But of course he couldn’t be more wrong. Golden’s “Pipers” is set present day in a small Texas border town that’s seen increased conflict with a local Mexican drug cartel. The conflict reaches its peak when the cartel guns down over twenty of the town’s citizens in one night. A man arrives claiming he can restore these people to life, but in exchange he wants their help in bringing down the head of the cartel. And finally Jonathan Maberry gives us another Joe Ledger tale in “Alive Day.” In this stand-alone story, Ledger and his team are tasked to recover a missing ops team in Afghanistan. They soon realize their enemy is something much more terrifying than terrorists. A fantastic collection. 9/13 Becky Lejeune

FOURTH DAY by Zoë Sharp: Is Fourth Day an extremist cult supporting eco-terrorism or is it, as the cult’s charismatic leader Randall Bane claims, a retreat for those with serious mental and emotional issues to find peace within themselves. Charlie Fox goes in undercover to learn the truth. It turns out that greed is the primary factor involved here and Charlie ends up on the wrong side of both Homeland security and her fellow security personnel. Amidst the several murders, Fox is deeply in danger of losing her soul mate, Sean, which would be the equivalent of killing her. A good one. 2/12 Jack Quick

FOURTH GRAVE BENEATH MY FEET by Darynda Jones: This fourth in the Charley Davidson series starts two months after the end of book three, Third Grave Dead Ahead. The snarky reaper is recovering from her last case and a close call with Reyes’s psychopathic father and has developed something of a shopping addiction as well as a bit of agoraphobia. She’s abandoned her office as part of her argument against her own dad – well warranted considering he had her arrested in an attempt to get her to quit her job. The prospect of a new case is just too tempting to pass up, though, especially after her friends and family gather in an intervention. Charley’s new client is convinced someone is after her. She’s been harassed most of her life but no one believes her until she meets Charley. Meanwhile, the demons that once plagued Reyes have returned. As Reyes hunts them down, they become more violent in their pursuit of the reaper, putting her in yet another gravely dangerous situation. Darynda Jones’s hilarious series never fails to amuse. Each new book moves the series forward, presenting new questions about Charley and her abilities, Reyes, and the fate of the world. Super fun and super addicting as well as a great blend of paranormal and PI mystery. 11/12 Becky Lejeune

The Fourth Hand by John Irving: Irving is probably my favorite author, and this newest effort was certainly an enjoyable read. The story is about a TV news anchor who has his hand chewed off by a lion, broadcast live all over the world. Eventually he gets a hand transplant, and a romance. The book felt incomplete to me, like it was missing something (no pun intended). The depth of the characters that his books usually delve into was missing here. On the other hand, it is my understanding that many people have been daunted by the sheer length of some of his previous novels, so perhaps this book of just a few hundred pages will inspire new readers to discover the magic of John Irving.

THE FOURTH PERIMETER by Tim Greene: Kurt Ford left the US Secret Service and became a very successful businessman. His life is shattered when he is told his son, following in his own steps as a Secret Service agent, has committed suicide. Ford can’t believe this and soon finds evidence that supports the likely assassination of his son and other agents who have apparently been unwitting witnesses to a Presidential meeting from which they should have been excluded. Ford vows he will avenge his son, even if it means taking on the President of the United States. Unlike no other previous Presidential assassin, Ford is also determined to escape. Green knows how to ratchet up the suspense and you can’t help but imagining the movie, with Harrison Ford playing the role of Kurt Ford. 08/08 Jack Quick

THE FOURTH WATCHER by Timothy Hallinan: Ex-pat Poke Rafferty, American travel writer turned investigator, has been in Bangkok, Thailand for more than two years – enough time to adopt the Bangkok Glide, the energy efficient and peculiarly graceful way Thai people have of getting themselves from place to place without melting into the sidewalks during the mid-day heat. He has also been there long enough to fall in love with Rose, a former bar girl who is now his fiancé and with Miaow, his newly adopted precocious daughter (Think Tatum O’Neal in Paper Moon). In this second outing, Poke variously faces: Chinese gangsters, a rogue American Secret Service Agent and a North Korean counterfeiting operation. Delightfully twisty from beginning to end that gets even more complicated when Poke’s father Frank and half-sister Ming Li are added to the mix. 07/08 Jack Quick

FOX FIVE by Zoe Sharp: A neat little treat from this great author – five short stories featuring ex-Special Forces soldier turned self-defense expert and bodyguard, Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Fox. The first – A Bridge Too Far, introduces us to Charlie before she’s become a professional in the world of close protection. Postcards From Another Country has Charlie guarding the ultra-rich Dempsey family against attempted assassination – no matter where the danger lies. Served Cold puts another tough woman center stage – the mysterious Layla, with betrayal in her past and murder in her heart. Off Duty finds Charlie taking time away from close protection after injury. She still finds trouble, even in an out-of-season health spa in the Catskill Mountains. And finally, Truth And Lies puts all Charlie’s skills and ingenuity to the test as she has to single-handedly extract a news team from a rapidly escalating war zone. For current and about to be Charlie Fox fans. 08/11 Jack Quick NOTE: Only available as an e-book

FRACTURED by Karen Slaughter: Dyslexic Georgia Bureau of Investigation detective Will Trent is caught up in a crime situation as complex as Atlanta’s freeways with enough plot complications to support two afternoon soap operas. Atlanta matron Abigail Campano comes home to find what she thinks is her daughter’s bloody body with the killer standing over her. She manages to kill the young man, only to discover that: a). he has also been stabbed and was probably trying to help rather than being the killer, b), the body is not that of her daughter Emma, but Emma’s best friend, Kayla. c). Emma, has, in fact been kidnapped, d) Emma’s father was in foster care with Will many years ago d) the Atlanta Police detective assigned to the case is Faith Mitchell, daughter of an Atlanta police supervisor forced to resign as the result of a investigation into police corruption by Will, and e) the son of Faith’s out-of-wedlock son is apparently the nephew of Will’s supervisor, Amanda Wagner. If you can keep all this somewhat straight, you will find that Ms. Slaughter has done an excellent job of portraying Atlanta, as it exists today, and writing a pretty decent suspense novel. Thumbs up. 08/08 Jack Quick

FRAG BOX by Richard A. Thompson: In St. Paul, Minnesota., bail bondsman Herman Jackson investigates the murder of one of his more unusual repeat customers, Charlie Victor, a homeless Vietnam vet. Jackson, to whom Victor bequeathed a mysterious box, immediately receives visits from the FBI, an odd bully who wants to take over Jackson’s business and a band of heavily armed mercenaries of unknown origin. Assisted by fearless newspaper reporter Anne Packard, Jackson tries to follow the scant clues to solve the secrets of Victor’s past and solve his own present problems. Second outing for Jackson, and I hope more will follow. 12/11 Jack Quick

FRAGILE by Lisa Unger: Though it seems a perfect little town at first glance, The Hollows hides dark secrets. When Charlene Murray goes missing, everyone would like to assume that the troubled teen ran away on her own. Local detective Jones Cooper and his wife, Maggie, know Charlene well enough to believe this could be the case, but their son, Ricky, insists that something is wrong. Charlene’s mother, Melody, is frantic with worry. And she has every right to be. When Charlene, Jones, and Maggie were teens, another girl went missing, her mutilated body later discovered in the woods. For many in The Hollows, Charlene’s disappearance stirs up long buried memories of that earlier case. In Fragile, Lisa Unger has built not one story, but a town full of them. Each person introduced is linked through events of the past and present and each offers a new and different element to the story as a whole. The result is a unique and gripping psychological thriller involving a town in crisis and a look inside the different perspectives of the people involved. 09/11 Becky Lejeune

FRAIL by Joan Frances Turner: You’re either ex or frail these days—ex-human, ex-zombie, or one of the few remaining people unaffected by the outbreak that has transformed Earth’s population. Amy is a frail, one of the last from her hometown. Amy is on the road for a short time, dogged by her own guilt, when she meets up with an ex named Lisa (ex-human, in this case) who takes Amy under her wing. Together, they plan to travel to a town that has become a human outpost. On the way, however, they are forced to join the ranks of a very different place, one where exes are in charge. If Amy is to survive, she will have to keep Lisa on her side while staying wary of the locals. Here, even alliances with fellow frails are questionable. With just one book in the trilogy to go, Turner is playing her cards close. I’m not sure if any reader can predict exactly where the series is headed. Frail is a companion to Dust, and technically the second in the trilogy but can be read out of order. All the pieces revealed thus far come together only in reading both books. 11/11 Becky Lejeune

THE FRAILTY OF FLESH by Sandra Ruttan: Another great outing from Sandra Ruttan who is building her cast of Canadian constables into a winner of a series. A child is found beaten to death, his brother names their sister as the killer. The entire family is obviously dysfunctional and an impediment to solving the crime. A cold case continues to haunt the department and jeopardize current activities. Nolan, Hart and Tain are strong personalities, yet Ruttan successfully blends them together so each is a major player. One of the few authors who can manipulate multiple plot strings and keep it all together. Definitely recommended. 01/09 Jack Quick

FREEDOM by Daniel Suarez: I would heartily recommend you not open the cover on this one until you have read Suarez’s Daemon (2009), as the two books form one continuous story about the late, mad-genius game designer Matthew Sobol who launched a cyber war on humanity. In this frightening, near-future world, Sobol’s bots continue to roam the Internet, inciting mayhem and siphoning money from worldwide, interconnected megacorporations out to seize control of national governments and enslave the populace. FBI special agent Roy Merritt is dead, but still manages to make a dramatic comeback, while detective Pete Sebeck, thought to be executed in Daemon, rises from the supposed grave to lead the fight against the corporations. Other characters from Daemon include disgraced NSA cryptanalyst Natalie Phillips, the hacker Jon Ross, and Loki, the bloodthirsty Master of the Darknet. Daemon and Freedom together form the cyberthriller against which all others will be measured. 03/10 Jack Quick

FREEZE FRAME by Peter May: Parisian journalist Roger Raffin has written a best selling book featuring seven cold cases from around the world. Forensics ace Enzo Macleod, a Scot who’s been teaching in France for many years, rashly boasted that he could solve all seven cases. He was successful with the first three and now tackles the fourth. He begins at the study which the dead man’s heir has preserved for nearly twenty years. The dead man left several clues there designed to reveal the killer’s identity to the man’s son, but ironically the son died soon after the father. On the tiny island off the coast of Brittany in France where the murder occurred, Enzo must deal with hostile locals who have no desire to have the infamous murder back in the headlines. Throw in an attractive widow, a man charged but acquitted of the murder, a crime scene frozen in time, a dangerous hell hole by the cliffs, and a collection of impenetrable messages, and you have as Ollie would say, “a fine kettle of fish.” 03/10 Jack Quick

FRESH DISASTERS by Stuart Woods: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Woods’ suave hero, attorney Stone Barrington tried to hire a photographer to take pictures for a potential divorce case. The photographer wasn’t available but persuaded Barrington to use the photog’s nephew, one bumbling Herbie Fisher, who fell through the apartment skylight over the bedroom occupied by the couple he was supposed to be photographing. Now attorney Herbert Q. Fisher is in hock to the mob and gets taken out of Elaine’s in front of Barrington and police pal Dino. Fortunately for Fisher, and unfortunately for Barrington, Dino stops the mayhem, before Fisher is killed over his gambling debts. Now Barrington, against his will and better judgment, has the unenviable task of representing Fisher in suing Mob boss Carmine Datilla, aka Datilla the Hun, for personal injury damages. No one will serve Datilla so Barrington has to do it himself. The response is his being thrown through the glass door of Datilla’s coffeehouse out on to the sidewalk, where only Dino saves him from Fisher’s would be fate. On the positive side, this episode leads Barrington to Celia, a tall and beautiful masseuse. All this in the first fifty pages of what another reviewer calls “light escapist fare.” I say ROFLMAO, if you know what I mean. 05/07 Jack Quick

THE FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB by Kate Jacobs: I can see why this first novel was so popular, especially with reading groups. I don’t knit, but despite the title and setting, this isn’t a book about knitting; it’s a book about women. Georgia Walker is a single mom in Manhattan with a precocious daughter just entering her teenage years. Her best friend gave her the seed money to start her business, a yarn shop. Some of the regular customers also become friends, especially when they decide to form the knitting club. It isn’t always about the knitting though; it’s about life and all its struggles. The writing style is breezy and engaging, but also manipulative. If you enjoyed Angry Women Eating BonBons by Lorna Landvik or The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards, then this is your kind of book. Not my favorite, but still an enjoyable read. 04/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

FRIENDSHIP BREAD by Darien Gee: I hadn’t heard of Amish Friendship Bread before reading this lovely book, but when I mentioned it to a few friends, they all knew about it. From what I understand, the bread is more like a cake, except it is made from a starter which is similar to that used for sourdough bread. You make the starter, feed it, then end up with enough starter to bake your cake and share with three others.
This novel is set in a fictional small town outside of Chicago. Julia lost her son in a tragic accident several years prior, but cannot seem to get out of her depression despite the birth of her daughter. One day she finds a bag of starter, a cake, and the recipe on her front porch. She’s not much of a baker, in fact, since her son died, she pretty much just lays in bed all the time. Her daughter begs her to make a cake, and when the starter is ready, they do. This, of course, leaves her with enough starter for three more people and Julia stumbles onto a couple of new friends. Madeleine is a widow who has recently moved to town and taken over the local bed & breakfast, turning it into a tea shop. Hannah is a young concert cellist, forced into early retirement because of back injuries, who is struggling with the fact that her husband has left her. The three women become friends through the friendship bread, but eventually the town is just overrun with the stuff – in fact, the author does some simple math and the numbers are simply staggering. A local reporter turns it into a news story which has much different repercussions than what she expected. It is a charming book and a very enjoyable read. Haven’t made the friendship bread yet, but I will. Recipes: Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe [PDF] Amish Friendship Bread Recipe [PDF] 04/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch
FRINGE BENEFITS by F.M. Meredith: If you are going to commit a murder, it can be helpful to be a cop. Officer Cal Sylvester’s affair with Darcy Butler, wife of a fellow policeman, is going into the deep freeze. Only money will re the flame and Sylvester thinks he knows how to get it, by collecting his wife’s life insurance. Of course, there is one little detail that needs to be taken care of. Enter sixteen-year-old Adler “Patch” Costello, who runs away from home and right into trouble. In the meantime there is a dangerous rapist on the loose who strikes every Wednesday. The third of Meredith’s Rocky Bluff P. D. series. Lets hope there are many more. 02/07 Jack Quick

THE FROG PRINCE by Jane Porter: Holly Bishop led a fairy tale life, married her Prince Charming and planned on living happily ever after. Except it turns out Prince Charming didn’t love her and really didn’t want to have sex with her, so she left. We meet Holly as she is going through what amounts to be a pretty damn amicable divorce, but she wallows in self pity while she whines about it, repetitively, through an annoying 300 pages. The other 70 pages or so have your usual chick-lit stuff going on, like dieting, the blind dates from hell and the trendy new job with a bitch of a boss. There is a terrific ending, but after a complete whine-fest of a book, who cares? Porter has made a successful transition from traditional romance to chick-lit, but unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me. 05/05

FROM BLACK ROOMS by Stephen Woodworth: Ten years ago, Natalie Lindstrom left the North American Afterlife Communications Corp (NAACC) for good. Her work, calling the dead forward to live out their own murders before the courts, became too much when Violets themselves became the target of a sadistic killer. A Violet is a person born with the ability to channel the dead. They are known by their violet eyes. Today, the Corp has blacklisted her from any means of employment in hopes that they can force her to return and hand her daughter over for training as well. In Black Rooms Corps scientists have found a way to turn an average people into Violets. Unfortunately, there is a flaw in the experiment. Plagued by guilt, Dr. Bartholomew Wax tries to end it all by killing himself, but not before murdering each and every test subject. Now, Carl Pancrit has struck a bargain with the one man Natalie fears the most, the real Violet Killer – Evan Markham. Through Markham, Pancrit will try to force Dr. Wax to continue his work on the experiment. In exchange, Pancrit will give him Natalie. Woodworth’s supernatural thrillers are incredibly original and smart. I look forward to each new installment in this series with great anticipation and am never let me down. I can’t wait to see where he takes the series next. 11/06 Becky LeJeune

FROM NOTTING HILL WITH LOVE… ACTUALLY by Ali McNamara: Scarlett O’Brien has a bit of a movie obsession. True she and her father run a business that provides popcorn machines to theaters and true her fiancé’s family owns a number of cinemas, but neither of them understands Scarlett’s passion for films. With her wedding looming, a blow up with her fiancé convinces everyone that Scarlett needs some time away. The solution: house sitting in Notting Hill. Her family and friends believe it’ll be just the thing to get Scarlett to settle down and finally abandon her movie fantasies. Scarlett has other plans. She thinks that this month will give her the opportunity to prove to everyone that living a life straight out of the movies is possible after all. From Notting Hill with Love… Actually is not just light, it’s downright fizzy. It’s chick flick filled (and inspired) fiction with references to everything from Hugh Grant’s repertoire to Pretty Woman. I should point out that like a rom com, there are few surprises in Scarlett’s story. Given the massive quantity of movie references, it would have been nice to see Scarlett’s tale play out in a somewhat different way. From Notting Hill is still a cute read if you’re a fan of romantic comedies. 10/12 Becky Lejeune

FROM THE GROUNDS UP by Sandra Balzo: Maggie Thorsen is back and she needs a new location for her coffee house after a freak snowstorm took it down. Maggie’s real estate agent and friend, Sarah Kingston, has the perfect spot: the old train depot. A new partnership is born and they get to work on renovating the old building. But then strange accidents start happening and Maggie is convinced someone doesn’t want her to open up again. Her boyfriend, Sherriff Jake Pavlik is worried too, but Maggie pushes on until she figures out who is leaving the bodies behind. Another great installment in the series and a delicious read to enjoy with a cup of your favorite coffee. 03/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE FRONT by Patricia Cornwell: Let me start off by saying that I’m a devout fan of Cornwell’s work. I loved her Kay Scarpetta books and typically her work is amazing. However, something was lost when Cornwell created a new slate of characters. The Front is the second in this new series starring Win Garano, Massachusetts state investigator. Garano has been ordered by his boss, District Attorney Monique Lamont, to investigate information on an unsolved sexual homicide case that is four decades old. Lamont believes that this individual may be the first victim of the Boston Strangler and believes if this case is solved, it will send her career soaring. The plot and story line don’t appear to go anywhere. Perhaps if this book was expanding beyond the 192 pages it would have had potential. I kept going back and rereading chapters, thinking I missed something, but to no avail. It seemed that the ending was rushed, everything wrapped up in just a few pages. I read the prequel, At Risk, and was hopeful. Normally, I’m pretty excited when I hear that one of my favorite authors has started off on a new adventure, but I’m upset that I wasted my time and money on this one. 06/08 Jennifer Lawrence

FROSTBITE by David Wellington: The Arctic is a cold and uninviting place for most, but Chey is on a mission. The goal of her wilderness trip is not to conquer this icy land, but to track the werewolf that killed her father almost a decade ago. Chey survived that attack and has been plotting her revenge, but severely underestimates her prey. When Chey is bitten by the wolf, she becomes infected with the curse as well. As the moon rises each evening, Chey has no choice but to relinquish control to the wolf. And with the days growing shorter, her new understanding of the man that she’s been hunting grows as well. But Chey’s partners in this mission are not going to let the wolf escape and Chey will prove to be their bait in the hunt. Wellington’s start to his werewolf series is a quick read, but I find that the characters are a bit flat and hard. Powell himself and his backstory proved to be the most intriguing parts of Frostbite for me, but are only a brief part of the story as a whole. 11/10 Becky Lejeune

THE FRUMIOUS BANDERSNATCH by Ed McBain: Fat Ollie (aka Detective Oliver Wendell Weeks), Steve, Cotton, Kling, Hawes – they are all here in this funnier 87th precinct novel which includes in its cast of characters divas, dumb and dumber crooks, and cops who are legends in their own mind. Leave it to the 87th to bulldoze through the muck until everything so tangled or untangled that the mystery is solved. Despite its funky title, another good outing by McBain. 11/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

FUGITIVE by Phillip Margolin: Charlie Marsh was a former prison inmate who reinvented himself as the Guru Gabriel Sun when he saved the warden’s life during a prison riot. His newfound wealth and fame soon dissipate when he was suspected of murdering a U.S. senator. Charlie was having an affair with the senator’s wife and he disappeared after the murder, hiding out in the People’s Republic of Batanga, a small African country with no extradition that’s run by a cannibal dictator. The dictator’s wife is tortured and killed when he finds out she is having an affair with Charlie. Charlie knows his days are numbered and he seeks help from an American tabloid. They smuggle him out of Africa and home to the US, where he will have to stand trial for the senator’s murder. The senator’s wife had been acquitted of being an accessory years earlier when Frank Jaffe defended her, and his daughter, Amanda, will now defend Charlie; that is, if Batanga’s secret police don’t get to him first. The pages fly in this violent, twisty tale of one man’s journey through the legal system. 06/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch. Copyright © 2009 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Reprinted with permission.

FULL MOON RISING by Keri Arthur: Riley Jensen and her twin brother Rhoan are something different. Having been banished from their pack, the half vampire and half werewolf twins struggle to keep their secret safe from the world. Brother and sister are both employees of the Directorate of Other Races, a group that polices others and protects humans. Rhoan is a guardian, or field agent, in the Directorate while Riley works in the actual Directorate office. Riley wants no part of the field action. Unfortunately, she’s about to be forced into it. First, a naked vampire with amnesia shows up on her doorstep looking for Rhoan. Then, someone tries to kill her with a silver bullet. Finally, when Rhoan does not return from one of his missions, Riley is forced into action. Keri Arthur’s action packed and sexually charged debut, is full of werewolves, vampires, secrets and conspiracies. Paranormal romance fans are in for a real treat. 03/07 Becky Lejeune

FUN AND GAMES by Duane Swierczynski: This book is an homage to noir, although it is set in contemporary times. Charlie Hardie is a retired cop, and he wasn’t too good at that job. Now he’s drinking and wandering all over, basically homeless other than his house-sitting for the rich and famous. Except when he shows up at his new gig at a mansion in California, a wild woman is in the house carrying on about men who kill people and make it look like accidents. Turns out she may be right, and you can’t help but be swept up in this crazy rollercoaster of a ride. Fun and Games is aptly named, in the creepiest sense, and I couldn’t put it down. 06/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

FUN AND GAMES by Duane Swierczynski: Ever try to watch an episode of “Mission Impossible” after missing the opening “mission definition”? Or walk into a movie fifteen minutes after start time? Swierczynski uses this “drop-in in the middle” technique very nicely to create added suspense in this first of three new pulp thrillers. Charlie Hardie is an ex-cop who has become a glorified house sitter. His latest gig comes replete with an illegally squatting B-movie actress who rants about hit men who specialize in making deaths look like accidents. Unfortunately, it’s the real deal. Hardie finds himself squared off against a small army of the most lethal men in the world: The Accident People. As Mae West said, “Fasten your seat belts, boys, it’s gonna be a rough ride.” 06/11 Jack Quick

FUN HOUSE by Chris Grabenstein: This is not the normal semi-scary fun house found at many arcades with trick mirrors, rolling floors and air jets to blow up the skirts of un-suspecting female visitors. No, this fun house is a reality TV show where college age buff and boozy kids are partying it up in a Jersey shore rental house for TV’s summertime hit TV show. By-the-book officer John Ceepak and his wisecracking young partner, Danny Boyle, are assigned to babysit the Fun House kids when the entire script suddenly becomes very unfunny. One of the cast participants is found hanging with the stuffed animal prizes at the Knock Over The Milk Bottles Arcade game. Looming over all this is a development that might portend the end of the ace crime fighting team. 6/12 Jack Quick

FURY by Robert K. Tanenbaum: The central theme of this 17th entry in the Butch Karp/Marlene Ciampi series is rape. Karp is defending the city in a $250 million lawsuit filed by four young men, originally convicted for a vicious rape and then late released. They are now represented by race-baiting lawyer Hugh Louis, so Karp has his hands full. In the meantime Karp’s wife, Ciampi, is simultaneously working to exonerate a college professor accused of rape as well as helping Butch with the Coney Island Four case. If that is not enough, a terrorist cell led by a brutal Iraqi takes over an abandoned subway tunnel and takes a member of Karp’s family hostage as part of its plan to blow up Times Square on New Year’s Eve. There is never a dull moment in New York when you are hangin’ with Tanenbaum and his cast of characters. 08/10 Jack Quick

A FUTURE ARRIVED by Phillip Rock: This third and final installment of Phillip Rock’s Abingdon Pryory trilogy moves beyond the characters we’ve come to know and love in The Passing Bells and Circles of Time, introducing the next generation. It begins in 1930 where we meet Derek Ramsey, a student at Burgate House School (where Charles is now headmaster); Colin Ross, Alexandra’s eldest child; Albert Thaxton, Martin’s young brother-in-law, who is determined to follow in Martin’s footsteps as a journalist; and the Wood-Lacy girls, Jennifer, Victoria, and Kate. The story quickly moves forward to WWII where these new characters begin to face some of the same struggles and turmoil their elders experienced in WWI. Rock’s trilogy features a broad cast of characters readers can’t help but become emotionally invested in. Their dreams, passions, and the horrors they experience are heart wrenching. I have absolutely loved each piece of the Abingdon story and am sad to finally have to say goodbye. 3/13 Becky Lejeune

GALLIPOLI by Peter Hart: I must admit that I am not a great reader of nonfiction books, especially war materials. On the advice of a friend who heard Mr. Hart speak some years ago at an Amvet convention, I picked it up and was frankly amazed at what the book described. Peter Hart, who recently passed away, was a world-renowned expert on the First World War with an emphasis on the battle of Gallipoli. He led tours of the battlefield during his lifetime and wrote several books about it.
The research going into the material is almost impossible to describe. Hart incorporates a large quantity of personal writings of the combatants – English, French, Australian, New Zealand and Turkish soldiers and officers. This alone probably required years of painstaking research and digging, plus translating into English for the book. The combat is set up as factual accounts of mass charges against modern weapons, with consequent slaughters of the numerous troops involved. It is not by any means dull or stodgy, as historical accounts of battle could be, but something bringing the reader into the combat observing from above and commiserating with the soldiers involved.

World War I, now a century in the past, was combat with modern weapons comprising massive troop charges from one set of trenches to the enemy trenches just yards away. Slaughter was beyond understanding, with waves of men running into cannon and machine gun fire. The main theater of war was the western front on territory that ran through France and Belgium. It was a complete stalemate in 1915 when Winston Churchill conceived the idea of a campaign to conquer Istanbul in order to open a path to Russia, an ally of England, and provide material to them. At that time he was the First Lord of the Admiralty (equivalent to Secretary of the Navy), and wanted to make a name for himself. He fought off opposition and an invasion was launched against Gallipoli in late April 1915. It was painfully obvious that the cost in lives would be horrendous, and after months of bloody stalemate the decision was made to withdraw. which was accomplished in January 1916. Ironically, the withdrawal is considered to be the only victory for the British and their allies in the battle since subterfuge prevented mass slaughter of the fleeing troops. As a consequence of the battle’s failure, Churchill had to resign as Admiralty First Lord, but later did resurrect his political career. Obviously this book is not for everyone, but is recommended for those that like to explore history through well researched material regardless of what segment of history it discusses. 6/12 Paul Lane
GALLOWS VIEW by Peter Robinson: This is the first of the Inspector Banks series for which Robinson has become justly famous. Former London policeman Alan Banks has relocated to small Yorkshire village of Eastvale seeking some small measure of peace, but crime and violence are not limited to large cities. . Soon he is dealing with a brazen Peeping Tom who spies on attractive, unsuspecting ladies as they prepare for bed. When an elderly woman is found brutally slain in her home, Chief Inspector Banks wonders if the voyeur has progressed to more violent crimes. I am looking forward to continuing the series. 09/06 Jack Quick

GALVESTON by Nic Pizzolatto: Roy Cady is middle-aged gangster who has a really bad day; he finds out he has terminal cancer and that his boss is trying to kill him. Instead, he turns the tables on the men sent to kill him in a terrible bloodbath that leaves Rocky, a young hooker/innocent by-stander, alive and petrified. He takes Rocky with him and goes on the lam. She asks him to make a stop in Orange, Texas, where she picks up her three year old sister. Now saddled with two girls, they hide out while Cady tries to get together enough money for the girls to survive on their own without him. Things don’t turn out the way he wants but what a story he has to tell. This dark and gritty novel with well defined characters is completely engrossing. An excellent debut novel. Note: I would really like to know how, on p. 81, this character used to grill battered shrimp. Wouldn’t the batter fall through the grill? 10/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

GALVESTON by Nic Pizzolatto: Ray Caasy is not a nice man. Hailing from Port Arthur Texas, he is working as an enforcer for a low-level, low-life New Orleans gangster. But that is no reason for his boss to attempt to call him, particularly on the same day he learns he has terminal lung cancer. Roy and a young prostitute, Rocky, who hails from Orange, Texas near Port Arthur — are thrown together after a blood-spattered encounter with the would-be hit men, and end up on the run, traveling from New Orleans to Galveston. “Nothing ends well,” Roy muses at one point, and, of course, we know from the start that this road trip is on a collision course with disaster. Pizzolatto builds tension by moving back and forth in time: we know it all goes bad, but we don’t know how. All in all, an excellent crime-fiction debut. 02/11 Jack Quick

GALWAY BAY by Mary Pat Kelly: We meet Honora Kelley as she’s preparing to enter the sisterhood, something that has been planned for her to do since she was a young girl. Instead, though, she sees a man who appears to be drowning in Galway Bay. This man is Michael Kelly, and they fall in love at first sight. Despite many challenges, they eventually marry. Galway Bay is the tale of one Irish family’s quest for survival, despite the many tragedies that come their way. One can’t help but feel enlighten and encouraged by the Kelly family’s triumphs and dedication to the future and survival of their family. The characters were strong, well rounded and unforgettable. Mary Pat Kelly, a descendent of the Kelly family, definitely has a great talent for writing. Her research and passion for her descendant’s history is evident. Her portrayal of the Kelly family experience was never sugar coated, it was always true to history. It was an honor for me to be able walk with this family and learn about a part of history that is not often detailed. Galway Bay touched my soul like no other book has for some time. If you haven’t picked up a copy of Galway Bay, do it now. You won’t be sorry. 03/09 Jennifer Lawrence

A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin: Have you ever read fantasy? Have you ever tried? OK time to try. George RR Martin has created a series that will blow your mind. And good riddance to your mind I say! These books are so totally captivating that you will stay up long into the night to read them. You will gasp as you read, and smirk, and fill with tears, and tell all your friends the next morning. They are big and juicy and so clever! The first is A GAME OF THRONES where you’ll meet all the key players. The second is A CLASH OF KINGS. The third is A STORM OF SWORDS. The fourth is hopefully due out next spring. I know you’ll hope so if you begin #1. There is nothing to do but gush over how good these books are. The characters are terrific. The settings are perfect – – Kings and Queens and swords and wolves and lions and dragons and castles – – Ghosts and shadows and forts and battles. They are great for kids 11 and up too. But like all great books they are meant for everyone and every age. I could write another 3 pages about the fast pace, the intrigue, the jaw dropping scenes . . . but go ahead and read the first book and write to me! I can think of no better series to spend a summer with than this. ~This review contributed by Ann Nappa

A GAME OF THRONES by George R. R. Martin: Epic fantasy fans have known for a long time that George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series is one of the best out there. After a critically acclaimed first season, the TV adaptation is introducing more folks—like me—to the series as well. Rather than wait for season two to air, I figured I needed to start with book one and actually read them. As an aside, season one does follow book one almost to a T. In Game of Thrones, we meet the Starks of Winterfell: Ned Stark, best friend of the King and brother-in-law to the King’s Hand, his wife, Catelyn, his son Jon Snow (who’s mother is a closely held secret), and the Stark children. Their lives at Winterfell are thrown upside down when news regarding the death of the King’s Hand reaches them. The King asks Ned to take the position and the Starks soon find themselves in the midst of a plot that will have terrible consequences for everyone. The King’s wife, Cersei Lannister, with the help of her twin brother (and lover) is responsible for the death of the Hand and when Ned learns why, he becomes their greatest enemy. Meanwhile, the last remaining descendants of an overthrown king are plotting their own return. Game is a complex and bulky read, but one that easily draws readers in. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but Martin does well in introducing them all and building their histories in a way that doesn’t bog down the story. 2/12 Becky Lejeune

A GARDEN OF VIPERS by Jack Kerley: Three dead women, each killed in a different way. One is a friend of the girlfriend of Mobile, Alabama, detective Carson Ryder. What Ryder and partner Harry Nautilus aren’t sure is whether the three seemingly dissimilar cases are in fact related. Then Ryder learns that Lucas Kincannon, son and scion of one of Mobile’s nouveau rich is after his television reporter girlfriend. Coupled with some follow the money clues, this puts Ryder and Nautilus on a collision course with the city power structure. This is Kerley’s third (after The Hundredth Man and The Death Collectors) and he is rapidly making Mobile the epicenter of new millennium crime detection. The villains are flawed, as are the protagonists, and you are kept in suspense as to just who will overcome their own defects first. While not yet a Burke or a Parker, Kerley is already on my “don’t miss” list. 07/06 Jack Quick

THE GARGOYLE by Andrew Davidson: The narrator is a gorgeous porno actor that crashes his car while driving on a winding mountainous road. He ends wakes up in a burn unit with third degree burns over most of his body. To make things worse, if that is even possible, he spilled a bottle of bourbon in his lap right before his accident, and his “livelihood” is burnt beyond repair and is removed. He wants his life to end. Throughout his recovery, rather than planning what he will do once he is released from the hospital, he plans his suicide. And then a beautiful ,but visibly disturbed, gargoyle sculptress appears in his room and is certain that they were lovers in medieval Germany. He is released into her care and he is ultimately convinced that the story she tells of their history must be true. This second chance at love is completely implausible, but I was drawn in from the beginning. Davidson’s tale of love is strange yet mesmerizing. This debut author has immense talent and I look forward to reading more of his work. 08/08 Jennifer Lawrence

THE GATE HOUSE by Nelson DeMille: DeMille returns to his roots, so to speak, in this long awaited sequel to The Gold Coast, originally published almost twenty years ago. That book offered a glimpse into the lifestyle of the rich and privileged, the old money who lived on the North Shore of Long Island on the fabulous estates dubbed the “Gold Coast”. In DeMille’s version, the Mafia moves in next door and all sorts of bedlam follows. It’s a great read that still holds up well. This sequel, unfortunately, does not hold up quite as well. Our main protagonists, John and Susan, are back, only they are divorced and haven’t seen each other in a number of years. An old family servant is dying, and both return for the imminent funeral, John in his role as attorney and executor of the estate, and Susan in her role as friend and employer. Unfortunately, the Bellarosa family is still in the neighborhood too – while the Don is long dead, his son is still around and seeking revenge against his father’s murderer. The problem with the sequel lies in that the story centers around John and Susan reconciling, and not much else really happens in this overly long book. If you like family dramas, then this is your book, but if you’re looking for the action and thrills and even the wit of a more typical DeMille book, you won’t find it here until the very end. While it is not necessary to have read The Gold Coast to read the sequel, it is a real disservice not to – it is a far superior book. 11/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE GATEKEEPER by Michelle Gagnon: Michelle Gagnon’s third Kelly Jones/Jake Riley thriller is a timely and somewhat disturbing read. Jake Riley’s venture into the private sector is slowly paying off when he and his partner are hired for one of their toughest cases yet. A scientist’s teenage daughter has been kidnapped and the ransom is quite different from the usual. This time, the people responsible want information rather than money, and it’s information that could mean the safety of the nation. Meanwhile, FBI Agent Kelly Jones has been assigned to investigate the recent murder of an Arizona senator who had some sensitive and very public opinions on immigration. Evidence strongly suggests that a local gang is behind the killing, but things are just a little too neat for Jones’s taste. Could it be that open and shut or is there much more to this case hidden below the surface? Fans of the series will once again be on the edge of their seats throughout The Gatekeeper, but the end will leave them dying to know what comes next for the pair. 12/09 Becky Lejeune

GATEKEEPER by Philip Shelby: Hollis Fremont, a functionary at the American embassy in Paris, is duped by her superior and boyfriend, Paul McGann, into accompanying a man she believes to be a small-fry criminal back to the States for country-club prison incarceration. In fact, the rumpled old man turns out to be “the Handyman,” a freelance assassin on a mission. Think Le Carre and Forsyth updated for today. Perfect for anyone with international conspiracy paranoia, like me. 02/06 Jack Quick

GATOR A-GO-GO by Tim Dorsey: Tim Dorsey’s loveable psychotic Florida history buff/murderer, Serge Storms, is on the road again. He is doing his best Ken Burns impersonation as he tries to film a documentary about EVERYTHING. Since nothing but Serge’s sidekick, slacker par excellence Coleman, moves slowly in Dorsey’s humorous crime novels, the focus of the movie swiftly narrows down to a history of that collegiate ritual – Spring Break in Florida.
A strange chemistry envelops our two heroes, Serge and Coleman, as they begin to mingle with the hordes of fun-seekers. First, Coleman attracts a throng of followers who treat him as near god-like for his ability to provide expert advice on such critical matters as the best way to keep your beer cold at the beach and his special brownie recipe. Then, Serge attracts his old female friends, City and Country, and adopts a reluctant spring-breaker who is being pursued by both the mob and the authorities after his father’s witness protection identity is exposed.
This group’s road trip travels backwards in Spring Break history, starting in the Florida Panhandle, moving to Daytona and finally ending in Ft. Lauderdale where Spring Break began because that’s “where the boys are.” Craziness and humor are a part of the journey as Serge dispatches various bad guys in his normal creative fashion and dispenses a history lesson at every turn, including a little homage to John D. MacDonald.
My personal favorite part of the book is a review of Serge’s kindergarten graduation address. “Don’t try to be different. That will make you different. Don’t try to be popular. If you’re already popular, you’ve peaked too soon. Always walk away from a fight. Then ambush…Now get out of there, class of 2020, and take back our state.”
If there was ever a book that screamed “Take me on Spring Break,” this is it. However, if you happen to read it before or after, you will still be transported on a hilarious journey in your mind. Cheers. 02/10 Geoffrey R. Hamlin

GAUNTLET by Richard Aaron: Somewhat rambling but very enjoyable debut thriller that pits Afghan Yousseff Said al-Sabbhan, a drug-smuggling terrorist, against the Terrorist Threat Integration Center, a secret agency staffed by men and women drawn from every sector of the U.S. intelligence community. The plot is complex, the characters are interesting and the suspense is palpable. A primary figure in the battle is an autistic mathematician Hamilton Turbee, a TTIC employee, who is surely one of the more interesting and endearing heroes ever to star in an action adventure novel. While there are lots of toys and cutting edge technology it all comes down to boots on the ground old fashioned police work, but isn’t that always the case. There is already talk of not one, but two, sequels. Hope they come through. 08/09 Jack Quick

THE GEMINI VIRUS by Wil Mara: Bob Easton doesn’t get sick. No colds, no flus, nothing. He’s stringent in his care of his health and is convinced that he will live a long life as a result. He’s wrong. It begins with a fever and body aches, s–oon Easton is weak and coughing up a storm, spreading germs to all those around him. As the virus spreads, the flu-like symptoms progress and the victims soon find themselves covered in blisters. Before long, many of them are driven completely mad. The mortality rate is staggering and within days the infection is seen in states all over the country. Michael Beck is an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control. He’s sent to the center of the outbreak in hopes of discovering what caused the growing epidemic. As he investigates, others search for a treatment or a cure. But the contagion is spreading so fast that containment is completely out of the question. Dennis Jensen had thought that isolation would save his family from the infection, now his only hope is that someone might find a way to beat the virus before his family succumbs. Wil Mara’s latest is a super gory and super chilling tale of a catastrophic pandemic. 10/12 Becky Lejeune

THE GENVEVA OPTION by Adam LeBor: Yael Azoulay’s career with the UN involves negotiating with some of the toughest characters the world over. She’s just successfully struck a deal with Jean-Pierre Hakizimani that will hopefully mean an end to mass genocide in eastern Congo. The downside is that Hakizimani comes off light for his crimes. But it’s the UN’s only hope for ending years of horrible feuding in the area. Unfortunately, Yael returns home to discover that a private correspondence outlining the terms of the agreement has been leaked to the press. Yael finds herself not only out of a job, but accused of spreading the story. She gets help in the form of an anonymous email that includes a taped conversation concerning the very same crimes she was negotiating a pardon for. The voices on the tape are UN insiders. With her reputation and now her life at stake, Yael will have to infiltrate the very organization she was once part of in order to find out the truth. If she fails, the consequences could have dire ramifications for the UN and the US government. LeBor launches a new series with The Geneva Option and it promises to be a great one amongst the ranks of espionage thrillers. 7/13 Becky Lejeune

GENGHIS: BIRTH OF AN EMPIRE by Conn Iggulden: Born Temujin, son of Yesugei Khan of the Wolves, Genghis Khan was destined to be a leader. At twelve years of age, it became Temujin’s responsibility to protect and provide for his family after their own people betrayed them. Yesugei had been murdered and his second in command took over the role of Khan, denying Yesugei’s heirs their rightful position. In order to protect himself from factions within the tribe who disagreed with this decision, the man exiled the family, leaving them with only the clothes on their backs and hoping that they would die of starvation. The family survives, but Temujin is forced to kill his own brother after discovering that he has been stealing much needed food from the others. Years pass and the Wolves return to the area. The new Khan sends scouts to find out if the family has survived and Temujin’s chance for revenge is close at hand. Temujin begins uniting the wandering tribeless Mongols, creating and becoming Khan of his own tribe. In his latest work, Conn Iggulden brings this legendary figure to life, chronicling the start of his rise to power. Readers of historical fiction will appreciate this realistic and gripping look at a young Genghis Khan. 05/07 Becky Lejeune

GENTLEMEN AND PLAYERS by Joanne Harris: No one suspects that the new student at St. Oswald’s is actually the porter’s kid in disguise. The student who calls himself Pinchbeck infiltrates the school, at first with only the intention of observing. Soon, Pinchbeck befriends another student at St. Oswald’s and the two wreak innocent havoc on campus. All the while, no one suspects that Pinchbeck does not belong at all. Then, Pinchbeck’s innocent prank results in a horrible accident and everything changes. Now, Pinchbeck is back and intent on revenge at St. Oswald’s. Of particular interest to Pinchbeck is Classics teacher Roy Straitley who he holds singularly responsible for that terrible accident that occurred so long ago. Harris is one of my absolute favorite authors. She is able to appeal to such a wide variety of readers thanks to her very diverse collection of work. Gentlemen and Players is more of a mystery than any of her previous work and is sure to delight new readers as well as old. 02/07 Becky Lejeune

THE GENTLING BOX by Lisa Mannetti: It’s 1863 and Mimi and Imre are happy beyond compare. At least until a messenger sent by Mimi’s mother warns of her impending death. In spite of their troublesome relationship, Mimi wants to see her mother one last time, to say goodbye. Imre begs her not to, but Mimi is insistent. Upon their arrival, they find that they are too late, Mimi’s mother Anyeta is already dead. They also find a caravan of people who are more than happy to be rid of Anyeta and her evil, but unfortunately are still under her terrible spell. To rid themselves of her torment, they are been planning to burn the body and warn Imre not to allow Mimi get too close. Imre is too late, however, and the peoples’ worst fears are realized when Anyeta transfers her spirit not into Mimi, but into her cousin, Zahara. Imre’s judgement is clouded by his own feelings for Zahara and his fears of Anyeta and soon falls under her spell as well. If he cannot gather enough will to fight, he may lose his wife and his young daughter to the witch as well. Lisa Mannetti explores the fascinating mythology and superstition of the Romany/Gypsies in this chilling tale of love and evil. 01/09 Becky Lejeune

GERM by Robert Liparulo: Liparulo takes the concept of germ warfare to a higher level. The Ebola virus has been modified so that it can seek and destroy specific individuals based on their DNA. Ten thousand people are on the list for infection, and it’s up to special agent Julia Matheson to stop the horror. While the narrative wanders a bit and the cast of characters is extensive, the action is fast paced with lots of technical details especially in the gathering and communication of information that help differentiate this story from the run-of-the-mill thriller. 11/06 Jack Quick

GET LUCKY by Katherine Center: Sarah Harper screwed up. After sending an email full of boobs around the office mailing list, she’s predictably let go from her high-profile advertising job. Her plan is to travel home for the holidays and regroup, returning to New York to start fresh after a short vacation. Her plans changed. Sarah’s sister, Mackie, has discovered that she cannot have children. In a stroke of genius that will turn Sarah’s world upside down, she decides that she will carry her sister’s child for her, giving her the life-changing gift of motherhood. But nothing goes exactly as planned and Sarah has taken the first steps on a journey that will teach her the true meaning of love and happiness. Center’s latest is a heartwarming read that fans will surely fall in love with. Get Lucky is both funny and touching. 04/10 Becky Lejeune

GETTING LUCKY by D. C. Brod: If newspapers die, as many predict, will the reporter as super-sleuth genre die with them? When a young reporter is killed in a hit and run accident, freelance writer Robyn Guthrie agrees to finish one of the stories the reporter had been writing for the local newspaper. I can solve this mystery in less time than it takes to make up a front page or create color separations. 12/11 Jack Quick

GETTING OFF: A NOVEL OF SEX AND VIOLENCE by Lawrence Block writing as Jill Emerson: This is no Bernie Rhodenbarr book; this is dark, dark, compelling reading. Our main character is a young woman who changes her name every few pages. She picks up a man, has sex with him, kills him, grabs whatever cash she can and moves on to another city and does it again. She is no black widow, she doesn’t marry these men. As she continues this journey we learn her back story, what compels her to do this and what, if anything, might get her to stop. This book is a real throwback to the golden age of hard-boiled mysteries where redemption is not always an option, and not every crime is punished. Somehow Block pulls it all together and makes it work. Not for the faint of heart for sure but I loved it. 09/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

GETTING OFF: A NOVEL OF SEX AND VIOLENCE by Lawrence Block: Kit Tolliver leads a simple life. She goes to bars in New York City, leaves with an interested man, has sex with him – and kills him. She cleans out his wallet, changes her name and address and keeps on moving. All is fine, until a chance remark causes her to think of the men who got away, for whatever reason. So she starts writing down names and becomes s a girl with a mission. Picking up their trails. Hunting them down. Crossing them off her list… Block wrote this as Jill Emerson and while portions have appeared in previous anthologies this is the first complete printing of this first rate crime story. 12/11 Jack Quick

Getting Over It by Anna Maxted: British import a la Bridget Jones, with a slightly more serious side, dealing with a family death amidst the romance. Not as serious as it sounds, it’s still a fun read. Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

GHOST DANCER by John Case: Jack Wilson is the Ghost Dancer, an ex-con with a burning hatred against the US fueled by his losing a patent idea and the country’s treatment of his Native American ancestors. He thinks he has the secret to re-creating a harmonic resonance weapon, alleged to have been used by Nikolai Tesla to cause the explosion that left the Tunguska crater in Siberia in 1908. Partnering with an Al-Qaeda offshoot, Wilson plans his attack, while US intelligence services are portrayed as being incompetent and out of touch. As a consequence it falls on accidental participant Mike Burke to stop the plot. Far fetched, but what do you expect in a techno-thriller. Recommended. 09/06 Jack Quick

Ghost Image by Joshua Gilder: In this medical thriller à la Michael Palmer and Robin Cook, Dr. Jackson Maebry, heir-apparent to Dr. Brandt, plastic surgeon to the stars, happens to be the surgeon on call when a brutally beaten and burned young woman is brought into the trauma center at San Francisco’s Memorial Hospital. As Jackson begins working on her, he slowly realizes that beneath the bruising, broken bones and burns, this heretofore unrecognizable woman is actually his lover, Allie Sorosh. Somehow, he keeps that fact to himself as he assists the surgical team in its first attempt to repair the damage that was inflicted. As the story convolves, Allie’s mysterious past proves troubling, friends and colleagues are not what they seem to be, and people start dying under questionable circumstances. Meanwhile, Jackson becomes the prime suspect in the attack while having to deal with hospital politics as well as his own personal demons. Ghost Image is a very gripping debut novel that fairly hurtles towards its final pages. Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

GHOST OF A CHANCE by Amy Patricia Meade: It’s two guys and a doll, or maybe that should be two pros and a new guy. Any way in 1935 it’s not ladylike to mix in murder but for mystery writer Marjorie McClelland, its part of the job, and for her fiancé, police detective Robert Jameson, it’s why he was hired. The joker in the case is wealthy Englishman Creighton Ashcroft. Is he really interested in crime solving or in one of the crime solvers? Thickening the plot is the fact that the victim left behind two wives and a huge gambling debt. The only thing round in this batch of triangles is the Ferris wheel upon which the victim is found death. No more clues, you’ll have to read it yourself. 05/07 Jack Quick

THE GHOST ORCHID by Carol Goodman: What happens when the past and present collide at this haven for artists? Ellis Brooks, a first time novelist, is about to find out as she unravels the mysteries of Bosco in this picturesque tale. The dual story line of this novel provides a thrilling and captivating read. Present day, Ellis and fellow artists are experiencing strange occurrences that seem to be an almost exact repeat of what happened in the home a century earlier. In 1893, Milo Latham, the original owner of the Bosco estate, hosted a séance to contact her dead children. The rest is a mystery that still haunts the house today. What really happened on that fateful night nearly 100 years ago? Are there really ghosts at Bosco? What Ellis discovers while researching her novel is ultimately one family’s eerie and well-kept secret – a secret that will connect Ellis to Bosco in ways she could never imagine. 11/06 Becky LeJeune

GHOST ROAD BLUES by Jonathan Maberry: Thirty years ago, the town of Pine Deep put a killer to rest. Today, the town has become one of the top Halloween destinations, and the events of all those years ago have been all but forgotten. All that is about to change, though, as evil rises once again. Malcolm Crow hasn’t forgotten about the killings. His own brother and his best friend’s sister were victims. He knew the true identity of the killer and knows that the town lynched the wrong man. He also knows that the man who was accused of the crimes was supposed to have killed the real perpetrator, but when a criminal hiding out in Pine Deep whispers a name Crow thought he would never hear again, he knows Pine Deep is in for a lot of trouble. Ghost Road Blues is just the first in Maberry’s Pine Deep trilogy and sets the bar for what looks like a great new talent in the horror industry. Winner of the 2006 Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel. 11/08 Becky Lejeune

THE GHOST WRITER by John Harwood: At thirteen, Gerard discovers a key that unlocks a drawer in his mother’s bedroom. In the drawer, he discovers three things: a book, an envelope containing a sheaf of typewritten pages, and a photograph of a young woman. His mother’s fury at discovering her son stooped over these items is terrifying. Later, in an attempt to discover more about the photo and the reason that these items are kept under lock and key, Gerard tried to get his mother to reveal more about her childhood in England. She had always been more than happy to tell Gerard about her childhood at Staplefield, her grandmother Viola and her best friend Rosalind. After discovering Gerard snooping though, she refuses to speak of England again. That same year, through a school pen-pal program, Gerard meets Alice, a girl his own age, living in England, who was orphaned and crippled in an accident. A later search of his mother’s room reveals that all items, save the book, have since been moved. The book contains a Victorian ghost story penned by a V. H. As an adult, Gerard finally takes a trip to England to meet Alice and discover more about his family’s history. Alice refuses to meet him and his attempts to find both her and Staplefield are futile. Gerard tries again, after his mother’s death and he discovers that his mother may have been hiding a shocking and dangerous secret. The novel itself contains multiple creepy ghost stories all providing clues about Gerard’s mother and her hidden past. Harwood’s fiction debut is nothing short of brilliant. A fantastically modern gothic tale. 10/06 Becky LeJeune

GHOSTGIRL by Tonya Hurley: Charlotte Usher would give anything to be the popular girl and to get her dream guy, Damen Dylan. But just when it seems like everything is going her way, she chokes on a gummy bear and dies. Now Charlotte’s the new girl in a whole different “school,” Dead-Ed. Turns out, there are a handful of dead teens haunting the halls of Hawthorne High and each of them has unresolved issues that are keeping them from crossing over. Charlotte is sure that her own issue somehow involves Damen and the Fall Ball. When she discovers that a living student can actually see her, Charlotte’s plans finally begin to fall into place. But Charlotte’s fraternizing with the living is not pleasing her new dead friends. Can she find a way move on and still get what she wants more than anything else in the world? A spunky teen tale that’s silly and touching, Ghostgirl is all about finding out who you are and learning to love yourself. Hurley’s debut runs more along the lines of, say, Meg Cabot than Stephenie Meyer and will appeal to teen readers who enjoy lighter stories (no major scares in this one). 09/08 Becky Lejeune

GHOSTMAN by Roger Hobbs: Jack is a ghost, a master of disguise and disappearance, who works bank robberies. He is the antithesis of another famous ghost, Jack Reacher. The story moves between a casino robbery gone bad and a botched bank robbery in Malaysia several years earlier. Jack botched the bank job, and his debt is called when the casino heist turns into a blood bath and the money goes missing. Jack is called in to find the money and deliver it. This is a fast paced, intricate story filled with interesting characters and locations. This book has been getting a lot of press, good press, and it has been optioned for a film. The author wrote it while in college and is now 22 years old. This definitely feels like the beginning of a long writing career. 2/13 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

GHOSTS OF BUNGO SUIDO by P T Deutermann: Riveting tale of a submariner sent in late 1944 to destroy a newly-built aircraft carrier, ready to launch from Japan’s heavily-defended and mined Inland Sea. No American submarine has penetrated the Inland Sea; five boats and their crews have perished in the Bungo Suido strait. Lieutenant Commander Gar Hammond—an aggressive, attacking leader with a reckless streak—is now captain of a new submarine. Hammond may be the navy’s only hope to locate and stop the Japanese super-ship before it launches . . . if it even exists. Woven into the story are fascinating insights regarding the atomic boms falling on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and a definitely twisty ending. Recommended. 10/13 Jack Quick
GHOSTS OF SLEATH by James Herbert: Paranormal investigator David Ash returns in this chilling and atmospheric sequel to Haunted. Ash specializes in investigating and disproving paranormal activity, but he is still suffering the ill effects of his investigation three years ago at Edbrook. Still, cynical and slightly too reliant on his flask of vodka, he is one of the best the Psychical Research Institute has on staff. It is with some hesitation that the institute sends David out to the village of Sleath where multiple hauntings have been reported. The local vicar’s daughter has requested the institute’s help after her own father admits to having seen one of the specters. It begins with the death of a local woman’s son. After the funeral she becomes a shut-in unwilling to leave or even admit guests. It’s not that she’s upset by her loss, it’s that she believes her son has been visiting her from beyond the grave. Then, a local teenage girl wakes to find her childhood abuser standing over her in her sleep. The man died in prison not long after being sentenced, though. Something is very wrong in the village of Sleath and it’s David’s job to uncover the dark secrets behind these events. Herbert is great at combining psychological horror with the truly grotesque. Ghosts of Sleath is unfortunately currently out of print in the US but still readily available in the UK. 10/08 Becky Lejeune

G.I. BONES by Martin Limon: U.S. Army criminal investigators George Sueño and Ernie Bascom are looking into the more than 20-year-old case of Tech. Sgt. Florencio R. Moretti, who went missing in 1953 and is presumed dead. As they search for the truth in Seoul, Korea’s red-light district, Itaewon, they uncover a past of military and government corruption, prostitution and murder. Having served in Korea during the early 1970’s as did Limon I can attest to his skill in capturing the time and place exactly. This is the sixth outing in a series that just keeps getting better and better. Hope to see many more in the years ahead. 11/10 Jack Quick

GIDEON’S CORPSE by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child: Preston and Douglas have a large number of successful novels between them. The majority of these books feature plots involving events just beyond the ordinary. Gideon’s Corpse is the second volume in a series involving high adventures by the brilliant Gideon Crew. This not a tongue in cheek statement since Crew has a brilliant academic background and experience with the extraordinary. It was discovered in the first volume about him: Gideon’s Sword that he has an inoperable brain defect and only has a year to live. One needn’t feel sorry for Crew – he is thrown into one of a kind adventures by a secret government organization that is giving him a chance to serve his fellow man and not get too maudlin with his problem. In this book the organization asks Crew to look into an apparent plot by Al Quada to nuke Washington and New York. There are apparently only 10 days to come up with the solution and solve the case. Every thing points to the plot involving Al Quada terrorists until an extremely well thought out crucial point brings out a completely diametrically opposed solution with Crew pinpointing the path to resolution. It is very obvious that additional Gideon Crew books are planned by the authors pointing out that the imminent end of life needn’t take away the zest for it while it exists. Crew’s brilliant mind will surely be given free rein in solving other problems that are just beyond the norm. 2/12 Paul Lane

GIMME A CALL by Sarah Mlynowski: What would you do if you had the chance to change your life? If you were able to talk to your younger self and thus avoid the pitfalls and bad decisions of your past? This is what happens to seventeen-year-old Devi. After a bad breakup with her boyfriend, a trip to the mall leaves her phone waterlogged and able to call just one number: her own at age fourteen. It doesn’t take long for Devi to decide that this is her chance to step in and change things. She can get better grades and get into a better school, she can spend more time with her friends before it’s too late, and she can make sure that she never falls for Bryan, the boy who broke her heart. But every step past Devi makes does change things for future Devi and not always for the best. Mlynowksi’s latest is a quick and fun read for teens that will also have adult readers wondering “what if?” 05/10 Becky Lejeune

THE GIRL IN THE GREEN RAINCOAT by Laura Lippman: This is Lippman’s homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, and it originally ran as a serial in the New York Times Magazine. I didn’t read the serial so I have no basis for comparison, but generally speaking when they turn those into books there may be additions and significant editing. This is a Tess Monahan vehicle, only things have changed a bit for Tess. She is pregnant and having a tough time of it; due to complications, she is put on bed rest, unable to get out of bed other than for bathroom breaks. She moves out onto the newly renovated sunporch, the front door remains unlocked for people to come by with food for her, and she keeps her iPhone and laptop at hand. Not a fun way to spend a pregnancy, (and I speak from experience.) Tess watches the world go by outside her window, and can’t help noticing a girl in a green raincoat walking her little dog, who is similarly attired, every afternoon. Until the afternoon when the dog is running free and there is no sign of the girl in the green raincoat. Even from her bed, Tess investigates, utilizing her friends and family to help out. It’s a very compelling story with interesting characters, lots of red herrings, and a satisfying ending. For me, it was also very personal and very emotional as well. Another terrific read from this very talented author. 1/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

GIRL OF NIGHTMARES by Kendare Blake: When an angry spirit causes trouble, it is Cas’s job to get rid of said spirit. Cas went to Thunder Bay in search of a ghost the locals called Anna Dressed in Blood. But when Cas confronted Anna, he found that there was more to her than he’d expected. Cas freed Anna from the curse that hounded her since her death and in return Anna descended into a hellish world in exchange for Cas’s life. Though Anna is gone, Cas can’t let her go. Everyone thinks it’s all in his head, but Cas is convinced that Anna still needs his help. Anna Dressed in Blood set the bar pretty high but I have to say that Girl of Nightmares met, and in some cases exceeded, all of my expectations. This duology is richly imagined and chillingly detailed. Though this could be the end of Cas and Anna’s story, I’ll be anxiously awaiting whatever comes next from Blake. 8/12 Becky Lejeune

THE GIRL WHO CHASED THE MOON by Sarah Addison Allen: Emily Benedict’s world has been turned upside-down. Her mother has died and Emily is faced with returning to a home that was never her own. Emily’s mother left Mullaby, North Carolina and never looked back. Emily never heard the stories of what happened there and she never met her grandfather, Vance, or any of her mother’s old friends. But Emily has nowhere else to go. Her arrival in Mullaby is met with suspicion and unease, for Emily’s mother has long been held responsible for one of the town’s most tragic events. In spite of this, Julia Winterson is determined to make Emily feel welcome. Julia knows all too well the pains of being an unpopular teenager, but Julia also knows how to move on with your life and make the best of what you’re given. The Girl Who Chased the Moon is a charming read that’s as delicious as BBQ and hummingbird cake on a warm Southern night. 03/10 Becky Lejeune

THE GIRL SHE USED TO BE by David Cristofano: I loved this amazing debut novel that’s a little off the well-beaten track of murder and mayhem. “She used to be” six-year-old Melody Grace McCarthy, until she and her parents accidentally witnessed a Mafia execution. The whole family is whisked into the federal Witness Protection Program, and this is the story of how a young girl grew up in the program, changing her name and address as necessary – every mysterious phone call, or suspicious behavior was cause for another move. Then one day a tall, handsome stranger approaches Melody and knows her real name, her real story. Talk about opposites attracting; he’s the son of the murderer. Thus begins a romance on the run and against the odds, but can it work? I won’t tell, but I will tell that Cristofano is a very gifted storyteller. 03/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE GIRL WITH GLASS FEET by Ali Shaw: Midas Crook has lived his whole life on St. Hauda’s Land, a tiny island where everyone knows everyone and no one can keep secrets. Ida Maclaird has returned to the island in hopes that she can track down the one person who may be able to help her. See, Ida is turning into glass. When Midas happens upon Ida one afternoon, the two find themselves drawn to one another in a way that they’ve never experienced. As time runs out for Ida, she begins to fall in love with Midas. But Midas’s own feelings are guarded and hidden thanks to his strange childhood. The small, secluded setting, mythical beings and occurrences, and haunting tone of this story bring to mine the fairy tales that inspire Shaw’s writing. The Girl With Glass Feet is a beautiful, touching, and heartbreaking story. A wonderful book that leaves the reader wondering, what if… 01/10 Becky Lejeune

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by Stieg Larsson: Stieg Larsson’s U.S. debut is by far one of the most talked about books of 2008, and the praise is well deserved. Financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist has made a mistake that could cost him his career and his reputation. After being convicted of slander and libel against a local businessman, Blomkvist agrees to accept a job from business mogul Henrik Vanger. In 1966, the Vanger family was gearing up for a huge meeting when Henrik’s great niece Harriet vanished. At the time of her disappearance, much of the family was present at the Vanger estate on the island of Hedeby. That afternoon, the island was completely cut off thanks to an accident that occurred on the bridge connecting it to the mainland. No sign of Harriet’s body was ever found, but Henrik strongly believes that Harriet was murdered that night and that one of his own family is responsible. Henrik hires Blomkvist to try and uncover the truth about Harriet and Blomkvist reluctantly accepts even though he believes the effort is futile. Larsson’s debut is just the first installment of his bestselling and award-winning Millennium Series. Like the best mysteries and thrillers, every twist in this tale is completely unexpected. I absolutely loved it. The translation is smooth and the story itself really drew me in. Lisbeth Salander (the girl with the dragon tattoo) is an intriguing character all by herself and her own involvement in the tale is utterly enthralling. The next title in the trilogy is due out in 2010 and I can’t wait. 09/08 Becky Lejeune

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by Stieg Larsson: Mikael Bloomkvist, a Swedish financial journalist, is convicted of committing libel against a powerful and manipulating businessman, Hans-Eric Wennerström. As he awaits the start of his jail sentence, Bloomkvist is approached by Henrik Vanger, an aging industrialist and is hired to investigate the disappearance of Vagner’s niece, Harriet. Harriet went missing forty years ago from the family’s small island village. Teamed up with Lisbeth Salander, an eccentric and tattooed computer hacker, Bloomkvist begins to delve into the Vanger family history. They uncover a horrid past littered with abuse, lies, and murder. The storyline of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO was a little slow at first, but it quickly reveals itself to be an amazing story that any fan of mystery would love. The characters are powerful and the story line, once it picked up, was faced paced and thrilling. Fortunately, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO is the first of a Millennium trilogy. Unfortunately, THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE (2009 release), and CASTLES IN THE SKY (2010 release) are the last books written before Larsson died of a heart attack in 2004. All three have become international best sellers. I anxiously and impatiently await their release in the US. 09/08 Jennifer Lawrence

THE GIRL WITH THE LONG GREEN HEART by Lawrence Block: Never, ever, ever promise a female employee you are going to marry her unless you really intend to. Real estate entrepreneur Wallace Gunderman of Olean, New York will tell you that this is a lesson he learned the hard way in this Lawrence Block thriller, Hardcase Crime Number 14. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, particularly a good looking one like Evelyn Stone, Gunderman’s secretary, lover, and worst enemy. With her help Johnny Hayden and Doug Rance are going for the gold, and they aren’t in the Olympics either. Another great Lawrence Block tale. 02/07 Jack Quick

Girls’ Poker Night by Jill A. David: Light and frothy contemporary romance between NYC columnist and her boss from a former writer of the The Late Show (David Letterman). Fast & fun.

THE GIVEN DAY by Dennis Lehane: It’s been several years since the last Lehane novel, but all I can say is it was worth the wait. Set at the end of WWI, Lehane paints an utterly fascinating picture of life in Boston from the North End to the South End. No story about Boston would be complete without mentioning the Babe, and Lehane takes us through early baseball prior to the curse of the Bambino, and in fact, Babe Ruth is one of the richly drawn characters whose story is secondary to those of mere mortal men; particularly, Danny Coughlin, son of a powerful, Irish police captain, and Luther Laurence, a man of color on the run from gangsters and the law. Danny’s a beat cop who is appalled at the way his fellow police officers are treated; terribly underpaid (the janitors make more), working 70 hours a week as a matter of course in station houses that are overrun with vermin and filth. Luther lands a job as houseman to the Coughlin family, and their lives and their stories overlap, violence and race always a part of it, until the dramatic ending. Cameo appearances include Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge and a young Federal agent named John Hoover. A thoroughly fascinating and engaging read, sure to land on many best books of the year lists, including my own. 10/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE GLASS BOOKS OF THE DREAM EATERS by Gordon Dahlquist: When Roger Bascombe abruptly breaks off their engagement, Celeste Temple is determined to discover why. She follows him to a strange mansion in the countryside where glamorous masked guests view a strange demonstration. From that moment on, Miss Temple’s life is forever changed. Cardinal Chang, known for his scarlet colored coat and the violent scars that cover his face, has been hired to kill a certain soldier. Chang finds the soldier, already dead by someone else’s hand. Doctor Abelard Svenson has been charged with the safety and well being of the Prince of Macklenburg, until he loses his prince. These three unlikely allies will soon find themselves fighting together against an evil cabal and the invention that would allow them to rule the world. Dahlquist’s grand and ambitious novel is an intricate work of art and a perfect debut. 09/06 Becky LeJeune

THE GLASS RAINBOW by James Lee Burke: There is a saying where I grew up that “a bad day fishing is still better than a good day at work,” which might be an apt description of the latest Dave Robicheaux. It’s not the best one ever written, but it is James Lee Burke, with his gift for penning descriptions that put you absolutely in the middle of the story. Dave has major problems in this one. Adopted daughter, Alafair, now grown-up and taking a semester off from law school to finish a novel has returned home. She also has become involved with Kermit Abelard, a writer who is also the son of one of the region’s most notorious robber barons. Dave is investigating Kermit, along with his friend, an ex-con turned best-selling memoirist, regarding the deaths of several area young women, which puts him squarely at odds with Alafair. Clete is close to meltdown and dodges a serious jail term only because someone has subsequently killed the lowlife that Clete tried to turn into a woodpecker (by banging his head against a pecan tree trunk). At one point Clete comes close to eating his gun, while Dave’s frustration mounts to the point of seriously threatening his hard won sobriety. It’s all kind of dark and gloomy, much like the swamps and bayous around New Iberia. I recommend it for those like me who are avid fans of Burke, but would suggest the casual reader not judge this fine author solely by this book. 09/10 Jack Quick

GLASS TIGER by Joe Gores: Brendan Thorne has escaped from his past as a former CIA assassin, taking refuge as the lone white camp guard at Kenya’s premier game park. But Thorne is deported back to the States on a trumped-up poaching charge and forced to track down a would-be presidential assassin. The assassin, Hal Corwin, is a former Vietnam sniper who has apparently killed his own daughter, a campaign advisor to President Gustave Wallberg. Now Corwin has his sights set on Wallberg himself, and Thorne is the only one who has a chance of stopping him. But is everything as it appears? Sometimes it’s hard to tell right from wrong, even with a program. Well written, and engaging right up to the surprising conclusion. 02/07 Jack Quick

GLIMMER by Phoebe Kitanidis: Elyse Alton and Marshall King can’t remember who they are. They can’t remember their names, they can’t remember each other’s names, and they certainly can’t recall how they ended up tangled together in bed. Apparently, at least according to Elyse’s mother, they’re having a “moment.” Lots of people in Summer Falls have “moments”—gaps in their memory, sudden collapses into what the locals call “heatnaps”—but Elyse can see things that others can’t. Elyse can see the ghosts that walk amongst them in Summer Falls. Marshall and Elyse are driven to discover the truth about the small town, especially when they uncover Marshall’s past and the circumstances surrounding the death of his mother. From the start, the reader has no idea what is coming in Glimmer. Elyse and Marshall are unreliable narrators in the sense that the reader only learns as much as they do as the story occurs. It made Glimmer an enthralling read from start to finish and one with a great premise. 4/12 Becky Lejeune

GLITTER OF DIAMONDS by N.J. Linquist: Be careful what you wish for – or at least be careful what you say. Outspoken Sports Talk-show host Stasey Simon asked on-air for a volunteer to knock some sense into the one of the home team’s temperamental pitchers. Maybe she was kidding, but it doesn’t look good when a body is found in the team’s bullpen. This is the second outing for Toronto detectives Paul Manziuk and Jacqueline Ryan, with a cast of characters with a capital C – all manner of players, a Marilyn Monroe wannabe and the potential for an international incident. The bases are loaded, it’s the bottom of the ninth, who is on first, I don’t know, keep reading to find out the answer in this nicely done “classical” mystery. The only criticism is the “pre-game is excessively long – almost a third of the book before the serious action starts. 05/07 Jack Quick

GLOVER’S MISTAKE by Nick Laird: Glover’s Mistake is Irish poet Nick Laird’s second novel and shows considerable growth while continuing his clever use of language and mordant look at society. His first book, Utterly Monkey, almost felt like a lark – as though he were simply out to prove that poets could too write novels. Perhaps an effort to tease his then-girl friend, now wife, novelist Zadie Smith.
This time, Laird is serious. Well, more serious anyway. Glover’s Mistake seemed to me to be in many ways, a novel of manners. I was reminded of Edith Wharton’s House of Mirth. Just as Wharton examined the plight of those who were cursed to be born into a class without advantages, Laird examines the plight of the educated but unattractive and lonely man in contemporary urban society.
That man is a pedantic private school teacher, David Pinner. The story revolves around his relationships with his roommate, Glover, a bartender, who has the advantages of looks and likeability and, Ruth, a former teacher who has become a relatively well-known artist and has the advantage of real talent. David bumbles his way into the beginning of a relationship with Ruth and then, unfortunately, brings her back to his flat. There, Ruth and Glover are taken with each other. David is gradually left behind as the relationship between Ruth and Glover gets deeper and deeper, leading to sex (which he sadly happens to stumble on) and an intended marriage.
Although I was initially inclined to feel some sympathy for David, it turns out that he is not only one not to give up, but one willing to act underhandedly and maliciously to simply destroy what he can’t have. Glover’s mistake is his continuing assumption of David’s support and good intentions as evidence mounts to the contrary. Some reviewers have been put off by Laird’s occasional use of obscure or especially high-flown or slangy language. Poets are fascinated with words and I like that kind of thing. I am looking forward to Laird’s next book. 08/09 Geoffrey R. Hamlin

GLOW by Amy Kathleen Ryan: Earth is on its last leg and two ships have been sent out in search of a new world. They know that it will take years to reach their new home, so they are tasked not only with cultivating a world’s worth of plants and animals, but in ensuring their own children will carry on their mission. Something has gone terribly wrong, though, and one ship has attacked the other, kidnapping all of their girls and killing most of the adults. As the remaining boys fend for themselves and attempt chase, trouble in their own ranks sets them against one another. And the girls have discovered that the other ship has no children. This is the first in a new dystopian trilogy for teens. It’s a good premise that brings up some really frightening issues. I found the beginning a bit choppy, but once the action starts, the book picks up quite a bit. I’m curious to see what could come next for the travelers. 09/11 Becky Lejeune
GO-GO GIRLS OF THE APOCALYPSE by Victor Gischler: “This is how Mortimer Tate ending up killing the first three human beings he’d laid eyes on in nearly a decade:” What an opening line. Mortimer Tate, a recently divorced insurance salesman holes up in a cave on top of a mountain in Tennessee to ride out the end of the world. Nine years later he emerges to a post apocalyptic landscape covered with abandoned automobiles, where the only source of electricity is provided by indentured servants pedaling stationary bicycles. The only semblance of life as it was revolves around Joey Armageddon’s Sassy A-Go-Go strip clubs, where the beer is cold, the lap dancers are hot, and the bouncers are armed with M16s. Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, Tate picks up some needy companions – cowboy Buffalo Bill, former stripper Sheila, and mountain man Ted. Together they journey to the lost city of Atlanta in a desperate attempt to save what is left of mankind. James Rollins says it best in his blurb, “Who would have guessed the book was even better than the title?” I concur. 08/08 Jack Quick

GO THE F**K TO SLEEP by Adam Mansbach, illustrated by Ricardo Cortés: This looks like a children’s picture book but is anything but. This is a picture book for adults – adults who have children. Probably one of the most clever and original books to come out in a long while, the pdf done before publication went viral, and the finished book took the media by storm. It debuted at the top of the NY Times bestseller list. This is for any parent who has ever had a hard time getting their child to bed:
All the kids from daycare are in dreamland
The froggie has made his last leap
Hell no you can’t go to the bathroom
You know where you can go? The fuck to sleep.
Samuel L. Jackson reads the audio book and you can download it at audible.com for free, or see the illustrations along with Jackson reading it here or on YouTube. Put this at the top of your gift list for any parent of young children. It will bring sweet relief. 07/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch
GO THE F**K TO SLEEP by Adam Mansbach, illustrated by Ricardo Cortés: Masquerading as a children’s bedtime story this picture book is definitely not for children. Actually, due to the strong language – which, noting the title, is a given – some parents may find it objectionable for their own reading. In the story, the father’s frustration mounts throughout the night as he tries everything he can think of to coax his daughter to go to sleep. This book has received a great deal of attention. However, I do not think the illustrator, Ricard Cortés, has received the credit he deserves for his part in the story. If you look closely at the illustrations you will find reassurance that the struggle is only within the mind of the father. The child is blissfully unaware of her father’s distress. Sadly, that is too often not the case in real life. I commend Mr. Cortés for providing illustrations that speak volumes. 08/11 Kimberly Bower

THE GODMOTHER by Carrie Adams: Tessa King is a thirty-ish single unemployed attorney in London. She’s out of work because her boss was sexually harassing/stalking her, so she revs up her social life and becomes friend on call for all her godchildren (“always a Godmother, never a mother”); the oldest, Caspar, is a teen in trouble. Then there’s sickly Cora, whose single mom is so hung-up on her ex she’s letting him get away without supporting them. Finally, the newest godchildren, infant twins Bobby and Tommy, whose parents have a very rocky marriage and lots of dark secrets. But Tessa’s relationships aren’t all about the kids, this is a very tight group of friends, including the parents of the aforementioned godchildren, plus fertility-challenged Claudia and Al, and Tessa’s best friend Ben and his wife, Sasha. Rather than being just another chick-lit, happy, sexy book, Adams takes a more serious look at what makes marriage and parenting and friendships work, often in a humorous way, but also in some very troubling ones. A thought-provoking yet very entertaining read. 12/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

GODMOTHER: THE SECRET CINDERELLA STORY by Carolyn Turgeon: Imagine if Cinderella never made it to the ball at all? Imagine if, instead, the one person responsible for helping Cinderella meet her fate betrayed her in the worst possible way? That’s exactly what happened in this tale. Lil, Cinderella’s fairy godmother, became so entranced by the human world, and so enamored with the prince herself, that she attended the ball in Cinderella’s place and fell in love with the prince. For that she was banished from her kingdom, sent to live out her days as a human in New York City. She spends her days working in a used bookstore, taking solace in the tales from her old life, and nights dreaming about a world she can never return to. Until she meets Veronica, that is. In Veronica, Lil sees a possible chance of redemption. Maybe, if she does it right this time and fulfills her duty as a godmother, maybe she can return home. Turgeon’s lovely and sad tale is not so much a fairy tale re-told as one would expect it to be. Instead, it’s a tale that stands all on its own, heartbreaking and beautifully told. 03/09 Becky Lejeune

GODS BEHAVING BADLY by Marie Phillips: The twelve Greek gods are still alive…and are residing in a run-down townhouse in London. Their lives are quite pathetic. Artemis, the goddess of hunting is a dog walker. Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, is a phone sex operator. And Apollo, god of the sun, is a TV psychic. The gods, in their boredom, are in constant battle with one another. Aphrodite decides to pull a trick on Apollo. Using the powers of Eros, the god of love and sexual desire, she makes Apollo fall in love with an audience member during his TV show. The unknowing victim is Alice, a quiet and meek janitor for the television station. The battle between the gods escalates when Alice doesn’t reciprocate Apollo’s love. The future of humankind is in question, and it’s up to two lowly mortals to save it. GODS BEHAVING BADLY is a hysterical take on the Greek gods. It starts out quite humorous, but takes on a serious spin when love and the fate of the fate of the world comes in to play. A very quick read; you definitely won’t want to put this one down. 02/09 Jennifer Lawrence

GODS IN ALABAMA by Joshilyn Jackson: First effort leans toward chic-lit although there is a murder, maybe. Arlene Fleet thinks so anyway. Attempted 1987 date rape foiled by a tequila shot (in the bottle) to the head of the star football player has led Arlene away from her small town Alabama home forever, but events a decade later bring her, and her black boyfriend, home for a family gathering. Is she really a murderer? Why wasn’t the body ever found? Why after ten years is her old friend Rosa Mae Lolley on the case? Not really Steel Magnolias, but more of a treatise on how dysfunctional a family can be. Well written, but not my cup of tea. 04/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

GODS OF ABERDEEN By Micah Nathan: This one is so far off the beaten path of my usual pursuits that I have to issue kind of a disclaimer here. I had to read this TWICE to end up liking it. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
This is a book steeped in the closed world of college academia, a world I have not been around in 30 years,
but the story that’s told here has great merit. First time author Micah Nathan tells a lost youth/teen angst & ennui story to the max here. Sixteen year old Eric Dunne has been accepted as a charity case at Aberdeen College (sort of a second-tier Yale.) He skipped a grade, and he’s really confused; sexually, personally, and academically. He’s a poor boy who gets dumped amongst the sharks. But he proves his worth with his knowledge of Latin and is recruited to work on Dr. Cade’s project. He’s befriended by a collection of eccentric geniuses, mostly his best pal Art. I don’t want to blow the story here, it gets better as time goes on. Eric finds out that Art ain’t exactly a stand up guy, plus he’s fooling around with stuff that ends up getting a kid killed tragically. Whether it was murder or not is kind of left up to you to decide. One caveat to the author, don’t use so much time to set it up…hook ’em to the ribs early. A very nice first effort, and I suspect more’s to come. Recommended, even by me. 04/06 DOC

GOLD FIRE by Ed Mitchell: Third in the series (after Gold Lust and Gold Raid) this techno-thriller grabs you up front and doesn’t let go. Khalid Jafar, the son of Osama bin Laden, is proposing to end global terrorism. But he has nuclear warheads stolen from Russia’s Strategic Rocket Forces. Is he sincere or is this a ploy? Will his target be Washington, Moscow or Tel Aviv, or all three? It is up to FBI agent Cholo Cantera to team with an Israeli counter-terrorism unit and find the missing weapons before it is too late. The big clock is ticking and midnight ain’t far away. A juiced Tom Clancy stay up all night read, and you won’t even need any black coffee. Go for it. 08/07 Jack Quick

THE GOLEM AND THE JINNI by Helene Wecker: It’s 1899 when Chava and Ahmad come to New York. Chava is a golem. She was created and brought to this New World as a wife for a man who unfortunately didn’t survive the voyage. But she was lucky that her husband-to-be did manage to wake her before he died. She’s lucky again when she meets a rabbi who knows exactly what she is. He takes her under his wing and names her Chava, after his own grandmother. Ahmad is a jinni who has been trapped for centuries in an old flask that has been passed down from generation to generation. The owner of the flask is completely unaware of the magic inhabitant and so the jinni’s release comes as a surprise to the tinsmith hired to fix the old thing. The jinni has no knowledge of how he came to be trapped in the flask but quickly realizes that part of his curse has left him stuck in human form. Like the golem’s rabbi, the tinsmith decides to help the jinni and takes him on as an apprentice. When the golem and the jinni finally meet, they can each see the other for what they truly are. Together, they form a bond and a friendship that will help them both in this new and foreign land. Turn of the century New York City proves to be an enchanting setting for this fairy tale wrapped immigration story. The Golem and the Jinni, their histories, and the folklore they both come from make Helene Wecker’s debut a truly remarkable and unforgettable read. 5/13 Becky Lejeune

THE GOLIATH BONE by Mickey Spillane and Max Alan Collins: Imagine Stacy Keach’s narrative voice-over and the strains of “Harlem Nocturne”. The deeply melancholy saxophone sets a gritty tone as Keach walks in wearing his wrinkled suit, fedora and trench coat. He reaches into an inner pocket and pulls out, not a rod or a stogie – but a Blackberry. A week before his death Mickey Spillane turned this, his last manuscript, over to his good friend Max Allan Collins to complete and Collins has done a marvelous job. It’s a post 9-11 world, Hammer and Velda are about to get married, Homicide Captain Pat Chambers is about to retire – but there is still one more case to be solved. Matthew Hurley and his half sister Jenna Sheffield, have made a spectacular find in the Valley of Elah: a buried thigh bone whose owner stood over ten feet tall. Could this be Goliath? Al-Qaeda, Homeland Security, the FBI, Mossad, an Israeli vigilante group and a megalomaniac theatrical impresario all think so enough to take their best shot at stealing the giant’s bone and eliminating anyone in their path. Its Mike and Velda against the entire lot, but don’t bet against them. 03/09 Jack Quick

GONE by Mo Hayder: Six months after the events of Skin, DI Jack Caffery has been called to work what seems to be a simple carjacking; simple but for the fact that the victim’s young daughter was in the backseat when the car was taken. Jack is sure that the girl will be returned safe and sound until fellow officer Flea Marley approaches him with a theory: Flea believes that this is just the latest in a string of jackings where the child is actually the target. Now the cops are looking at a kidnapper with an agenda that may prove to be the break in the case that they need, if they can figure it out. And time is running short. Each new installment in this series builds off the last. Even so, each new book can still be read completely on its own. If you follow the series, the buildup is fantastic, but if you’re a new reader, one Mo Hayder title is enough to completely hook you. Never for the fainthearted, always intense, and always excellently plotted, Mo Hayder remains one of my absolute favorites. NOTE: Gone has just been released in the UK; US release date to be determined. 02/10 Becky Lejeune

Gone for Good by Harlan Coben: TELL NO ONE made my top ten list for 2001. His new one, GONE FOR GOOD, is among the first contenders for 2002. The strong writer of the Myron Bolitar series (THE FINAL DETAIL, FADE AWAY, etc.) left Myron behind and had a breakout success with TELL NO ONE. His new novel, GONE FOR GOOD, should firmly entrench Coben in the big leagues.
Will Klein returns home to suburban New Jersey as his mother lay dying to hear, “He’s alive.” The “he” in question is Ken Klein, Will’s beloved older brother. After Will’s high school sweetheart was murdered eleven years earlier, Ken became the prime suspect, which only intensified when he disappeared amidst the suburban media frenzy. His devastated family never heard from him again, and so begins this thriller extraordinaire. Well-defined characters enrich this story that also deals with family relationships, friendship and love.
GONE FOR GOOD has “best seller” written all over it. I couldn’t help but compare it to THE SUMMONS by John Grisham. They both start out with the kid coming home after the death of a parent. After that, Grisham went nowhere but on a 200 page car ride through a school zone with money in the trunk. Harlan took me on a roller coaster ride that left me breathless until the very last page. PS: The movie version of TELL NO ONE is supposed to start filming this summer. GONE FOR GOOD is being developed into a six one-hour limited series for USA network. Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn: Nick and Amy met, fell in love, and got married. They lived happily ever after in New York City, until they were both laid off. Then Nick’s mother got sick and they moved to Missouri to help Nick’s twin sister care for her. Now, Nick and Amy are about to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. Tradition holds that Amy will prepare one of her famous treasure hunts and Nick will have to decipher clues that will take him to his gift at the end. They’ll have dinner and they’ll embark on another year of marriage. But that’s not what happens. Nick gets a call at work: his front door is wide open. When Nick arrives, the house is a shambles and Amy is nowhere to be found. Amy has gone missing and Nick soon finds himself the prime suspect. Anyone familiar with Gillian Flynn’s books knows that things are never what they seem at the outset. Reading Flynn’s work is an experience unlike any other. The twists and turns are unpredictable and dark as can be and Gone Girl is no exception. Another excellent outing for Flynn. 6/12 Becky Lejeune

GONE MISSING by Linda Castillo: Police chief Kate Burkholder (Breaking Silence) returns in this gripping tale of Amish Rumspringa, the time given to teens to sow their wild oats before committing to a religious life as one of the Plain People. Burkholder’s Amish upbringing gives her some insight into how to deal with the Amish when several of their teenagers go missing. Her investigation is complicated when a body is found because the Amish do not allow photographs or have phones. The only bright spot is that Burkholder gets to work with state agent John Tomasetti again, and their relationship deepens. When Kate’s favorite niece vanishes as well, the case becomes personal, and the unsettling ending leaves the door open for more books in the series. Verdict: This fast-paced thrill ride through the always fascinating Amish country of Ohio should appeal to readers of Karin Slaughter, Betty Webb, and Lisa Jackson. Devotees of this series won’t want to miss it, and this entry should gain Castillo new fans as well. [For more Amish suspense, Julie Kramer’s Shunning Sarah publishes this August—Ed.] 6/12 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2012 Library Journal, a division of Media Source Inc. Reprinted with permission.

GONE ‘TIL NOVEMBER by Wallace Stroby: Stroby’s first two books featured ex New Jersey State Policeman Harry Rane. For this, his third book, he divides the action between New Jersey and Florida’s St. Charles County, when Sara Cross is the lone woman sheriff’s deputy. Cross is a single mother with a six year old son afflicted by leukemia. She ends up in a violent showdown with a New Jersey contract killer who, himself, is suffering from a rare form of cancer. It all starts when fellow deputy Bill Flynn, with whom Sara had a post-divorce fling, shoots a 22-year-old black man from New Jersey allegedly fleeing a traffic stop. Hopefully this will be the start of a new series for Stroby who nails his characters in every outing and hopefully will provide us with many more. 03/10 Jack Quick

GONE TO THE DOGS by Mary Guterson: Rena is a depressed, disorganized mess. Her boyfriend of seven years, the outdoorsy sportsman Brian, has dumped her to move in with a blond Amazon goddess, her apartment is a mess, and she’s waiting tables despite a degree in speech therapy because she didn’t like it and doesn’t know what else to do. On a crazy impulse, she steals Brian’s girlfriend’s dog, names him Big Guy and sneaks him past the No Dogs Allowed sign on the front door of her building. It doesn’t help her depression much, but dinner at her Orthodox sister’s house does. Her mother has a new boyfriend, and her brother-in-law brings home Chaim to meet Rena. Turns out Chaim is really Chuck, which suits her much better, and thus begins a tepid friendship. The story just meanders along until its unlikely conclusion, with few laughs along the way. Jewish chick lit should be better than this. Rena was the only character that was fully realized, which was frustrating because I would have liked to know these people better. 8/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch
GONE TOMORROW by Lee Child: Jack Reacher is back in the 13th entry in the series, and Child continues to prove that a series can grow and get better. Reacher is riding the New York City subway at 2:00 a.m. The car isn’t crowded, there are just five people at that hour but one of them, a young woman, has Reacher on alert. Many years earlier, Israeli intelligence had come up with a list of twelve signs that inevitably proved a person was a suicide bomber. After 9/11, that list became part of police training all over the world and was studied by all law enforcement. Reacher notices this woman is exhibiting all twelve signs. He manages to avoid the catastrophe he envisioned, but as he starts working with a local cop to try and figure out what was going on, the FBI gets involved as does a politician running for senator, and two women from Afghanistan. Reacher is on the move between NY and Washington DC, looking for answers but he’s being lied to. His life is in danger and he’s not sure if it’s because of what he knows or what he’s about to find out. This tightly plotted thriller is as thought provoking as it is exciting. Fans of the series will love it, and newcomers impressed and intrigued enough with this larger-than-life character to go back and read the rest of the series. 05/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

GONE TOMORROW by Lee Child: “Suicide bombers are easy to spot. They give out all kinds of tell-tale signs. Mostly because they are nervous. By definition, they’re all first-timers.” New York City. It starts at two in the morning in a New York City subway car heading uptown. Six people, one of them Jack Reacher, four innocents and Susan Mark, whose lonely heart, estranged son, and big secret create a big hole. Reacher must find out how big and deep that hole is. How many places – Washington, California, Afghanistan – how many lives from a US Senate candidate to a beautiful young woman with an unbelievable story and many others along the way. Yes, Reacher can handle the truth – if he can only find it. Like riding a roller coaster in the dark – until lights finally come on – but only at the end of the ride. Possibly the best Reacher yet. 06/09 Jack Quick

GONE WITH A HANDSOMER MAN by Michael Lee West: Southern charm and some crazy characters make this mystery a lot of fun. Teeny Templeton is engaged to Bing Jackson and sharing his home; that is, until the day her wedding cake decorating class is canceled, and she comes home to find two naked women playing badminton with her betrothed. After climbing a peach tree and pelting them all with underripe fruit, Teeny ends up in jail. But that’s just the beginning – Bing ends up murdered and Teeny is the immediate suspect. She hooks up with a lawyer who also happens to be her first love, and the plot thickens, replete with recipes. Despite the cast of zany characters, or maybe because of them, I couldn’t put the book down. 05/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

Going After Cacciato by Tim O’Brien: It’s been called the definitive novel of the Vietnam War and deservedly so. The truth about that war is eloquently expressed in a story that dissolves into hallucination. Where one begins and the other ends gives the reader something to think about. A totally engrossing, thought provoking read.

A GOOD AND HAPPY CHILD by Justin Evans: Fatherhood has not bought George Davies any sense of happiness. In fact, he finds himself terrified of being alone with his new son. George will not touch, change, or otherwise care for the child in any way. His strange behavior prompts him to begin seeing a therapist where he begins to recount certain events of his own childhood and his previous experience with therapy. At the age of 11, George Davies is an outcast amongst his peers. His is highly intelligent but also very awkward. Things seem to get worse for George after his father dies on a mission trip in Honduras. George does manage to make a new friend – a friend that only he can see, a friend who promises to tell him all sorts of secrets. Then George’s new friends turns on him and people around him begin to suffer strange accidents. Could George’s invisible friend really be some sort of demonic presence or is George suffering from some sort of delusion or dementia? His own father claimed to have visions himself but was never violent. Is there any merit to George’s fear of his child? The question of psychological versus demonic causes for all the trouble that George experiences is fascinating and guaranteed to draw readers in from the very first page. Evans’s engaging debut is definitely one that sticks with you long after you put it down. 06/07 Becky Lejeune

THE GOOD COP by Brad Parks: Carter Ross returns in this fourth outing about the New Jersey newspaper reporter with a strong sense of justice, a passion for journalism, and a self-deprecating sense of humor. Ross is woken early one morning to a phone call from his boss, ordering him to follow up on a cop killing. He decides to visit the widow and learns a lot about the victim, none of which makes sense when he is later told the cop took his own life. The widow is adamant that her husband was murdered, but when her preacher pulls his support from the investigation, Ross knows something is up. He keeps digging, despite being shot at, while his current flame and previous girlfriend complicate his life further. Meanwhile there is another storyline involving gun smuggling that starts intersecting with the cop killing, making for a thoughtful look at gun laws in New Jersey that, in light of the Shady Hook massacre, becomes even more compelling and disturbing. This is a tautly written page turner with charm and humor, a terrific combination and sure to appeal to David Rosenfelt and Janet Evanovich fans. 3/13 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2013 Booklist, a division of the American Library Association. Reprinted with permission.

THE GOOD LIAR by Laura Caldwell: Kate has been separated from her husband for ten months when her best friend Liza decides enough is enough. She sets Kate up with an older man, an acquaintance of hers, named Michael Waller. Michael and Kate really hit it off and are married four months later in spite of the fact that Liza thinks things are moving a little too fast. See, Liza knows more about Michael than Kate ever will. That’s because Liza and Michael work together for a group called The Trust. The Trust, set up by Liza’s father, is a secret organization whose job is to protect American interests. Kate was never meant to know about The Trust, but she soon learns that Michael has been keeping secrets. She could never imagine that her best friend has been keeping them as well. Then Liza’s lover is killed in a plane crash, and she begins to suspect that Michael may have been involved. Could Michael have gone rogue and has Liza inadvertently put her best friend in the line of fire? As their web of lies continues to grow, everyone becomes suspect and no one knows who can be trusted. The Good Liar is a puzzle that Caldwell seems to have put together with ease. As each piece is revealed, the plot becomes more intricate and involved. A definite up-all-nighter and a must read for any thriller fan. 01/08 Becky Lejeune

Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner: America’s answer to Bridget Jones and Jemima J, all rolled up into one funny, heartwarming feel-good novel. A great beach read, light and entertaining, a real page turner. The characters are well defined and believable, even in their eccentricities, which is not always easy to do. This is not great literature, but it doesn’t aspire to be. It is a “chick book”, and a good one.

THE GOOD OLD BOYS by Paul Hemphill: Growing up in the South. In 1974, Atlanta Journal newspaper columnist Paul Hemphill captured the essence of the experience with chapters in this book like “Praise the Lord and pass the Ball to Fuqua,” “God Bless Lester, He Means Well”, and “Welcome to the Death Hilton”. These are the best of the best of Hemphill’s daily columns expanded and combined to provide a vivid word picture of country music, stock car racing, moonshine, hard living and high-power preaching. If you were there this will bring back memories, if not, open a door to an era that is gone forever. Dated, but still a great read. 09/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

GOOD PEOPLE by Marcus Sakey: Sakey pushes into Harlan Coben territory with this thriller about an ordinary family finding themselves in extraordinary circumstances. Tom and Anna Reed have exhausted their life savings and their credit line on infertility treatments in hopes of having a baby. They own a two family house and rent out the downstairs to a man who pays his rent on time every month, even though he appears to be a bit of a hermit. One night the smoke alarm goes off in his apartment, and when it doesn’t stop, Tom and Anna go down to investigate. There’s a grease fire on the stove, and no sign of their tenant. Anna grabs a container of flour and dumps it on the fire, putting it out. But then she notices what appears to be cash hidden in the flour. The next thing you know, they find $400,000 in cash hidden in the cabinets and one very dead tenant from an overdose of pain meds. No relatives claim the body, he has no friends that they’ve ever seen, so what to do with the money? The obvious. Except that their tenant wasn’t quite the hermit they thought he was; he stole that money from some very bad men who have been looking for him and want it back, at any cost. Tom and Anna find themselves in way over their heads in this nail-biting, action packed thriller that in Sakey’s very capable, very smart hands, leads to a solution that is not quite as simple as you would think. One of the best thrillers of the year. 8/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

GOOD PEOPLE by Marcus Sakey: All Tom and Anna Reed ever wanted was a family and the financial means to enjoy it. Unable to have children and barely hanging on financially when their downstairs tenant—a recluse whose promptly delivered cashier’s checks were barely keeping them afloat—dies in his sleep. Then, they find $400,000 stashed in his kitchen. A fairy tale ending. Not so fast. It seems their tenant wasn’t a hermit who squirreled away his pennies. He was a criminal who double-crossed some of the most dangerous men in Chicago. – men who won’t stop until they get revenge, no matter where they find it. Free money can be terribly expensive. 8/12 Jack Quick

THE GOOD THIEF’S GUIDE TO AMSTERDAM by Chris Ewan: They say that an author should write what he knows. Charlie Howard certainly does. He is a full-time author and part-time thief whose main character is a mystery-solving burglar named Faulks. While working on his latest novel in Amsterdam, Charlie is contacted by an American who wants him to steal two seemingly worthless monkey figurines. The figurines complete the see no, hear no, speak no evil trio and the American already has the third in his possession. Charlie refuses the job at first, there’s not enough preparation time and he’s uncomfortable with the fact that he has no idea how this person got his name in the first place. Charlie is also a bit confused as to why the man would be willing to shell out such big bucks for two plaster monkeys of no value. His curiosity eventually gets the best of him and Charlie does, in fact, carry out the job. When he gets to the meeting point though, the American is gone. The American is found, beaten into a coma, and Charlie is the number one suspect. No surprise, but the third monkey is now missing. Charlie must figure out just what is going on before he ends up spending the rest of his days in a Scandinavian prison. This is a fun play on the traditional who-done-it and is a bit reminiscent of Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief. Ewan’s debut was the second annual winner of the Long Barn Books First Novel Contest. Long Barn is a small British house that publishes one novel each year. It’s easy to see why this appealing novel was their winning choice. 11/07 Becky Lejeune

THE GOODBYE COUSINS by Maggie Leffler: Di Linzer has not returned to the states for many years. In fact, the last time she was stateside was when her own mother kidnapped her as a young girl. Fearing a wicked custody battle, Di’s mother whisked her off to Europe, moving every so often just to keep the trail cold. Now, Di’s mother has died and Di has her own son to deal with. She has finally decided to return home, but it’s too late for a reconciliation with her father. Di’s remaining connection is her soon-to-be-married reporter cousin, Alecia, a woman dealing with her own issues. Readers are taken on a sweet and touching ride as both women really begin to discover who they are as individuals and where they want their lives to be. And both will learn, that even with all the dysfunctions and issues, family is what keeps everything in their lives together. Leffler’s story is one about families and how wonderful they really can be if you let them. 07/09 Becky Lejeune

GOODNIGHT NOBODY by Jennifer Weiner: Weiner has taken us from single gal pal/chick lit (Good in Bed, In Her Shoes) to married life and becoming a mom (Little Earthquakes) to Goodnight Nobody, the housewife life in ritzy suburbia. Kate Klein is married with children and bored, bored, bored. She also doesn’t understand why she is bored when all the other mommies seem quite engrossed with potty training, play dates and organic snacks. When she finds one of her neighbors dead on the kitchen floor, Kate decides to do a little investigating of her own. She has her best gal pal Janie Siegel, heiress to the Seigel carpet fortune, helping her out while she sneaks around trying to solve the murder. Chapters flow back and forth between Kate’s background story and the investigation but all the chapters have wonderful characters, lots of laughs and as always with Jennifer Weiner, lots of heart. Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

GOODNIGHT TWEETHEART by Teresa Medeiros: Author Abby Donovan became a literary darling overnight when her book was picked by Oprah for her book club. Since then, Abby has been fighting an extended bout of writer’s block. Then her agent suggests starting a Twitter account for publicity purposes. When Abby “meets” Mark Baynard, she finds herself looking forward to their daily exchanges. But as she begins to think she might be falling for him, she has to wonder how well she’s really getting to know him via their little chats. Medeiros’s latest, told mostly in back and forth tweets, makes for quick and light reading. No doubt fans will enjoy this contemporary release from the romance author, as will readers new to her list. 12/10 Becky Lejeune

GOSSIP by Beth Gutcheon: Idle gossip becomes a sticky mess with serious consequences in this latest from Gutcheon. Loviah “Lovie” French attended Miss Pratt’s boarding school in the 60s. There she met Avis Binney and Dinah Kittredge. She and Dinah would remain fast friends even as they graduate, move to New York, and begin their careers – Lovie in the fashion industry and Dinah as a columnist. When Lovie reconnects with Avis as an adult, she comes to count her as another of her closest friends as well. But Dinah never meshes with Avis, even when her youngest son marries Avis’s daughter. None of them could be more pleased with the match though; that is until some unsavory rumors begin to spread through the Big Apple. Lovie soon finds herself stuck in the middle but even she couldn’t predict how things would turn out. This is my first read by Gutcheon and I don’t know how I’ve missed her this long. Her writing is phenomenal – elegant and lyrical – and I quickly became attached to the characters. I didn’t expect the book to take such a dark turn, but it made Gossip that much more of a stand out. 3/13 Becky Lejeune

GOTCHA! by Christie Craig: In Christie Craig’s latest romantic mystery, Houston girl Macy Tucker has had it with men: All they bring is disappointment. So now it’s time to swear them off and make her own plans for the future, plans that certainly don’t include a new love interest. When her little brother inadvertently lands his whole family in trouble, and escapes jail trying to protect them, Detective Jake Baldwin is forced to get involved. Something about Macy really turns him on and all he can think about is keeping her safe from trouble. And as hard as headstrong Macy tries to resist Baldwin’s charms, she has to admit that he’s getting under her skin. But now’s not the time for romance. Not with her brother on the run from the law and a crazy psychopath stalking Macy. Just goes to show that the best-laid plans sometime fail. Before long, bullets are speeding past, a couple of hospital visits are involved, and Macy is head over heels for a guy she is sure is completely wrong for her. Gotcha. makes for great forget-all-your-worries reading. It’s funny and really hooks you from the very beginning. A fun way to kick off summer. 06/09 Becky Lejeune

GRAND CAYMAN SLAM by Randy Wayne White: Captain Wes O’Davis has been having a fling with the nanny hired to mind the son of Sir Conan James and Lady James, British aristocracy with powerful connections. When the boy is kidnapped and the nanny’s body is found in Davis’ Grand Cayman cottage, it got a bit dicey. But O’Davis had a food reputation and a solid alibi, so he enlists friend Dusty MacMorgan, ex-Seal and now charter boat captain to work with him to find the kidnappers, rescue the boy, and avenge the young lady who had come from England to Caymans only to die. Not world class literature but a good action yarn. 06/09 Jack Quick

THE GRAIL CONSPIRACY by Joe Moore and Lynn Sholes: It would be easy enough to dismiss this as another entry in the DaVinci Code genre, but it is nicely written and tightly edited, if a bit far fetched at times. Television journalist Cotten Stone accidentally stumbles upon an archeological dig while escaping Iraq that uncovers the world’s most-sought-after religious relic: the Holy Grail. Stone smuggles the wooden box back to New York not sure what is in it. She looks up a priest/professor on the Internet who has a book telling how to open the box, which does contain a chalice. People around her start dying while others give her messages in a secret language shared with her long dead twin sister. She and the priest then go, not to Paris, but to New Orleans during Mardi Gras to “save the world.” If you can accept the string of coincidences, not a bad read at all. 11/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

GRAVE DESCEND by John Lange: Hard Case Crime Reprint #26 of the 1970 Edgar nominated story of the sinking of the yacht Grave Descend. McGregor is hired to dive the wreck and see if the boat is salvageable. Before the dive there is one problem – each person he talks to has a different story – the insurance adjuster who is the owner’s brother, the chorus line dancer whose presence the owner wants kept hidden, the vessel’s captain – why are none of the stories adding up? Why did the boat sink, why is its position so precisely known, what is to be gained by delaying the news of its sinking twenty-four hours, why has no one already been inquiring, and lastly what is on the boat that is so valuable? McGregor needs to get answers and survive. Well-written, fast read. 11/06 Jack Quick

Grave Endings by Rochelle Krich: I was really looking forward to this book because I really enjoyed the first two in the series, so I hate to admit I was disappointed with her latest. The popular Molly Blume series returns with this well written whodunit that somehow falls flat. As mentioned in Blues in the Night (2002) and Dream House (2003), Molly’s best friend Aggie Lasher had been murdered six years earlier but the case was never solved. Two weeks before her wedding day, Molly is asked to identify a necklace that contains the symbolic red thread of celebrity-hot Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) which she had given to Aggie. It’s turned up in the personal effects of a dead drug dealer, leading the cops to finally close the case, but Molly isn’t so sure they’ve got their man and becomes obsessed with finding the truth. Everyone becomes suspect, the cops aren’t as forthcoming as she’d like, the murdered girl’s family and old co-workers tell conflicting and confusing stories, as do the drug dealer’s friends and relatives. Molly eventually ferrets out the facts, has a few close calls, and marries her fiancé, but gone are any hints of romance or those warm and funny moments we’ve come to expect from the Blume family, making the book feel very one dimensional and ultimately unsatisfying. Recommended for larger fiction collections. Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

GRAVE IMPORTS by Eric Stone: Interesting second entry into an apparent series. Ray Sharp, former journalist and now business investigator in Hong Kong becomes involved in the sordid but lucrative trade in stolen Cambodian art. The action leads back from Hong Kong into the Chinese boomtown of Shenzhen, through Thailand; and finally into the killing fields of Cambodia. Well conceived, but suffers from the tendency of the author to provide “dumps” of information, which while interesting, get to be overwhelming. Also, the reader is somewhat adrift if they have not read the preceding book because of the references back to that outing. The above notwithstanding, the characters are interesting, the action flows, and the locales are exotic. Lets hope number three is even better. 09/07 Jack Quick

GRAVE WEB by Betty Sullivan LaPierre: The death of her father, with whom she lived, causes Becky Simpson to want to re-open the issue of her missing mother, who left the family without explanation years earlier. When she opens the safe in her father’s office, she finds letters from her mother and a box containing her mother’s wedding ring, along with a note that blames her father’s affair for her leaving. She then hires “Hawkman”, Tom Casey, P I, to track down her mother. The ensuing adventure reminds me of the Rolling Stones tune “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.’ Answers are uncovered, but at a price. Labeled number 10 in the series, I found this overall to be a light weight, breezy read, but probably would not bother working through the Hawkman backlist. 11/07 Jack Quick

THE GRAVING DOCK by Gabriel Cohen: In his second outing, Detective Jack Leightner is dealing with the corpse of a small boy whose body floats off a Red Hook pier in a small coffin. The box was made without nails and the body was treated carefully. But by whom? Its wintertime and Jack is back in his old neighborhood. The case is just what he needs to take his mind off his personal problems. Another good police procedural and a haunting portrait of a world that has irrevocably changed. Recommended. 01/08 Jack Quick

GRAVEMINDER by Melissa Marr: It’s Maylene’s job to mind the dead. The town of Claysville has a contract and there is always a graveminder and an undertaker. They work as a team, and as long as they do their jobs, all is right in their town. But then Maylene is murdered. Rebekkah is Maylene’s granddaughter by marriage only, but she is the one Maylene has chosen to inherit the job. And it is Rebekkah who will have to find out who killed Maylene and set the balance right again. Though this is Marr’s first in the new adult series, readers were initially introduced to the world in “Two Lines,” a novella released in the collection Unbound. With it’s completely original concept and fantastic execution, I have no doubt that Marr’s newest will please her fans and thrill new readers as well. 05/11 Becky Lejeune

GREASING THE PINATA by Tim Maleeny: San Francisco reporter-turned-PI Cape Weathers is at Puerto Vallarte Mexico, looking for the son of a California state senator. Both the son and his father have become gator bait – literally. In spite of this development, Weather’s client, the senator’s daughter, wants him to continue to pursue the matter. This is fine with Weathers who has his own score to settle. With the help of Sally Mei, they pursue the action from Mexican drug cartel to the San Francisco mob as well as the city’s boardrooms. With each outing Maleeny gets better, and his main characters, Weathers, Sally Mei and the Sloth, are all unique. Looking forward to number four. 02/09 Jack Quick

THE GREAT ESCAPE by Susan Elizabeth Phillips: We last met Lucy Jorik in Call Me Irresistible, when she left the perfect man at the altar. This book picks up with Lucy hopping on the back of a motorcycle ridden by a gruff looking biker and riding off into an adventure. Lucy is the daughter of a former U.S. President and has lived most of her life in a political fish bowl. Walking out on her own wedding leaves her feeling rebellious and she doesn’t want to go home to her family, at least not yet. The biker with the unlikely nickname “Panda” was at the rehearsal dinner and Lucy assumes he is a friend of her jilted fiancé, but not close enough to care that he is helping the bride escape. They take off on an adventure which culminates when she finds out who he really is and he leaves her at the airport. But Lucy still doesn’t feel like going home so she heads to Panda’s house and falls in love with the place. Lucy decides to reinvent herself, disguising her usual conservative hair and dress under Goth makeup and slutty clothes. When Panda returns home with an overweight TV diet guru in tow, the sparks and the laughs really start to fly and things heat up to a feverish pitch. Another winner from my favorite romance writer. 8/12 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

GREEN LIGHT FOR MURDER by Heywood Gould: Director Jay Braffner is making a movie about killing all the people in Hollywood that he thinks stole his ideas and ruined his career. Unfortunately, the movie is all in his mind but the victims are all too real. Detective Tommy Veasy works for the La Playita Police Department, a fictional Los Angeles suburb. Veasy is not your typical cop; he smokes pot and deals with the stress of the job by spouting poetry on a regular basis. First a television producer is found dead in his home after it is tented for termites, then another producer turns up dead by accidentally drinking too much, falling and hitting his head. Veasy doesn’t believe in coincidence; he thinks every accidental death is murder until proven otherwise. He goes looking for the common denominator amongst all the dead producers, despite the lack of cooperation from the department. Interesting characters abound, and the writing style is unique, almost script style but reined in enough to call it a novel with lots of dialogue. This is the blackest of screwball comedies; Gould gives new meaning to the idea of “Hollywood backstabbing.” 2/13 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2013 Booklist, a division of the American Library Association. Reprinted with permission

GREEN-EYED DEMON by Jaye Wells: Jaye Wells’ second Sabina Kane book ended with the half-vampire/half-mage’s sister, Maisie, kidnapped by vampires. Now, in this third of the series, Sabina, Giguhl, and Adam have come up with a way to get her back. The group is sent to New Orleans with the support of the Seelie court, under one condition: their first and only priority is to kill Lavinia, the vampire Domina. If they can save Maisie in the process, so be it. But Sabina’s never been good at following orders and though it would mean angering Queen Maeve, she and her friends are determined not to leave the Big Easy without Maisie. Unfortunately, it looks as though the vampires have gained a powerful ally in the coming war. The Caste of Nod bends all the known rules about the Dark Races and with Halloween coming soon Sabina knows that they are quickly running out of time. Fans of the series will not be disappointed. Crazy action, dirty humor, and New Orleans—what more could you ask for in an urban fantasy setting? 03/11 Becky Lejeune

GRIFTER’S GAME by Lawrence Block: Joe Marlin is a con man accustomed to scoring easy cash off gullible women. In order to check into an Atlantic City hotel without undue suspicion, he scores some expensive good looking leather luggage at the railroad station. The first surprise is finding a fortune in raw heroin in one of the bags. The second surprise is Mona Brassard, a married bombshell for whom he falls like a ton of bricks. Then the ultimate surprise – the stolen heroin belongs to her husband. You can always count on Block to portray interesting characters in unusual plots, and this is one of his best. 3/12 Jack Quick

A GROWN-UP KIND OF PRETTY by Joshilyn Jackson: Jackson (Backseat Saints) has written an unusual Southern family saga revolving around three generations of lonely, hardscrabble Slocumb women. Grandmother Ginny is the glue that holds them together when her ex-drug addict daughter, Liza, has a severe stroke, leaving her voiceless except for a few vowel sounds. Fifteen-year-old granddaughter Mosey is the same age her mother and grandmother were when they had their daughters, but Mosey isn’t like her forebears; she’s scarcely been kissed by a boy. When Ginny decides to pull out the old willow tree in the backyard to make room for a pool to use in rehabilitating Liza, a shallow grave is uncovered, revealing a small skeleton dressed in tattered baby clothes and unleashing a series of events for which Liza seems to have an explanation—but she can’t tell. The story is told in the alternating voices of the women as the mystery unfolds. VERDICT: Liza, as the unreliable narrator, is used to perfection in this warm family story that teeters between emotional highs and lows, laughter and tears. Book groups will eat this up. 2/12 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2012 Library Journal, a division of Media Source Inc. Reprinted with permission.

THE GUARDIANS by Andrew Pyper: For kids in the small Canadian town of Grimshaw, the old Thurman house has always had a menacing air about it. Empty for decades, it’s the neighborhood’s haunted house and Ben McAuliffe lives right across the street. Ben and his friends, Carl, Randy, and Trevor, saw horrible things happen in that house. Ben never left Grimshaw. In fact, he made it his duty to keep an eye on the Thurman place, and now Ben is dead. Trevor and Randy return to Grimshaw to say their final goodbyes, but it’s not so simple. A girl has gone missing and the event stirs up memories they buried long ago. Something in the Thurman house has awakened. Something wants out. Pyper’s haunted house horror has just the right amount of creepiness to it—great build in atmosphere and tension and an ending that lives up to the resulting expectation. 10/11 Becky Lejeune

GUILT BY ASSOCIATION by Marcia Clark: Interesting debut from one of the nation’s better known former prosecutors. Los Angeles D.A. Rachel Knight is a tenacious, wise-cracking, and fiercely intelligent prosecutor in the city’s most elite division. When her colleague, Jake, is found dead at a grisly crime scene, Rachel is shaken to the core. She must take over his toughest case: the assault of a young woman from a prominent family. But she can’t stop herself from digging deeper into Jake’s death, a decision that exposes a world of power and violence and will have her risking her reputation–and her life–to find the truth. Following somewhat in the footsteps of Robert Tannenbaum and other authors of “District Attorney Procedurals,” this one reads reasonably well. Interesting cop character who reminds me of John Sandford’s Lucas Davenport. Recommended and looking forward to a sequel. 05/11 Jack Quick

GUILT BY DEGREES by Marcia Clark: Clark brings back Los Angeles DA Rachel Knight in this sequel to her well-received debut, Guilt by Association. This new book opens with a gruesome murder of a cop followed by the street killing of a homeless man. Knight is soon following a treacherous path to find the killer, dodging department politics along the way. We learn more about Knight’s disturbing childhood and her love life, as her gal pals—a fellow district attorney and a badass cop—share their work and their lives, bringing additional depth to the tale. But it is the antagonist, a psychopath with a brutal backstory and nerves of steel, who dominates the show. VERDICT Well-developed characters and a story arc that leaves the reader hanging are a surefire way to bring fans back for the next installment, and Clark has wisely left that door wide open. Should appeal to fans of Lisa Scottoline and David Baldacci. 4/12 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2012 Library Journal, a division of Media Source Inc. Reprinted with permission.

THE GUILTY by Jason Pinter: Pinter’s second outing with character Henry Parker is a great read. Parker, easing back into his roll as a junior reporter after the incidents in last summer’s The Mark, is assigned to the high profile killing of pop superstar Athena Paradis. Paradis was gunned down in the wee hours of the morning while exiting a New York City nightclub. The killer uses a very distinct weapon and leaves behind a note, strangely enough, quoting Parker himself. The following day, a cop is killed by what seems to be the same weapon – the killer was aiming for the mayor this time. Two more high profile murders follow and Parker is the only one to make a startling connection regarding the killer’s weapon of choice. It seems that the killer is using a Winchester 1873, the gun that won the West. Even more startling, the specific gun the killer appears to be using is said to have belonged to notorious criminal Billy the Kid. Parker’s discoveries lead him straight into the killer’s cross hairs and he soon finds that his own loved ones have become the primary targets. Can Henry uncover the killer’s twisted motive and reveal his true identity before he loses everyone he loves? The Guilty is an explosive thriller with a fascinating plot and an unforgiving pace. With just two books under his belt, young Pinter has already proven himself to be a truly overwhelming new talent in the industry. 03/08 Becky Lejeune

GUILTY AS SIN by Joseph Teller: Jaywalker, Teller’s unorthodox but highly successful defense lawyer is back. His client is a career criminal named Alonzo Barnett, in and out of prison since age fifteen, who is up on charges related to a drug deal. Up against a team of prosecutors—one a talented, ethical newcomer, the other a sleazy, tightfisted veteran—Jaywalker has almost nothing on his side, except his unshakable belief in his client. Oh, also a near perfect record of keeping innocent clients out of the slammer. And in some cases, such as that of Barnett, Jaywalker wins even though the client is guilty as sin. The only reason Jaywalker took this case was a major tuition payment was due and he needed the money. Little did he know where it would end. 06/11 Jack Quick

THE GUILTY ONE by Lisa Ballantyne: An eight-year-old boy has been murdered and his eleven-year-old playmate stands accused. Sadly, though only eleven, British law allows the boy – Sebastian Croll – to be tried as an adult. Daniel Hunter has made a career out of defending minors. The case is already attracting a lot of attention and the hearing is sure to be both emotional and controversial. Sebastian is an odd child: he’s clever but a bit awkward and small for his age. In him, Daniel sees something of himself. As a child, Daniel was shifted from foster home to foster home while his mother spiraled further into a drug-induced haze. Had he not met and been adopted by Minnie Flynn he would never have become what he is today. But Daniel had a falling out with his adoptive mother and hasn’t talked to her for years. Unfortunately, just as the case begins, Daniel receives news that Minnie has died. With the pressures of the trial looming, Daniel is forced to face his past and reconcile his feelings towards Minnie. Lisa Ballantyne’s debut is gripping, to say the least. The story shuttles back and forth between the present and the past, leaving the true revelation about Minnie and Sebastian until the very end. I enjoyed everything about the book: the pacing, the build and intensity of the suspense, and the characters. This is a debut that will likely appeal to a wide range of readers including fans of Laura Lippman and Jodi Piccoult. 4/13 Becky Lejeune

GUN MACHINE by Warren Ellis: A very well written tale about the minds of two men facing each other mentally. One is a a police detective, John Tallow, a loner and single minded individual bent on results in his cases without regard to any toes stepped on. The other is a super serial killer that has been killing in New York’s Manhattan borough for 20 years with the probability that more than 200 people have been his victims. John Tallow with his partner investigate a man rampaging in a Manhattan tenement firing off a gun. John’s partner is killed and after John kills that man he breaks into an apartment on the floor the incident took place on. A huge gun collection is found mounted on the walls of the apartment and investigation reveals that many were used in homicides over a long period of time. The depiction of the investigation and hunt for the killer brings up well described scenes from the past in Manhattan. These descriptions by themselves make the novel well worth the read. The killer, termed the Hunter in the book is, of course, a psychopath and is found to be allied with three very prominent individuals in New York in his lengthy crime spree. The entrance into the minds of both the policeman and the killer is a well sketched out part of an engrossing book and makes the read quite different than any other detective novel. The climax is riveting and logical in the context of the book and causes a remarkable book to end…remarkably. 1/13 Paul Lane
GUN WORK by David J. Schow: When the Mexican kidnapping cartel took Carl Ledbetter’s wife, they though he was just another rich American tourist. What they didn’t know was that before Carl had made his fortune, he was a journalist with a camera who had been to Iraq and had saved the life of one Barney. Barney is not a journalist and he doesn’t carry a camera. Barney is a shooter and he carries a gun. As the San Francisco Chronicle said, it’s “take no prisoners fiction that rarely pulls away from the grisly heart of the matter.” Nicely done and recommended. Number 49 from Hardcase Crime. 10/08 Jack Quick

GUT INSTINCT by Brad Taylor: A short story in which Brad Taylor showcases Jennifer Cahill, Pike Logan’s business partner in the company they run, in order to front their Taskforce operations. Jennifer is a member of the team and providing some love interest for Pike as the series develops. The story begins with a meeting between Jennifer and her ex-husband in her business office. She suffered years of physical abuse at his hands including the lose of a baby she was carrying before dumping him. Pike walks into the meeting and instead of beating up the ex he closes the door and tells Jennifer to use her training against the man. A feel good segment to open the remainder of the story. Pike is recovering from wounds received in the Taskforce’s last action when another team asks for Jennifer’s help in stopping a terrorist in the Far East. Jennifer agrees and gets Pike to come along as backup and advisor. Jennifer accomplishes her mission which involves spying on two women that are thought to be links to the terrorist but does not think that the two ladies are involved in the plot. Her advice is looked down on by the other Taskforce team, but Jennifer prevails and all ends well with her feeling good about herself. This is a short story, to be read in a short time and will not provide the depth of one of Taylor’s full length novels about Pike and Jennifer, but is a good interlude for a reader of the series. The story also includes an introduction to Brad Taylor’s next book, The Widow’s Strike, due out shortly. 6/13 Paul Lane

THE GUTTER AND THE GRAVE by Ed McBain: First published as I’m Cannon—For Hire by “Curt Cannon” in 1958, this updated Number 15 from Hardcase Crime shows the breadth of McBain’s ability and his noir skills at their best. Former PI Matt Cordell has fallen hard and become a bum in New York City’s Bowery district after being betrayed by a dame. His decision to help old friend Johnny Bridges, a tailor, investigate petty larceny at his store soon leads to a series of murders and steamy encounters with lies piling up faster than tokens in a subway station. You may not like Cordell but you have to pull for him to succeed, knowing he is the best and worst of all of us. An oldie but a goodie from one of the masters. 05/07 Jack Quick

THE HA-HA by Dave King: Howard Kapostash is the most damaged, endearing and memorable character to haunt my dreams in a very long time. Howard is a Vietnam vet with a brain injury that has left him uncommunicative – he can’t speak, he can’t write, and reading is very difficult at best. Yet, as the cards he carries with him explain, he is of normal intelligence. Howard lives in a house that he has inherited from his parents, and he rents out a few rooms to a couple of house painters and a soup chef who also uses the kitchen for her business. The four of them live together yet they all live in their own separate worlds. But when Howard’s high school sweetheart has to go into drug rehab, she dumps her nine year old son Ryan on him, claiming she has no one else to take care of the boy. At first Ryan is uncommunicative too, but slowly he becomes the impetus for all the people living in the house to come together and form a new kind of family. More importantly, Howard learns that there can be more to a damaged life than he ever dreamed possible. King has created a legacy with his eloquent, sparse prose and his unforgettable characters. 03/05

THE HA-HA by Dave King: It’s not fair that The Ha-Ha is Dave King’s first novel. It’s extraordinary; well-written, brilliantly conceived, sympathetic without ever getting near cloying. The protagonist is someone who, if the author were less skilled, might evoke pity. But this book works, and works well. It tells the story of a man who has lost almost all ability to communicate. After spending only a couple weeks in Vietnam years ago, Howard Kapostash was severely brain-injured and has spent his time since in a peculiar world. He does not speak, lacks the ability to use alternatives such as writing or signing, and has major trouble reading. He’s clearly been traumatized and may have some other concomitant psychological problems; who wouldn’t? But he’s a smart man, a caring man, when he can be. There’s nothing wrong with the guy’s intelligence. He’s spent a good part of his life maintaining huge barricades against emotional involvement, also with understandable reasons.

All my gripes about the ending are minor; this is a fluid story, a stunning debut from someone who so totally grasps the issues his protagonist lives with. Howard is 100 percent real to me. There’s sympathy but no pathos, realism without any tirades about how crappy our disabled veterans are treated. This is a powerhouse of a book and it needs to be read. 08/05 ~This review contributed by Andi Shechter.

THE HADES PROJECT by Lynn Sholes & Joe Moore: Well written but derivative religious icon thriller featuring the Holy Lance used to pierce the side of Christ at the Crucifixion. Allegedly forged by the seventh generation grandson of Adam, the Lance has been possessed by powerful men – both good and evil – until the present time. Now the Forces of Evil intend to use the ancient relic to launch the Hades Project and bring humankind to its knees. SSN reporter Cotten Stone is drawn into the fray when her best friend from high school Lindsay calls her concerned about Lindsay’s daughter, Tera. When Cotton returns to Kentucky Lindsay and Tera have both disappeared leaving behind some very disturbing evidence. Cotton calls in her friend, Cardinal John Tyler, for help. Now it’s up to Cotten Stone to save the world and confront the man who holds in his hand our destiny, a man who died more than 85 years earlier. You can blame it all on The Davinci Code. 11/07 Jack Quick

HAIKU by Andrew Vachss: In his first post-Burke book, Vachss (Another Life) pens the story of a ragtag band of homeless men living on the streets of a cold, unnamed city. Ho is an elderly sensei who walked away from a successful life as a martial arts instructor after the death of one of his students, and the band includes damaged veteran Ranger, degenerate gambler Michael, ex-con and ex-gang leader Lamont, the mentally ill Target, and Brewster. Ho leads them around the city, scrounging for money, food, and shelter. One night a woman in a Rolls Royce dumps something in the river, and they decide to try to identify what it is and blackmail her. But that plot is soon forgotten in favor of a story line about the demolition of the abandoned building that houses Brewster’s pulp fiction collection. Lots of description and character development slow the pace of this bleak look at living on the street, and the story just meanders along without ever really getting anywhere. Fans of the grittier Burke series may miss the rapid pace and violence they’ve come to expect. 11/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch. Copyright © 2009 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Reprinted with permission.

HAIKU by Andrew Vachss: I had enjoyed every one of the Burke books penned by Vachss, and was hoping for the best with this new series. Unfortunately, it just didn’t take for me. The characters are interesting – Ho, an elderly martial arts teacher who once was the master of a successful dojo; Michael, once a high-flying stockbroker; Ranger, a Vietnam war vet; Lamont, an ex-gang leader and poet; Brewster, a psychotic; and Target, who speaks only in repetitive verbal explosions. It starts with a mysterious white Rolls Royce and then morphs into another plot concerning Brewster’s book collection. I won’t give up, but definitely not a good start. 12/09 Jack Quick .

HALF PRICE HOMICIDE by Elaine Viets: Helen Hawthorne has a new dead-end job working at a high end designer consignment shop. Wealthy women come in to sell their clothes and pocket the cash, but one woman is caught and confronted by her husband. They disappear to the dressing room to continue their argument until he storms out. But when Helen goes back there, she finds the woman with her head bashed in by a decorative pineapple, and hung by a designer scarf. Another job, another body in this series that somehow manages to combine real humor with real tragedy. Meanwhile, Helen’s fiancé insists on taking Helen home to St. Louis to get her legal troubles straightened out. To complicate things further, Helen’s ex-husband shows up trying to shake her down for more money again. Lots of plot twists and lots of laughs in this latest installment in the Dead-End Job series. 07/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE by Jeaniene Frost: Half vampire and half human, Cat Crawfield is the result of an attack on her mother by a recently turned vampire who retained a few specific human traits. Cat spends her leisure time trolling clubs and bars for vamps, playing the innocent coed, and luring them to remote places. One such evening almost lands her in trouble when she targets the wrong man. Bones, a vamp who kills his own kind, strikes a deal with Cat. In exchange for her help, he promises to find her father. Bones has been stalking a very powerful vampire who has been responsible for a kidnapping ring that has been around for decades. Recently, the kidnappings seem to have spiked in the Ohio area and Bones is determined to finally stop it. Problem is, vampires can easily detect one another. Cat, with her mixed heritage, is able to sneak amongst them without being discovered, thereby making her the perfect partner for Bones’s plan. Balancing her new hobby with her everyday life is becoming more and more difficult, however, and things are further complicated when Cat finds herself extremely attracted to this mysterious vamp. Frost’s debut is a perfect blend of romance and action. This spunky heroine and her leading man make a great team and I hope to see much more of them in the future. 11/07 Becky Lejeune

THE HALO EFFECT by M.J. Rose: Once you pick up this book, don’t plan on putting it down – you get hooked on page one when a mutilated body in a nun’s habit is found. A serial killer is on the loose in New York City and he’s going after prostitutes with a vengeance – a religious fervor, you might say. Dr. Morgan Snow is a sex therapist with a client, a top shelf call girl (at $2000 and up a pop) named Cleo Thane, who goes missing. Meanwhile Detective Noah Jordain is heading up the serial killer investigation for the NYPD and calls on Dr. Snow for some outside psychological profiling. They trade info and join forces to try and find the missing Cleo and the serial killer. Rose writes erotic better than just about anyone and with the twisting plotline and surprise ending here, apparently she can do thrillers just as well as the big boys. This is the first book of a new series and I can’t wait for the next one!

THE HALO EFFECT by M. J. Rose: The Butterfield Institute is a Manhattan sex therapy clinic and employer of psychiatrist Dr. Morgan Snow. A patient, Cleo Thane, is a successful and selective call girl who has written a memoir which includes thinly disguised portraits of many of her clients. She leaves the manuscript with Dr. Snow and then disappears. In the meantime, NYPD Detective Noah Jordain and his team are investigating a series of gory, ritualistic murders of prostitutes. Snow and Jordain are drawn to each other, but she can’t persuade him that Thane may be a victim. In a desperate attempt to find Thane, Snow goes undercover and meets some of Thane’s principal clients herself. Could be subtitled, “A Catalogue of Sexual Dysfunctions and Obscure Perversions,” but, so long as graphic sex doesn’t dissuade you, it’s a pretty interesting read. As the South Alabama judge said at the obscenity trial, “I don’t know what’s pornographic, but I know what I like.” 06/07 Jack Quick

THE HAMMER OF GOD by Tom Avitabile: How do you fight an enemy that only wants to kill us and is not subject to reason or logical persuasion? Simple – you go after them with any means at your disposal and don’t worry about the bleeding hearts that feel they must teach an implacable enemy that it is best to discuss differences and resolve them peacefully. Several major authors have written books about individuals or groups that do just that and get the job done in any manner possible. In all probability many readers concur with this approach and know that the only way to fight terrorist groups is to eradicate them. Tom Avitabile has created such an entity called the Quarterback Ops group which is headed by Bill Hiccock and reports only to the President of the United States. This is the second of these books, with a third currently being prepared. A group of terrorists is engaged in a plot to bring in nuclear weapons hidden in cold cream jars to the United States for the sole purpose of exploding them to kill as many people as possible. The Quarterback Ops Group is charged with stopping them and utilizes every means possible to go after the terrorists and stop them before they have a chance to wreak the havoc they plan. The plot is fascinating, the writing crisp and engrossing. Avitabile combines brute force where needed with scientific investigation in arriving at solutions. It is impossible to put the book down once into the action. A very complicated, but well explained area of mathematics and science is utilized in providing answers. Bill Hiccock and his team are fleshed out and handle their areas of expertise very well in order to arrive at necessary ends. Well done and insuring that the reader will grab book three as soon as available. 6/12 Paul Lane

HANGING BY A THREAD by Sophie Littlefield: Clare has a keen eye for fashion and a talent for making vintage clothes into something completely new and original. She’s even started to sell her pieces to the locals in Winston. But Clare also has a unique ability that sets her apart from everyone else: with just a touch, Clare can read fabric. She can see things the wearers have done and feel their every emotion. Though she’s tried to suppress the ability and hide it from others, she is often unable. Such is the case when she comes across a beat up couture jacket found at a yard sale. The vision she has upon touching the jacket is so completely overwhelming that Clare becomes convinced she must learn what happened to the owner. But then Clare discovers that the person in question is actually a local girl who’s been missing for the past year. Clare knows something terrible happened to her and knows that she may be the only one who can figure out the truth. Littlefield’s latest is a bit of a different twist on the psychic powers spectrum. The mystery is interesting but my expectations, based on Littlefield’s previous works, was pretty high and somehow Hanging By a Thread just didn’t quite meet them. I blame it on the characters and the fact that they all seemed to flip flop between pages – changing opinions and personalities at the drop of a hat. Hanging was fun but not one of my favorites. 9/12 Becky Lejeune

HANGING HILL by Mo Hayder: Although sisters Sally and Zoey live in the same town, they haven’t spoken to each other in ages. An incident when they were kids ended with them being sent to separate schools and a secret in the family’s past caused a rift that has never healed. Today, Sally is trying to put her life back together after a divorce that left her virtually penniless. Raising a teen on her own and facing mountains of debt, an interesting opportunity arises when she is offered a job working for a wealthy local with a questionable past. Meanwhile, Zoey, a Detective Inspector with the Bath police, has worked hard to get where she is, but at the expense of relationships and human connection. When a local teen is brutally murdered, the sisters find themselves reunited and forced to face the demons they’ve long been avoiding. Brilliant. Hayder’s latest is an excellent mystery and thriller with dark and surprising twists, proving once again that she is simply one of the best of the genre. Hanging Hill is out now in the UK. 05/11 Becky Lejeune

THE HANGING VALLEY by Peter Robinson: In this fourth outing for Chief Inspector Alan Banks, a rotting corpse is identified by dental work and a receipt found in the trousers pocket of the murder victim as Bernard Allen, a local youth on a visit home from Canada. The investigation leads back five years to the unsolved murder of a Private Investigator hunting for a young girl’s killer and the nearly simultaneous disappearance of a village woman. Banks ends up traveling to Canada as part of his journey through a maze of passion and possible blackmail before finding the solution in long-kept secrets. Pour yourself a pint, light up a Silk Cut and join us as we make England a safer place. A really, really good police procedural series. 10/06 Jack Quick

HANGMAN BLIND by Cassandra Clark: After the death of her husband, Hildegard devotes her life to the church, and is now an abbess with the goal of starting her own small abbey. On her way to speak to the local abbot, Hildegard discovers a young man murdered in the woods. She does her duty and makes her report to the abbot’s men, also helping to recover the body. Then, with the gruesome discovery behind her, and with the abbot’s blessing, Hildegard continues on to the next part of her journey: an attempt to now secure a home for her venture. Fortunately her destination, Castle Hutton, is a familiar place for Hildegard and it’s master, Lord Roger de Hutton, a longtime friend of hers. But when Roger is poisoned and almost killed, Hildegard finds herself in the position of having to unmask the would-be murderer. While Hangman Blind neatly sets up readers for the next installment of the series, the conclusion of the two mysteries is a little too neatly wrapped up. The body in the woods is the more interesting of the two parts, but takes a backseat to the Hutton family/political intrigue. This is also a read that requires a bit of concentration if one is not familiar with the history of the time period and the hierarchy of the church: one look away, and you will find yourself lost. 11/09 Becky Lejeune

HAPPILY EVER AFTER by Harriet Evans: For Eleanor Bee a job in publishing is an absolute dream come true. She’s hired on at Bluebird, one of the last independents, and embarks on the career of a lifetime… working with romance novels. Eleanor isn’t sure she believes in a happy ending herself. In fact, while they make for fun reading, she’s almost convinced the same could never happen to her. As her career progresses, Elle moves on to New York and becomes head of her own division, but true love still has not crossed her path. Can a girl really have it all in this day and age? Will she ever be swept off her feet and find Mr. Right? Elle’s story starts off well enough, fun and funny with just the right amount of snark and sarcasm. About midway the book just kind of fizzles. In fact, even just twenty pages from the end I thought there was no way the book would come to any sort of satisfying conclusion. It did, in part, but I wish Evans had been able to maintain the momentum throughout. Overall a good summer read but not one that blew me away by any means. 6/12 Becky Lejeune
HAPPY HOUR OF THE DAMNED by Mark Henry: Amanda Feral may be new to Seattle’s supernatural scene, but the smart and stylish ghoul is not about to let a little thing like death stand in her way or slow her down. In fact, one night into her new gig and she’s already breaking and entering at a mortuary in search of decent cover-up. Plus, she may no longer be able to stomach Starbucks coffee, but it’s something of a relief to learn that even abovegrounders can still hold their alcohol. Course the taste for human flesh is a little less trendy, but Amanda’s even worked out a way to keep the blood off her designer duds. And when she learns that one of her fellow paranormal friends might be in trouble, she immediately sets out to help. But Amanda and her friends may be way over their heads when it starts to look as though a zombie outbreak is in the works. Mark Henry’s twisted and dirty humor makes for great Seattle underworld fun. Definitely not suitable for readers without a strong stomach, but for those of us who are blessed with such, Mark Henry delivers combination laugh-out-loud and cringe-worthy scenes that truly entertain. 01/10 Becky Lejeune

HARBOR NOCTURNE by Joseph Wambaugh: When Dinko Babich, a young longshoreman, delivers Lita Medina, a young Mexican dancer, from the harbor to a Hollywood nightclub, their lives are forever changed. Their paths cross with many of the colorful characters introduced in Wambaugh’s acclaimed best-selling Hollywood Station series: the surfer cops know as “Flotsam and Jetsam,” aspiring actor “Hollywood Nate” Weiss, young Britney Small, along with new members of the midwatch. Written with Wambaugh’s unflinching eye for detail and spot-on humor, this is a good one. 12/11 Jack Quick

Hard As Nails by Dan Simmons: This is a hard-nosed mystery story set in Buffalo, New York and I recommend it without any reservations. Could any town be more appropriate for a tough guy than Buffalo? [Editor’s note: the reviewer is from Buffalo.] And make no mistake about it, Kurtz, the hero, is a tough guy. After seeing all of the references in Ilium, I have to believe that the invocation of Conrad’s character is no accident, as well as a tip of the hat to the ethnic stew that is the best part of the fading Queen City of the Great Lakes.
In previous books in this series, Kurtz has been to Attica, courtesy of the State of New York, for throwing his partner’s killer off a rooftop. He is still on parole, which makes it impossible for him to return officially to his old private eye business. As this book opens, Kurtz and his parole officer are walking into a parking garage when all hell breaks loose. The ride has started and it is exciting as the old wooden roller coaster at Crystal Beach amusement park which Kurtz points out is now defunct.
The story finds Kurtz in the middle of a power struggle between the remnants of two old Mob families for the drug trade in the region, as well as fending off members of the Aryan Brotherhood he offended while in the slammer. The story climaxes in a small company town bearing a strong resemblance to the Coudersport of the Rigas family. And in this case, the roller coaster is filled with bodies.
This is the book I am sending to friends for Christmas with a note, saying “I found him first.” ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

HARD AS NAILS by Dan Simmons: Same war, next generation. The Farino and Gonzaga crime families continue to fight over Buffalo and on killing Joe Kurtz. Neither family trusts the other and each fears that Kurtz is working for the other side. Both sides eventually hire him to find a killer who has been taking out their low-level drug dealers. In addition, Joe and his parole officer get shot in the head in an ambush at her office. What events are related? Who is on which side? Is there anyone Joe can trust? Add the newspapers and the police and you have a fine stew. To survive all this you had better be hard as nails. 09/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

HARD CURRENCY by Stuart Kaminsky: In the ninth Inspector Rostnikov novel, our hero is sent from Moscow to Cuba to solve a sensitive murder case. He takes along his assistant Elana leaving Karpo, “The Vampire” to track down a brutal serial killer in Moscow. Since the good Inspector is an avid fan of Ed McBain I thought it appropriate to share McBain’s own blurb about this one – “In Hard Currency, Stuart Kaminsky gets Russia right, and Cuba right, but best of all he gets his superb cop Rostnikov altogether right yet another time. Bravo. ” Kind of hard to add anything to that. 03/08 Jack Quick

Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich: Another delicious adventure featuring Stephanie Plum et al, with the usual dead body, exploding cars, with just a hint of hot sex. This time Stephanie has to find her Grandma’s next door neighbor’s missing daughter & granddaughter with nastier-than-usual bad guys on her case. Kudos to Evanovich for keeping this series amazingly fresh. A special holiday treat: the next adventure, Visions of Sugar Plums, comes out November 5!

Hard Feelings by Jason Starr: This is a perfect pitch Jim Thompson-esque noir novel set in modern Manhattan. Our dubious hero has a lot of problems – – a sales slump at his job, a worrisome wife and a pesky pooch among them, but his life is manageable until he bumps into an old Brooklyn neighbor at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Forty-eighth Street. The downward spiral that results takes only a few weeks and it is told in taut prose that keeps you turning the pages all night. HARD FEELINGS gets under your skin. Well written, well executed and well worth your time. PS: Interesting note – – the Black Lizard Crime series has some of the greatest noir novels of all time. Reasonably priced, lots of great authors – – definitely worth checking out, published by Vintage Crime/Black Lizard books. ~This review contributed by Ann Nappa

HARD FEELINGS by Jason Starr: Richie Segal doesn’t feel so good. First there is the job. His career as a computer systems salesman isn’t going anywhere – literally, he hasn’t closed a single sale in the six months he has been in his current job. Then there is the marriage. He suspects his wife is cheating on him, again. What not? She has just gotten a big promotion so she is the primary breadwinner, although there is the little matter of possible morning sickness. Is she pregnant? Is that why she so adamantly scolded him about “moving to the burbs and having a family?” Finally, there is Michael Rudnick, a prosperous lawyer, who had taken advantage of Richie when the two boys were neighbors growing up. All this is leading Richie back to drinking – and he can’t hold his liquor. Count on Starr to put you down and then apply a solid kick to the ribs. First rate is you are a fan of noir. 09/08 Jack Quick

HARD FREEZE by Dan Simmons: Buffalo, New York ex-con and former P.I. Joe Kurtz survived his initial case after a twelve-year prison term. Now he is taking on a new challenge. While continuing to dodge a contract on his head, Kurtz takes on the task of finding a child-murderer for a gravely ill client. It’s going to be a tough winter in Buffalo – cold enough to freeze the blood. Joe continues to be in the middle between the Farino and Gonzaga crime families and his efforts to avoid being killed by them actually lead to the solution of his new case. This series is as cold as the Buffalo winters and hard as the ice that forms around Niagara Falls in January. 09/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

HARD TARGET by Howard Gordon: Gideon Davis and his brother, Tillman, are not great fans of the current government. In spite of their experiences, they remain loyal to their country. So when a meth-head informant approaches Gideon and alerts him to a grand-scale plot to take down those in charge, Gideon brings his information to the authorities. Unfortunately they aren’t interested in what Gideon has to say. But Gideon and Tillman possess exactly the skills one would need to take down a terrorist plot all on their own and that’s exactly what they plan to do. Though there are few surprises to the plot, Gordon, a producer on 24 and the new show Awake, has put together a fun and fast-paced thriller. This is the second book by Gordon to feature Gideon and Tillman, though newcomers will have no problem dropping in without having read Gideon’s War. 3/12 Becky Lejeune

HARD TARGET by Alan Jacobson: An explosion pulverizes the president-elect’s helicopter on Election Night. Department of Defense covert operative Hector DeSantos and FBI Agent Aaron “Uzi” Uziel must sort out who is behind the bombings, and they need a solution in just nine days. Touted by both Vince Flynn and Lee Child, I agree this is a well-written thriller that will keep you on edge all the way through. Dangers from within can be more deadly than those threats from outside. Note: Hard Target also features Jacobson’s famed FBI Profiler, Karen Vail, in a key role affecting national security. Recommended. 9/12 Jack Quick

THE HARD WAY by Lee Child: This is one of my favorite series for pure escapist fiction. The tenth Jack Reacher thriller begins while he’s enjoying an espresso in a sidewalk cafe in New York City. He is approached by a man, obviously ex-military; that is, to Jack it’s obvious as he is an ex-Army MP and extremely observant. That observing nature gets him involved in helping to solve a kidnapping for the very mysterious Edward Lane and his band of disreputable mercenaries, but nothing is quite as it seems. Fast paced as always with some nice twists, this is another exciting adventure for the hero that all women want and all men want to be. 06/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE HARD WAY by Lee Child: In Child’s 10th Jack Reacher novel, Reacher agrees to help sinister ex-army officer Edward Lane track down his kidnapped daughter and trophy wife. Since the kidnapping of wife number one five years earlier ended in her death, Lane cautions Reacher that he will not tolerate police interference. Child’s excellent descriptions on Manhattan add to the sinister quality of the story, which is a page-turner all the way to the inevitable showdown, on a farm outside a tiny English village. 06/06 Jack Quick

HARDBALL by Sara Paretsky: The 13th novel to feature gutsy PI V.I. Warshawski, last seen in 2005’s Fire Sale, has our intrepid P.I. looking for a black man who disappeared during the racial turmoil of 1967. In her search for Lamond Gadsden, Vic reconnects with some of her policeman father’s old pals as well as crooks on both sides of the law with whom she herself has a history. The path leads to a murder conviction (for the death of Harmony Newsome a young black woman from Atlanta in Chicago for the civil rights protests) that may have been tainted. Back in the current era, the apparent kidnapping of Vic’s fresh-out-of-college cousin, Petra, who’s come to Chicago to work on a senatorial campaign, makes solving the problem even more critical. Nicely done. 11/09 Jack Quick

HARDCASE by Dan Simmons: Joe Kurtz is not one to mess with. So when a drug dealing thug that killed his girlfriend, the ex-PI returns the favor and gets 11 years in Attica. It’s there that he meets “Little Skag” Farino, the son of an aging Buffalo, New York mob boss. In exchange for protecting the kid’s manhood against any unwanted jailhouse affection, Kurtz gets an audience with Little Skag’s father upon his release from prison. Byron Farino is still clinging to what dwindling power he holds on the New York organized crime scene. He enlists Kurtz’s help to track down the Family’s missing accountant–a man with too much knowledge of Family business to have on the loose. But someone doesn’t want the accountant found. As the story twists and turns and the body count rises, Kurtz no longer knows who he can trust. Everyone seems to be after something, from the mob boss’s sultry yet dangerous daughter, to a hit man named The Dane, an albino killer who is good with a knife, and a dwarf who is armed to the teeth and hell-bent on revenge. About as gritty as it gets. 2/12 Jack Quick

HARDLY KNEW HER by Laura Lippman: Laura Lippman has long been a favorite of the mystery genre – readers and fellow writers sing her praises alike. Their appreciation is well deserved and this collection of twisted tales is a great place for new readers to familiarize themselves with her talent. Three of the tales feature Baltimore PI Tess Monaghan. There is also a novella, Scratch a Woman, which features a recurring character from “One True Love.” Each story features a strong, manipulative, or even murderous woman. In the title story, “Hardly Knew Her,” a daughter has her revenge against her gambling father. A Mardi Gras reveler gets a little surprise when he follows two girls in “Pony Girl,” and in “Black Eyed Susan” a young boy discovers some of the strange folks drawn to Baltimore’s Preakness. A great collection of darkly humorous and slightly disturbing tales from one of the biggest talents in the genre. 10/08 Becky Lejeune

HARK! by Ed McBain: The first crime novelist that I ever read was Ed McBain. My Mother gave me one of her dog-ear’d paperbacks, and told me… “You’ll like this…” I did… That’s why it kind of pains me to review this,
I wish it went better. Led by Carella, and the gang, the 87Th precinct has always been the place to go to learn the ways of the Police procedural. All the boys usually worked in concert, to solve the gig. Here’s a brief synopsis…the Deaf Man is back. He kills a broad who crossed him, and of course, the 87Th gets the squawk…
Initially, nothing seems to be there, but the DEAF man starts sending Carella, and the rest of the detectives letters, delivered by various couriers. Meanwhile, the Deaf Man has enlisted the help of a very opportunistic hooker, to further his cause. They become a symbiotic relationship…..Right here, He should have stopped, and went on with the mayhem. Instead, what he did was get a bunch of non-needed subplots involved, and made this all a literary game, i.e.: axioms, palindromes, oxymoron’s, any type of literary subterfuge he could think of was involved here. Personally, I don’t like to have to read when I’m reading. With that being said, it gets good towards the end. Keep your eye on the enterprising hooker. 01/06 DOC

HAROLD ROBBIN’S THE DECEIVERS by Junius Podrug: The very first book I ever read in galley proof was The Carpetbaggers by Harold Robbins, back in the mid 60’s. Since Robbins’ death in 1977, his estate has tried to continue the legacy with books like this one, supposedly20completed by Podrug from notes left by Robbins. It’s kind of like delivery pizza, not that bad, not that good. Basically it’s the story of disgraced New York City art expert Madison Dupre struggling to get by with a freelance business, who ends up in Cambodia tracking art smugglers. With references to Phnom Penh as the “pit stop before hell,” and that Buddhism’s Noble Eightfold Path to enlightenment apparently permitted “endless varieties of illicit sex, some of which involved young girls who should have been in classrooms rather than backrooms” and where “household pets even got into the act.” All in the first chapter which ends in a whorehouse, well you have been forewarned. There is enough of a story to tie it all together, but basically it’s a rather tawdry romp through sexual adventure land. 11/08 Jack Quick

THE HARROWING by Alexandra Sokoloff: It is Thanksgiving break at Baird College and everyone is returning home for the holiday. Everyone, that is, but five misfits in Mendenhall dorm. They are a jock, a brain, a loner, a musician and a phony. These five have one thing in common though – each one of them feels like they don’t belong. When the teens discover an old Ouija board in the common room, they awaken a new entity in Mendenhall. This ghost calls itself Zachary and is all at once charming and terrifying. Who is Zachary and what does he want? As the teens dig deeper into this mystery they come to realize that Zachary is not what he seems. Alexandra Sokoloff’s debut is a hauntingly original and eerie spin on the standard ghost story. I think Sokoloff is a fresh new voice in the genre and sincerely hope to see more from her in the future. I highly recommend this book; it’s a perfect rainy day read. 09/06 Becky LeJeune

HATER by David Moody: It begins with seemingly random attacks—a bar fight that gets out of control here, a fight in the streets there—seemingly normal occurrences in a crowded and populous area. Danny McCoyne witnesses one of the first on his way to work: a man chases and attacks an older woman, beating her to death before authorities can stop him. Just a few days later, while eating in a pub, Danny and his wife witness yet another fight. It builds so slowly that the public almost isn’t aware. Then it explodes. They say that only ten percent of the population is affected, but those who are turn on a dime. One minute they’re fine, the next they get this look in their eyes and they’re off in a fit of rage. Families have locked themselves away in their homes, afraid of turning on one another. Even the slightest hint that someone might become a “Hater” can have terrible results. Before long it’s unclear who “they” are anymore as “Haters” and suspected “Haters” come under attack themselves. Hater is a dark and brutal viral apocalypse tale, and the first in a projected trilogy. It’s a quick and shocking train-wreck of a read and definitely a new twist in horror. This first has already been optioned for film (Guillermo del Toro’s production team has purchased the rights). 06/10 Becky Lejeune

HAUNTED by Kelly Armstrong: Smart-mouthed Eve Levine may be dead but as a witch she can still raise hell in the hereafter. The Fates, three elusive sisters, are the rulers of this new dimension, and they have a job for Eve. If she can defeat a demonic Nix who’s inducing people in the human realm to kill, she’ll earn her wings—literally. The catch is she can’t capture the Nix without the powers that angelhood affords. Following the action in the ever changing netherworld can be a hassle but, if you are looking for spunk, sass and strong-arm savvy, Eve is your lady. 03/06 Jack Quick

HAUNTED by James Herbert: Renowned paranormal investigator David Ash has made a career out of debunking supernatural occurrences. It is just this reputation that has earned him a request from the tenants of Edbrook. It seems this stately manor may have some guests from the other side and they want Ash to investigate. Ash is welcomed to the home by Nanny Tess, her lovely niece Christina Mariell, and Christina’s two older brothers, Robert and Simon. On his very first evening in the home, Ash himself has a brush with the ghost of Edbrook. Ash is certain there must be some rational explanation behind the so-called haunting and stubbornly vows to find it before his stay at the home comes to an end. This dogged determination springs from the fact that he himself has a dark secret in his past, one that he might just have to face if life after death does in fact exist. It is my opinion that Herbert has been wrongfully overlooked by American horror fans. This melancholy ghost story is one of three intended tales featuring David Ash and is followed by The Ghosts of Sleath and an as yet unwritten third book. Though this chilling ghost story was originally published almost twenty years ago, it has recently been republished and is readily available to readers once again and can be read without its accompanying title. 11/07 Becky Lejeune

Havana by Stephen Hunter: This is a book for anyone who enjoyed the Walking Tall movies and the tough simplicity of Buford Pusser. Hunter’s protagonist is Earl Swagger, like Pusser, a war hero and a cop who previously cleaned up gangs in a rural community.
Havana is set in the early 1950’s, in the last days of the Big Sugar, I mean Batista, regime. Castro is coming and the effete Ivy League lads of The Company want to eradicate him. They think that sharpshooter Swagger is just the man to do it.
At the same time, the mob in New York has exiled one of their wayward troops to assist Meyer Lansky in protectng their casino operations in Havana. New York has become too hot for young Frankie who has committed the cardinal sin of whacking a cop’s horse.
The third ingredient in this mojito is the Russian secret service. They have rehabilitated a zek named Speshnev from the gulag to protect and mentor Castro and thwart Swagger.
If you like simple stories, simple heroes and believe in simple virtues, you will like this book. I personally think that the world is a much more complicated place. What saved the book for me was the Russian, Speshnev. He is a fascinating character who is two steps ahead of everyone in the game and enjoying life fully along the way. He is the Crash Davis to Castro’s Nuke Laloosh. He saves Swagger’s butt a couple of times and manages to keep Castro out of trouble too.
My suggestion to Mr. Hunter is that he ditch Swagger (unless he is making a lot of money with these books) and start a new series detailing Speshnev’s adventures throughout the Cold War period. Available 10.07.03. ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin

HAVANA REQUIEM by Paul Goldstein: Stanford law professor Goldstein brings back his alter ego, Michael Seeley, in a new intellectual property law story. Having covered the movie business in his debut, Errors and Omissions (2006,) Goldstein returns to the entertainment industry, but instead of Hollywood, he visits Cuba. Seeley is once again working in his old New York City law firm and takes on a case to get copyrights returned to the original Cuban composers of their “Buena Vista Social Club” type music, which has been enjoying a resurgence in popularity. Reynoso is his new client, and he delivers a list of several other composers who are in the same predicament. Seeley’s job is to convince them all to sign legal documents giving him the authority to go after their music, which puts him in direct conflict with his law firm’s clients, his legal partners, the Cuban government, and eventually the State Department. VERDICT: Plodding pacing and too many under-developed characters belie this book’s legal ‘thriller’ status. Buy for larger fiction collections only. 5/12 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2012 Library Journal, a division of Media Source Inc. Reprinted with permission.

HAVE MERCY ON US ALL by Fred Vargas: It’s easy to see why Fred Vargas is an international bestseller! In Mercy her first American release, a plague-monger is terrorizing modern-day Paris. Cryptic messages regarding an upcoming outbreak of the “black death” appear in the local town crier’s box. At the same time, an odd symbol appears on doors all over the city. Chief Inspector Adamsberg believes it is nothing more than a coincidence until the first body appears. Adamsberg will no doubt draw comparison to a roguish Columbo. However, this brilliant, if absentminded, inspector brings with him a whole cast of supporting characters who help solve the crime at hand. Insight into Adamsberg’s private life as well as heavy character development, are what makes this an especially fascinating read. This is not a traditional mystery in the sense that the reader is not given all of the clues to solve the mystery but rather follows along as Adamsberg reveals his own deductions. Mercy will leave readers longing for more. The good news is that book two is being released in October, so they won’t have to wait much longer! 09/06 Becky LeJeune

HEAD GAMES by Craig McDonald: Its hard to top what Ken Bruen had to say about this debut outing – “”You’ve got to find what you love and let it kill you.’ Jesus, I’d kill for those lines. This book just took my breath away. I am beyond impressed.” Its 1957 and Senator Prescott Bush (hmmm) wants Pancho Villa’s head. Aging writer Mason Lassiter gets caught in the cross fire between Mexican nationalists and frat boys out to place Villa’s head in Yale’s Skull and Bones Society trophy case. Following the yellow brick road, Lassiter encounters Orson Welles, Marlene Dietrich, Jack Webb and a young National Guardsman named “George W.” along with lines like “it’s a tricky thing, firing for flesh wounds with a machine gun at close range”. Call this one a comedy caper historical fiction road novel with chords of myth, history, loss and redemption, but mostly call it hilariously funny. 11/07 Jack Quick

HEADS YOU LOSE by Lisa Lutz & David Hayward: Mystery fans are in for a treat with this different sort of collaboration from Spellman series author Lisa Lutz and her ex, David Hayward. With Lutz’s beginning chapter to kick things off, the two work together to create a mystery that begins with pot growing siblings discovering a body on their property. Given their choice in career, calling the cops is not an option, but their curiosity about the killing leads to their own investigation, the results of which are a surprise to even the authors. The idea was that each author would alternate chapters, there would be no plotting/outlining, and neither author would make changes to the other’s chapters. What makes this book different is that the reader knows this from the outset and the authors’ comments and notes to each other are included. As the mystery draws to an end, the authors’ snarky arguments become more and more hilarious. Unbelievably, it works: the story is fun and the authors’ notes are even more so. 04/11 Becky Lejeune

HEART OF A KILLER by David Rosenfelt: David Rosenfelt has written nine novels involving his wise cracking attorney Andy Carpenter, all successful and very entertaining. They feature twists and turns in interesting plots. Two actually utilized Golden Retrievers, Rosenfelt’s favorite dogs, as part and parcel of the case that Carpenter was defending. Heart of a Killer is a stand alone novel and one of the most fascinating books I have read in a long time. Jamie Wagner is a young lawyer working for a large law firm and not very excited about the normal prospects of advancement in such firms. His supervisor calls him in suddenly and hands him a pro bono case which is one of the most interesting ideas I’ve come across. Sheryl Harrison is in her sixth year of a thirty year sentence for killing her husband, a crime that she confessed to right away. Her daughter has a damaged heart for which nothing can be done any more, and needs a heart transplant. Sheryl requires an attorney to get the state to allow her to pass her heart to her daughter – in effect via suicide.

Jamie takes the case and in pursuing it brings out information which is germane to a situation that the Federal government is currently investigating. A brilliant criminal computer hacker has committed several computer based crimes killing people and threatens more if he is not paid a prodigious amount of money. The hacker is a psychopathic killer and if not stopped will surely accelerate his crimes. Rosenfelt introduces a secondary character that helps Jamie and Sheryl with their case. He is incidentally the police officer that took Sheryl’s confession when he was sent to the scene of the murder and even then had the strong feeling that she could not have committed the crime. He also becomes involved with the government’s pursuit of the computer hacker. Based on Rosenfelt’s fleshing out of this character I think he might reappear in future books. The principal protagonists Jamie and Sheryl are very well done and coupled with a surprise twist at the ending of the book keep the reader absorbed and probably reading far into the night. Excellent idea, very well done and another Rosenfelt triumph. 3/12 Paul Lane

HEART OF A KILLER by David Rosenfelt: Jamie Wagner is a young lawyer flying under the radar at a large firm, when he gets a career making case handed to him as part of the firm’s pro-bono work Sheryl Harrison has served four years of a thirty-year murder sentence for killing her husband, who she claims was abusive. The case is settled—there shouldn’t be anything for Jamie to do—except Sheryl’s fourteen-year-old daughter, Karen, is sick. She has a congenital heart defect and will die without a transplant. Her blood type is rare, making their chances of finding a matching donor remote at best. Sheryl wants to be that donor for her daughter, and Jamie is in way over his head. Suicide, no matter the motive, is illegal. It appears that the only way he can give Sheryl he desire is to somehow get her conviction overturned. A page turner. 6/12 Jack Quick
HEART OF THE HUNTER by Deon Meyer: Thobela (Tiny) Mpayipheli aka Umzingeli, the Hunter is a hulking black motorcycle-shop janitor and former KGB-trained assassin who plied his trade in service of the struggle against apartheid. He is now a peace-loving family man, but when a plea for help comes from the daughter of an old friend, he is forced to race across the country on a motorcycle to deliver a coveted disk, chased by a homicidal special forces commander. In some ways, this is a standard thriller complete with CIA involvement, but what sets it apart is the emotional complexity of the hero’s journey and the unusual setting. There are a lot of loose ends which hopefully, may be addressed in a sequel. Definitely recommend. 02/11 Jack Quick

HEART OF THE WORLD by Linda Barnes: Boston PI Carlotta Carlyle is doing some “big digging” of her own in this 11th adventure. This time, however, the case is a very personal one. Paolina, Carlotta’s teenaged “Little Sister” whom she loves like a daughter, has disappeared and no one except Carlotta seems to care. Carlyle, a part-time taxi driver and part-time PI is very believable in her native Boston as she struggles with her relationship with Mafioso Sam Gianelli. Unfortunately, she doesn’t seem to travel well. It doesn’t take long for Carlyle to begin to suspect that Paolina didn’t run away on her own, but was in fact kidnapped. She hopes the kidnappers were in the employ of Paolina’s biological father, a Colombian drug lord known as Roldan. However, there is the possibility that it was enemies of Roldan who engineered the snatch. Carlotta travels first to Miami and tracks down Roldan’s lawyer and from there it is on to Bogota. While well written, as were previous Carlyle adventures, it is here that the story begins to break down a bit. With her height and red hair, Carlotta fits pretty well into Irish dominated Boston. In Bogotá both work against her, even though she conveniently speaks Spanish. In the midst of all this Sam decides to propose to Carlotta, which leads to an emotional ending that screams for a sequel soon. Overall another good entry from Ms. Barnes, but I would suggest that future adventures remain fueled on New England clam chowder. 08/06 Jack Quick

HEART-SHAPED BOX by Joe Hill: Aging rocker, Judas Coyne is a collector of the strange and macabre. Some of the items in his collection include artwork by a serial killer, a used hangman’s noose and a snuff film. When the opportunity to purchase ghost online is presented to him, it’s too good to resist even if he believes it’s a fake. The seller promises to send the dead man’s favorite suit and that the ghost of her father will surely follow. When the suit arrives, in an oversized, black, heart-shaped box, Jude hides the thing away in a closet, resigned not to think anymore about it. That night, the ghost appears. Jude soon realizes that he’s been duped in the worst way. This is no ordinary ghost. Jude has allowed an evil spirit, hell-bent on revenge, into his home and his life and now, he can’t get the ghost to leave. The not so well-kept secret about this author – he’s Stephen King’s son. By choosing the same genre as his famous father, Hill will no doubt draw comparison. This creepy debut proves, however, that Joe Hill is a superb addition to the horror genre with a style and voice all his own. 02/07 Becky Lejeune

THE HEARTBREAK LOUNGE by Wallace Stroby: Former New Jersey State Trooper Harry Rane is back in New Jersey and his wife, Cristina, is away in Seattle trying to determine how to keep their marriage together. Nikki Ennis used to work as a dancer at the Heartbreak Lounge in Asbury Park. She was pregnant when Johnny Hartow was convicted in Florida for attempted murder. She knew the best thing for her baby was to give him up at birth. Now seven years later, Johnny is back and looking for his son. Harry picks up some more bruises in this gritty sequel to the Barbed Wire Kiss, but there are a few glimmers of hope in this grim, but first rate effort. 03/10 Jack Quick

HEARTBREAKER by Robert Ferrigno: Ex-undercover cop Val Duran, appears on the television quiz show Jeopardy to catch the attention of a dangerous adversary named Junior. Half the dope dealers in south Florida were glued to the tube every afternoon, making bets, yelling at the contestants. Junior once shot out a forty-seven inch Mitsubishi over a missed answer. Junior also killed Val’s former partner and threatened his only living relative, his grandmother, Grace. Val takes the old woman with him from Miami, and they hide out in Southern California. Here, he plots some serious revenge on Junior but life gets complicated when he meets a beautiful, troubled marine biologist named Kyle Abbott and her seriously dysfunctional wealthy family. Add in a gorgeous female sociopath and a Gulf War Syndrome victim and you have what could become a cliché in lesser hands, but Ferrigno has the touch with lines like “Even before dawn the freeways buzzed with ambition. It made him homesick for the sultry indolence of Miami, cruising down the A1A, windows rolled down so he could smell the oleander blooming along the median.” A good one. 03/11 Jack Quick

HEARTSICK by Chelsea Cain: Set in damp Portland, Oregon, this thriller rises above the pack and draws comparisons to Thomas Harris’ Silence of the Lambs. Cain has penned a fascinating and macabre study of the relationship between a serial killer and the cop that chased her – yes, her – for ten years. Detective Archie Sheridan headed the task force until Dr. Gretchen Lowell offered to help. Turns out her idea of help was to kidnap and torture Archie for ten long days. But instead of making him her 200th victim, she turns herself in. Archie is put on medical leave and develops a serious pain killer addiction, but two years later is asked back to work when a few teenage girls are murdered and the task force is resurrected. Hoping to spin news coverage their way, a newcomer is added to the task force; Susan Ward, a crime reporter with pink hair that hides a very sharp mind. The story swings back and forth between those ten days of torture and the current case, creating a very interesting juxtaposition and a book that is impossible to put down. First in a series. 09/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

HEARTSICK by Chelsea Cain: Detective Archie Sheridan worked the Beauty Killer case for ten years. In the end, the case almost killed him. Archie was kidnapped and tortured for ten days before Gretchen Lowell, the face behind nearly two hundred murders, inexplicably turned herself in. Today, Archie barely hangs on through an addiction to pain-killers, sleeping pills, and anything else that will help to drown out the pain and the memories of what happened. Oddly enough, Archie is declared finally fit to return to work when his superiors decide to reinstate the Beauty Killer Task Force. A new killer has targeted the Portland area and three teenage girls have already been found dead by his hand. This chilling mystery is essentially a story in two parts. One is the current investigation and the race to discover the identity of the After School Strangler before more girls are killed. The second story is that of those horrendous ten days and their aftermath. This creepy debut has drawn comparison to the likes of Thomas Harris and his Hannibal Lecter thrillers. I can certainly see why. Cain has harnessed Harris’s muse – let’s just hope she writes a bit faster than he does. 09/07 Becky Lejeune

HEAT LIGHTNING by John Sandford: This is Sandford’s second outing for investigator Virgil Flowers, first featured in Dark of the Moon. Flowers is in bed with one his wives (the second one to be exact) when he is called out by Lucas Davenport to investigate the second murder in which the victim is found with two small caliber bullet wounds to the head and a lemon in his mouth. Both bodies were found near a veteran’s memorial. It seems obvious that the two murders are connected and Flowers fears there may be more forthcoming unless he can quickly determine what commonality there is between the two victims. A first rate police procedural. Hopefully this series will continue alongside the highly readable “Prey” series featuring Luca Davenport. 10/08 Jack Quick

HEAT WAVE by Richard Castle: I am not a fan of mystery TV shows, forensic shows, any of that. I’ve never willingly watched CSI or Law & Order or any of their mutations. Yet when a friend told me about this new show last year, Castle, I immediately set up the Tivo. Why? Because the main character is a suspense writer, and the show often uses real writers as guest stars – Stephen J. Cannell, James Patterson and Michael Connelly have all been featured. The stories themselves are generally over the top, murders neatly solved in 45 minutes. It’s the characters that make this show, specifically, the main character Rick Castle, played by Nathan Fillion. The premise is Castle is a friend of the Mayor, and has somehow gotten permission to shadow a female detective on the homicide squad as research for his book. On the TV show, the first book of a series featuring this woman detective is published, and magically, it is simultaneously available for sale at bookstores everywhere.
A Manhattan millionaire is found dead on the sidewalk. The trophy wife with a suspicious past becomes the first suspect. A slim volume with a mystery at it’s heart that is a simple as those on the TV show, the characters are again what make this book worth reading. Castle is transformed into “Rook”, a journalist rather than a novelist. Is it a great mystery? No. Is it especially well written? No. It’s a fun read, especially for fans of the show. Note: They have taken this gag as seriously as one can take something like this. The author bio references Castle’s fictional TV family. At the front of the book is a list of nonexistent books by this author. The author is a fictional character, and the books are a figment of his imagination. Please don’t annoy your bookseller or librarian by demanding these titles.
I would love to know who really wrote this book. I suspect Stephen J. Cannell, as he has been involved since its inception and “blurbed” the book, but I haven’t been able to find out…yet. 12/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch
HEIR APPARENT by Twist Phelan: First issued in 2002 and the first book in a series, this is a new, revised edition that apparently smoothes out the original book to better mesh with FALSE FORTUNE, Phelan’s newest book, which will be released this fall. Young Joe McGinnis has just passed the Arizona bar when the Senior Partner of his Pinnacle Peak employer, one of the area’s most prestigious firms, dies in an automobile accident that we, the readers, are pretty certain is murder. Then on the night of McGinnis’ first date with Mia Ortiz, personal assistant to Cordelia Barrett, a wealthy client, the young couple return to Ms. Barrett’s home and find Barrett and her son both dead – sprawled in a pool of blood. Joe knows that Ms. Barrett had changed her will, an action with which her son violently disagreed. But then Mia is charged with the murder. Quite a challenge for a novice attorney. Looks like my summer will be spent catching up on this series. 05/07 Jack Quick

HEIR APPARENT by Twist Phelan: Just in time for the latest installment in her Pinnacle Peak series, Phelan has decided to re-release book one, with some editing and additions. Green lawyer Joe McGuinness is lucky he was able to keep his job after the unfortunate death of his new boss. It doesn’t mean that he is happy with his new assignment. With his mentor’s position open, Joe is reassigned to the Trust and Estates, or Deadhead, division of the firm. One of their prestigious clients, Cordelia Barrett, has made some recent changes to her Last Will and Testament and it’s Joe’s job to deliver the final copy. A lucky accident leads to his meeting Mia, Mrs. Barrett’s personal assistant. On the night of their first official date, Joe and Mia discover the bodies of Cordelia and her son Sonny. Mia is arrested and the evidence seems to point to her guilt but Joe is unconvinced. Someone was not happy with the changes in Mrs. Barrett’s will. With Sonny dead and Mia behind bars, Joe must discover who could stand to benefit from the Barrett’s deaths. There are a total of four mysteries involved in this one little novel, probably a few too many for me. Otherwise, Phelan’s mystery is enjoyable and entertaining. Joe McGuinness does not appear to be the main character in the following titles of the series, but his somewhat goofy buddy Jerry Dan is part of the reason this debut was re-released in the first place. 05/07 Becky Lejeune

THE HEIST by Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg: This is a new series centered around ex-Navy Seal turned FBI agent Kate O’Hare. Yeah, I’m pretty sure the Seals don’t take women but it works for this story. O’Hare is after Nick Fox, a con man who has escaped capture more times that she wants to think about. She finally gets her man and he escapes from custody at the courthouse. Kate is kicked off the case and put on vacation, but her idea of a vacation is catching her man. Turns out he’s been turned and is now her partner, working to capture other con artists that are beyond the legal reach of the FBI. Tracking their mark around the world makes for additional interest as does the crew they put together. Kate is backed up by her father, retired military who has taught her how to kill a man sixteen different ways with just a tweezer. The girl’s got skills and so do Evanovich and Goldberg. I’d like to see these characters more fully developed but the basic premise is good. This appears to be the first of a new series and I’m looking forward to more. 7/13 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

HELL FOR THE HOLIDAYS by Chris Grabenstein: When a customs agent’s kid gets snatched on Halloween in FBI agent Christopher Miller’s neighborhood, he goes into work mode. You may remember Miller from Slay Ride, the first terrific Christopher Miller Holiday Thriller. Miller is a kidnapping expert, but he has some family stuff to deal with – it was his daughter Angela who was kidnapped the previous Christmas by a “bad Santa”, and with the holidays approaching, her fears are resurfacing. But she is dying to go to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and her psychologist mom knows that seeing a “good Santa” can only be good for Angela. So they make hotel reservations and plan a therapeutic trip to NYC. Meanwhile, Miller wonders why there was no ransom demand, but the FBI isn’t interested, they are solely focused on international terrorists. What Miller doesn’t know is that Dr. John Tilley, a white supremacist, has a plan to take back America and unfortunately, his plan includes an ex-Marine sharpshooter with a Stinger missile and a parade target. Hell for the Holidays proves Grabenstein can do more than light and funny; the hatred being spewed made me uncomfortable at times, but the book moves at lightening speed, and I couldn’t put it down. Treat yourself to a holiday gift…12/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

HELL FOR THE HOLIDAYS by Chris Grabenstein: A lightly written book about holiday terror featuring African-American Jersey City FBI agent Christopher Miller. A white supremacist group is planning to disrupt the holidays by blowing up an aircraft full of folks departing New York for Africa on the day before Thanksgiving. All the stock characters are involved, and while the plot is complicated, the punches are telegraphed loud and clear and the dialogue leaves a lot to be desired. All in all, a cozy dressed up as a thriller/ police procedural. Not unlike a Stuart Woods, although Woods does a better job of character development. I think this was one that was written for the money. 09/08 Jack Quick

HELL GATE by Linda Fairstein: Alexandra Cooper is back and she’s got her hands full. First a boatload of illegal immigrants crashes on Rockaway Beach, washing up several bodies – at least one of whom was dead before she hit the water. If that isn’t enough to keep her busy, she is also dealing with a drunk driving married congressman with a crazy girlfriend who has his love child, and a politically ambitious mayor. Mike Chapman is on the case and somehow Fairstein manages to tie it all together by the end. Added bonus – learn lots about Gracie Mansion and the Federalist mansions in NYC. Fairstein provides a very entertaining read, as usual. 04/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

HELL HOLE by Chris Grabenstein: It wouldn’t be summer without John Ceepak and Danny Boyle, back in their fourth outing on the Jersey shore. Grabenstein has been going darker with his writing (Hell for the Holidays, Slay Ride) and this book – and its cover – reflect that change. It works. Ceepak is still the honorable man that Boyle aspires to, underscored by a decision to let the kids baseball team he coaches lose rather than accept a bad call in their favor by an umpire. The lightness ends with that game, however, as Boyle is called to handle a noise disturbance with a bunch of partying soldiers home on leave from Iraq. While talking to the soldiers, they get a call to identify the body of another soldier, an apparent suicide, found in the men’s room at a highway rest stop. Boyle won’t let the men, who’ve been drinking for hours, drive, so he escorts them there. He finds a detective he’d worked with before and found incompetent, a suicide that doesn’t look quite right, and the need to talk it all over with Ceepak. This leads to several questions, chief of which are how bad is the illegal drug situation in Iraq and how far will politicians go to gain the White House. Disturbing answers await in this intricate, fast moving and terrific tale. 7/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

HELL HOLE by Chris Grabenstein: It starts with the apparent suicide of Corporal Shariff Smith, an Iraqi war veteran, but it becomes very personal for super-Cop John Ceepak and his rookie sidekick, Danny Boyle, of the Sea Haven, N.J., police force when it is determined that the man was someone whose life Ceepak had saved in an Iraqi ambush. The plot is not overly complicated with a ring of local thieves, a squad of soldiers home from Iraqi, a Senator whose son may not be as advertised, and a potential new girlfriend for Danny – Auxiliary Officer Samantha “Sam” Starkey, who is as green as Danny was a few years ago. Serious but with the touch of lightness you would expect in a New Jersey beach-side resort town. 09/08 Jack Quick

A HELL OF A WOMAN: AN ANTHOLOGY OF FEMALE NOIR edited by Meg Abbott: What is the best story in this anthology? An easy question – the next one. From the opening line of the first one “”Hey.” Fucking blinding light in her eyes.” to the appendix where authors, booksellers, critics, and film aficionados pay homage to favorite noir writers, characters, and performers, this one is a walk on the wild side and a must read for anyone who “likes their women on the trashy side.” The foreword is by Val McDermid and there are 24 contributors, most of whom are stalwarts in the field – Ken Bruen, Zoe Sharp, S. J. Rozan, Vicki Hendricks, 4MA’s Donna Moore, Christa Faust, and Sandra Scoppettone. To quote Debby Marsh in 1953’s The Big Heat, “We’re all sisters under the mink.” Outstanding product from the folks at Houston’s Busted Flush Press. 01/09 Jack Quick

HELL OR HIGH WATER by Joy Castro: Nola Cespedes is sick of covering human interest fluff pieces. Then her boss approaches her with a real assignment: in the aftermath of Katrina, a number of sex offenders went off the map. The piece Nola’s boss has given her would involve covering the public’s opinions and perspectives as well as that of registered sex offenders living in the city. Though she’s not excited about the prospect of interviewing a bunch of perverted, and possibly even violent, criminals, it’s Nola’s one shot to make it big. Nola wants nothing more than to move to New York and make a name for herself, and she knows this is the best chance she’ll have. Meanwhile, a girl has been kidnapped — taken from a crowded restaurant in the middle of the day. It’s believed that the case is tied to two other recent murders. If Nola can connect the kidnapping and the murders with the piece she’s writing, she’ll be set. But Nola’s story places her in the middle of a shady subculture of criminals and as she pushes her limits at work, problems in her personal life are coming to a head. Hell or High Water is definitely one of those word of mouth books. The story is really too complicated to fairly sum up in a quick nutshell description, but it definitely deserves a lot of attention. Castro’s fiction debut is well plotted and features an intriguing lead character. Castro also does an amazing job with her setting. The real New Orleans comes to life in this book – the good and the not so tourist friendly but not quite bad as well. 8/12 Becky Lejeune

Hell to Pay by George Pelecanos: Strange & Quinn are back in this sequel to Right as Rain, and the streets of D.C. are as black and gritty as ever. The private investigators are hired to find a fourteen-year-old runaway girl from the suburbs, and it turns out she is working as a prostitute for one very bad guy. Things really spin out of control when one of the boys on Derek Strange’s PeeWee football team is killed, and Strange takes it personally. This fast moving, suspenseful story kept me turning pages until the wee hours.

HELL’S BAY by James W. Hall: Thorn is back in his wildest adventure yet. He is leading a fishing expedition into the isolated lakes and mangrove swamps of Hells Bay in the Everglades when he meets up with the Bates family. They are one of Florida’s aristocratic pioneer clans with huge holdings in real estate and mining. The family matriarch Abigail has been killed and her heirs want Thorn to solve the case, claiming he is, in fact, a long lost relative. Deliverance, meet Cape Fear, in what is probably Hall’s best effort to date. You can cut the tension with one of Thorn’s sharp fishing knives while in the background the sound of banjos can be heard over the surf. Hall certainly knows his Florida and with lines like “the air smelled of snakes and damp mud and an occasional gust of a sharp insistent citrus scent that made her think of a teenage boy’s first cologne,” you are pulled right into the swamps and sloughs. 04/08 Jack Quick

THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett: Jackson, Mississippi is the setting for this amazing debut novel about the civil rights movement in the early 1960’s. Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan is an old school, moneyed Southern belle who, unlike all her friends, is unmarried. Skeeter wants to be a writer, and applies for a position at a New York publishing house. The editor offers her the advice to “write about what disturbs you” and Skeeter does just that. Constantine, the black maid who helped raise her, mysteriously quits and moves away while Skeeter is away at college. Her parents won’t tell her why, and Skeeter is bereft. She turns to her friends’ maids, but they won’t tell her either. Then she gets the idea to write a book about how these maids really feel about their jobs, their employers and their lives. But this is the deep south, where a young man is beaten and blinded for using a white restroom even though it wasn’t labeled as such, and fears run deep. Eventually one maid agrees to talk to her, and then another, and their stories make for mesmerizing reading. Stockett includes an author’s note at the end that adds to the authenticity of the book. Book clubs are going to love this as much as I did – don’t miss it. 08/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

HELP FOR THE HAUNTED by John Searles: Sylvester and Rose Mason offer up a very unique service: they help the haunted. For a while they even took their two daughters, Sylvie and Rose, along with them. But one night, Sylvester and Rose get a phone call that proves to be their last. Everyone has always been certain that Albert Lynch was responsible. After all, Albert left his troubled daughter in the Mason’s care not long before their death. Sylvie is the star witness in the case, having entered the church where her parents were killed just moments after the crime took place. Lately, however, she’s had doubts about what she believed she saw that night. Searles’s latest is a mystery wrapped up in a bit of horror package. While the book is a thriller at heart, there are some seriously creepy elements to the story. Enough to give even the most hardy horror fan goosebumps. The narrative unfolds in two timelines, Sylvie post murder and Sylvie’s own version of events leading up to the incident as she tries to determine who had a motive to kill her parents. Help For the Haunted is one of my favorite novels of the year and one that I’d highly recommend to anyone looking for a fabulously plotted and somewhat scary read. 10/13 Becky Lejeune

HELPLESS by Daniel Palmer: Daniel Palmer burst on the literary scene in February 2011 with an extremely absorbing techno-thriller. It remained for him to prove that he is capable of producing the same quality novel, and with the publication of Helpless he certainly did and than some. The book is also a techno-thriller with a plot line that is both fascinating and frightening for people having so much of their lives based on computer records and actions. Mr Palmer spent a decade working on first generation web sites and his intimate knowledge of computer workings is brought to bear in Helpless, as it was in his first book, Delirious.

Tom Hawkins, an ex Navy Seal returns to his home town with the intention of raising his daughter Jill after the murder of his wife. He unexpectedly finds himself a suspect in his wife’s murder. While looking to extract himself from that charge he finds that evidence is presented gained from searches of his own computer and cell phone against him accusing him of buying porn photos of girls in the town and selling them, and at the same time a blog accuses him of sleeping with one of the soccer players on the girl’s high school soccer team that he coaches.
The FBI has jurisdiction in pornography marketing and sends in an agent and backup. Loraine Miles (Rainy) is the agent and after looking at the facts presented and talking to Tom becomes increasingly unsure that Tom was not framed for the crimes he is accused of. During the course of the investigation a romance begins to develop between the two.
The concept of being able to set up people as culpable for crimes committed using their own computers and cell phones is a very frightening one and looking at the accusations and facts established against Tom makes the reader aware that the same thing can happen to them if a computer expert sets his or her mind to it. Palmer makes a great case for setting up some oversight on possibly the part of the FBI to work with people who are caught in computer based accusations and are seemingly trapped. Daniel Palmer has written his first two books in the space of a year. That makes it probable that the next one will be out about the beginning of 2013. I plan to read it on the night before a day off so that when I’m done I can sleep late the next day. 3/12 Paul Lane

HEMLOCK by Kathleen Peacock: A white wolf has been killing people in Hemlock and Mac’s best friend, Amy, is the latest victim. After the discovery of Lupine Syndrome, werewolves have become commonplace everywhere. The bloodlust of a newly infected werewolf is uncontrollable and anyone suspected of infection is immediately shipped to a rehabilitation camp. Everyone believes the Hemlock murders have to be the result of a newly infected suffering from bloodlust. When the Trackers are brought in to bring down the wolf, Hemlock is thrown into chaos. Some students at Mac’s school are accused of being infected while others begin to fully support and follow the Trackers themselves. Haunted by Amy’s death, Mac decides the only way to gain closure and put things right is to find Amy’s killer on her own. But her investigation turns up surprising secrets concerning those closest to her. Could the killer be someone Mac knows? Hemlock is fantastic all around—characters that feel real and are believable as teens and a pacing and plot that are quick and compelling. Hemlock is definitely a must for urban fantasy and paranormal mystery fans both teen and adult. 5/12 Becky Lejeune

Henry’s List of Wrongs by John Scott Shepherd: A hilarious romp through one man’s attempt at repenting for all the wrongs he’s committed. Very enjoyable, quick read. Footnote: I read that the film rights had been sold with Jim Carrey (not my favorite actor) to star, which sort of threw a pall over the book for me.

HER FEARFUL SYMMETRY by Audrey Niffenegger: It’s been a few years since The Time Traveler’s Wife but I have to admit, it was worth the wait. Niffenegger is just a great storyteller, and she keeps turning my preconceived ideas on their heads. I don’t generally care for ghost stories, at least not since I was a kid, but this book – a ghost story in its simplest incantation – kept me mesmerized. Perhaps it was the twins angle; like many people I’ve always been fascinated by identical twins. The symmetry here is in two generations of identical twins. Edwina and Elspeth had a falling out and hadn’t spoken in decades, helped by the fact that Edwina moved to America while Elspeth stayed in London. When Elspeth dies, she bequeaths her worldly goods to Julia and Valentina, Edwina’s identical twin daughters whom she never met, with the unusual request that in order to collect, the girls must live in Elspeth’s flat for one year. The bigger catch, however, is that Elslpeth’s ghost hasn’t left the flat. Julia and Valentina are delighted; the twenty year olds have dropped out of college and just floundering, and an adventure abroad for a year seems like just the escape they need. During the course of their year, they learn about their interesting neighbors, and the famous Highgate Cemetary that borders the property. Lots of family secrets are eventually revealed, but it’s the truly interesting characters that propel this story forward. A great read. 10/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch.

THE HERETIC’S DAUGHTER by Kathleen Kent: Between February 1692 and May 1693, over 150 men, women, and children from Salem and the neighboring villages were accused of witchcraft. They would all be imprisoned, and some tortured and hanged, before the harrowing event would finally come to an end. On August 19, 1692, after being prosecuted and convicted, Martha Carrier was hanged and killed. Author Kathleen Kent is a tenth-generation descendant of this fascinating woman. The Heretic’s Daughter is Martha’s story as told through the eyes of her ten-year-old daughter Sarah. Their mother daughter relationship is a strained one, but in the months leading to her mother’s arrest and death, Sarah finally begins to understand and open up to her mother. Kent’s debut is an incredible read and her passion for her subject really shines through. It’s also one of the most emotionally turbulent books I’ve read in quite a while. The Heretic’s Daughter is a powerful novel that proves what a great talent Kathleen Kent has already become. This should be on everyone’s must read list for fall. 09/08 Becky Lejeune

THE HEROINES by Eileen Favorite: The Prairie Homestead is not your typical bed and breakfast. The average guest could be rubbing elbows with some of the most famous ladies of literature and never know it. Penny Entwhistle and her mother have successfully kept their infamous guests secret up until now. Penny’s own typical teen angst threatens to blow the lid on everything her mother has worked for. When Penny reveals to members of the public that the likes of Madame Bovary and Scarlett O’Hara have been hanging out at her house, her own mother lies and says that her daughter is imagining things. This lands Penny a vacation in a mental institution she calls the Unit. Desperate to get out, Penny again risks everything by having her own knight on a white horse rescue her – not her knight of course but one visiting from yet another classic tale of romance and woe. The results could be disastrous but the trip along the way is mighty entertaining. Favorite’s debut is a fanciful tale of mothers and daughters and growing up, with a twist of romantic literature. The Heroines is an amusing read for book lovers everywhere. 12/07 Becky Lejeune

HE’S GONE by Deb Caletti: Ian Keller has disappeared without a trace. The last thing Dani remembered before Ian went missing was returning home from his company party. They hadn’t fought, but she knew he was angry with her. The next morning he was gone. She thought maybe he’d gone to get coffee. Then she thought he might have run into someone and gotten caught up in a conversation. Dani ran through every possibility she could think of before she realized his car was still parked in the lot near their houseboat. And then she got worried. Did Ian leave her? It’s happened before – Ian left his first wife to marry Dani, who was married as well when they met. Or is it something worse? I’m at odds with Deb Caletti’s latest. On the one hand, the writing is fabulous. Dani’s narrative is devoted to analyzing every aspect of her relationship, trying to find a way to unravel what’s happened to Ian. On the other hand, He’s Gone is a really depressing read. 5/13 Becky Lejeune

THE HIDDEN by Bill Pronzini: The Northern California coastline is one of the most beautiful places on earth. The Coastline Killer thinks so, and is dedicated to do whatever it takes to keep it that way. Four victims so far for this “environmental activist.” Will jay and Shelby Macklin be his next victims? Does it matter to them? Their ten year marriage is coming apart at the seams, Jay is unemployed and nearly unemployable – a promising baseball career ended by injuries, the failure of his restaurant, and the heart problems he hasn’t disclosed even to Shelby. Shelby’s words, “Two people can’t live together without communicating” perfectly sum up their current situation. An EMT, She is attracted to an ER doctor but has resisted beginning an affair. Together and separately they are spending the week after Christmas at a cottage on the wild and beautiful northern California coast. Jay’s hope is that he can save their marriage, but a violent storm and the Coastline Killer make marital woes secondary to survival. Pronzini has written 70-plus novels, and The Hidden shows no drop off in quality. Not gory but suspenseful enough to make you double check the door and window locks before you go to bed tonight. 02/11 Jack Quick

THE HIDDEN MAN by David Ellis: Jason and Sammy grew up together, best friends until high school; Jason went on to college and law school, while Sammy coasted after his baby sister was kidnapped and never found. Jason became a star at a top law firm but left to practice solo after his wife and daughter were killed in a car accident. Then the past comes back to haunt them both. Jason receives a $10,000 cash retainer from a mysterious “Mr. Smith” to defend Sammy, who is accused of murdering the man long ago suspected of kidnapping his sister. But he won’t plead temporary insanity, which would allow the dead man’s past into evidence, and Jason is frustrated. “Mr. Smith” has explicit ideas about how he wants the defense handled, and things start going awry when Jason deviates from the plan. Edgar-award winner Ellis (Line of Vision, Eye of the Beholder) has created an interesting character, a damaged lawyer who’s not afraid to get his hands dirty, to build this new series around. 09/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch. Copyright © 2009 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Reprinted with permission.

HIDE by Lisa Gardner: Boston Police Sergeant D. D. Warren hooks up with Massachusetts State Detective Robert Dodge (Alone) to investigate a long abandoned underground cavern found on the grounds of the former Boston State Mental Hospital. The hospital had been shut down decades earlier, but the mummified bodies of six young girls are found below ground, somewhat reminiscent of a previous case. Annabelle Granger has spent her life running, moving from city to city with a new name every eighteen months or so at her paranoid father’s whim. Annabelle is thought to be one of the dead girls until she strolls into the police station, a beautiful young woman who bears a striking resemblance to a previous victim. Former patients and staff members of the hospital become the prime suspects in this fast paced, twisty thriller. The point of view occasionally shifts from Annabelle’s first person perspective to an omniscient narrator to easily give the reader more information than Annabelle has, but the introduction of a new, critical character towards the end of the book was rather unsettling. 02/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

HIDING PLACE by Collin Wilcox: In this fourth Lieutenant Frank Hastings outing (1973) the crew is working the homicide of a girl whose body is found in Golden Gate Park. The deeper the group investigates the more complicated the chase becomes. Then a second murder raises the stakes to resolve the case quickly. Another excellent police procedural of the that era – no cellphones or computers, cigarettes are still socially acceptable, and if there needs to be a little bit of leaning to unlock some clues so be it. Nicely done and highly recommended. 12/10 Jack Quick

HIGH PROFILE by Robert B. Parker: It is not a good day in Paradise when the body of Walton Weeks is found hanging from a tree. Weeks hosted a popular national radio gabfest, wrote a newspaper column, and churned out best-selling books until someone shot him and left him hanging from a tree. The next body to be found is that of Weeks’ pregnant lover. Paradise Chief of Police Jesse Stone finds himself in the middle of the highest profile case of his career as he tries to solve the double homicide with his 12-person force and remain sober during the process. He also has to contend with his ex-wife Jenn, now an investigative reporter, as well as private investigator Sunny Randall–a sometime lover—that he needs to help with Jenn. A typical Parker outing. Taut language, complex emotions, and a good mystery. One of his best. 02/07 Jack Quick

HIGH MIDNIGHT by Stuart Kaminsky: Its number 6 in the World War II era adventures of LA PI Toby Peters, Detective to the Stars. This one ain’t High Noon but like that famous 1952 classic, it does feature Gary Cooper. Someone wants to make a movie with him so badly they resort to threats, blackmail, and murder. With a little help from a writer type named Ernest Hemingway, Peters stumbles over corpses, avoids stray bullets, and tries to keep from being turned into a Kosher hot dog by some menacing East Coast thugs. Remember the words of Client Eastwood as Dirty Harry, “Nobody, I mean, nobody, puts ketchup on a hot dog.” If you are a movie buff, this series is for you. 05/09 Jack Quick

Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews: This is just a fun read. It’s about a woman who catches her fiancé banging her best friend/maid of honor on the board room table at the country club during their rehearsal dinner. She goes wild, pitches an historic “hissy fit” and storms out, then meets a wealthy young man who’s amused at her misspelled keying of her ex-beloved’s car in the parking lot. She spends the rest of the book decorating his newly purchased plantation style home (this is Southern fiction) so he can impress some hot lawyer he saw on a PBS fundraiser. She pals around with her gay best friend who convinces her she has abandonment issues since her mother’s disappearance 25 years earlier, lending a pinch of suspense to the plot. It’s light, fast moving, entertaining fun and I couldn’t put it down (and just the perfect antidote to hurricanes.) Then I went back and read SAVANNAH BLUES, which was also great fun.

THE HISTORY OF LOVE by Nicole Krauss: This is an amazing book – I borrowed it from the library, read it, then ran out and bought a copy and read it again. The “love” in the title is a love of literature, of books, of family, of laughter despite the pain of life. Unforgettable characters, a book within a book within a book that all comes together in the end, a joy! Leo Gursky is an old man who creates disturbances wherever he goes just so people will notice him – for who notices an old man? His losses are numerous, yet he keeps on keeping on and making us laugh while he does it. His lost novel, appropriately titled The History of Love, unbeknownst to him was published by another. The woman he loved and wanted to marry who couldn’t wait and married someone else. His son, a revered author, who doesn’t even know who he is. Then there is a young girl, Alma Singer, named for the main character in the book Leo doesn’t even know was published. Her search for the truth while dealing with the death of her father adds a haunting suspense that enriches the story even further. To be drawn into this world is a delight, and I am grateful. 06/05

THE HIT by David Baldacci: Will Robie was introduced in The Innocent. He is an assassin working for the CIA and charged with killing persons deemed enemies of the United States at any location necessary. A skilled killer, with no mercy, he is considered by his peers at the agency as one of the best they have handling the assignments given to him, and not questioning the reason for the kill order. Will is handed the assignment of hunting down and killing Jessica Reel, a fellow employee who has apparently gone rogue and murdered two officers of the CIA with no reason, nor any official sanction to do so. Jessica has a reputation of being almost as good as, or possibly as good as Will in handling assignments for the CIA. With David Baldacci setting up the scenario we know that all is not as initially depicted, and the reader is again treated to another engrossing novel by this master craftsman. What is the truth, and where does it lead Will is a fascinating study in what could happen when people in power find reasons to abuse that power thinking that they are the only ones knowing what is right and wrong. The plot leads us from an assignment to stop a rogue agent to a conspiracy taking place at very high government levels. With his usual talent for fleshing out people in this books, we become involved in the action, and do understand why everyone acts as they do. Another page turner by Baldacci, and a continued desire to read more books by him. 05/13 Paul Lane

HIT ME by Lawrence Block: Keller, the hit man Block made famous, returns after a few years absence. When Keller’s previous arrangements blew up, he became a man named Nicholas Edwards who lives in New Orleans renovating houses, doing honest work and making decent money at it. Between his family and his stamp collection, all his spare time is happily accounted for. But now Dot ahs called and Keller is back in the trade. Keller’s work takes him to New York, the former home he hasn’t dared revisit, where his target is the abbot of a midtown monastery. Another call puts him on a West Indies cruise, taking care of a government witness. The real test comes in Cheyenne, where a recent widow is looking to sell her husband’s stamp collection. 3/13 Jack Quick

HIT AND RUN by Lawrence Block: Keller is like most of us. He has a job that he works at in order to pay his bills, feed his hobby (stamp collecting) and hopefully prepare for his eventual retirement. The major difference is Keller’s a hit man. After all these years and many successful assignments he is now ready to begin that retirement, but there is just one more job. Keller really doesn’t want to go to Des Moines for the job but it has been paid for so what else can he do? After all, there are no refunds in this business. While he is in Des Moines looking at additions to his stamp collection, someone kills the charismatic governor of Ohio. Normally this would have little impact on Keller – except the police have released a picture of the alleged killer. Guess who? Now Keller is stranded in Des Moines, cut off from his associate Dot in White Plains, New York, every cop in America’s just seen his picture, his ID and credit cards are no longer good, and he just spent almost all of his cash on the stamps. The best Keller yet. 07/08 Jack Quick

HIT MAN By Lawrence Block: Block is a multi talented writer, the winner of two Edgars and numerous other awards for his Scudder series, yet being the creative genius he is, he strays afield from time to time. He wrote a short story for “Playboy” called “Answers To Soldier” back in the late 70’s or early 80’s that becomes the lynch pin of this novel; what follows is a collection of brilliantly linked short stories that were published as individual efforts, but eventually became linked together.
Keller is his own man. He’s the guy on the next bar stool to you. He’s a lonely guy, on the one hand craving companionship, and on the other hand, doing his job ruthlessly. He could be your next door neighbor, the guy you wave hi to every day. But when he gets the call, packs his bag, and heads out, he’s a stone killer. The problem is that Keller is not sure that this is his calling. He’s a middle aged guy who’s thinking about getting out of the biz. Block balances Keller’s skill against his own self doubt. (My favorite one in this is called “Keller’s Therapy”) And eventually Keller (and his pal Dot) realize that things have to change. After all, it’s Keller’s only gig, and Dot’s true hope. By the way, Block parlayed this into a second collection called HIT LIST, and one soon to be released (July 4, 06) called HIT PARADE. The beauty of this is that these are short stories that are all interlinked. Block is a damn genius who deserves the accolades he’s received. This is a series that both Scudder and Bernie R. fans can equally get behind. Enjoy the master at work. 05/06 DOC

HIT PARADE by Lawrence Block: John Keller is a working man who ponders questions like: Does this assignment compromise my ethics? Will I ever get another job? Like all careers, his has its challenges, some imposed by circumstance, others generated by introspection. He also ponders a retirement in which he will abandon his Manhattan lifestyle for a trailer in the southwestern desert. The main difference between Keller and the rest of us is that Keller is a hit man, a contract killer who takes on assignments within his own code of ethics and performs them in how own style. You get the feeling that when Block writes about Keller he is really fantasizing for all of us about a life with no rules, or just those we make for ourselves. In any event, the stories in Hit Parade are at times humorous, thoughtful and quintessential Block at his best. 07/06 Jack Quick

HOAX by Robert Tanenbaum: I was prepared to not like this book. Instead of buying it, I waited until I could get it from the library. Apparently Mr. Tanenbaum used Michael Gruber as the ghost for the first 15 Butch Karp and Marlene Ciampi books, all of which were most enjoyable. Whoever has succeeded Gruber has a way to go to match his style and ability. Much of the book is a rehash of the first fifteen books while the plot is mundane – crooked politicians and priestly pedophiles. At 490 pages, it has the feel of being padded by at least a hundred pages. Nevertheless, the characters are like old friends, and while this visit wasn’t as good as some previous ones, it was acceptable. However, hopefully the new guy/gal will catch on quickly, otherwise, I will regretfully say goodbye to Karp, et al. 11/06 Jack Quick

HOLD TIGHT by Harlan Coben: I have had a love/hate relationship with Coben’s books for some time now. I was his biggest champion when he wrote his first standalone thriller, Tell No One. But as he continued to write and define the “family thriller”, I started having serious issues. Coben can suck a reader in and keep those pages turning like nobody’s business, but a few books ago I noticed that he was writing himself into a corner and taking absurd, unbelievable, completely far-fetched ways out of it. That, combined with his penchant for wrapping up every loose end in the last two pages caused me to stop reading him. But I was persuaded to try his last book, The Woods, and I was delighted to find that he finally learned how to write a believable, albeit entirely too detailed, ending. Which brings me to his latest effort, Hold Tight.
Coben recently penned an op-ed piece for the NY Times titled “The Undercover Parent”, about why parents should install software to spy on their children’s every move, every time they go online. He slams that ball home in this book. In lovely suburban New Jersey, one such family is weighing that very option as their teenage son’s grades are sliding and his behavior becomes erratic. The arguments both for and against are well presented, and it is an integral part of the story which includes moms getting murdered, teenage drug parties, and a teenage suicide – most of your basic parental nightmares rolled up into one riveting read – with an ending that makes sense. All in all, I’m happy to say this was an excellent read and a marvelous way to spend a few hours. 05/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

HOLD TIGHT by Harlan Coben: I’m not even certain where to begin with this book. Several different subplots simultaneously take place and unbelievably they all tie in together at the end. First, Sixteen year-old Adam Baye has been distant and emotionally removed lately. His best friend, Spencer, committed suicide and Adam’s parents, Tia and Mike, take action before he follows suit. They install a spy program on his computer that allows them to receive daily reports of his computer activity. They become instantly alarmed when they view some alarming messages that Adam has received. Meanwhile, Spencer’s mother has discovered some evidence that indicates that her son did not commit suicide. She confronts Adam, his best friend, and he disappears. A murderer is on the loose, killing women and leaving their bodies so badly beaten they are not recognizable. And finally, an adolescent girl is taunted at school after her teacher makes a comment about her appearance. Four seemingly very different subplots all come to one by the end of this suspenseful book. This was my first taste of Coben’s writing and I plan on continuing the experience. 07/08 Jennifer Lawrence

HOLD TIGHT by Harlan Coben: A night with a Harlan Coben book is a guaranteed night without sleep. In his latest stand-alone, parents come face-to-face with their worst nightmares. Tia and Mike Baye are concerned when their son, Adam, becomes more reserved and introverted after the suicide of one of his classmates. They go to extremes by installing a program on his computer that will track all of his activities online. Each day, the company responsible sends them a report, and each day is the same mundane stuff. Everything changes when Tia comes across a disturbingly cryptic instant message, and an e-mail about a party Adam is to attend. Mike plans to take Adam to a hockey game, to keep him from going to the party, but Adam disappears. It’s not the first time their son has run off, but Mike and Tia know there has to be something more than teen angst at play here. Coben is the absolute king of suspense – no one does it like he can. In Hold Tight he weaves multiple plot lines together to create yet another page-turning thrill ride that will keep you awake all night. If you pay attention, you just might recognize some familiar faces, too. 04/08 Becky Lejeune

THE HOLLOW MAN by Oliver Harris: Detective Nick Belsey wakes up bloody and bruised after spending the night in the grass. Nearby he finds a crashed police car, not even from his district, and knows he’s the one responsible. In fact, Belsey’s life has been in a slow decline for some time now. His paychecks no longer cover the minimum payments due on his many debts and the creditors are breathing down his neck. What’s more, he’s got no place to live. When he answers a missing person’s call, he starts to think things could turn around. A normal adult disappearance wouldn’t raise any flags but this guy is rich. Still, nothing seems suspicious and the man even left behind a note before leaving. Belsey comes up with a plan to temporarily borrow the man’s identity—and money—and get the heck out of dodge. As he learns more about the missing businessman, though, Belsey decides there’s more to this case than meets the eye. And it seems someone wanted the man dead badly enough that they’re willing to come after Belsey now, too. Harris’s debut is exceptional. Belsey is a true anti-hero, a bad guy in just about every way. His only motivation is completely self-serving and everything his does is to get himself ahead. Still, I couldn’t help but like him. I hope this is to be a new series because I would love to see more of Belsey and definitely can’t wait for more from Harris. 12/12 Becky Lejeune

THE HOLLOWER by Mary SanGiovanni: Dave Kohlar has seen it, so has his sister Sally, and so did the man from Sally’s therapy group who committed suicide. Dave would like to think that he’s a fairly rational man, but when he sees the faceless creature in an overcoat and hat following him around, he’s sure he must be losing it. Then Sally flips out and has to be committed. Shortly after that, she escapes without a trace and Dave knows the creature he calls The Hollower is behind it. Then Dave meets Erik and Cheryl. They see the creature too and it’s possible that the three of them working together may be able to fight this thing. They’re joined by two unlikely allies as they set off to kill something that none of them could possibly understand. Mary SanGiovanni’s debut was a 2007 Stoker nominee for best first novel. Her story is refreshingly original and features a villain who could rival Freddie himself. The Hollower is creepy without ever going over the top. The chills are there and the ending is a killer. No worries, though, the sequel Found You is already out. 09/08 Becky Lejeune

HOLLYWOOD CROWS by Joseph Wambaugh: In LA police jargon, “crows” are the members of the LAPD Community Relations Office (CRO) which handles quality of life issues. “Hollywood Nate” Weiss and partner Bix Ramstead are both crows mesmerized by Margot Aziz, a stunner in the middle of a particular; ugly divorce proceeding. Margot tries to use her feminine wiles to gain the upper hand over about to be ex-husband Ali, whose seedy night club requires regular infusions of cash to various police charities to stay in business. Hollywood and Bix are the main characters n a bunch that includes surfer cops Flotsam and Jetsam, and two female cops Cat Song and Ronnie Sinclair. The book is filled with cop humor like Officer F. X. Mulroney, who fires a taser dart into a tangle of wet steel fencing upon which three homies are sitting. The fifty thousand volts made a crackling sound and arced a blue dagger like in Frankenstein’s lab. Mulroney’s response, “But I was only doing a spark check! Shit happens! Mulroney spread his arms wide, looked up at the darkening sky, and cried, “God knows I’m innocent. Even Bill Clinton had a premature discharge!” Its Wambaugh, same as always, in his thirteenth fictional outing about the real life of LAPDs. 06/08 Jack Quick

HOLLYWOOD HILLS by Joseph Wambaugh: Three of Wambaugh’s most interesting characters are featured in this latest outing from the Hollywood Station of the LAPD. The two surfer-dude cops, known as Flotsam and Jetsam, team up with the veteran”Hollywood Nate” who has consented to keep an eye on the estate of B-list Director Rudy Ressler and his fiance, Leona Brueger, the older-but-still-foxy widow of a processed-meat tycoon. A circle of teenage burglars that the media has dubbed The Bling Ring has been targeting the homes of Hollywood celebs, so there is a real need for the service. Also minding the mansion is Raleigh Dibble, a hapless ex-con trying to put the past behind him. Raleigh is all too happy to be set up for the job–as butler-cum-watchdog–by Nigel Wickland, Leona’s impeccably dressed art dealer. What Raleigh doesn’t realize is that Nigel plans to steal two paintings hanging on the mansion’s walls which will guarantee him more money than he has ever seen. When Hollywood Nate, surfer cops Flotsam and Jetsam, and the rest of the team at Hollywood Station collide with the combination of Nigel and the Bling Ring, all bets are off. A roller coaster ride of a novel that showcases Joseph Wambaugh in vintage form. Highly recommended. 12/10 Jack Quick
HOLLYWOOD MOON by Joseph Wambaugh: No one would mistake the misfits from Wambaugh’s Hollywood Division for the straight arrow boys in blue of McBain’s 87th Precinct, but they can be incredibly funny and also do pretty good police work. The main thread of the book involves a husband-and-wife team of identity thieves, the weak-willed Dewey Gleason and his domineering mate, Eunice, who cross paths with Malcolm Rojas, a creepy teenager with major anger-management issues. It is in the trimmings, however, that make the book with characters like Hollywood Nate Weiss, the actor turned cop; Weiss’s beautiful partner, Dana Vaughn; and the surfer duo, Flotsam and Jetsam, who conduct on the spot sobriety tests involving tourists and balloons among other mischief. The language is adult but often laugh-out-loud funny, like the lawyer who charged the arresting officer with fanny burping him. The defense – frijoles from Taco Johns – or the charge that an officer had called a street citizen a name. “After I threatened to sue him for false arrest, he called me frogative, and I ain’t no frog.” What the officer said was, “that’s your prerogative.” Never mind. 12/09 Jack Quick

HOME by Matthew Costello: This follow up to Costello’s Vacation picks up immediately where we last left off. Christie and her kids, Kate and Simon, have escaped Paterville Camp. They’re dead set on making it home to safety but soon discover that things have gone drastically downhill since they left. Massive power failures have left the safe zones compromised and no one can tell them if their suburban haven is included in the mess. Without Jack along to help, Christie must make some tough choices. No matter what happens, though, she’s determined to keep her family together and safe. While I certainly missed Jack, Home gives the reader a chance to get to know Christie and the kids. Each character faces things that Jack otherwise protected them from before now, causing them to grow in interesting ways. By the end of Home, each character has transformed into lean, mean fighters, perfectly set up for whatever they might face next. And it’s clear that there is more to come for the Murphys. Home can be read as a stand alone, but I definitely recommend checking out Vacation first. 11/12 Becky Lejeune

THE HOME TEAM: UNDECLARED WAR by Dennis Chalker & Kevin Dockery: Ted “Grim” reaper was a casualty of a coverup and scandal in Bosnia which ended his career as a Navy SEAL. When drug dealing terrorists threaten his family and intrude on his early but well earned retirement, Reaper hooks up with some other special forces operators to deal with the dealers. Using all forms of combat, weapons, explosives, special equipment, and tactics learned while in service to their government, they are now on their own, with no government agency to hold them back, no congressional committee to supervise them, and no obstacles in their win at any costs private war. Let the blood letting begin. 10/08 Jack Quick

HOME TO BIG STONE GAP by Adriana Trigiani: This book came out last year but it had been so long since I’d read the earlier books in the series that I wanted to re-read them first. I enjoyed the first three books so much I forgot to read the newest one! But I’m glad I finally did – Trigiani writes great characters that I really enjoy spending time with. This book is a bit short on plot, but it doesn’t really matter. Jack Mac has some health issues, Etta is married and living in Italy, Ave Maria and Iva Lou have a falling out, Theodore comes to visit, and Ave thinks she sees a grown up Joe walking in the woods behind the house. If you haven’t met these characters, start with Big Stone Gap and work your way here, and if you know them, you’ll want to read this book too; it’s sweet, funny, heart wrenching, and most of all, charming. 08/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch
THE HOMECOMING by Carsten Stroud: Attorney Kate Kavanaugh and her husband, Nick, a cop, decide to take in Rainey Teague. Rainey had been missing for over a year until he was found in a crypt; his parents committed suicide shortly thereafter and the troubled young man needed a home. All of this occurred because of a magic mirror that hearkens back to some nightmarish history. Kate’s brother-in-law is terrorizing his family, and her sister Beth finally leaves him, taking their kids and moving in with Kate and Nick too. Meanwhile Beth’s husband has been implicated in a bank robbery where several police officers have been killed, but while being transported, he escapes. Not to mention the Chinese spies that have all died in a plane crash. All these complications are nothing compared to the paranormal, ghostly creepy things going on in this small, southern town. All the characters are quirky but well developed, and the violence is integral to the story. This is the second book of the Niceville trilogy, and is a genre bending, page turning suspenseful supernatural read that is impossible to put down or to forget. 7/13 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2013 Booklist, a division of the American Library Association. Reprinted with permission.

A HOMECOMING FOR MURDER by John Armistead: It’s the Friday of Homecoming Week in Sheffield, Mississippi in this dated (1995) but excellent police procedural. Homecoming means high school football, homecoming queen pageantry, and murder for Sheriff Grover Bramlett of Chakchiuma County. The first victim is schoolteacher Jesse Bondreaux, shot in the head execution style with a .25 caliber automatic. Before the weekend is over, another teacher, Jo Ann Staples, is found dead, killed in the same fashion. As the body count mounts, Bramlett realizes his own grandson Marcellus may be in danger as well. While the identity of the murderer is telegraphed fairly early, who will be assigned the new patrol car – a Corvette confiscated from a drug dealer – is not revealed until the very end. 09/07 Jack Quick

HOMICIDE 69 by Sam Reaves: At 568 pages, this is a real “plow through” book but well worth the effort. Its 1969, the Vietnam War is raging; teens are trying to sneak in to the theatre to see Dustin Hoffman in Midnight Cowboy (after all, wasn’t The Graduate the dirtiest movie yet made?). Mike Dooley is a world-weary Chicago cop, worried about his Marine son in Vietnam and trying to solve the sadistic murder of former Playboy Bunny Sally Kotowski, a mobster’s ex-girlfriend. In the process he becomes fascinated by one of Sally’s friends, and refuses to accept the “official” version of the killing. If you are a “boomer” and lived this as I did, you will remember things long forgotten like draft numbers, Chicago Police corruption, rioting in Belfast, Jimmy Hoffa, a new major league baseball team in San Diego and the Cubs blowing a late summer lead. If you are too young (or too old) to remember the late ‘60’s, this is the way it was. One of my best of the year. 10/07 Jack Quick
HONEYMOON by James Patterson: Overhyped by Bookspan as the “2005 International Thriller of the Year” Patterson tells the story of FBI agent John O’Hara tracking down a serial killer. While almost all serial killers are male, this one happens to be a female – a black widow. Nora Sinclair is a widow who works as an interior designer for the very rich. She had inherited from her first husband when she killed him, is now married to a best-selling author in Boston, and is having an affair with a hedge-fund manager in upstate New York. She plans to kill both, but O’Hara gets involved after the poisoning of the hedge-fund manager. Instead of solving the case, he falls under her spell. Above average for the recent Patterson, but not up to its hype. 07/09 Jack Quick

THE HONOR OF SPIES by W.E.B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV: Like father, like son, and so far the father-son collaboration has worked well in extending Griffin’s long running multiple series about men in uniform. The date is August 6, 1943: and twenty-four-year-old Cletus Frade of the Office of Strategic Services is in a doozy of a situation. A German lieutenant colonel named Wilhelm Frogger is in a Mississippi prisoner-of-war detention facility. Frade’s job? To help Frogger escape. Frogger’s parents are in Frade’s custody in Argentina, because of their involvement in a secret German plan to establish safe havens for senior Nazi officials in South America, and the younger Frogger has agreed to help find out what they know. Even more important, however, is the secret within the secret. Before he was captured in Africa, Frogger was part of a conspiracy – its goal: to assassinate Adolf Hitler. It’s away all hands as the Germans, the Americans and the Argentines all try to get to the Froggers for their own ends. Maybe the best one yet in the Honor Bound series. 01/10 Jack Quick

HOOKED: A Thriller About Love and Other Addictions by Matt Richtel: Journalist Nat Idle is hanging out in an Internet Cafe when a note is dropped into his lap, warning him to get out of there. Intriguing of itself, but even more so when Nat realizes that the handwriting is just like that of Annie – his dead girlfriend. He follows the note dropper out, but she disappears, just in time for a bomb to go off in the cafe. The plot weaves in and out of Silicon Valley conspiracies and Nat’s flashbacks to his relationship with Annie, building suspense and keeping those pages turning. Despite the blinding, horrific – and I do mean horrific – cover, (I quickly turned it inside out, even the edges were annoying and distracting,) it’s a good read with lots of action, suspense, a little romance and the uncomfortable thought that someone is plotting to turn us all into Internet junkies – not that we need the help. 07/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

HORNS by Joe Hill: When Ig Parrish woke up to discover he had horns, he wasn’t sure what to believe: were they even really there or was it part of his imagination? Did he do something to bring them on? Maybe it was his impromptu trip out to Merrin Williams’s murder site that did it. Then Ig discovers that not only are the horns real, they make people reveal their darkest secrets and desires. In fact, with the horns Ig has the ability to make people act on those desires. But this isn’t Ig’s idea of a great time. He doesn’t want to know people’s darkest thoughts and he certainly doesn’t want to make them act on them. Or does he? Ig’s last year has been a living hell. After Merrin’s murder, Ig became the prime suspect and though there was never enough evidence to convict him – because he’s innocent – he’s suffered plenty in the aftermath. Not to mention the fact that his own grief over losing Merrin has been almost unbearable. And actually, it turns out the horns might be useful after all: Merrin’s murderer is still out there hiding their own dark secret. Joe Hill has most definitely proven he can tell an entertaining story. He’s got all the talent of his father but with his own unique voice. Horns is a strange and twisted tale, one that’s apparently coming to a big screen very soon and rumor has it Daniel Radcliffe has been tapped to play Ig. As an aside, I listed to much of this book on audio and then finished with the physical copy. Narrator Fred Berman does a great job as the tormented Ig. 8/12 Becky Lejeune

HOSTAGE ZERO by John Gilstrap: In this second thriller featuring freelance hostage rescue operative Jonathan “Digger” Grave gets involved in a complex, multilayered plot starting with two teenage boys being kidnapped from the Virginia residential school for children of incarcerated parents, set up by Graves. Grave and his crew set out to locate the victims and apprehend the abductors. One of the boys is drugged and left to die in a field, saved only by the fateful intervention of a passing homeless man, and Grave’s investigation begins to turn up leads that point to government and organized crime connections. If you enjoy pulse pounding thrillers, this one is for you. 11/11 Jack Quick

THE HOST by Stephenie Meyer: They call themselves souls. They can live essentially forever transferring themselves from one host to another, and Earth is just their latest conquest. Wanderer has lived more lives on more planets than most of her kind. It is for this reason that she is chosen to be placed inside one of the remaining resistant humans. The Seekers know that Melanie was with others and they hope that Wanderer will be able to tell them where these people are hiding. From the beginning, this host is different from the others. Melanie’s consciousness seems to have remained, and her memories of loved ones haunt Wanderer day and night. Melanie’s increasingly insistent voice drives Wanderer to the desert where she hopes to finally track down Melanie’s hiding family. Along the way, Wanderer begins to bond with Melanie and the other humans, and as a result, she becomes unsure where her place is in this life. In a utopian society that lives a collective, but perfect existence, there is no room for individuality. Humans embrace this aspect of life and though it is new and foreign to Wanderer, it offers her something that her previous existences never have. This is a more complex story than any synopsis can really express, but it’s essentially a tale of love, friendship, and the need to belong somewhere. Meyer has already conquered the teen scene, and captured the hearts of many adult readers as well, with her Twilight series. The Host is an absolutely amazing book that will give those few remaining holdouts the opportunity to see just what all the fuss is about. I’ll tell you now, it’s all true – I loved The Host and can’t recommend it highly enough. 05/08 Becky Lejeune

THE HOSTAGE by W.E.B. Griffin: Delta Force Major Charley Castillo of the Department of Homeland Security is asked by the president to go to Buenos Aires, where the wife of the deputy chief has been kidnapped and her husband has been murdered. Terrorists threaten to kill her children if she doesn’t tell them how to find her brother, who, it seems, may have knowledge about the UN-Iraqi oil-for-food scandal. The Hostage has a typically Griffin convoluted plot with lots of twists and action that could just as easily be in tomorrow’s headlines. Griffin’s formula approach worked for him in chronicling the exploits of the Army, The Marines, the Navy SEALS, and the Philadelphia Police Department. In his second Homeland Security tome, it continues to work well. 01/06 Jack Quick

HOT BLOODED by Lisa Jackson: Psychologist and radio talk show host Dr. Samantha Leeds returns home from vacation to find a disturbing message on her machine and a mangled photo of herself in the mail. Then someone calling himself John begins harassing her on her show and an upsetting event from Leeds’s past is revealed to her audience. Meanwhile, detectives are investigating a string of murders in the Big Easy that seem to point to a possible serial killer. Detective Rick Bentz suspects the two cases are linked somehow, but is on probation with his new department and needs more evidence before he can speak up. Sam receives some help in the form of new neighbor and beau Ty Wheeler, but Ty’s got his own agenda and is not being completely honest with her. Will Sam survive this and will Bentz be able to unravel the mystery before it’s too late for Sam and for another young victim of this so-called serial killer? Jackson’s novels are always quick paced and full of suspense. Hot Blooded marks to first in her New Orleans “series” and introduces readers to Bentz. 12/08 Becky Lejeune

THE HOT KID by Elmore Leonard: If Elmore Leonard has ever written a bad book, it must have been published under another name. Taking a break from his recent work, Leonard returns to the classic western format in The Hot Kid. Set in the1930s, Carlos (Carl) Webster is a Cuban Indian Oklahoma boy who becomes a United States Marshal, the result of an unfortunate childhood experience. Too bad the Duke has gone, because the part of Webster has John Wayne written all over it, down to the “I only draw my gun to shoot.” dialogue. At 21, Webster has already shot and killed two men while True Detective writer Tony Antonelli, who sees Webster as his own ticket to fame, makes Webster’s exploits even larger than life. Excellent read and hopefully the beginning of a series. Publication date is May 1. 04/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

HOT MAHOGANY by Stuart Woods: A lightweight but entertaining Stone Barrington outing with all the usual suspects. In this case, Stone is asked by his friend and sometime ally – CIA whiz Lance Cabot, for help. It turns out that Lance has an older brother, Barton, who has suddenly reappeared in Lance’s life as the result of the amnesia Barton has as the result of a mugging. It seems that Barton is a spy and a thief who builds and restores antique furniture, as well as minting counterfeit coins. Dino and Holly are enlisted in Stone’s efforts to recover a stolen antique secretary valued in the millions of dollars. Amusing diversion. 10/08 Jack Quick

HOT ROCKS by Lev Raphael: College teacher and amateur sleuth Nick Hoffman is facing that challenge we all hope for one day – middle age. Its putting extra strain on his life and the discovery of the body of the head trainer and all-around stud Vlado Zamario in the health club steam room brings further complications. Because of his history in previous outings, Nick is tabbed as a suspect and realizes the only way to permanently clear his name is to solve the crime (sound familiar?). Soon Vlado’s extreme and varied exploits with women in and out of the health club lead to the discovery of compromising photographs guaranteed to promote marital discord and provide motivation for a number of suspects. Hoffman is openly gay but, honestly, if his partner had been named Stephanie instead of Stefan Borowski, and a few pronouns were changed, I think the story would be otherwise unchanged. I think that reflects the strength of Raphael’s talent. This is a mystery first and foremost. 08/07 Jack Quick

HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET by Jamie Ford: Henry Lee lost his wife to cancer in 1986. The novel jumps back and forth from that time to when he was twelve years old during World War II and living in Chinatown in Seattle. His father forces Henry to only speak English at home, and since he doesn’t understand it, they cannot communicate very well. Henry is a scholarship student at an all white prep school where he is taunted and very lonely, until he meets the new scholarship student, Keiko, a Japanese American. Henry’s father hates the Japanese since they have been at war with China. Nevertheless, Henry and Keiko form a strong bond until her family is sent away to an internment camp. In 1986 Seattle, the hotel where Keiko’s family’s belongings were stored is under renovation, and a virtual museum is found in the basement. This historical novel tugs at the heartstrings as it goes back and forth in time, and while the history is interesting, the story just seems rather cliché. David Guterson’s Snow Falling on Cedars had similar themes, but is a much better novel. 12/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

HOTHOUSE ORCHID by Stuart Woods: It’s old home week when CIA agent Holly Barker returns to Orchid Beach, FL where she was once chief of police. Renegade ex-CIA agent Teddy Fay, has chosen to settle in nearby Vero Beach. Lauren Cade, a former military comrade, is now a sergeant with the Florida State Patrol, until Holly makes it possible for her to transfer to a new state investigative unit headed by Hurd Wallce, Barker’s successor as Orchid Beach police chief. Then she learns that James Bruno, her former commanding officer who was tried and acquitted of raping Lauren and who once tried to rape Holly herself, is Orchid Beach’s new police chief. When Barker almost becomes a victim of a serial rapist and killer, she gets drawn into the manhunt. Not heavyweight, but a good read. 10/09 Jack Quick

HOUR GAME by David Baldacci: Two disgraced former Secret Service officers, Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, first introduced in Split Second, are now partners in a private investigation firm in a small Virginia town that King had fled to after a presidential candidate he’d been guarding was assassinated a few feet from where he stood. Maxwell’s career ended under a similar cloud when she lost a “protectee” to an ingenious kidnapping scheme. The partners are hired to investigate a burglary at the home of a wealthy local family. This leads them to a string of murders, each of which copies the techniques of another madman, from San Francisco’s Zodiac Killer to Chicago’s infamous John Wayne Gacy. Leave the lights on for this one. Nicely done. 01/09 Jack Quick

THE HOUSE AT RIVERTON by Kate Morton: It’s 1999 and ninety-eight year old Grace Bradley has lived an amazing life. An archaeologist with a grown daughter and a famous grandson who writes mysteries, Grace has not given much thought lately to her early career as a maid at Riverton House. That is until a film director announces that they are making a movie about the tragic event that occurred at the estate in 1924. Memories of her years at Riverton quickly resurface and Grace decides that it is time to tell all. She begins to record her memories on tapes that she sends to her grandson. It is in these tapes that she will finally reveal long hidden secrets about her time working for the Hartford family and the events that led to that tragic evening so long ago, when a famous British poet killed himself in the midst of a grand party. Unbeknownst to everyone but the two Hartford daughters, Grace was witness to the act and she’s never told anyone the truth about that evening. A lovely and haunting tale about family, loyalty, and the pain of keeping secrets. This is Morton’s U.S. debut. It has also been published as The Shifting Fog. 09/08 Becky Lejeune

A HOUSE DIVIDED by Deborah Leblanc: Sometimes a terrible event can leave a stain on a place, the evil soaking into every nook and cranny just waiting to be awakened. Laura Toups and Matt Daigle are about to learn this the hard way. Both Laura and Matt have just moved their respective businesses into two halves of the same house. Keith Lafleur, a building contractor in the area, bought the house at a steal but could only move it in pieces. Lafleur made each half into a building on its own with business space on the bottom floor and apartment space upstairs. What no one realizes is that the house has a dark and sinister past. Neighbors say that Morgan Devilier was already a sick woman but the death of her fifth child pushed her over the edge. She killed her own family in that house years ago. Now, Lafleur’s decision to split the house has unleashed something terrible in their small Louisiana town and no one will be safe until the house and it’s spirits are once again reunited. Deborah Leblanc is no longer a rookie in the horror business. With three titles under her belt and another three set to come, she is a force to be reckoned with! Her macabre creations are sure to keep you up all night. This is a must read for fans of the horror genre. 05/07 Becky Lejeune

THE HOUSE AT MIDNIGHT by Lucie Whitehouse: When Joanna’s longtime friend, Lucas, inherits his uncle’s home, he offers to make it a sort-of party-pad for all of his old friends. It’s an attempt to move on with his life and get past the all too recent death of his mother and his uncle’s unexpected suicide. The friends meet each weekend, eating and drinking, enjoying time away from their hectic everyday lives. Soon, Joanna and Lucas are an item, something she has longed for almost the entire time they’ve known each other. The more time everyone spends at the country home, however, the more they begin to change. Lucas and another of the friends, Danny, decide to say goodbye to city life altogether and make the home their full-time residence – abandoning full-time careers as well. Then, Lucas’s increased drinking and mood swings cause a rift between the newfound couple that is finally blown apart when Joanna is caught cheating. Over the course of a year, the friends find that everything they have known has irreversibly changed, but whether their growing up and growing apart will be of benefit to them is yet to be seen. I didn’t find that this was the gothic piece many said it was. Instead, it was a rather tragic look at the changes young adults (post-college and pre-career) go through, how people grow apart and begin to become the adults that they will be. A fine literary debut even if it is a bit gloomy. 06/08 Becky Lejeune

HOUSE DICK by E. Howard Hunt: Hardcase Crime #54 is a reprint of a novel originally published in 1961 under the name of Gordon Davis, one of Hunt’s many alter egos. It is ironic that the action is set in a Washington hotel, although not the one for which Hunt became infamous in the mid 1970’s. In this well-written tale, Pete Novak, the house detective and assistant personnel manager for the Hotel Tilden in Washington DC compares his job to garbage collecting but at least, as he mutters to himself, “You promised your Mom you would get a white-collar job.” Novak has 340 rooms to deal with but it seems the fifth floor is the scene of all the action. In room 515, Mrs. Boyd, reports that $90,000 of jewelry has been stolen from her room. Meanwhile Mr. Boyd seems to have a relationship with Paula Norton, the blonde dish in room 516, and the neglected Mrs. Boyd is playing footsies with a slimy “herb doctor” in room 522. It all leads to blackmail and murder. It is what you would expect from a former CIA agent. 04/09 Jack Quick

THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR by Anne Rivers Siddons: Colquitt and Walter Kennedy have a blessed life. Or, they did have a blessed life. When they first hear that the lot next door is under development, Colquitt is disappointed, to say the least. Their new young neighbors build a gem of a home, though, and everyone is in awe. But when the new neighbors’ lives are shattered in a truly scandalous way, Colquitt begins to suspect that there is something strange about the house next door. More accidents and dark events follow and Colquitt and Walter can no longer hide what they know. Now, as the house sits empty, waiting for its next victims, the Kennedys have decided that they must tell their tale. Originally published in 1978, Anne Rivers Siddons’s only “horror” story has pretty much stood the test of time and is still in print today. I’d recommend a quiet evening at home (with all of the lights on) for this atmospheric ghost story rather than a busy airport, though: I found myself easily distracted where I normally really enjoy the slow and deliberate pacing of this kind of story. 07/10 Becky Lejeune

THE HOUSE OF LOST SOULS by F.G. Cottam: Paul Seaton stumbled upon the story of Fischer House and Pandora Gibson-Hoare quite by accident, but it was a story that would change his life forever. Paul had been planning on helping his overwhelmed girlfriend with her thesis when he first heard of the photographer and her sad demise. Gibson-Hoare was by no means famous, but she was well known for her work in the 20s. Quite suddenly, though, she left the scene. She surfaced, literally, floating in the river after an apparent suicide. But Paul found out all about Pandora’s secret fascination with the occult world. As he delves deeper into this decades-old mystery, Paul becomes more certain that there is something sinister waiting for him in Fischer House, the home where Pandora and her friends experimented with the dark side. Ten years later, four students entered the house. Now three students remain and Paul is the only one who may be able to help. The House of Lost Souls is a chilling ghost story penned in the classic gothic style. It’s rich in atmosphere, has an excellent pacing, and is filled with hair-raising creepy undertones. Though this is not Cottam’s debut, it is the first of his works to be released here in the States (other titles released overseas under the name Francis Cottam). Highly recommended. 07/09 Becky Lejeune

House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III: This is a beautifully written tragedy of Shakespearian dimensions. We watch the story unfold, the clash of the Iranian and American cultures. The characters spiraling out of control, knowing there is nowhere for them to go but further and further into the abyss. A most compelling read.

HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN by Chuck Hustmyre: I bought this to tide me over until the next James Lee Burke. Turned out to be pretty good. Ex-New Orleans vice cop Ray Shane has served almost five years in federal prison and is now working as security for the mob owned casino/brothel known as The House of the Rising Sun. Four masked gunmen rob the place and kill the mentally handicapped adult nephew of the New Orleans mafia boss. Now its up to Ray to solve the crime, because there are some in the mob who think he was the one responsible. Fast read, fairly predictable, but well written. 07/07 Jack Quick

Househusband by Ad Hudler: First novel about a California “landscape architect to the stars” becoming a “househusband.” Lincoln gives it all up so his wife, Jo, can accept a promotion to COO of a hospital that moves them to New York. He is looking for a job, but meanwhile he cleans, even under the cushions on the couch; cooks California gourmet at every meal; supervises all the kids on the playground; and is raising his precocious three-year-old daughter with impeccable manners. He’s also dealing with the psychopathic part-time nanny, pretending not to notice gal-pal Marilyn’s groping and lascivious looks, and trying to keep his sanity while making the Stepford wives look like slackers. Lots of laughs in this feel good, light and entertaining treatise on men & women and their roles, but after a while the sheer perfection of man-as-mom was making me yawn. Also included are recipes for things like “Mexican Curry Sauce over Grilled Vegetables” and “Salad with Roasted Poblanos, Stilton Cheese and Pomegranate Seeds.” And the above mentioned prodigy eats this stuff. Hudler was a journalist who gave it all up to stay home.

HOW HIGH THE MOON by Sandra Kring: If you’re in the mood for a charming and quirky read, How High the Moon is going to hit the spot. It’s 1955 and Isabella “Teaspoon” Marlene has spent the past five years being raised by Teddy, her mother’s ex. Catty Marlene, the missing mom, is chasing down her dream of stardom in Hollywood. Everyone agrees that Teaspoon could use a strong female influence in her life and so she is signed up for the Sunshine Sisters program, a big sister program that teams young girls with teenagers who can teach them manners and grace. Brenda Bloom has everything: money, class, looks, and brains. But Brenda will find that Teaspoon has just as much to teach her as she has to teach Teaspoon. I was swept up in this story, completely and utterly enamored with Kring’s cast of characters. 04/10 Becky Lejeune

HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN by Louise Penny: I have been a huge fan of Penny’s since I first started reading her work. I have come to love her protagonist, Inspector Gamache and the people he surrounds himself with. He is the man I would like to be – wise, tolerant and yet, extremely effective. I love the small village setting in Quebec and the inhabitants of that village, Three Pines. It is clear from the start of her new book, How the Light Gets In, that there is the potential for bad things to happen to all of them and I read it almost with more trepidation than pleasure. Nonetheless, as this is the culmination of several long-running plot lines, it is a must read for the followers of her almost saintly Inspector Gamache. At the outset of the story, we find that Inspector Gamache has been increasingly out-Flanked by his archrival, Franceour, who is the head of the Quebec Surete. His loyalists have been taken from his homicide squad, scattered throughout the department and replaced by scoffers and do-nothings. His long-time sidekick, Jean Guy Beauvior, is completely in the grips of Oxycontin addiction and has left for another section, where he is increasingly unable to deal with the pressures racheted up against him. But the small crime at the heart of the story is the death of the last of a pair of famous quintuplets. (Penny is careful to pay homage to the Dionnes). This last quintuplet is murdered after visiting Myrna in Three Pines and so the Montreal police turn the case over to Gamache. Franceour is pleased as he hopes that this will distract Gamache from the larger crime about to take place in Montreal. As the story goes on, things just seem to get darker and darker for Gamache. Perhaps he has gotten too old and is too alone to get to the bottom of any of this. This would not be a Louise Penny novel if there wasn’t also sparkling banter among the inhabitants of Three Pines, a review of historical and present social issues and deep insight into human relationships and the wonder of the human heart. The use of the Leonard Cohen lyric in the title fits perfectly. This will easily be one of my top ten choices for the year. 9/13 Geoffrey R. Hamlin
HOW TO BE BAD by David Bowker: This satiric crime novel has as many laughs as dead bodies. Mark Madden, a twenty-three year old shy book collector still carries a torch for his high school sweetheart, Caro. When they hook up again he gets in way over his head as she asks him to kill her father, another old boyfriend and a loan shark named Bad Jesus. Psychotic though she is, he’s mad for her and somehow accidentally ends up with the requested dead bodies. She inherits a fortune, they marry and still the bodies continue to pile up. A fast, fun read. 09/05

HOW TO EAT A CUPCAKE by Meg Donohue: Once upon a time, Anna Quintana and Julia St. Clair were friends. All that changed with a terrible rumor in high school and the two haven’t been on speaking terms since. It would seem odd for Annie and Julia to go into business together, but that’s exactly what they plan to do. Annie is a talented baker with dreams of owning her own shop and Julia has the funds and business know how to get it up and running. Plus, Julia is getting married soon and promises to be out of Annie’s hair by the time the ceremony takes place. Can the two of them get past their differences long enough for the business to succeed? How to Eat a Cupcake is a sweet debut with truly likeable characters. Warning: cupcakes not included. 3/12 Becky Lejeune

HOW TO KNIT A WILD BIKINI by Christie Ridgway: This romance was so bad I only finished it because it was short, and I was sick and on drugs. Nikki Carmichael is a chef with a knee injury that resigns from her job in a restaurant because she can’t stand anymore. She wrangles a job as a personal chef for Jay Buchanan, AKA “Hef Jr.,” editor of a men’s magazine that sounds suspiciously like Maxim. His condition for her employment is that she also pretend to be his girlfriend, which in the confusion of this pathetic plot device, he decides she’s a lesbian. Lots of erotic foreplay later, he learns she is not a lesbian, they consummate the relationship and everyone lives happily ever after. There are also some very thin subplots about sperm donor siblings, teenage sexual abuse, knitting, and how Malibu has gone from great family playground to playground of the rich and obnoxious. Yawn. 09/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE HOWARD HUGHES AFFAIR by Stuart Kaminsky: Having survived Chicago in YOU BET YOUR LIFE, thanks to a cold cure that makes you almost want to keep the cold, Private Eye to the Stars Toby Peters is back in his native Hollywood, with sore feet, a bad back, and assorted bruises, scrapes, and a healing gunshot wound all because his ex-wife wants him to help a young but nervous billionaire who is convinced he has discovered a nest of spies. It is 1941 and the United States is on the verge of war. Since neither the LA police nor the FBI will look into the matter, it’s up to Toby to help out Mr. Hughes, Mr. Howard Hughes, that is, and with the help of Basil Rathbone, Toby, saves the day. A side note. The copy I read was originally published in 1979, and had the original “check out” card intact with the title and author typed in with a manual typewriter. That’s authenticity. 04/09 Jack Quick

HUMAN REMAINS by Elizabeth Haynes: Something strange is happening in Briarstone: there’s an increase in the number of bodies being found. Most of the deaths are deemed natural causes and all of them are people who sadly weren’t noticed missing. An analyst with the local police, Annabel first becomes curious about the trend after discovering her own neighbor’s decomposing body. The neighbor in question was there one day and gone the next and Annabel always assumed she’d simply moved away. The guilt and trauma over the discovery drives her to look into similar cases and statistics and she soon discovers that while such a thing has always happened, Briarstone has seen a strange and dramatic increase in such cases. With nothing suspicious surrounding the deaths, however, no one had ever looked into them until now. In this latest, Haynes has created a villain of the most disturbing and insidious kind: someone who manages to slide under the radar, manipulating people in their most vulnerable times. Human Remains is chilling and disturbing. 9/13 Becky Lejeune
HUNDRED-DOLLAR BABY by Robert B. Parker: The 34th entry in the Spenser series features April Kyle, the damsel in distress that Spenser rescued in two earlier books, Ceremony (1982) and Taming a Sea Horse (1986). April is now running a high-class Boston whorehouse, and seeks Spenser’s help in persuading some local mutts that she doesn’t need their help. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. This is vintage Parker, with Spenser exchanging witty dialogue with the faithful Hawk, sexy dialogue with his beloved Susan and smart-alecky dialogue with cops and villains as he follows trails to New York City that involve the mob, a con artist and various other complications. Which is Parker’s best – Spenser? Sunny Randall? Jesse Stone? Does it really matter? 11/06 Jack Quick

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins: I may be late to the party (this book published in 2008) but glad I finally made it. This is a fun read and I can see why people are obsessed with this series, although I won’t be reading the rest of the trilogy. I listened to the audiobook, and the reader, Carolyn McCormick, did a great job and kept my attention throughout. This is a terrific story set sometime in the future. The United States is no longer, and what’s left of it is now called Panem and is ruled by the Capitol. Panem is divided into 12 districts, and Katniss Everdeen is from one of the poorest, District 12. The Capitol has degreed that every year they will hold the Hunger Games. Each district must send one boy and one girl to compete in these televised games of kill or be killed. The last person left alive is the winner. When Katniss’s younger sister’s name is drawn to go, Katniss steps up and offers herself instead. These games are a sort of cross between the Miss America pageant, the Roman Coliseum & “Survivor.” It’s fast, it’s fun, it’s a bit bloody and a bit simplistic, but good, well written escapist fiction for sure. 3/12 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins: It’s been over seventy years since the districts last attempted a rebellion against the Capitol. District thirteen was decimated and the Hunger Games began as an annual reminder to keep the remaining districts under control. Each year, children ages twelve to eighteen have their names entered for the Games. Each year, one girl and one boy are chosen from each district. They fight for survival against the elements, both natural and manipulated, and against one another. Only one can survive. Suzanne Collins’s massively popular YA series is a captivating and somewhat disturbing blend of Running Man, Survivor, and Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery.” A truly fantastic and addicting read for both kids and adults. 12/10 Becky Lejeune

THE HUNT by Allison Brennan: Seven known victims and nine more women missing. One survivor who escaped “The Butcher” twelve years ago. A threesome determined to catch the killer. Miranda Moore, a former FBI trainee, who is the only known survivor of The Butcher, is now a member of the local search and rescue squad in Montana. Nick Thomas, Miranda’s former boyfriend, who is still in love with her, is now the Sheriff. Quincy Patterson, the FBI agent who investigated Miranda’s abduction, is back to help Nick and Miranda catch the killer. Miranda’s feelings about Quincy are unresolved as are hers about him. The tension among these three only adds to the mix, as they try to prevent the Butcher from kidnapping, torturing and then executing his next victim – by turning them loose in the woods and hunting them down like animals. Another good one. 04/08 Jack Quick

THE HUNT by Andrew Fukuda: In Gene’s world, vampires rule. Humans, or hepers, are all but extinct. The few that remain are farmed and studied at the Heper Institute or, like Gene, are living amongst the vampires, camouflaged as one of them. With morale low, the Ruler has decided that it’s time for a hunt—probably the last hunt ever. Folks are desperate to participate and will talk of the event for generations after. The hunters will be chosen by national lottery and sent to the Institute to train and learn about the humans before being set loose to hunt them down. It won’t last long, the hepers will be overcome by the more powerful and athletic vamps and torn to shreds. And this is exactly what would happen to Gene if he were ever discovered to be human. He’s lived by rules all his life, never attracting attention or doing anything to stand out. He must be diligent in keeping himself clean and shaved. He has to adopt all of the characteristics of the vampires around him. He can’t ever be noticed or found out. But when Gene’s number is chosen in the lottery, following the rules will no longer be enough. Gene is going to be at center spotlight, training and living with a voracious group of eager hunters. Fukuda’s latest is first in an exciting and unique series that will appeal to both teens and adults. There are no sparkly sympathetic vampires here, only vicious monsters and the end of humanity as we know it. And in the middle of it all, one teen all on his own and struggling to survive. 6/12 Becky Lejeune

HUNT AT THE WELL OF ETERNITY by Gabriel Hunt and James Reasoner: Unbuckle your swashes and lay in extra ammunition. Adventurer extraordinaire Gabriel Hunt is off on a swash buckling mission with plenty of fireworks. It starts with gunfire and the kidnapping of an Hispanic woman at a museum fund raiser. She leaves behind a bloodstained Confederate flag and a whiskey bottle full of water. From Manhattan, Hunt heads to St. Augustine, FL, dodging another attempted assassination enroute to the airport. The shooting resumes in Florida and follows Hunt to Mexico where he hooks up with the beautiful, gun-toting museum director Dr. Cierra Almanzar. Together they follow a path marked by fist fights, bullwhips and more gunfire. Often outnumbered but never outwitted, pulp adventure fans will be thrilled to see the genre revived in this series from Hard Case Crime. 07/10 Jack Quick

THE HUNTED by Wayne Barcomb: Twenty-one years ago, a little girl witnessed her father killing her mother. She was told to lie when the police came, but she told the truth about what she saw instead. Now her father has served his time and is ready for his revenge. The girl herself, nicknamed Lucky, was not left without damage, and she’s begun her own murder spree, seeking out a certain types of men and killing them in order to quiet her demons. Detective Frank Russo is on the case, but with little evidence and no leads, he’s not even sure where to begin looking. Barcomb’s latest is a bit disappointing. According to his bio, this is his third mystery, but The Hunted reads a bit like a first effort. There are so many characters introduced in the beginning of the book, an attempt to keep the true killer’s identity a surprise until the very end, but it ends up muddling up the story itself. Overall, I thought the book needed more development to reach its true potential. 04/09 Becky Lejeune

THE HUNTER by Asa Nonami: Officer Takako Otomichi is unfortunate in that she is one of few female officers in the Tachikawa Central Station Criminal Affairs Division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. As a member of the task force set to investigate a fire that erupted in an all-night family restaurant, she is paired up with fellow officer Tumotsu Takizawa, an older gentleman of the belief that women should not be police officers. The investigation soon becomes one of homicide rather than arson when it is discovered that the one casualty in the fire was a targeted victim. This victim is soon linked to two more murders, the victims of which appear to have been mauled by a large dog. Although this mystery starts off quite promisingly, it soon degenerates into an unfortunately disappointing read. The characters’ inner dialogues, which are nothing more than arguments with each other, are more distracting than informative and Otomichi’s “bonding” with the killer wolf-dog was more than a bit over the top for my taste. 04/07 Becky Lejeune

HUNTER KILLER by Patrick Robinson: Moderation is not an issue here as Robinson crafts a takeover in Saudi Arabia mounted by a Saudi Arabian prince with French backing. Since the collapse of the Saudi Arabian oil industry and indeed the world economy is highly likely, the United States must jump in to prevent the coup. The showdown pits US Admiral Arnold Morgan against his arch rival, Ravi Rashood. Its big time global action with the future of the free world hanging in the balance. Yes, it’s been done before, even by Robinson, but you have to give him credit – he does it so well. 11/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

HUNTER’S MOON by Randy Wayne White: If the typical Randy Wayne White is a WOW, then this one is a WOW WOW. Kal Wilson, the Clinton-esque former President of the United States is dying from cancer. In his last month of life, he wants to avenge the death of his wife who was killed in a plane crash, while on a charitable mission in Central America. He enlist Doc Ford and Tomlinson as helpers promising them he can effect a full pardon for Tomlinson and make certain aspects of Ford’s previous government service “disappear.” It turns out Ford is actually battling his nemesis from 2004”s Tampa Burn (2004), the psychotic pyromaniac Lourdes, who had kidnapped Ford’s son. There is some philosophizing and appropriate concern for the environment, but mostly its kick-ass action as only White can write it. May be his best ever. 04/07 Jack Quick

THE HUNTERS by W.E.B. Griffin: Griffin has written the Brotherhood of War Series, The Corps Series, the Men At War Series, the Badge of Honor Series, the Honor Bound Series, and now the Presidential Agent Series. Together there are a total of thirty-five novels, with more than forty million copies in print in more than ten languages. Yet you can make the case that Griffin has written one very successful novel, which he keeps repeating. It’s true that the current series ranges more widely afield than the previous military thrillers, but its still the same basic plot. An independently wealthy individual surrounds himself with a band of co-conspirators who then use their skills and his wealth to further our country’s interests. Along the way, he risks his life, usually in exotic locales, meets and loves beautiful women, and somehow, ends up healthy, with the respect of his commanders and prepared to set forth on the next adventure. In this particular version, Presidential agent Charley Castillo continues his adventure previously begun in The Hostages following the malfeasance associated with the Iraq oil for food program. In Uruguay, a man is murdered before he can spill the secrets of an elaborate scam aimed at destroying the international reputation of the U.S. So it’s up to Castillo to follow up and solve the plot. Repeat or not, I enjoyed this Griffin just as I enjoyed the previous 34 and will probably enjoy the next one as well. He is just a darned good writer, even if you have the plot memorized, as I think I do. 03/07 Jack Quick

THE HUSBAND LIST by Janet Evanovich & Dorien Kelly: I suspected Evanovich had taken a page from James Patterson’s books and launched a new series with Dorien Kelly undoubtedly doing much of the work; it’s a win-win for both of them and this is the second book from the Kelly-Evanovich team. The first book, Love In A Nutshell, was contemporary romantic suspense and I found it very light on the romance and the suspense. This book takes the family name of one of the characters from Nutshell and moves back in time to just before the turn of the 19th century, to New York City and London during the gilded age in 1897. Caroline Maxwell is an heiress who has been groomed for most of her life to marry royalty. Her mother has her sights set on a Duke but Caroline has fallen in love with her brother’s best friend Jack. Jack’s only a second generation American, his father is Irish and self made, and totally unsuitable by Caroline’s mother’s standards. Will Caroline be forced into a loveless marriage? This is a romance; what do you think? This was a fast paced story and I found the time period very interesting; I found this a much better read than Nutshell. 1/13 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE HUSBAND’S SECRET by Liane Moriarity: Three women are the focus of this tale, and how their stories are woven together is at the crux of things. Cecilia Fitzpatrick is the perfect wife and mother, super organized, chairs committees, is involved with her children and her neighbors and genuinely likes doing the right thing. She’s also one of the top Tupperware sales people in Australia, but even her husband doesn’t realize her little job is bringing home some serious bacon. While he’s out of town on business, Cecelia stumbles upon a letter hand addressed to her by her husband, to be opened in the event of his death. His strange reaction to her finding it prompts her to read it, and all their lives are turned upside down. Rachel Crowley is an older woman whose daughter had been murdered while in high school. She’s never really recovered, and has lost her husband as well and tends to ignore her son, although her grandson is her reason for living. She finds something that convinces her that the P.E. teacher at the school is the one who murdered her daughter, but the police are hesitant to pursue him. Tess O’Leary lives across the continent where she is in business with her husband and her cousin, who also happens to be her best friend. When they confess to falling in love, Tess takes her son and moves in with her mother back home, where she has a fling with her old boyfriend, that P.E. teacher. This murder mystery has a lot of depth and character development as Moriarity shines her light on the lives of middle class women. Morality is not neatly defined here, and this novel is quite thought provoking while still being completely unputdownable. Another hit from the author of the terrific What Alice Forgot. 9/13 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch
HUSH, HUSH by Becca Fitzpatrick: Nora Grey is not happy when she’s teamed up with the new guy in her Bio class. Patch is creepy and mysterious, in spite of being good looking, and he pushes all of Nora’s buttons. Then when she begins running into him outside of school, she has to wonder if he might be following her. But why would he bother? When Nora’s best friend is attacked, she’s forced to admit that something strange is going on around her, but is Patch behind it all or is it just a coincidence? Unfortunately for Nora, it seems that someone may have it in for her and whether it’s Patch or not, it’s clear that he’s hiding something. Hush, Hush is the first in an upcoming string of fallen angel fiction. Fitzpatrick’s story is original and engaging; definitely one that’s going to appeal to the thirsty horde of teen readers looking for something new to sink their teeth into. 10/09 Becky Lejeune

HYBRID by Brian O’Grady: Colorado Springs is experiencing a record number of violent deaths. Along with an outbreak of a strange flu, it’s inevitable that someone will connect the two. But the CDC has already examined the case and determined nothing more than an encephalitis outbreak. Amanda Flynn knows it’s not that simple. The only survivor of a strange virus called EDH1, or Hybrid, Amanda suspects that what’s happening in Colorado Springs is the same thing she saw in Honduras. Strangely, Amanda left Honduras with more than just an immunity to one of the most deadly viruses ever seen: the ability to use her mind for great violence. She can see other people’s thoughts and read their emotions. And if she were so inclined, Amanda could be a nightmarish weapon. When she senses another like herself amongst the new outbreak, she knows that she must come out of hiding and try to do something. But this new outbreak is just part of a horrible plan hatched by some of the world’s most twisted minds. O’Grady, a neurosurgeon by trade, makes his debut with this gripping medical thriller. 05/11 Becky Lejeune

THE HYPNOTIST by M. J. Rose: “The Hypnotist” is a centuries old statue currently at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art which has just been re-discovered after languishing for almost a century in a mislabeled carton in the Museum’s vast underground storage area. Iran has claimed the work was stolen from their country and wants it returned. Greece has filed a counter-claim that the work was created in Greece, but the Met is not going to give the piece away without a fight. The Iranians are not content to allow the matter to slowly proceed through the layers of bureaucracy that comprise the legal process. They think the statue is more than an art work, and indeed may hold the secrets of how man can tap the unused power of his imagination. Everything rests on the shoulders of Lucian Glass, special agent with the FBI’s Art Crime Team, who himself is suffering from a brutal attack, impossible nightmares and his own crisis of faith. Can he sort out fact from fiction before the mystery takes him as well? 05/10 Jack Quick

I AM HALF-SICK OF SHADOWS by Alan Bradley: Flavia de Luce returns in this fourth of the series. This time, she’s out to catch Santa in the act. With a booby-trapped roof and a fireworks display in the makings, the eleven year old is sure that her plan is foolproof. But Flavia’s scheme is complicated when the family estate is rented out to a film crew. With Christmas just days away, a charity event is announced on site as well, leaving much of the population of Bishop’s Lacey snowed in and camping out in Flavia’s house. When the star of the show is discovered dead, Flavia can’t help but become involved in the investigation. Can she solve the murder before Saint Nick’s arrival? Newcomers to the series can safely jump in with this holiday installment. Bradley’s heroine is delightfully fun and the mystery will keep you guessing until the very end. 12/11 Becky Lejeune

I AM LEGEND by Richard Matheson: In I am Legend, thirty-five year old Robert Neville is the sole survivor of a strange plague of vampirism that has struck the United States following a catastrophic war. It seems to have begun with raging dust storms and swarms of mosquitoes. Then Robert’s own family succumbs to this mysterious ailment. Robert spends his evenings barricaded in his home, trying to drown out the sounds of the vampires outside. His days are spent searching out and killing as many of these bloodthirsty souls as possible. At first, survival is all Robert is concerned with. Then, he begins to focus his energy on research. What caused the virus? Why is garlic effective while bullets are not? The discovery of a living dog sends Robert on a desperate search for a cure. Surely, if he and the dog have both survived, other people must have as well.
Some readers may recognize this particular story and well you should. The 1964 film Last Man on Earth, starring Vincent Price, and the 1971 film The Omega Man, starring Charleton Heston, are both adaptations of this particular tale. And yes, this fall another version will hit the big screen. Matheson is one of the most well-known horror writers of all time. Many of his stories have been adapted for the big screen, including What Dreams May Come and Stir of Echoes.
Of course, I am Legend is just one of many stories in this collection. Others feature dancing zombies, a particularly angry house, voodoo death curses, and angry Zuni spirits – just to name a few topics. Matheson is an amazing talent who has inspired many of today’s horror authors. Read the story, then see the movies. 07/07 Becky Lejeune

I AM PILGRIM by Terry Hayes: An extremely literate story about a battle between two titans of their respective sides. One is an American, adopted son of a family with a great deal of privilege, currently an agent for a U.S. government agency only depicted as higher than the CIA. The other is a poor Arab boy born in Saudi Arabia but turned into a terrorist by the Saudi’s execution of his father for no apparent reason. The American uses the name of Pilgrim in order to hide his real identity and has become one of the most effective agents his agency has. The Arab is turned onto terrorism by the Saudi’s execution of his father just because the man spoke badly of the king. He decides that revenge against Saudi Arabia would be best served by a massive terrorist attack on the United States, which he deems the Saudi’s ally. He proceeds to buildup a well prepared background becoming known as the Saracen in order to effect this attack. Hayes is brilliant in developing the two characters, their motivations, their reactions to each other as mortal enemies. The reader knows each one intimately through the author’s descriptions and can relate to their actions on an ongoing basis. What the Saracen decides to use to attack the United States demands a preparation that only a very bright mind could conceive of and work towards. It is a credible threat that the reader will be able to identify as possible. Pilgrim’s planning and actions against this enemy must be even more clever in order to win the mental battle between them. The action moves back and forth starting with a murder investigation in New York and ending in Turkey. Hayes, in an afterward, indicates that film rights are in process and I would certainly be a fan of that if it comes out. In the meanwhile I do trust that the author is planning more books for the near future, and those I will grab as soon as available. Available on only, to be published traditionally on May 27, 2014. 10/13 Paul Lane

I, IAGO by Nicole Galland: As Shakespeare’s Othello opens, Othello and Desdemona have eloped and Iago, Othello’s friend and ensign, has been passed over for promotion in lieu of Cassio. Iago plots an intricate revenge that ends in the death of his wife, his friend Roderigo, Othello’s wife, and Othello himself. Galland’s I, Iago is a look at Iago from childhood through the events that lead to his undoing. From the beginning, Iago believes that merit will get him to the top. He is known as being honest, though he is somewhat manipulative in his honesty. His friendship with Othello, his pain at being slighted, and other imagined insults all become fuel for the fire of his jealousy and anger. Galland is a clever writer and worthy of the challenge of taking on Shakespeare. Her Othello is a complex character and his story is one that readers unfamiliar with Othello can appreciate as well as the greatest of Shakespearean scholars. 5/12 Becky Lejeune

I DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR by D. M. Annechino: Feminists rejoice; Kansas farm girl turned Governor Kate Miles takes office as the first female president when the president dies of a coronary less than a year into their administration. However, the first lady warns the new president that something is amiss about her husband’s death, and away we go into conspiracy land. The new President has her hands full with her selection of a new vice president, a crumbling marriage, a Middle East crisis, the investigation into the apparent assassination, and a staff with varying allegiances. Unfortunately, the only characters that are fully fleshed out are President Miles and the bad guy with the requisite abusive childhood. The rest of the characters dance across the pages with no motivation, no background and occasionally no purpose. If all this sounds a bit cliché, it is; nonetheless the pages fly by despite the occasional jolting transitions in storyline and the trite ending that leaves the door wide open for a sequel. While not in the same class as Brad Meltzer, Vince Flynn or David Baldacci, political thriller junkies may still enjoy Annechino. 10/12 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2012 Booklist, a division of the American Library Association. Reprinted with permission.

I LOVE THIS BAR by Carolyn Brown: My delve into the romance genre continues with this contemporary Texas love story between a rich rancher and a lonely barmaid. Daisy O’Dell rides into town and stays when her car dies, eventually inheriting the Honky Tonk when the owner, Ruby, who took her in, gave her a job and a home and a friend, dies. A few years later one of the ranchers in town loses his wife and his mind, he’s diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and his favorite nephew comes to the ranch to help him out. Escaping from his cantankerous uncle one night, he literally runs into Daisy and it’s lust at first sight for the both of them. He’s convinced it can never be more because his aunt and his mother have pounded it into his head that he deserves more than just a barmaid. She’s convinced of the same, so of course it’s inevitable that the two of them a butt heads before they finally get together. It’s a fast, fun read, but a little too simpleminded and repetitive for my taste. Are there any intelligent romances out there? Romances that don’t assume the reader has an IQ no higher than the double digits, or am I missing the point? I don’t mean to sound like a snob, but there has to be more to this genre than this complete fluff. I’m going to keep looking. 9/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

I LOVE YOU, BETH COOPER by Larry Doyle: Since June is high school graduation month, it’s no coincidence Harper Collins just released I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle. This is the graduation story to end all graduation stories. Denis Cooverman is Buffalo Grove High School’s class valedictorian. As part of that honor, he is required to give a graduation speech. Instead of the usual “life is just beginning, the world is our oyster, we can heal the planet” oration, Denis instead declares his undying love for Beth Cooper, the popular, pretty cheerleader he sat behind in every class since first grade.
After that, all manner of hell breaks loose.
The story takes place over the course of 24 hours. Within that time frame, Denis and his best friend, Richard, who may or may not be gay, get entwined in a series of escapades that are simultaneously violent, comic, and surreal. Beth Cooper’s boyfriend is a drug-addled, hummer-driving, Iraq war veteran, intent on ending Denis’s life. Each chapter chronicles Denis receiving a good solid beating followed by a narrow escape. The beginning of each chapter also includes an image of Denis at that point in the story. He starts out as your everyday nerd and, by the book’s end, winds up a naked, toothless, puked-upon, bloody mess.
I Love You, Beth Cooper is by no means young adult fiction. It’s probably not suitable for parents of high school age children either. This is not your average coming-of-age tale. Graduation night in Buffalo Grove is a Dionysian orgy that makes the ancient Greeks look like bluestockings. It’s all there: harsh language, substance abuse, graphic violence, lurid sex. Although it may sound as if this book is out to shock, it’s actually quite funny. Hysterically so. Larry Doyle is a former writer for the Simpsons (television program) and currently contributes to the New Yorker. I Love You, Beth Cooper is smart-funny, loaded with references to popular culture, and the dialogue simply crackles with wit.
Throughout the beatings and the booze, Denis slowly develops a relationship with Beth Cooper. Meanwhile, Richard, who may or may not be gay, takes up with Beth’s cheerleading pals. Despite the raunchiness and grotesquerie, a touching story develops. Doyle reminds us what it is like to be eighteen years old again. The clumsiness and insecurity of youth are brilliantly rendered. He takes us back to those wild graduation parties and makes us grateful that we, somehow, survived those fateful days. 06/07 Dan Cawley

I, SNIPER by Stephen Hunter: The latest Bob Lee Swagger starts with the sniper murder of four prominent aging Viet Nam anti war protestors starting with Joan Flanders, a Jane Fonda knock off. The FBI quickly zeroes in on a scenario involving a Viet Nam vet with an axe to grind and a very specific set of skills. The list of prospective suspects isn’t that long and the authorities settle on retired Marine Carl Hitchcock. When Hitchcock commits suicide, he leaves the FBI empty handed. Enter our hero, Bob Lee Swagger, who doesn’t believe that Hitchcock was the culprit and for reasons of his own decides to prove it. As you would expect he ends up in real killer’s sights but perseveres so we can look forward hopefully to another Swagger outing. This book is much better than the last couple, so maybe Hunter is back in his groove. 01/10 Jack Quick

I THINK I LOVE YOU by Allison Pearson: If the title immediately sends you back to the 1970’s, then you will probably love this book. Yes, it is about that song, well, more specifically about the singer that made that song, David Cassidy, and the teenage girls who adored him. I was a young teenager then and knew lots of girls who were wild about The Partridge Family star. This book is about two young teens from Wales who considered themselves his biggest fans.
Petra, a budding cellist, grew up with a very proper mother who did not allow posters or pop music in the house. Her best friend Sharon had the David Cassidy shrine on the walls of her bedroom and the scrapbooks, while Petra hid her copies of “The Essential David Cassidy Magazine” under the floorboards in her bedroom. The first half of the book leads up to the girls sneaking off to see his concert, and culminates with the magazines Ultimate David Cassidy Quiz, offering the winner a chance to fly out to Hollywood and meet the pop idol on the set of his TV show. Convinced they will win, Petra sends off her entry, naming Sharon as the friend to accompany her on the winning trip, but the book cuts away to a thirty-seven year old Petra before we find out more.
Petra is having a really bad day. She finds out her philandering husband has decided to move in with his much younger girlfriend a mere few hours before receiving the phone call that her mother has died. In coping with all that, Petra goes home to clean out her mother’s house and finds the letter informing her that she had won the contest – but her mother hid that letter and never told her. In a moment of madness, she calls the current incantation of that magazine and demands her prize. Human interest story for sure, and the magazine goes for the reunion idea. We also meet Bill, the writer who started out as David Cassidy for the magazine and ended up running a string of celebrity rags, and how all their paths eventually cross. But this is so much more than a story about innocence lost. Much like her first novel, I Don’t Know How She Does It, Pearson turns the idea of chick-lit on its head and takes us on a much deeper journey. This is a thought-provoking book intertwined with nostalgia, tears and laughter. An added bonus is the afterword; the author’s 2004 interview with the icon himself. 02/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch
I THINK I LOVE YOU by Allison Pearson: It’s 1974 and David Cassidy is coming to England. Not only that, but winning the ultimate David Cassidy quiz contest means that two lucky fans will get to meet the teen idol face to face. Thirteen-year-old Petra and her best friend Sharon are sure that it will be them; no one loves Cassidy more. Twenty-four years later, Petra’s mother has passed away and Petra discovers a letter hidden away for over two decades. Turns out Petra and Sharon really did win that contest. On a wild chance, Petra contacts the now defunct magazine only to discover that the current publication thinks her story would be perfect for print—she and Sharon will get a second chance to meet Cassidy as well as the real man behind the fantasy. And it’s not at all what they thought it would be. Pearson’s latest begins as a sweet and nostalgic sort of chick-lit but later transitions into a more deep story about friends, family, and growing up. Even though Cassidy was before my time, I nonetheless found myself humming the namesake song from start to finish. 02/11 Becky Lejeune

THE ICE PRINCESS by Camilla Läckberg: When the body of Alex Wijkner is discovered, officials are ready to rule the death a suicide. In fact, a first glance of the crime scene would indicate that this is true. At closer inspection, however, evidence soon proves that Alex was the victim of a cold and calculated murder. Her childhood friend, Erica Falck, makes a living as a biographer and author. At the request of the family, Erica agrees to write a piece on Alex for a local paper. But Erica is not done there. Her curiosity wins out and she becomes determined to solve the mystery of Alex’s death. Together with investigator Patrik Hedstrom, the two will unravel a secret that the folks in Fjallbacka have been hiding for decades. Fans of Scandinavian mystery giants Henning Mankell and Stieg Larsson are sure to love The Ice Princess. Läckberg’s strength lies not only in smart plotting, but also in excellent character development. This first in Läckberg’s highly praised series, originally released overseas over ten years ago, marks her US debut. Book two, The Preacher, is now available as well. 05/11 Becky Lejeune

ICE TRAP by Kitty Sewell: Years ago, after a horrible surgical accident, Dr. Dafydd Woodruff escaped to the tiny, secluded town of Moose Creek, Alaska. Woodruff served nine months as a temporary doctor in the town and then returned to his home in Whales. Today, Dr. Woodruff is a much respected surgeon who has managed to put his past behind him. Woodruff and his wife have everything going for them, but have been trying unsuccessfully to have a baby. Then one day, Dafydd receives a letter from a thirteen-year-old girl back in Moose Creek. She claims that she and her twin brother are Dafydd’s children. The problem is Dafydd swears he never had any sort of physical relationship with the children’s mother. DNA results don’t lie, however, and Dafydd returns to Moose Creek to find out just what is going on. What he discovers there will change his life forever. This gripping debut is infectiously readable. From page one, Sewell snatches hold of readers and never lets up. Surprisingly enough, Ice Trap is inspired by – but not based on – an actual event in the author’s life. With her debut title already the subject of much buzz and nominated for multiple awards, Kitty Sewell is one author who will definitely be a great. 02/08 Becky Lejeune

THE ICON by Neil Olson: For the foreseeable future all novels of this type will be compared fairly or unfairly to The Da Vinci Code. The Holy Mother of Katarini is a Greek Orthodox religious icon that becomes the focus of international intrigue, deception and death because of its role in certain World War II events in Greece. The book is well written and fast paced as NY Metropolitan Museum employee Matthew Spear tries to stay alive and come to grips with the power of the icon. Spear’s Greek grandfather was involved with the disappearance of the icon in World War II but it shows up some 55 years later in the custody of the granddaughter of a German officer who was also present at the “disappearance” of the icon. Olson does a good job of filling in details for those of us not familiar with the inner workings of the Greek Orthodox Church without over doing it. There are at least four factions involved as the story evolves and the surprise ending reveals even more truths about the events that set the chain into motion. All in all, a fascinating tale, well written and thought provoking. How does it compare to The Da Vinci Code? Read both and judge for yourself. 05/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

I’D KNOW YOU ANYWHERE by Laura Lippman: Eliza Benedict is married to a good provider, has two terrific kids, and they’ve just moved home to the U.S. after several years in London. Everyone is having adjustment problems but hers become especially difficult after she is contacted by Walter Bowman. He is on his last weeks of death row for kidnapping, rape and murder. Benedict was his only victim that lived; he kidnapped her when she was 15 years old and held her for several weeks before she finally got away. Now he wants to speak with her and her life is turned upside down. Her husband knows, but no one else does, especially her kids who are having enough problems of their own. This is a very powerful novel, psychologically compelling and one of Lippman’s best – which is saying a lot. Don’t miss it. 09/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE IDEAL MAN by Julie Garwood: As I continue my study of the romance genre, I would have been remiss not to read this NY Times bestselling author, and I’m very glad I did. This is not your grandmother’s romance; this is smart, contemporary and suspenseful. Dr. Ellie Sullivan is young, beautiful, and brilliant and finishing up her residency as an emergency room surgeon. She witnesses a shooting while running in the park that is part of an FBI investigation. An agent has been shot and Ellie saves his life. His partner, Agent Max Daniels, fears for her life as all the previous witnesses were either killed or they disappeared. Ellie is going home for her sister’s wedding, and Max decides to accompany her, especially after he reads her file and finds out she’s been troubled by a stalker for years. The romance is sweet, the story is entertaining and edgy, and all in all, this was a good read. 09/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

IDENTITY CRISIS by Debbi Mack: Lawyers generally start out at a disadvantage as protagonists because not everyone holds their profession in high regard. Female lawyers like Samantha “Sam” McRae are placed at a further disadvantage when, early on, they hop into bed with a married man as an antidote for months of abstinence. Her personal characteristics notwithstanding, Sam has a problem – a missing female client who may or may not be involved with a complex case of murder and identity theft that involves strips clubs, the Mob, and the FBI. Set in and around Baltimore, the well written story deserves a heroine who can get the job done out of bed rather than cluttering up the script with her personal needs. False identities can hide dark secrets, and those secrets can destroy lives. So can thoughtless actions. 12/09 Jack Quick

THE IDENTITY MAN by Andrew Klavan: Yes, John Shannon is a petty thief but he is not the vicious killer the police think he is. On the run with the cops closing in on him, he figures all he has to look forward to life in prison-or death by lethal injection. Then, he meets the Identity Man who offers him an incredible chance to start over with a new face, a new home, a new beginning. Soon, to his amazement, Shannon finds himself working as a carpenter and a wood carver, and for the first time falls in love with the sort of woman who could make him a better man. Its almost too god to be true – and it is. It turns out this city is corrupt from top to bottom with crooked politicians, gangsters, dirty cops everywhere. Shannon finds all of them are after him, for some reason he doesn’t know. —and, for some reason he doesn’t understand. If he is going to have any life, he must solve this mystery quickly. Nicely done. 11/10 Jack Quick

IDENTITY THEORY by Peter Temple: This is the sixth novel for Australian Temple and his American debut. You almost wish that it were science fiction rather than mystery. John Anselm is a former journalist working in Hamburg, Germany with a former intelligence officer, some stolen software and computer hackers who provide information on demand for the highest bidder. The only way you can evade their attention is if you have no job, no bank, no driver’s license, no utilities, nothing that is ever entered into a computer and you also never pass underneath the eye of a security camera. Otherwise, you are a possible target. This time they get into something much deeper than the run of the mill malfeasance they normally deal with – an entire government is at stake. Anselm’s past rudely intrudes on the present as forces far more powerful than their little intelligence company struggle over their work. Recommended. 04/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

IF JACK’S IN LOVE by Stephen Wetta: Set in the late 1960’s, this coming of age story revolves around 12 year old Jack and his family; the Witchers’ are the town pariahs. Jack is an anomoly, bright and sensitive, while his father is an unemployed hillbilly from the backwoods who loves stirring up trouble in the neighborhood, whether by storing trash all over the yard or fighting with the neighbors. Jack’s mom is sweet but homely and completely downtrodden, while Jack’s brother Stan is a pot smoking hippie yet also a street tough with a violent temper. I found this character, Stan, a little hard to understand, having grown up in the late 60’s/early 70s, when it was my experience that most pot smoking hippies were also peace loving gentle folk. Jack has few friends and a major crush on Myra, but that is a relationship that is fraught with difficulties, especially after her brother goes missing and Stan is the prime suspect in his disappearance. Racism and anti-Semitism are touched on, and the mystery surrounding the missing teen ratchets up the tension a bit, but this is Jack’s story, and despite all that is going on around him, this is a lovely fairytale, if you will, about a boy who rises up beyond his beginnings. An excellent read, especially for book groups. 09/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

IF YOU COULD SEE ME NOW by Cecelia Ahern: Ivan is an invisible friend – he only appears to those who need him and only stays until they no longer need him. When he meets Luke, he’s pleased to have found a friend so soon after helping his last one. What surprises Ivan is when Luke’s aunt, Elizabeth Egan, sees him as well. Strange as it may seem, Elizabeth needs Ivan’s help the most. See, it’s rare that Ivan appears to adults even though he appears to be an adult himself. Elizabeth may have a great career as an interior designer, but she’s not happy. She’s always been the dependable, responsible sister and, as a result, is raising her nephew Luke. Elizabeth has no room in her life for magic or love or even fun but Ivan is about to open her up to all three. Cecelia Ahern’s books are such a treat. Each one is sweet and funny and truly heartwarming; an all around feel good read. 10/06 Becky LeJeune

IGGY by Dalton Stephenson: Stephenson is a retired Alabama school teacher and former corporate executive. Like his previous efforts, this short work is a morality tale. Igor Goren “Iggy” Yasananovich is the disfigured son of an immigrant Russian coal miner. Added to his misfortune was the family’s location in the rural South of the early twentieth century, where the vast majority of people were of either British or African ancestry. John Luke Smart befriends Iggy and helps him through his troubles. Short, simple, and morally correct. 12/08 Jack Quick

Ilium by Dan Simmons: This is a big book, sprawling across our solar system from Earth to Mars and beyond. The title derives from a replication of the Trojan War taking on Mars for the entertainment of godlike creatures residing imperiously on Olympus Mons. To observe the extent of their power and compare their recreation with the original, they have brought back to life period scholars from twenty-first century Earth. The first party narrator of this part of the story is one of those “scholics,” Thomas Hockenberry. His observations of the progress of the conflict and discussions of specific characters will delight readers with a familiarity with Homer’s classics. His eventual interaction with the “gods” and principals of the story, including a dalliance with Helen herself, will delight science fiction fans. This would have been sufficient for a good book, but was not enough for this “big book” which contains two more story lines from other planets as well.
Earth for the most part has been abandoned and is left only to an effete pleasure seeking race whose every need is catered to throughout their measured 100 year lives. Their pleasures include watching the events occurring on Mars like an MTV video through the medium of a device called a “Turin-cloth.” However, this life is not enough for a small band of curious adventurers who, despite their race’s loss of the ability to read, are determined to find out the how and why of their existence.
The final, and most fun, story line involves biomachines, like something from a cable TV channel, sent from Jupiter to probe and perhaps destroy the mysterious emanations from Olympus Mons. These space-hardened machines are the real intellectuals of the book, specializing in Shakespeare and Proust, and having perhaps the most authentic emotions of any of its characters. This background is helpful when they encounter Prospero, Ariel and Caliban.
As I said, this is a big book. And apparently, one big book was not enough, because a following volume, Olympus, promises to bring all of this conflict and confusion to some sort of resolution. I have to believe that the reason the book is so big is because Simmons had so much fun writing it and just couldn’t bring himself to stop. I enjoyed it and I think readers of science fiction and epics will enjoy it. But I emerged from it feeling more that I had been sitting under a Turin cloth than getting a real intellectual workout. ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

I LOVE MY SMITH & WESSON by David Bowker: Robert B. Parker is the master of sparse prose but Ken Bruen and now David Bowker are showing some of the same talent. Rawhead, the former chief executioner of the Manchester mob, gets back into the business, after learning that a $50,000 bounty has been placed on his head. Gritty and dark, like the streets of Manchester, the cobbles of which are dyed by the generations of blood spilled on them. Graphic violence, etc. and a twist which sets up future adventures. A good one. 06/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

ILL WIND by Rachel Caine: The first of Rachel Caine’s Weather Warden books proves to be an excellent start to a refreshingly original urban fantasy series. Joanna Baldwin has the ability to control the air and water. She is a Weather Warden of great power, but some debated whether she was trainable—in other words, controllable. When an incident with her boss leaves Joanna on the run from the Wardens and carrying a Demon Mark, she knows that there is only one person who can possibly help her. Lewis, a fellow Warden who has the power to control all of the elements—a rare combination amongst the Wardens—has been on the run himself. Before he left, though, he managed to steal three of the Warden’s coveted Djinn. Rumor has it that a Demon Mark can successfully be transferred to a Djinn. But Joannna must find Lewis in time to save her own soul. Elemental based magic and genies. Ill Wind is just the first of a series that is so far comprised of eight additional titles (the latest due out this summer). With a killer plot and an excellent ending, Ill Wind is a must read for any urban fantasy fan. 04/10 Becky Lejeune

ILLEGAL by Paul Levine: Jimmy “Royal” Payne is a shady Los Angeles lawyer. He lost his son, and then his wife, and is not too popular with the local police. He manages to screw up a sting operation and goes on the run when he crosses paths with a 12-year-old Mexican boy. Tino is looking for his mother because they were separated in their illegal border crossing. Payne’s ex, a local cop, gives Payne an ultimatum: help the boy or go to jail. So Payne and Tino go off looking for the boy’s mother, and find themselves mixed up with the immigration problems in California’s farming community, not to mention forced prostitution. Payne is likeable in a very similar way to Levine’s previous Lassiter & Solomon characters, but this is a much edgier, darker book. Taking on the hot political potato of immigration gives a new twist to a tautly written thriller. I couldn’t put it down. 04/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

ILLEGAL ACTION by Stella Rimington: Ambitious MI-5 officer Liz Carlyle has been transferred from counter-terrorism to counter-espionage after the discovery of a mole in the previous outing. Although the counter-espionage section has been scaled back as the result of the end of the Cold War, there is no shortage of potential action, as there are more spies operating in London in the twenty-first century than there were during the height of East-West hostilities. While the Russians maintain a large presence much of their current activity is Russian versus Russian as the old regime splinters. Liz quickly uncovers a plot to silence one of these Russians: Nikita Brunovsky, an increasingly vocal opponent of Vladimir Putin. The Foreign Office is adamant about forestalling a crime that could become a full-blown international incident, but there’s not a single clue as to how the assassination will be carried out. It is up to Liz to make the save. Another well written book by the first woman Director General of MI-5. You got to wander where fact ends and fiction starts. 07/08 Jack Quick

I’M WATCHING YOU by Mary Burton: Two days before her seventeenth birthday, Lindsay Hines returned home from her summer job to find her mother dead in her backyard. After suffering years of abuse at the hands of Lindsay’s father, it had finally gone too far. It’s been twelve years since that horrific night and Lindsay Hines is now Lindsay O’Neil, a strong and independent woman who has worked to recover emotionally from the traumas of her childhood. Lindsay now provides help and support to other women like her mother. On the anniversary of her mother’s death, Lindsay will discover that someone else has been watching her, someone who is targeting the very men Lindsay is trying to protect her clients from. I’m Watching You is a great one-sitting read with just the right combination of suspense and romance. Characters will return next Fall in Burton’s upcoming thriller, Dead Ringer. 08/08 Becky Lejeune

AN IMAGE OF DEATH by Libby Fischer Hellmann: Videographer and producer Ellie Foreman is really a nice person, she just keeps coming into contact with dead bodies, and killers. This time it’s a mysterious videotape delivered to her door that shows a young woman being murdered. Ellie gets the gruesome feeling this is no act, but rather the real thing. This time Ellie’s adversary is the Russian Mafia, but with the help of village police officer Georgia Davis she manages to survive once again. There are some problems, however, as she and her lover, David, come very close to breaking up. With each book, Hellman just gets better. For example “Park Ridge has always been a schizophrenic suburb, unsure whether it wants to be home to the Little House on the Prairie or the Mall of America. But what can you expect from a town that originally went by the name of Pennyville?” Another treat. 06/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

IMMORAL by Brian Freeman: A terrific new thriller from a terrific new writer. A teenage girl goes missing one night, a year after another teenage girl disappeared. Neither case seems related, yet both are haunting Detective Jonathan Stride. Set in Duluth, Minnesota, wonderfully drawn characters that come to life populate this twisty tale deceit, betrayal and murder. Freeman is being compared to Harlan Coben, Michael Connelly & Dennis Lehane, some pretty heavy hitters and I can see why. This book was un-put-downable. 09/05

IMMORTAL LAWS by Jim Hansen: Blues singer Heather Vaughn has the same bloodlines as a young woman who is found with a wooden stake driven through her heart – both are descended from men who were reputed to be vampires. In this, his sixth outing, coffee drinking serial womanizing Denver homicide detective Bryson Coventry is under suspicion because of the disappearance of childhood friend Jena Vernon, now a local television news reporter, last seen with Coventry. Heather is trying to stay alive while helping to find a group of slayers that appear to be roaming the world to eradicate vampire descendents. Coventry doesn’t believe in ghosts, or vampires, or werewolves, or any of that stuff, but he does believe in himself “Just because I don’t know what I’m doing doesn’t mean I’m wrong.” Another solid police procedural with only a touch of “woo-woo”, that doesn’t interfere at all with the action in this modern-day thriller rooted in ancient and deadly rites. All in all, another very satisfying read. 09/08 Jack Quick

THE IMMORTALS by J.T. Ellison: It’s Halloween and Taylor Jackson has just been reinstated as Lieutenant. Her unit has been reassembled—with one missing exception—and the team has been called to the scene of a shocking crime: Seven Nashville teens have been brutally murdered and an eighth lies in critical condition. The bodies have been marked with pentagrams and some of the deaths caught on camera, the terrible video up on display all over the web. With evidence that points to the supernatural, the normally grounded Taylor is convinced there is something more earthly behind the murders. As she and her team investigate, Baldwin is facing a disciplinary hearing at Quantico, forced to pay the price for a secret he’s kept for six years. Another great installment in the series. Ellison really shows that she can step out of the box and take her characters to unexpected places with The Immortals. 11/10 Becky Lejeune

THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD by Ian Rankin: Rankin’s second novel featuring Malcolm Fox and his colleagues in The Complaints (the name given to the Internal Affairs department who seek out dirty and compromised cops), conduct a major inquiry into a neighboring police force. A copper has been found guilty of using his position to extort sex. He is found guilty but there is some question whether three of his mates may have conducted a cover-up and/or committed perjury. The case quickly turns even more serious when the uncle of the convicted copper, the one who turned him in, is found shot to death. Suicide? Fox doesn’t think so. With secrets buried in the past, and reputations on the line, the result is a pulse-pounding thriller. 12/11 Jack Quick
IMMUNITY by Lori Andrews: Dr. Alexandra Blake may have stumbled across a virulent new outbreak in this third installment of the AFIP (Armed Forces Institute of Pathology) based forensic series. When DEA agent Ted Silliman’s body is sent to Walter Reed Hospital for autopsy, Blake is the one who ends up bringing the results back to his fellow officers. His superiors are ready to chalk the man’s death up to an overdose and sweep the whole thing under the rug, but his partner, Castro Baxter, is insistent that the man wasn’t using. Alex decides to dig a little deeper, but then the body goes missing. She discovers evidence of a second similar case in Taos, New Mexico – the same place Silliman and Baxter had been working when the DEA agent died. When more cases begin to pop up, Alex is convinced that they’re facing a deadly new infection that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. Her concerns are ignored by the powers that be, however, and she and the AFIP team decide to take matters into their own hands before chaos ensues. Immunity is an effective and intense combination of forensic mystery and medical thriller. Throw in some political turmoil and you’ve got yet another exciting installment to a stand-out and original new series. 09/08 Becky Lejeune

In Fidelity by M. J. Rose: This is fast and furious reading, completely entertaining and enthralling.

IN FOR THE KILL by John Lutz: Retired NYPD homicide detective Frank Quinn and his team of Pearl Kasner and “Feds” Federman, who were featured in Darker Than Night are called back into action to help stop a woman-killing madman in New York City. The serial killer, nicknamed the Butcher, kills his victims, all brunette women, in a particularly bizarre fashion. He drowns them in the bathtub, drains their bodies of blood, then dismembers them, leaving the body parts stacked in ritualistic fashion in the bathtub. After the first three victims are discovered it becomes apparent that the killer is targeting Quinn as the first letters of the last names of the victims are Q-U-I. Sure enough, the next two have last names beginning with N. The return of Quinn’s daughter from California to live with him rachets up the suspense yet another notch. Extremely well done page turner. 11/08 Jack Quick

IN HARM’S WAY by Irene Hannon: This is the third and final book of Hannon’s The Heroes of Quantico series. As with last year’s An Eye for An Eye, I found it to be too much romance and too little suspense. FBI agent Nick Bradley is dealing with a sensitive and artistic piano instructor, Rachel Sutton, who has had a psychic experience from a Raggedy Ann doll buried in the snow of a parking lot. Nick is unable to shake a persistent feeling that Rachel is for real and soon the report of a missing baby is linked with the doll. Predictably Nick and Rachel become emotionally involved and Rachel becomes imperiled. Ho hum. 03/10 Jack Quick

In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner: A lovely, funny look at sisters. Rose is a successful attorney, slightly overweight and living alone until her beautiful, flighty sister Maggie gets evicted and moves in. Maggie has sticky fingers, helping herself to Rose’s money, makeup, shoes, and eventually, well, something no sister should ever take from another. There is the requisite happy ending though, making this a fun, feel good read. Note to author: Poetry is not found in the fiction stacks, but in the 811 stacks in any public library, including Broward County’s.

IN PLAIN SIGHT by Mike Knowles: Wilson is a hit man who gets hit himself by a drunk driver, which causes him to wake up in the hospital handcuffed to the bed, and under the control of an ambitious “dirty” cop who is willing to trade Wilson for “a bigger fish.” Of course, this means Wilson will remain on the hook and be dangled as bait, neither of which sounds good to him. Meanwhile, there are some Russian mobsters who want a piece of Wilson as well. Can he lure both cops and robbers into his own trap? Can he then extricate himself from this mess? Third outing for Wilson after Darwin’s Nightmare (2008) and Grinder (2009). Just keeps getting better. Definitely recommended. 10/10 Jack Quick

IN PLAIN VIEW by J. Wachowski: Having spent over four decades in the media, I generally avoid media based mysteries, but this one was pretty good. The first person protagonist, Maddy O’Hara, is a former freelance Chicago reporter forced by economics to sign on with a suburban Chicago television station. Part of her assignment is shepherding and training the nephew of the station’s program director. On their first outing, they come across a man in Amish clothing hanging from a tree – dead. O’Hara didn’t even know there were Amish in the area. Soon she learns there is much more to this story that people do not want to come out, especially Sheriff Jack Curzon. What starts out as a simple assignment soon turns into a gauntlet as O’Hara tried to solve the mystery and save herself and her family. Not bad. ( only) 06/10 Jack Quick

IN SEARCH OF THE ROSE NOTES by Emily Arsenault: Nora and Charlotte were eleven when their babysitter, Rose, went missing without a trace. The girls were determined to solve the mystery back then. Nora had been the last person to see Rose alive: they walked home together that evening and then Rose disappeared over the hill up the street. Now, it’s sixteen years later and Rose’s body has finally been found. Though Nora has thought about that night for a long time, returning to her hometown in the wake of the discovery brings a lot of buried memories to the surface. Then Nora finds a series of poems that seem to connect to Rose and the weeks before her disappearance. Now, she and Charlotte have resumed their investigation. Arsenault’s mystery is one that plays off the natural anxieties and worries of children and teens, skillfully bringing to life the emotions of all the characters involved. 07/11 Becky Lejeune
IN SECRET SERVICE by Mitch Silver: Yale history professor Amy Greenberg is newly engaged to boyfriend Scott Brown and loves her work. Then she receives notice that she needs to come to Dublin to claim the contents of a safe deposit box leased by her deceased grandfather, a World War II veteran who served with the famous Ian Fleming (“Bond, James Bond”) during the War. Inside the box is an unpublished, nonfiction manuscript written in 1964 that Fleming had intended would not see the light of day until fifty years after his death. Instead the pending closure of the bank has placed the material in Amy’s hands in 2005. The Fleming manuscript details a previously unknown conspiracy between former King Edward and Adolf Hitler. The conspiracy apparently continues to this day as Amy and Scott find themselves in danger from villains looking to steal the manuscript. An interesting premise, but unfortunately this first time novelist doesn’t quite pull it off, as the coincidences and connections are occasionally strained and the non-historical characters sometimes come off as caricatures, i.e. a New York City homicide detective accepting that a person allergic to peanuts would voluntarily consume them. I think (and hope) Silver’s next effort will be much better. 01/08 Jack Quick

IN SECRET SERVICE by Mitch Silver: Ansbacher bank in Ireland is having trouble with taxing authorities and will most likely be closing its doors. All persons holding safe deposit boxes at the bank have received letters requesting that they empty out the boxes or the contents will be auctioned off. Amy Greenberg is the recipient of one such letter on behalf of her grandfather, Raymond “Chief” Greenberg. The Chief has now been dead for ten years and Amy had no knowledge of any safe deposit box. A trip to Ireland to recover the contents leads Amy to an extraordinary discovery. Contained in the box is what appears to be an unpublished manuscript by none other than 007 creator Ian Fleming. “Provenance” is not an unknown Bond novel, however. It appears to be Fleming’s own account of a traitor within the monarchy during WWII. The secret that Fleming wants Amy to help him reveal – for the manuscript was addressed directly to Amy all along – is one that has been contained since the war. Silver’s debut is, in many places, in danger of being overwhelmed by characters and names and “interesting facts.” Amy herself, fortyish and about to earn her doctorate, also comes across as a bit immature in my view. The book is saved, however, by the intriguing plot and amazingly fast pacing. Silver enhances this tale with copies of documents that are supposed to be included with the manuscript in order to prove the revelations in the fictional Fleming’s manuscript. Over all, In Secret Service is entertaining and gripping. Not being a history buff, I couldn’t tell you if any of it is true, though. 05/07 Becky Lejeune

IN SESSION: Dr. Morgan Snow with Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone, Lee Child’s Jack Reacher & Barry Eisler’s John Rain by M.J. Rose: This is a must read for fans of Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone, Lee Child’s Jack Reacher and Barry Eisler’s John Rain series. Rose resurrects one of her former series character, sex therapist Dr. Morgan Snow, and has her in session with each of these other series’ characters. The characters naturally fall into meeting with Snow, not because they are seeking therapy but for other, wilier reasons. Available as an ebook only, this is a fun read that offers some interesting insights into characters that I have enjoyed for years and was approved by each of their creators so you know it has to be good. I can’t think of a better way to spend $1.99. 11/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

In the Clear by Steve Lopez: What is it about New Jersey that invites comic relief into the murder and mayhem? Whatever it is, Lopez is no comic tour de force, but he definitely has a good time. An Atlantic City casino mover and shaker is determined to build a resort oasis, replete with gambling and a Sea World type theme park, in the small island town of Harbor Lights, New Jersey, no matter how many homes and businesses he has to raze to do it. He hires the only cop in town, Sheriff Albert LaRosa, as head of security, but bombs keep going off, and the only suspects are Albert’s father, his girlfriend and/or her son and a town eccentric. Corruption is uncovered and the F.B.I. moves in. Lines like, “Albert felt so good he almost wanted to pay his taxes,” kept me entertained, but the ending was a bit too tidy for my liking.

IN THE COMPANY OF LIARS by David Ellis: Edgar Award winning author David Ellis (Line of Vision, Jury of One) has come up with a new twist in thrillers; he’s written this one in reverse chronological order. The story unpeels like an onion, layer by layer, as it moves backward day by day by week by month until it reaches the beginning of the story, which is the end of the book. Read backwards and forwards, it feels somewhat gimmicky but skilled writing and a tricky storyline make it work, although it is slow-going. Allison Pagone, a best selling crime novelist, has killed herself – or was it murder? As the story backtracks, Sam Dillon, Allison’s paramour and a Washington lobbyist, has been murdered and Allison is charged with the crime. It seems she may be protecting her ex-husband and/or her daughter, and several government agencies want to know who is involved in possible bribes of key senators, a cover-up in the pharmaceutical industry and with mysterious Middle Eastern terrorists. All these threads are neatly woven into this intricate plot, but nothing is as it seems as the roller coaster ride keeps coiling backwards, finally hurtling back to the starting point. 04/05 Copyright © 2005 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Reprinted with permission.

IN THE DARK OF THE NIGHT by John Saul: Every summer, the Newells and the Sparks rent cabins on Phantom Lake. This summer, the Brewsters will be there too. More a mansion than a cabin, the Brewsters are able to get a great deal on Pinecrest, a house once owned by Dr. Hector Darby. The house has stood empty since Dr. Darby mysteriously disappeared years ago. No one in Phantom Lake knows about Dr. Darby’s strange hobby. No one knows about the secret room in the carriage house where he kept his strange collection. When Eric Brewster, Tad Sparks and Kent Newell discover the room, they can’t imagine the evil that they have awakened. I have been a John Saul fan for years and I must admit that Dark is not one of his better works. The predictable plot and simplistic characters were very disappointing. 09/06 Becky LeJeune

IN THE DARK by Brian Freeman: The latest in Freeman’s Jonathan Stride series finds Stride faced with reopening a case that made him the man he is today. At 17, Jonathan Stride knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Cindy Starr. That summer, Cindy’s older sister Laura was found beaten to death. Years later, after losing Cindy to cancer, Stride still sees her ghost. So when Tish Verdure, a self-proclaimed friend of Cindy’s, shows up with the intention of writing a book about Laura’s murder, Stride is reluctant, but agrees to help. Stride himself was never happy with the story that a wandering vagrant was behind the brutal murder, but with evidence gone missing and no new leads, it was unlikely the case would ever be solved, until now. Tish knew that Laura was being stalked and is able to produce a letter from all those years ago that may still have useable DNA evidence. And strangely, for a case that seemed so open and shut ages ago, new leads and witnesses seem to be showing up all over the place. In the Dark is as intense and fast-paced as you would expect it to be, and I love the flashbacks and the insight into Stride’s past. This would also be a great place for new readers to jump into the series. In the Dark was published as The Watcher in the UK. 04/09 Becky Lejeune

IN THE DARK OF DREAMS by Marjorie M. Liu: Jenny has always stood apart from those around her. As the third generation of a family that created the Consortium, A Priori, and Dirk and Steele, Jenny was exposed to a world that most are unaware of. Psychics, witches, demons, and shapeshifters are just everyday parts of the family business. But when Jenny was twelve, she met a merman. She never told anyone of the encounter, but has spent the rest of her days since searching for him. When the two do finally meet again, everything they know hangs in the balance. The end is coming and Jenny and her merman hold the key to stopping the destruction. I love that readers can pick up most of the books in the Dirk and Steele series at any point, without having read them in order. I did find that this one in particular had some elements that would have been better understood by a reader familiar with the series history, however, but it’s still not totally necessary to have read all of the previous books. Liu’s paranormal romance series goes way beyond the typical werewolves and vampires. 12/10 Becky Lejeune

In the Forest of Harm by Sallie Bissell: Taut, fast paced thriller set in the Nantahala National Forest. Mary Crow is a winning D.A. in Atlanta who has just put away “Handsome Cal” for murder, despite his wealthy family’s connections, although in doing so, she humiliated his brother on the witness stand. To celebrate her victory, she invites her two best friends to go home with her, back to her Cherokee roots – hiking in the mountains of North Carolina. Mary hasn’t been home in twelve years, since her mother was raped and murdered, and her grandmother took her away to live in Atlanta, and she feels it is time to face the demons she left behind. But things go awry when one of her friends is raped, and the other abducted. Mary is determined to find her missing friend, and all her childhood tracking skills come back to her in her pursuit. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Mary, she is also being pursued. Bissell creates tension that just keeps building page after page, but somehow also manages to create unforgettable characters and uses breathtaking imagery in her descriptions of the forest. I ripped through this in one sitting – an excellent read, although not for the squeamish – lots of graphic, albeit not gratuitous violence.

IN THE LIGHT OF YOU by Nathan Singer: This one grabs you by the throat from the opening line, “It’s hard to know how to feel when your best friend blows out a man’s stomach with a shotgun,” spoken by fourteen year old Mikal Fanon. Fanon’s first name is Mikal, because his parents didn’t understand that the letters “chae” were, in fact, a preferred alternative to “ka” in that particular name. In this coming of age story, Fanon ends up with a violently right wing group – the Fifth Reich, led by the charismatic Richard Lovecraft. Two women cause him to have second thoughts. One is a beautiful black activist, Niani Shange. The other is Richard’s girlfriend, Sherry Nicolas, who seems to regard Mikal as competition for Richard’s affections. Called brutal by both J. D. Rhoades and Marcus Sakey, this one kind of makes you glad you are no longer a teenager. 08/08 Jack Quick

IN THE MIDST OF DEATH by Lawrence Block: Detective Jerry Broadfield knew he was inviting trouble when he volunteered to squeal to an ambitious district attorney. about police corruption. When a prostitute accused him of extortion he decided he had Scudder trouble. When the prostitute’s dead body was discovered in his apartment he knew it was Scudder trouble. Can unlicensed private eye Matthew Scudder save Broadfield? And is he as innocent as he claims. Another excellent Lawrence Block. 06/06 Jack Quick

IN THE NAME OF HONOR by Richard North Patterson: Patterson returns to what he does best; creating a taut legal thriller based on a strong political point of view. This time the subject is post traumatic stress disorder and the war in Iraq. Paul Terry is a brilliant defense lawyer in the Judge Advocate General’s office who is assigned to a case involving two Iraqi vets. Lieutenant Brian McCarran comes from a long line of soldiers, and his famous father is the Army Chief of Staff. The lieutenant has killed his superior officer, Captain Joe D’Abruzzo and claims it was self defense. The first problem is that McCarran claims he has no memory after he fired the first shot. Things are complicated even further because the McCarran family and D’Abruzzo family are intertwined. But the real crux of the matter is that neither McCarran or D’Abruzzo will talk about what happened in Iraq, and both of them came home changed men, suffering with nightmares and significant personality changes. The only problem I had with with this book is that Terry becomes involved with his client’s sister, an attorney who is sitting in as second chair on the case. Something about their relationship just felt forced to me and didn’t ring true. That aside, Patterson writes legal thrillers better than just about anyone else, and this is a terrific read. 07/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

IN THE NAME OF HONOR by Richard North Patterson: If you liked the book/movie A Few Good Men, then you should love this one. Lieutenant Brian McCarran shoots and kills his superior officer, Captain Joe D’Abruzzo, at Fort Bolton in northern Virginia soon after they return from a tour in Iraq. McCarran is a fourth generation soldier and son of legendary Gen. Anthony McCarran, the current army chief of staff, soon to become the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Complicating matters is that Joe was married to Kate Gallagher, the general’s goddaughter, son of his best friend who was killed in Vietnam, and lifelong friend of Brian and the McCarran family. Chosen to defend McCarran is 31-year-old Captain Paul Terry, of the army’s JAG Corps, who is serving out his last few months in the Army prior to going into civilian practice, along with Brian’s gorgeous older attorney sister, Meg, who insists on working with Paul. You can’t fault Patterson for facing things head on – in this case PTSD and the war in Iraq. This may be his best ever. 07/10 Jack Quick

IN THE SHADOW OF GOTHAM by Stefanie Pintoff: Dobson is a small and quiet town just north of New York City. Detective Simon Ziele transferred here after losing his wife in the tragic General Slocum disaster of 1904. Ziele had hoped for a break from the big city, time to recover from his loss and move on. He’s been relatively successful at that until now. Sarah Wingate, a brilliant college student, is horribly tortured and murdered. Enter Alistair Sinclair, a man devoted to the relatively new study of criminology. His offer of assistance in the case surprises Ziele, especially when Sinclair claims to know the identity of the killer. As the two men work together to track down the suspected murderer, their case becomes more complex and twisted than either of them ever suspected. Pintoff’s debut was recently awarded the Edgar for Best First Novel. Her use of real events in New York’s history makes this a rich and satisfying read with a great plot. 05/10 Becky Lejeune

IN THE WIND by Barbara Fister: Chicago has bred another PI and she is a good one. In her debut Anni Koskinen is involved with a “cold case” dating from 1972. In that year, in the middle of the turmoil surrounding the Vietnam War, FBI Agent Arne Tilquist was murdered and the killer never caught. Fast forward to the present. Arne’s son Jim is now an FBI Agent and good friend of Anni Koskinen. Koskinen is an ex-Chicago cop with an autistic brother. She has known Jim ever since she and her brother, abandoned by their parents, were united with a kindly old man who took them in, largely as the results of Jim’s efforts. As a favor, Koskinen agrees to take Rosa Saenz, one of her friend Father Sikora’s community center volunteers, to Bemidji, Minn. It turns out that Rosa, aka Verna Basswood, is a prime suspect in the decades old murder. Koskinen wades into the mix of undercover police (who dislike her) overly ambitious FBI agents, the American Indian Movement, the white-supremacist Nordic League and a host of interesting characters including Jim Tilquist’s manic-depressive daughter. Don’t look now V.I. but you have some serious competition. 09/10 Jack Quick

IN THEIR BLOOD by Sharon Potts: Jeremy Stroeb has spent the past year traveling around Europe and trying to figure out what to do with his life. He never thought that he’d end up the sole guardian of his teenage sister. He never imagined that his last moments with his parents would be spent arguing with them. He could never have foreseen their shocking murder. Jeremy vows that things will change, that he will be there for his sister, Elise, and that he will find out what happened to his parents. As Jeremy gains access to each of his parents’ private worlds, he learns that both of them were hiding secrets, and both of them were surrounded by people with motives for murder. Jeremy will have to uncover the truth hidden underneath his parents’ seemingly perfect lives in order to discover the identity of their killer. Potts’s debut is an impressive and smartly plotted mystery that is sure to keep readers guessing from start to finish—the pacing is quick and the story has just the right amount of action and suspense. 09/09 Becky Lejeune

Incriminating Evidence by Sheldon Siegel: Special Circumstances (his first novel) was the best new legal thriller to come out in a long time. It was with much anticipation (couldn’t wait for another Mike Daley story!) tempered by slight trepidation (could he do it again?) that I started reading Incriminating Evidence. I am happy to report that my fears were completely unfounded.
Sheldon Siegel is a master of his craft.
I ripped through this book in a few hours, oblivious to all around me. Murder, betrayal, and kinky sex combined with intelligent humor kept the pages turning. Great characters and believable dialogue take the reader deeper and deeper into ex-priest-turned-lawyer Mike Daley’s world, twisting and turning along the way. There is enough intrigue and courtroom drama to please any fan of the genre. Siegel creates a story that is totally engrossing and enthralling every step of the way! It will hold you spellbound.
INDEFENSIBLE by Pamela Callow: Follow up to Damaged, released earlier this year. Lawyer Kate Lange been handed a case that seems utterly unwinnable – defending her boss, high-profile lawyer Randall Barrett. Barrett’s a prosecutor’s dream – an attorney generally disliked by his peers who was cuckolded by his ex-wife, known for his temper, who had argued bitterly with the victim the previous day in full view of their children. The victim is Barrett’s ex-wife. Randall’s teenage son is intent on killing him. His daughter wants only to feel safe again. The entire legal community would like nothing better than to see Randall publicly humiliated. Lange’s limited criminal law experience hasn’t prepared her for the combination of a high profile trial and a broken family. John Grisham for women. 12/10 Jack Quick

The Inexquisite Eye by D.B. Smith: I know this sounds bitchy but if this book had a different title and a different jacket it could have much more mass appeal and that would be a good thing. It would appeal to young women caught in the first job trap, or girls in college about to be caught. As it is, it stands to get lost. And that’s too bad because Elissa Laughlin is a character worth meeting. She will frustrate and confound you but ultimately she achieves something that few of us have the courage to even attempt – -and that is to live an examined life. This story of a young woman lawyer who goes off to make her own way has enough suspense to keep you guessing – -(will she? won’t she? and why?). The characters are likeable (we see how her family, friends and lover give meaning to her life even if she can’t) and so is the New Haven, CT setting. There is a great ‘you go girl’ scene. You may never agree or understand Elissa (even our narrator steps in and seems to give up at the end) but her story is worth hearing.

PS: From the book: “Biography is the story of a few choices. We make these choices and they make our lives. We choose a future for ourselves with no knowledge of it, without even reasonable grounds for prediciting it, and then the choice becomes our circumstances . . . We spend the rest of our lives choosing between the consequences of decisions we made when we were very young . . .” you can read the rest in the book. ~This review contributed by Ann Nappa

INFAMOUS by Ace Atkins: Atkins is back with another historic novel based on a real crime – this time its the 1933 kidnapping of Oklahoma oil baron Charles Urschel which transformed small-time bank robber George Kelly into the infamous “Machine Gun” Kelly. . George is portrayed as an affable mug, more interested in two-toned shoes and 16-cylinder Cadillacs than crime and machine guns, a crook who was dismissed as a lightweight by other gangsters. On the other hand behind every bad man there is a worse woman. Wife Kathryn is a force of nature, a preening, determined-not-to-be-poor-again shopaholic, a celebrity-obsessed Lady Macbeth. Atkins makes this a compelling road trip through Depression-era America with his vivid portraits of the Dust Bowl, foreclosures, the grinding poverty, gnawing hunger, desperation, and the rage at bankers as well as the imminent end of the gangsters’ heyday. Very nicely done. I never got into Atkins’ Nick Travers series but three of his stand-alones – WICKED CITY, THE RANGER and now INFAMOUS are all first rate. 09/11 Jack Quick

INFECTED by Scott Sigler: This gross-out tale of “biological possession” is the first major release from online phenom Scott Sigler. Strange cases of an unidentified infection have been popping up all over the States and the CIA has teamed up with the CDC to try and figure out the cause. The symptoms involve extreme paranoia and psychosis that so far has resulted in mass killings and suicides. No one knows how the virus spreads and a live case has yet to be found. The bodies of those confirmed victims all decompose at such an alarming rate that the doctors on the case have yet to be able to study the thing. The one physical trait they are able to identify is the appearance of strange triangular growths on the victims’ bodies. Ex-college football star, Perry Dawsey, has just become one of these infected. Sigler treats the reader to a gory and gruesome play-by-play of the progression of the infection. The interesting storyline and Sigler’s graphic detail drive this sci-fi horror tale and are guaranteed to entertain readers. This is the first part of a proposed trilogy and will leave you hanging in suspense. 04/08 Becky Lejeune

THE INFORMANT by James Grippando: A combination police procedural and newspaper story. Miami Tribune crime reporter Mike Posten has been offered an incredible opportunity – a caller claims that, for money, he can predict the next victim of a serial killer who has eluded the FBI’s Child Abduction and Serial Killer Unit. After a brief debate, Posten and his paper pony up for a series of exclusives. At the same time Posten also talks to FBI agent Victoria Santos, who is alone in believing that the informant and the actual killer are different people. Unusually non-gory for a serial killer plot, this is an unusually cerebral and low-key thriller, emphasizing procedure, forensics and professional ethics rather than shock or even suspense until the later half when everything goes over the top. Nicely done. 08/09 Jack Quick

THE INFORMANT by Thomas Perry: The Butcher’s Boy is back. Some two decades after the retirement of the second generation most proficient hitman ever hired by the Mafia, someone makes the mistake of trying to kill him and claim the reward on his head. Justice Department official Elizabeth Waring is the only one who believes he ever existed. Waring, now high up in the Organized Crime Division of the Justice Department, receives a surprise late night visit from the Butcher’s Boy. Knowing she keeps track of the Mafia, he asks her whom his attackers worked for, offering information that will help her crack an unsolved murder in return. As the Butcher’s Boy works his way ever closer to his quarry in an effort to protect his new way of life, Waring is in a race against time, either to convince him to become a protected informant—or to take him out of commission for good. Its not decided until late in the game and not everyone will agree with the conclusion, but all will enjoy the ride getting there. Perry, IMHO, is one of those under-rated authors whose work always satisfies. 05/11 Jack Quick

THE INFORMATIONIST by Taylor Stevens: Vanessa Michael Munroe is the daughter of American missionaries who grew up in Cameroon before escaping at age 15 after killing a man who had abused and raped her. Nine years later she has forged a new life in Texas as an “informationist,” a person who specializes in gathering information about developing countries for corporations. Munroe’s best friend, marketing consultant Kate Breeden, refers her to Miles Bradford, a high-stakes security pro, who believes she’s the perfect choice to help Houston oilman Richard Burbank find his adopted daughter, Emily, who vanished four years earlier at age 18 while vacationing in west central Africa. Munroe returns to Africa, where she reconnects with her ex-boyfriend, Francisco Beyard, a sexy drug-and-gun-running businessman, who assists in the dangerous search for Emily. This one is high octane, folks, and highly recommended, except for the squeamish. Think Zoe Sharpe’s Charlie Fox, only rougher. 04/11 Jack Quick

INHERENT VICE by Thomas Pynchon: I should start by declaring my prejudices. I believe that Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow is the finest American novel of the 20th Century. In its scope and varied detail, it rivals the all time great American novel, Moby Dick. Inherent Vice is not Gravity’s Rainbow. But it doesn’t pretend to be. It is a thoroughly enjoyable and whimsical romp through a place and time which is dear to the hearts of my generation. Its hippy, psychedelic language is just perfect for this summer of 2009 when the 40th anniversary of Woodstock is being celebrated. Much like The Dude in the movie, “The Big Lebowski”, is a “man for his time”, Inherent Vice is a book for its time.
On the surface, it is sort of the story of the case that Doc Sportello, a true son of the 60’s private eye, commits himself to at the plea of a former girl friend. Like most of Pynchon’s other novels, there is a plot which drives a major paranoid vision of the Universe. In this case, the drivers are not Thurn and Taxis, but the Golden Fang society, involved in smuggling, land development, secret organizations and outright corruption of officialdom. The story twists and turns, revealing layers of reality within other realities, and introducing fascinating character after fascinating character. If more was needed, there are also the delightful little side insertions reminiscent of the story of Bennie the Bulb in Gravity’s Rainbow. In Inherent Vice, one of these side “trips” is an LSD adventure that Doc gets reluctantly sucked into in his pursuit of the truth.
However, the real delight in Pynchon’s writing is always his play with words. One such small gem is naming a surfer Mexican restaurant Wavos. (If this requires explanation, you probably don’t have the necessary cultural referents and should skip this book.) A more extended demonstration is the description of the sign outside Doc’s office. “The sign on his door read LSD Investigations, LSD, as he explained when people asked, which was not often, standing for ‘Location, Surveillance, Detection.’ Beneath this was a rendering of a giant bloodshot eyeball in the psychedelic favorites green and magenta, the detailing of whose literally thousands of frenzied capillaries had been subcontracted out to a commune of speed freaks from Sonoma. Potential clients had been known to spend hours gazing at the ocular mazework, often forgetting what they had come here for.” My personal favorite was Pynchon locating a health food store called The Price of Wisdom on the second floor over a rundown gin mill called Ruby’s because, according to the book of Job, “the price of wisdom is above rubies.”
Is this a masterwork? No. Is it a wonderful exposition of a fine and clever mind at play? Hell, yes. You will be missing a special fun and challenging trip if you don’t put this book on your list. 09/09 Geoffrey R. Hamlin

THE INHERITANCE by Simon Tolkien: The case seemed cut and dry: Stephen Cade, furious at the prospect of being cut from his father’s will, shot the man in cold blood. Now Stephen is on trial and the expected sentence is death by hanging. As the trial moves forward, however, questions are raised about the elder Cade’s involvement in the murder of a French family during WWII and it seems that Stephen Cade was not the only person with motive to kill. Detective Inspector William Trave begins to doubt Stephen’s guilt, but with the prosecutor literally out for blood, the detective’s hands are tied unless he can come up with a solid new suspect. Set in 1959, Tolkien (J.R.R.’s grandson) is able to twist a legal thriller into something new. The subplot of the WWII events and the particular legal precedents of the time in England are fascinating devices that move the story along in a great way. Though the book doesn’t feel like the beginning of a series, Trave returns in Tolkien’s recent follow-up, The King of Diamonds. 04/11 Becky Lejeune

THE INNER CIRCLE by Brad Meltzer: Beecher White is an archivist at the National Archives in Washington D.C. The Archives is like the attic of America, housing all the papers and artifacts that haven’t landed anywhere else, like the Smithsonian or a presidential library. After a devastating breakup with his fiancé, Beecher hooks up with his first crush, Clementine, on Facebook. When she comes to visit, he can’t help but want to show off where he works, and with the help of his friend Orlando, the security guard, he manages to get her into one of the private vaults where the President visits and reads every week. While there, they accidentally uncover a hidden book that once belonged to George Washington. That seemingly innocuous, accidental find causes a chain of events that could not be foreseen, starting with Orlando’s murder. Clementine has her own secrets, and so do just about everyone else in this story, but separating the good guys from the bad guys is no easy feat in this twisty, fascinating thriller. Lots of American history – the kind they never teach you in school – raises the bar even higher. I walked around with this book as I literally couldn’t put it down. Don’t miss it! 1/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE INNOCENCE GAME by Michael Harvey: An engrossing and different novel written by an author mainly famous for his books about a private detective named Michael Kelly. This stand alone novel concerns three students enrolled in a graduate level seminar at a top journalism school. The purpose of the seminar is to allow the participants to engage in research designed to find new evidence in “solved” cases and possibly allow falsely imprisoned individuals to be freed from jail. The three students, Ian Joyce, Sarah Gold and Jake Havens, seemingly have little in common until they select a case regarding a young boy killed 10 years ago with the accused murderer killed while in jail. The three unearth fact after fact about that case and tie it with other murders seemingly committed by individuals imprisoned for those crimes and than killed in prison. The three find that there is more and more commonality than is apparent among them including possible romance and rivalry between Ian and Jake with regard to Sarah. Mr Harvey slowly but surely pulls the reader towards a conclusion and the possibility that the crimes and the reason for them reach high up into local, state and federal governments as a means of controlling events favorable to certain people. A must read and a good reason for a stay up all night session. 05/13 Paul Lane

INNOCENT by Scott Turow: It took Turow more than 20 years to bring us the sequel to his bestselling first novel, Presumed Innocent, and it was worth the wait. Now 60 and long after being acquitted of murdering his mistress, Rusty Sabich has become chief judge of the County, IL appellate court and is running for the state supreme court. When his wife dies in her sleep, Sabich waits 24 hours before calling his son or anyone else, setting off suspicions of foul play with his old nemesis, acting prosecutor Tommy Molto. The coroner determines she died of natural causes, but Molto and his chief deputy Brand quietly start building a case, convinced Sabich is trying to get away with murder again. VERDICT This is a beautifully written book with finely drawn characters and an intricate plot, seamlessly weaving a troubled family story with a murder. Drawing the reader in and not letting go until the last page, Turow’s legal thriller is a most worthy successor to Presumed Innocent and perhaps the author’s finest work to date. 05/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch. Copyright © 2010 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Reprinted with permission.

THE INNOCENT by David Baldacci: He is 40, a hit-man employed by the US government. After many successful missions, he is tasked with a job close to home, a black female government employee with two children. It doesn’t feel right and after he doesn’t make the kill, Robie becomes a target himself and must escape from his own people. On a late night bus out of town he meets a fourteen-year-old runaway from a foster home who just saw her parents murdered, and her own life put in danger. Against all of his professional habits, Robie rescues her and finds he can’t walk away. He needs to help her. Even worse, the more Robie learns about the girl, the more he’s convinced she is at the center of a vast cover-up, one that may explain her parents’ deaths and stretch to unimaginable levels of power. Now, Robie may have to step out of the shadows in order to save this girl’s life . . . and perhaps his own. 6/12 Jack Quick

INNOCENT MAGE: KINGMAKER KINGBREAKER BOOK ONE by Karen Miller: Aussie author Karen Miller makes her stateside debut with this marvelous fantasy. Six hundred years ago, the Doranen people were decimated through a catastrophic war. They fled their land and made a pact with the neighboring Olken people in what would become the Kingdom of Lur. The Doranen built a wall that was to be maintained by magic and would protect themselves, as well as the Olken, from the monster they left behind. An ancient Olken prophecy foretells a time when the wall will fall and death will follow in its wake. One of their own will save the world in its final days. This prophecy is a closely held secret known by very few.
Asher, a fisherman by trade, has come to the capital city to earn enough money to buy his own boat and support his father. Unbeknownst to him, he is about to become a pawn in a game he is ill prepared to play, for Asher is the innocent mage. This is a tale that is full of magic, political maneuvering, and the true tests of friendship and loyalty. Miller brings to life an intricate world with a complex history that is exciting and enthralling. I highly recommend this title even if you don’t normally read fantasy. The story concludes in the upcoming release, Awakened Mage. 09/07 Becky Lejeune

INSIDE OUT by Barry Eisler: Celebrate America’s freedom this 4th of July by reading this eye opening thriller. Black ops spy Ben Treven is back and finds himself in a foreign jail after some anger management issues. Much to his surprise, his old boss, Hort, gets him out – the same Hort who tried to kill him in Fault Line. Hort has his reasons of course; he wants Treven to hunt down a rogue spy who is presumed dead yet is somehow blackmailing the federal government. Turns out there were videotapes made showing Americans torturing prisoners in questionable interrogations, and no one wants those tapes to surface. This taut thriller has an ending that intimates a return for Treven, possibly along with Eisler’s other hero, John Rain. But the scariest thing in the book is the bibliography at the end – apparently these tapes do exist and this story is based on more truth than I care to think about. Eisler has been a strong, vocal opponent of the American stance on torture and he lays it on the line in this terrific thriller. 07/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

INSIDE OUT GIRL by Tish Cohen: Rachel Berman is publisher of Perfect Parent magazine. She’s also an extremely overprotective single mother of two: Janie, a rebellious teen still searching for her identity, and twelve-year old Dustin. Len Bean is the single father of ten-year old Olivia, who has a non-verbal learning disorder. Rachel and Len meet when Rachel offers to help Len change a flat tire. Eventually, they begin dating. This is to the chagrin of Janie and Dustin, who know Olivia from school as “The Inside Out Girl”, the girl that wears her clothes wrong-side-out. Olivia is extremely intelligent, but due to her learning disorder, she is unable to pick up on facial and verbal cues, which often results in socially inappropriate behavior. Rachel and Len’s world is suddenly upended and Rachel is forced to deal with hidden secrets from her past. Will she be able to be the perfect parent that she aspires to be, or is this level of perfection unattainable? It is impossible not to fall in love with Cohen’s characters. My personal favorite was Olivia. Olivia’s combination of innocence and vulnerability tugs at your heartstrings. She alone is the individual responsible for joining together two very unlikely families into one. 09/08 Jennifer Lawrence

THE INSIDER by Reece Hirsch: A reasonably well written legal thriller that posits we are in great danger from a powerful encryption device called the Clipper Chip, designed to provide the government with “key access” to all encrypted computer transmissions. Although the project was officially abandoned in 1995, Hirsch suggests that instead, the program was given to a private software firm to be secretly implemented. In the book, Will Connelly, a young attorney who has just made partner at a San Francisco law firm, is assigned the task of negotiating a merger transaction involving Jupiter Software, the world’s foremost provider of computer encryption programs. During the due diligence process, Connelly discovers Jupiter Software has a big secret. Will Connelly be able to use this knowledge to prevent even more government intrusion into our daily lives, or will his knowledge lead to his death, as it apparently did for his lawyer colleague Ben Fisher. Connelly quickly finds himself with the ripple whammy of being the prime suspect in a murder, the target of an SEC insider trading investigation, and the feeling he is being manipulated into something even worse. Great subject matter realistically portrayed, but missing that spark that would take this one over the top. Mr. Hirsch, himself a lawyer, has written a good book. Too bad there wasn’t a strong editor to help put more punch into the prose, which seems to drag at tines, like it was, well, written by a lawyer. Still I would recommend this one. 06/10 Jack Quick

INSTITUTIONAL MEMORY by Gary Frank: The employees at New Jersey’s Osprey Publishing have been noticing some strange things in their office building. The not quite derelict, but on its way there, building is half empty by now and a pretty creepy place, basement aside, but when Sharon Walters disappears after heading downstairs for a few boxes, things take a turn for the worse. Marcy Browne is worried about her friend. She has to still be in the building, her purse is still at her desk. No sign of Sharon can be found, though, and the police say they have to wait 48 hours before they can consider her missing. Bettie Winters has been having trouble with her computer and her telephone acting up. Fuzzy images appear on the computer screen and an indecipherable electronic voice can be heard through her phone. She’s sure that something strange is going on, but she’s got no idea just how bad it’s going to get. This job may just turn out to be a killer. Frank’s second horror outing is quite fun and it’s also different from the other shock-tactic titles that have been hitting the shelves lately. Frank’s 2006 debut, Forever Will You Suffer was nominated for a Stoker. 09/08 Becky Lejeune

INTENT TO KILL by James Grippando: Finally a stand-alone thriller from the writer of the Jack Swytek series. I like the series, but I love his thrillers more. This one will remind you how good Grippando can be – his earlier thrillers like Found Money, The Abduction and The Pardon are terrific and so is Intent to Kill.
Ryan James was an up and coming baseball star in the minor leagues, and ready to move up to the majors; that is, until his life fell apart. His wife was killed in a hit-and-run accident, leaving James alone to raise his preschool-age daughter. The driver of the hit-and-run was never found, James loses his focus on the game and eventually is dropped from the team, moving over to jock radio instead. Three years after the death of his wife, new rumors start surfacing about how she died, and it appears it may not have been an accident at all. His brother-in-law, a young man with Asperger’s Syndrome, calls the radio station and on air tells James that he killed his sister. All hell breaks loose, and the story just rockets. The characters are so well drawn that it is easy to suspend disbelief and become part of the world Grippando created. Don’t miss it. 05/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

INTERTWINED by Gena Showalter: Adult paranormal romance author, Gena Showalter, makes the leap into the teen genre with the first in her new series, Intertwined. Aden is a 16-year-old that has been labeled trouble from an early age. Abandoned by his parents, he’s made his way through the foster system and a variety of institutions over the years. It doesn’t help that he shares his body with four other souls, each of whom has a special ability that Aden must keep secret. Now, though, Aden is hoping for a chance at a normal life. When he meets classmate Mary Ann Gray, he feels a connection he’s never experienced before. And then there’s Victoria, the vampire princess he dreamed about and has fallen head over heels for. But just when Aden thought things were finally going his way, he discovers that a horde of paranormal beings is making their way to his small town, and they’re all interested in one thing: Aden. Teens are about to discover what romance fans already know: Showalter is great. Intertwined has so many twists and intriguing elements that the YA crowd is sure to be anxious for the next installment set for release next summer. 09/09 Becky Lejeune
THE INTERVIEW ROOM by Roderick Anscombe: Dr. Paul Lucas, a forensic psychiatrist, is asked to examine Craig Cavanaugh, a very wealthy, charming young man accused of stalking a teaching assistant in one of his classes at Harvard. Is he competent to stand trial? Dr. Lucas meets with him and realize that Craig is evil, but not insane and Craig is released back into society with the proviso that he continue therapy, with Dr. Lucas. But the two of them end up trying to psyche each other out with devastating results in this beautifully written and gripping tale. 05/05

INFECTED by Scott Sigler: CIA operative Dew Phillips has never had an assignment quite like this one. Across the country ordinary people are going berserk and killing strangers, family, anyone in their path. Phillips’ mission is to capture one of these maniacs alive. At the same time CDC epidemiologist Margaret Montoya is working with the killers’ corpses to learn if there is a common source for these outbreaks. She finds all the killers are victims of a bioengineered parasite far more complex than current science could create. At the heart of the battle for the human race is Perry Dawsey, former football player and now cubicle-bound desk jockey who wakes up one morning to find several mysterious welts growing on his body. Then he begins hearing voices, acting strangely and thinking mysterious thoughts. Where will it end? Amazingly fast read for such a technical thriller and definitely recommended. 04/08 Jack Quick

THE INNOCENT by David Baldacci: Baldacci is a consummate story teller as evidenced by his ability to always capture the interest and attention of his readers through the many books and themes he has written. The Innocent does not involve any of the protagonists involved in his other books, but does, as always, create an immediate bond with the principal characters of this novel. Will Robie is a hitman for a government agency who has completed many assignments to take out enemies of the US that regular actions cannot remove. In his latest job he is directed by his controller to assassinate a woman and her child. Upon arrival at the scene of the assignment he has the sensation that something is not quite right and does not complete the killing. The woman and child are immediately shot by a backup assassin and Robie goes on the run with the probability that his own department is after him. Boarding a bus to travel to New York from DC he meets a young girl that is fleeing the scene of her parent’s murders and understands that she is earmarked by the killers to be next. Will develops a need to protect her and promises to find out who the killers are that killed her parents while continuing to work on his own problems.

Robie’s situation and that of the girl coincidentally involve the same background circumstances and moving towards resolution brings out a side that Will did not realize he possessed; empathy for another human being, and the need to protect her. On the way to finding out what has happened Will develops an appreciation that the girl is a bright and analytical person and builds on his liking for her. At the same time Robie meets a girl living in a building next to his and in spite of his background falls in love with her. Both situations are integral parts of the story and resolved to the reader’s satisfaction. As in all of his books, the principal characters are fleshed out and believable. They experience real emotions and don’t meander through the plot. The novel’s conclusion is a very logical projection of the incidents and findings encountered and leave the reader completely satisfied. Another protagonist that has the ability to appear in a future book and leave us hoping that he will. 4/12 Paul Lane

INNOCENT TRAITOR: A NOVEL OF JANE GREY by Alison Weir: In the time of religious upheaval following the death of King Henry VIII, advisors convinced King Edward VI to repeal the line of succession set forth in his father’s last will and testament that would have placed Mary on the throne following Edward’s death. Instead, Edward’s second cousin, Lady Jane Grey, a devout follower of the Protestant faith was crowned Queen of England. Her tragic reign lasted a mere nine days until Mary and her supporters rescinded Edward’s decision thereby revoking Jane’s claim to the throne. Jane Grey was eventually labeled a traitor to the monarchy and beheaded. She was sixteen years old. Alison Weir is the author of ten previous historical biographies. Although she has touched on the life of Jane Grey in past works, her fiction debut is a captivating and in-depth look at the short life of this unfortunate figure in British history. Weir’s use of historical evidence combined with her own clever narrative work together to create a plausible depiction of the life of Lady Jane Grey. 02/07 Becky Lejeune

THE INQUISITOR by Mark Allen Smith: This is Mr. Smith’s first novel and it is a treasure that promises a great literary future for him. Geiger, the principal character, is the epitome of the anti hero and is very vividly fleshed out by the author. He comes to New York City as a young man with no memories of his past and moves smoothly into a position sponsored by a gangster as an Information Retrieval specialist. I.R. in this case means an expert in extracting information from people either by mental or physical torture. He becomes the best in his field and works on hundreds of cases with no qualms about the horrors that he inflicts. In the course of his work he picks up a partner – Harry – who handles the details of getting the jobs, collecting the pay and delivering the victims to Geiger. And he has one fast rule; he will not work on children. A job is picked up involving an individual that has stolen a valuable piece of art with the client contracting Geiger to extract the whereabouts of the painting from the thief. When the subject is delivered in a closed box it is found that this is not the man that has been expected, but his teen aged son. It is also found that there is no painting, but sources of information that are very valuable to the contractor. Completely out of character Geiger takes the boy out of the torture chamber set up to work in, spirits him away and begins to work on finding out what is really at stake, as well as getting the boy into the hands of his mother.
The book is a deeply satisfying look into the mind and motivation of a troubled man. Geiger has been seeing a psychiatrist attempting to resurrect the past that he cannot recall, and in the course of the book puts together pieces of his past life. He finds memories of a traumatic childhood, with a father that subjected him to physical torture as a means of “getting him ready.” Getting ready is possibly the reason that Geiger can do the work he does. His protective feelings towards Ezra, the boy he has rescued from the torture show another side of this complex man. In addition to the very different plot and action Smith adds to the pull of the book by proving himself an absolutely superb wordsmith. The author is working on a sequel featuring Geiger, and if this first novel is any indication that book will be another success. A definite must read. 4/12 Paul Lane
THE INQUISITOR by Mark Allen Smith: Geiger is a specialist in “information retrieval”. He doesn’t recover data from computer hard drives – he extracts truth even from the most reluctant subjects, on behalf of paying clients, high-paying clients, because Geiger is the best. Unlike most of his competitors, Geiger rarely sheds blood, but he does use a variety of techniques—some physical, many psychological—to push his subjects to a point where pain takes a backseat to fear. Only then will they finally stop lying. One of Geiger’s rules is that he never works with children. So when his partner, former journalist Harry Boddicker, unwittingly brings in a client who demands that Geiger interrogate a twelve-year-old boy, Geiger responds instinctively. He rescues the boy from his captor, removes him to the safety of his New York City loft, and promises to protect him from further harm. But if Geiger and Harry cannot quickly discover why the client is so desperate to learn the boy’s secret, they themselves will become the victims of an utterly ruthless adversary. Mesmerizing and heart-in-your-throat compelling. Mark Allen Smoth is a major new talent. 4/12 Jack Quick
THE INSANE TRAIN by Russell Sheldon: After his success in The Yard Dog, one armed railroad detective (yard dog) Hook Runyan has been transferred from Oklahoma to California. He has also picked up a real yard dog, Mixer, whose ferocity as a watch dog is matched only by his devotion to Hook. An insane asylum in the desert town of Barstow, California, suffers a disastrous, fatal fire, and Hook becomes responsible for the relocation of dozens of patients to a new location in Oklahoma. Some of the patients are criminally insane and very dangerous, and only four staff members are going to relocate. Hook is forced to hire three hoboes, WWII vets, and a railroad hooker as attendants, and the only train available may not be able to complete the journey. Hook has his hand full and more as he faces the challenges. An excellent crime fiction book and a great railroad book all in one. I am so looking forward to more from Hook. 1/11 Jack Quick

THE INSIDE RING by Michael Lawson: First novel about a Presidential assassination attempt and a close up look at the Secret Service, Homeland Security and Congress and how they all have the ability to abuse their power. The story isn’t as simple as it first appears and there are lots of interesting twists before reaching the very satisfying conclusion. Crisp writing and fast pacing make this political thriller debut a winner. 08/05

THE INTERPRETATION OF MURDER by Jed Rubenfeld: It is August 1909 as Sigmund Freud disembarks from the steamship George Washington, accompanied by Carl Jung, his rival and protégé. One young lady is dead — whipped, mutilated, and strangled and rebellious heiress Nora Acton barely escapes the same fate. Afterwards Nora can recall nothing of her attack. So Dr. Stratham Younger, America’s most committed Freudian analyst, calls in his idol, the Master himself, to guide him through the challenges of analyzing this high-spirited young woman whose family past has been as complicated as his own. A most different and unusual approach to a mystery. 09/06 Jack Quick

INTERPRETATION OF MURDER by Jed Rubenfeld: In 1909,Sigmund Freud visited the U.S. and never returned again. Interpretation of Murder stems from the question regarding what happened during that visit. A beautiful heiress is strangled in her New York apartment. Then, a second heiress is attacked in her Gramercy Park home; she survives but remembers nothing. Dr. Stratham Younger, an up and coming psychoanalyst is determined to find out what happened to this young girl. Freud and Carl Jung play pivotal roles in the underlying subplot concerning the newly emerging practice of psychoanalysis. Rubenfeld, a professor of law at Yale, wrote his thesis on Freud. He has taken pains to ensure that everything is as historically accurate as possible and the story is peppered with actual dialogues that occurred between Freud and his protégé. More a psychological thriller than a mystery, Rubenfeld delves deep into Freudian psychology to produce what is sure to be a favorite this fall. I think Rubenfeld is an incredible new talent in the mystery genre! 09/06 Becky LeJeune

INTERRED WITH THEIR BONES by Jennifer Lee Carrell: A lost Shakespeare play is the focal point of this first novel with action from the Globe theatre in London to Utah, Arizona, and Washington, DC in a wild ride reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code. Katharine Stanley manages to stay alive while bodies pile up around her. Peppered with Shakespearean clues, the plot involves Jesuit spies, Miguel de Cervantes, ciphered Biblical texts, Arizona copper mines, and a string of clues hidden in the works of Shakespeare that may unlock literary history’s greatest secret. Exactly who was the author of Hamlet, Macbeth, et al? A bit ponderous, but I suspect all the Shakespearean minutiae would delight an English literature major. 11/07 Jack Quick

INTO THE DARKEST CORNER by Elizabeth Haynes: Cathy Bailey is a changed woman. Just a few years ago, she was pretty happy go lucky. She’d hoped to fall in love but she was okay playing the field until finding the right guy. Then she met Lee Brightman. Lee seemed great in the beginning. He was charming and all of Catherine’s friends loved him. Then Lee’s true colors started to show and before long, Catherine began to fear for her life. Unfortunately, no one around her believed what was going on until it was almost too late. Now Lee is serving out a four-year sentence behind bars and Cathy is struggling to fight her everyday fears. When she receives word that Lee is being released, things get much worse. The narrative flips between present day and almost exactly four years in the past, illustrating just how much has changed in Catherine’s life and personality thanks to her time with Lee. Intense doesn’t even begin to describe Haynes’s dark and twisted debut. Into the Darkest Corner is the kind of book you immerse yourself in all the way through to the explosive end. 6/12 Becky Lejeune

THE INVISIBLE BRIDGE by Julie Orringer: Starting off in Budapest in 1937, we meet Andras Lévi, a young Jewish man who has won a scholarship to a famous architecture school in Paris. While in Paris he meets Klara, a Hungarian ballet teacher who is several years older than he is with a teenage daughter and a mysterious past. Despite their differences, they fall in love. Andras also befriends the other Jewish students who fight off rising intolerance as Hitler comes to power. Eventually forced back to Hungary, the story takes a turn for the dark side as Jews are forced from their homes into the army and eventually concentration camps. Despite its 600 pages, this is a gripping story and a real page turner that I read in two days – I could not put it down. While there have been many books set during the Holocaust, this one feels very personal, perhaps because of Orringer’s own familial connection to this story. Beautifully written with well developed characters and a compelling story, Orringer’s debut is a must read. 11/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

Invisible Life by E. Lynn Harris: Fast paced fabulous novel about love…it’s sexy, romantic, heartbreaking and wonderful! This is the first of several books with overlapping characters, and they just get better and better.

INVISIBLE PREY by John Sandford: Thus far Lucas Davenport has pursued Prey with Rules, Minds and Eyes that are Silent, Secret, Sudden, Certain, Easy, Chosen, Mortal, Naked, Hidden and Broken, in Shadow, Winter and Night. Now the prey are invisible as Davenport works on a politically sensitive case involving state Senator Burt Kline who is under suspicion of having sex with a minor and maybe her mother as well as a double murder of wealthy widow Constance Bucher and her maid. Bucher lived in a mansion stuffed with antiques, though initially it’s unclear if robbery was the motive for the murders. Aided by an imaginative intern, Davenport uncovers a series of similar crimes across the Midwest in which the victims were all old, wealthy art collectors. Eventually, the Bucher and Kline cases come together in an unexpected way. Another excellent Sandford effort. 06/07 Jack Quick

THE IRON DAUGHTER by Julie Kagawa: After her sudden introduction to the faery realm, Meghan has returned to uphold her contract with the Winter Court. Stuck in Queen Mab’s kingdom, her only ally now an enemy due to politics, Meghan longs for escape. Mab is a mad ruler obsessed with the idea that Meghan’s father, King Oberon of Summer Country, is out to betray her. So when the Scepter of the Seasons is stolen from her and her eldest son murdered, of course Mab believes Oberon had a hand in it. Meghan knows the Iron Fey are responsible and the only way to stop the brewing war between Mab and Oberon’s courts is to defeat the Iron Fey and recover the Scepter. If Meghan and her friends are unsuccessful, the results would be devastating for the fey and human realms alike. This second in the Iron Fey series is another fine outing from Kagawa. The blending of classic faery mythology and Kagawa’s modern creation, the Iron Fey, is wonderfully original. 09/11 Becky Lejeune

IRON HOUSE by John Hart: Michael is an assassin for the mob; expectedly ferocious and cunning, yet equally loyal, sensitive and even loving, making him the unlikeliest of heroes. Yet it is Michael at the center of this complex, action packed thriller that moves between the back mountains and rolling estates of North Carolina, and the mean streets of New York City. The story is built around children living a Lord of the Flies existence, schizophrenia, familial relationships, dirty politics and revenge. Hart has the skill to build multi-faceted characters and weave them into multiple plot lines, creating a spellbinding story that is impossible to put down, or to forget. This is only his fourth novel, and it is easy to see why he was he has won multiple awards for his previous three, including the unprecedented back to back Edgar Award winning novels Down River and The Last Child. VERDICT: With Iron House, Hart continues to build his legacy as one of the brightest stars in the crime fiction genre. He’s at the top of his game with his darkest novel yet, and fans of Michael Connelly, James Lee Burke and Elmore Leonard will appreciate his style. 07/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2011 Library Journal, a division of Media Source Inc. Reprinted with permission.

THE IRON KING by Julie Kagawa: Meghan Chase is a pretty average teen—or so she thinks. Her family lives in Louisiana, where they moved after her father disappeared. Now her mother is remarried and Meghan has a little brother. And on her sixteenth birthday, everything changes. Meghan returns home after school to find her brother has been switched with a changeling, a creature she’d never heard of until her best friend, Robbie (aka Puck), saves her from it. Now, determined to rescue her brother and bring him home, Meghan must brave the lands of the fey. But what Meghan discovers in this strange other world is not at all what she expects. Kagawa’s debut is perfect for a teen audience but great for adult urban fantasy fans as well. As an older reader, I found it very reminiscent of Labyrinth. I loved the various characters, especially the addition of the iron fey. 08/11 Becky Lejeune

IRON LAKE by William Kent Krueger: In this first of a series, Chicago cop Cork O’Connor and his lawyer-wife Jo have moved back to his northern Minnesota hometown of Aurora to improve their quality of life. It didn’t work. They split and Jo is working for Indian tribal rights while Cork is running a diner and gift shop, sleeping with the hired help, and wanting to get back with his wife and daughters. A former judge apparently commits suicide, an Indian newsboy disappears, and Cork is drawn into the mystery – in conflict with the newly elected sheriff, wife Jo and her lover (the judge’s son), as well as local tribal leaders. There’s plenty of plot and this appears to be a solid basis for the series. 03/06 Jack Quick

IRON ORCHID by Stuart Woods: Former Orchid Beach, Fla., police chief Holly Barker has opted for a CIA career in Woods’ by-the-numbers thriller. Barely through basic training at a highly regimented CIA “training farm,” Barker’s class is suddenly enlisted to track down calculating killer (and opera buff) Teddy Fay. An ex-CIA agent himself, Fay uses insider information to continue assassinating international political figures who also happen to be enemies of the U.S. After an initial slow start the pace accelerates as Barker just misses Teddy in disguise in several encounters. While most of Woods’ characters are somewhat superficial, Barker in particular leaves a bit to be desired. Of course there is always Barker’s dog, Daisy the Doberman, to make up for any shortcomings. 07/06 Jack Quick

THE IRON QUEEN by Julie Kagawa: After revealing their love for one another, Ash and Meghan have been banished from Faery. The Winter and Summer courts do not mingle and for Mab’s son and Oberon’s daughter to be together breaks all of the rules. But the Iron Fey are not done with Faery yet and Mab and Oberon are soon forced to appeal to Meghan for help. As the Iron Fey approach the Winter and Summer kingdoms, the world is beginning to die and the false king has declared war on the old fey. Meghan’s defeat of Machina and her ability to handle iron make her the fey’s best chance of defending their land. If she succeeds, she and Ash can earn a full pardon, allowing the Winter Prince to return to his home. Readers will be desperate to learn what comes next in the fourth and final installment, The Iron Knight, due out in October. 09/11 Becky Lejeune

THE IRON KNIGHT by Julie Kagawa: When we last left the Iron Fey series, Meghan had taken the throne in the Iron Realm and released Ash from his bonds. As with all fey, exposure to iron is deadly for the Winter Prince. He vows that he will find a way to return to Meghan and this is the story of The Iron Knight. Ash begins his quest with Grim and Puck by his side. They are joined by the Big Bad Wolf and a seer who can lead them to the only possible solution: Ash must become human. Their adventure will take them to the End of the World where Ash will have to undergo a series of tests in order to earn his soul. The Iron Knight is yet another example of Kagawa’s extraordinary imagination. There are whole new parts of the Nevernever that are filled with all new creatures. Kagawa also stays true to her characters, giving readers more of the Grim, Ash, and Puck that we’ve come to know and love. One thing to note, however, is that the Iron Fey series now stands at four titles—the original three books that make up Meghan’s story and this fourth additional installment. They need to be read in sequence, but The Iron Knight is Ash’s story through and through. 12/11 Becky Lejeune

IRON RIVER by T. Jefferson Parker: With Iron River T. Jefferson Parker has written a trilogy that is gritty, emotional, action packed, and most of all entertaining. In L.A. Outlaws, Parker introduced Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy Charlie Hood, plunging him into a glamorous, fast-moving world of antiheroes-and antiheroines. In The Renegades, Hood was ensnared in a major case of police corruption. This time around, Hood is running the California-Mexico border with the ATFE, searching for the iron river-the massive and illegal flow of handguns and automatic weapons that fuels the bloody cartel wars south of the border. Gunrunners by nature aren’t exactly ethical, but the lengths they’ll go to, and the innocent lives they’ll risk, are shocking even to Hood. Most shocking of all is the close personal connection Hood finds wrapped up in events south of the border-a connection that shakes him to his core. These three must be read in order for maximum effect – and are not for the faint-hearted. 01/10 Jack Quick

IRONSIDES’ PERIL by Michael D. Urban: Zach Colt is featured in this contemporary thriller with roots in the War of 1812. In 1805 the United States waged war on the Barbary Pirates. This led to the formation of the US Navy which would play a pivotal role in the War of 1812. The USS Constitution is the world’s oldest commissioned naval vessel afloat and is most famous for her actions during the War of 1812 against Great Britain, when she captured numerous merchant ships and defeated five British warships. It is now 2012. The War of 1812 is long over, but the War of 2012 has just begun. July 4, 2012. A terrorist with roots to the original Barbary pirates and his ruthless band have hijacked the USS Constitution while on a celebratory cruise of the Boston harbor. On board are the former President of the United States, the current vice-president, the Secretary of the Navy and the ships’ crew and other hostages. Unfortunately for the terrorists, so is Zach Colt. The quandary for Zach – How do you recapture an 18th-Century warship – and sacred American icon — using 21st-Century weapons and tactics? The answer is ingenious. As thrillers go, this one benefits from an unusual setting – the USS Constitution, as well as a likable hero in Zach Colt, a combination of Bruce Willis and Batman, who is not content to simply use his vast wealth to do good, but also seeks some hand on action when necessary. I suspect Urban has the making of a reasonably on-going series that can be successful as long as he comes up with plots such as this one. A good read. 6/13 Jack Quick

IRONSKIN by Tina Connolly: The Great War left many scarred and carrying fey curses. They’re looked down on and, in some cases, reviled thanks to their marks. Jane will always have to wear iron to cover her scars and protect others from the curse she carries—a feeling of intense anger that can come over anyone in her presence if the scars are free. With her sister soon to be married, Jane does not want to be a burden. Trained as governess and a teacher, she’s hopeful when she answers an ad specified for the care of a child born during the war. Jane knows that she is more than qualified but even she is unprepared for the extent of the situation. Though the girl bears no outward scars, she does indeed carry a fey curse. The girl’s father, Edward Rochart, is desperate. None of the other governesses has been willing to stay and he knows his daughter will be shunned if she cannot be taught to control and mask her ability. Jane is determined that she will succeed but soon discovers Rochart is hiding other secrets as well. For example, why does he seem to have an endless supply of blue packs—fey energy used to power fey technology and all but non existent in the days since the war. And what about the steady stream of women who come to Rochart for services no one has really explained to Jane? Tina Connolly’s debut is a richly imagined and unique spin on the classic Jane Eyre. 11/12 Becky Lejeune

THE IRRESISTIBLE BLUEBERRY BAKESHOP & CAFE by Mary Simses: When Ellen Branford’s grandmother was dying, she asked Ellen to deliver a letter for her. Ellen is a high powered lawyer in New York City, engaged to a politically ambitious, wealthy, (think Kennedy) man. He’s about to win a big award, but when her grandmother dies Ellen takes the letter and heads up to the tiny town of Beacon, Maine, her grandmother’s hometown, to deliver the letter. Her intentions are good; personally deliver the letter, then head home the next day in time for the awards dinner. But the best laid plans don’t always work out. While out sightseeing, Ellen falls through an old dock and gets caught up in a rip tide, but is saved by Roy Cummings, a local carpenter working nearby. She becomes the talk of the town, which she doesn’t enjoy. When she tries to deliver the letter, no one is home so she feels stuck in Beacon until she can personally hand it over. She starts learning secrets about her grandmother’s past, keeps running into Roy, and starts changing the way she feels about her high stress life in New York and even her fiancé. While the ending may be somewhat predictable, the journey there is fresh and fun, and offers food for thought. This is thoroughly enjoyable reading, and I can see why James Patterson was so captivated. He blurbed the book, and helped get it published. 9/13 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch
ISABELLA MOON by Laura Benedict: Carystown, Kentucky seems like a nice, small town – the kind of place where neighbors wave and grocers know your name. There is a dark secret at this heart of this town, though, one that refuses to stay buried. Two years ago, nine-year-old Isabella Moon went missing. The case has weighed on Sheriff Bill Delaney, but with no evidence and no witnesses coming forward, there’s not much he can do. Kate Russell appeared in Carystown right around the same time that Isabella disappeared. She was hoping that the town would offer her a fresh start where she could forget the demons of her past. Then, she begins to dream about Isabella Moon. In her dreams, the little girl leads her to where she is buried. Kate feels compelled to help Isabella and opens up to Delaney about the source of her information. Unsure whether the woman is crazy or possibly involved, Delaney investigates and, sure enough, finds the body of the young girl buried just where Kate said it would be. The discovery of Isabella’s body is just the beginning. Carystown is revealed to be not quite such an idyllic town after all, and the web of lies and deceptions plaguing its townspeople ranges from drugs and infidelity to murder. I loved Isabella Moon. There is an underlying creepiness that permeates the entire tale – a sense that the town may not survive the trouble that has been unearthed. But, the reader wants Carystown and its people – the good ones anyway – to prevail. Benedict’s debut is a compelling read that brings to mind a strange combination of Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio and Stephen King’s Needful Things. Laura Benedict is definitely one to watch. 09/07 Becky Lejeune

ISIS by Douglas Clegg: Iris Catherine Villiers was by all accounts a normal child. She led a blessed life until her father was sent off to war. Her family relocates to England, to the manor house run by her creepy grandfather, a man so crazy he’s eventually set off in his own wing so the rest of the family can live in peace. The grounds surrounding the home are filled with tales that fascinate Iris and her days are spent following her beloved brother, Harvey. Then a terrible accident changes everything, unleashing a power hidden deep inside Iris. This is how Iris became Isis, a character prevalent in Clegg’s fantastic and haunting Harrow House tales. Isis is a chilling fable for adults and a great atmospheric read all by itself. Readers familiar with the Harrow House books will love to finally see Isis’s story and new readers will no doubt want to see where she goes from here. This edition features beautiful and macabre illustrations from Glenn Chadbourne. 09/09 Becky Lejeune

ISLAND OF LOST GIRLS by Jennifer McMahon: Rhonda lives in a small town. The kind of town where everyone knows your name and everyone knows your business. She makes a last minute stop at the town’s only gas station one afternoon and ends up being the only witness to quite a strange occurrence – a rabbit gets out of a gold VW beetle and walks over to a neighboring car where a girl sits waiting for her mother. The girl gets out, takes the rabbit’s hand, and gets into the beetle. They drive away before a shocked Rhonda can even think to do anything about it. Appalled by her own lack of action, Rhonda becomes determined to help find the missing girl. The case will force Rhonda to finally face memories of her own past that have been dormant up until now, memories of a summer long ago when everything she knew as a child began to change. Island deals with many of the same issues that were found in McMahon’s phenomenal debut, Promise Not to Tell. Both books tackle issues of child abuse, childhood secrets, and the nature of small towns. McMahon has a real talent for expressing the conflicting range of emotions felt by her heroines. She’s also great at creating these quiet mysteries that really involve the reader. It’s easy to sympathize with her characters, and she manages to keep the outcome a surprise even while she’s given you every clue you need to figure it out. 05/08 Becky Lejeune

THE ISLANDS OF DIVINE MUSIC by John Addiego: In this literary debut, Addiego chronicles the lives of five generations of one family. From matriarch Rosari and her father Lazaro, Italian immigrants who enter the United States in the early nineteen hundreds, through Rosari’s great-grandchildren, Addiego tells of their wonderful and fabulous adventures and everyday lives of this quirky family. Each chapter features a different family member, though not all of the family gets a chapter, and reads a bit like short stories with a common thread. Addiego also blends aspects of magical realism and spiritualism into the tale. At times funny and at others quite sad, Addiego succeeds in giving readers a thoughtful and amusing look at one hundred years of “history” through the eyes of the Verbicaro family. Islands of Divine Music will appeal to readers who enjoy the likes of Laura Esquivel and Sandra Cisneros. 10/08 Becky Lejeune

IT HAPPENED ONE KNIFE by Jeffrey Cohen: Reading Cohen’s book is like hearing a great story in a bar – conversational, amusing, and you just want to buy someone a beer when you are done – and then ask for more. This is the second book in his second series, the Double Feature Mystery series. Cohen creates wonderful characters and Elliot Freed is a guy who’s right on the edge of nuttiness, but is so kind and big-hearted, that it’s easy to forgive his obsession with old comedies. He owns an old movie house that his father helped him restore and he only shows comedies, and in pairs – one new, one old. Until his projectionist, who also happens to be a budding film maker, asks if Elliot will show his first film for him. It’s a slasher film and it disappears after its one and only showing. Elliot is the chief suspect for some reason, and he’s concerned enough to try and clear his name. Meanwhile, he’s planning for one of the biggest events in his life – a live appearance by Lillis, half of the Lillis & Townes (think Laurel & Hardy) comedy teams who happens to be living in a nearby nursing home. But when Lillis casually drops into conversation that Townes murdered his wife 50 years ago, Elliot can’t let it go and starts to investigate. Things get even more complicated when another old actress at the nursing home confirms the story. Lots of laughs, some nice red herrings, and a perfect way to spend a summer afternoon. 7/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

It’s My F—ing Birthday by Merrill Markoe: Each chapter in this poignantly funny book (a la Bridget Jones) is another birthday for our narrator. Starting at age 36, we struggle through relationships with men and with family along with our protagonist, who I am happy to say, doesn’t feel compelled to end things all tied up with a pretty bow. Markoe spent years as the Emmy-award winning head writer for The David Letterman Show. This is her first novel.

JACK OF SPIES by David Downing: A very well researched spy novel set in the period just prior to the beginning of hostilities of World War I, 1913-14. Downing has several books to his credit featuring John Russell, a spy working during World War II. Jack of Spies is undoubtedly the first book of a series to be set during the first World War and sets the stage very well. Jack McColl, is introduced working as a car salesman traveling through the world with his brother and another man selling luxury autos to interested buyers. Jack’s background includes combat in the British army during the second Boer war in South Africa 1899-1902. His memories show that war is not the glamorous adventure that many picture it as, and he obtains a job with the British navy as a spy for them possibly to help prevent the conflict brewing in Europe in 1913. Spying is in its infancy in terms of organization and planning and Jack is operating on a low budget with contact directly with the head of the division, and very little help from him. The first stop in his itinerary is Hong Kong and than Shanghai. It is in this segment that he finds that spying is not just some casual hob knobbing with Germans in these areas but a deadly business where his life is threatened. He also meets a beautiful Irish woman who is also traveling attempting to launch a career in journalism. Her brother and family are connected with the Irish Republican army bent on obtaining political freedom from English rule by any means including violence. Jack’s work as a British spy is complicated by the need to keep this a secret from the girl with whom he is falling in love. Downing places Jack in trouble spots during the period including a trip to Mexico when the future combatants are attempting to convince the Mexicans to side with them when war breaks out. There is a good description of the Mexican revolution going on and such principal characters as Pancho Villa, Emiliano Zapata and Victoriano Huerta taking part in the conflict. David Downing obviously did the necessary research to describe the period involved and his ability to bring his characters to life cements the read as a fascinating one. The ending is a logical one for this book, and sets the stage for the next one in the series which should take place with the war going on. 9/13 Paul Lane
Jacqueline Susann’s Shadow of the Dolls by Rae Lawrence: I read this the other night, and quite frankly wasn’t expecting much. This is the sequel to the mega-bestseller Valley of the Dolls, which I read repeatedly throughout high school (okay, so my age is showing!) I had fears of a repeat of the shudderingly awful sequel to Gone With the Wind, Scarlett, but I am happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It was probably helpful that I hadn’t reread Valley of the Dolls, or I probably would have been pissed off by the whole thing. Jacqueline Susann died many years ago, leaving behind at least an outline of what was to follow. Rae Lawrence picked it up and ran with it, moving the story forward a couple of decades and retaining the flavor of the book. It is as good as this sort of thing ever gets; entertaining, engrossing and effervescent, as light and fleeting as cotton candy on the tongue.

JADE LADY BURNING by Martin Limon: Army investigators Ernie Bascom and George Sueno are investigating a murder in Vietnam-era Seoul, South Korea in this debut mystery. While the pace is sluggish, Limon captures the dark and dreary nature of the time and place exceptionally well. As a serving member in the US Army along the DMZ in Korea in 1972, my memories are still vivid. What Limon couldn’t capture was the overall smell of the land as well as the generally fatalistic attitude of both Americans and Koreans at that time. On the one hand, the GI’s were happy to not be in Vietnam, but the feeling of being overlooked and forgotten was always there, i.e., “the good stuff” went to Vietnam, the leftovers and rejects to Korea. They got out of country R&R, we got a 3 day weekend in Seoul, etc. In a country where it was not unheard of to obtain a job by hiring thugs to beat up the other job seekers, the lack of a moral compass led to many interesting situations. I look forward to his next work to see if the editing is better. 02/06 Jack Quick

THE JAGUAR by T. Jefferson Parker: Erin McKenna, a beautiful songwriter married to a crooked Los Angeles County sheriff ‘s deputy, is kidnapped by Benjamin Armenta, the ruthless leader of the powerful Gulf Cartel. Armenta has ordered Erin to tell his life story-in music-and write “the greatest narcocorrido of all time.”The two men who love Erin: her outlaw husband, Bradley Smith, and the lawman Charlie Hood, must work together to rescue her. Here, amid the ancient beauty and haunted landscape of the Yucatecan lowlands, the long-simmering rivalry between these men will be brought closer to its explosive finale. 1/12 Jack Quick

Jake & Mimi by Frank Baldwin: All I can say about this book is that it is HOT HOT HOT! Some romance, lots of kinky sex and a very dramatic ending…I loved it.

JAMAICA ME DEAD by Bob Morris: Fast fun romp through Jamaica, featuring the inimitable protagonist from Bahamarama, former Miami runningback Zack Chasteen. An old friend of Zack’s, Monk DeVane, asks for his help with security issues at the Libido Resort (I swear, I’m not making this up!) in Jamaica. Zack has to take him seriously when Monk’s boss is the victim of a bomb scare, right in the skybox at the Gators’ home game. Off Zack goes, more bombs go off, Homeland Security, the DEA and all sorts of island politicos get involved and Zack has to sort it all out while fighting off near-naked nymphs. Jamaica Me Dead is highly entertaining and highly recommended. 10/05

Jane Austen in Boca by Paula Marantz Cohen: A cross between Pride and Prejudice and Bridget Jones for the senior set. May Newman, a lovely Jewish widow residing in a country club community in Boca Raton, is beset upon by her well-meaning but meddling daughter-in-law Carol, who is convinced that May needs a husband to be happy. She sets her up with Norman, and the story takes off from there. May’s best friend Flo, a retired librarian with a sharp tongue and a mind to match, takes an instant dislike to Norman’s best friend Stan, a part-time English professor. The view of Boca Raton is close-up and on target (I had a couple of very minor quibbles) and there are plenty of laughs en route to the predictable ending. Cohen is a professor at Drexel University in Philadelphia, but her in-laws live in Boca, and she has obviously made several visits to the community. Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

JANE BITES BACK by Michael Thomas Ford: Michael Thomas Ford joins the multitude of authors playing with famous literary characters these days with his take on Jane Austen as a centuries-old vampire. The first of three proposed titles finds the authoress living in modern times and running her own bookstore. She’s also trying to get published under her now assumed name, Jane Fairfax. As she watches droves of others make money off her famous works, Jane struggles just to get one new book released. Imagine, 116 rejections while the Jane Austen Workout Guide becomes a hit in your own store. Meanwhile, her maker has reappeared and is threatening the new life Jane has made for herself. And, the creator of Mr. Darcy is finally delving into the dating world once again, and at something of a loss as to how to proceed, or even recognize a potential Darcy in her midst. What’s a vampire to do? Such a fun read. I especially love to imagine Austen duking it out with fellow literary blood-suckers, both literal and figurative. 01/10 Becky Lejeune

JANEOLOGY by Karen Harrington: A year after his wife is convicted of killing their son, Tom find himself under fire in the courtroom. One day, Jane snapped and drowned her two children; her daughter managed to survive. Public outcry demanded that there be some repercussions for Tom’s failure to prevent the crime, that, as her husband, he should have known she was on the edge of collapse and that he should have protected his children better. Tom’s lawyer hopes to exonerate Tom of all charges on the basis that Jane’s family history and genetic makeup made her predisposed to the crime. By tracing Jane’s family lines they uncover one example after another to support their theory, but will the jury buy it? Can you predict a person’s behaviors based on those of their forebears? What affects a person’s personality more, their DNA or the examples the witnessed in others? The question of nature versus nurture is a hot topic at the moment, one that Harrington handles with ease. Janeology is a thought-provoking and thoroughly engaging read. 05/08 Becky Lejeune

THE JANUS REPRISAL by Jamie Freveletti: This was the ninth Covert One novel ostensibly based on ideas and notes left by the late Robert Ludlum and authorized by the Ludlum estate. While Ludlum never wrote anything concerning a clandestine group called Covert One operating outside the auspices of the other intelligence agencies it is
exciting, fast moving and follows some of the Ludlum precedents. Action and suspense are continuous, with no letup. Lt. Col. Jon Smith, a member of Covert One, is at a hotel in The Hague to attend a WHO conference when a sudden, well executed attack occurs killing many in the hotel. The terrorists are after bio-chemical items stored by participants and succeed in recovering what they are after. Smith is a physician as well as a Covert One operative and is well suited to begin searching for the hazardous products the terrorists grabbed. He is aided by a beautiful woman, a successful money trader who somehow stole money from the leader of the terrorist group who is incidentally an old enemy of Smith. Also on his list of supporters is a social misfit who is a computer genius, and a rogue member of the CIA who is helping in spite of the enmity of that organization to Smith. If one does not seek great characterizations and a highly believable plot it is exciting and entertaining reading and does stand on it’s own without being attached to other Covert One novels. The book is fast reading when the reader wants to get involved with excitement and be entertained by pure adrenalin. 1/13 Paul Lane
The Jasmine Trade by Denise Hamilton: A car jacking gone awry turns into something much more complex when L. A. Times journalist Eve Diamond gets interested. She stumbles onto a Los Angeles subculture of gangs, the sex slave trade and parachute kids, wealthy Asian teenagers whose parents live on the other side of the Pacific, leaving them in the care of lawyers and housekeepers and trouble. Eve meets teen counselor Mark Furukawa and learns more about these kids and herself as their relationship intensifies. Intriguing characters and inspired writing move this story along at breakneck speed, culminating in a more realistic ending than most novels of the genre. It’s easy to see why it was nominated for the Edgar, Agatha, and Macavity awards. Don’t miss it.

JERUSALEM MAIDEN by Talia Carner: Esther Kaminsky, a young girl living in an ultra orthodox Jewish community, is always questioning her Abba about life, family and religion. In spite of her mother’s admonition that Esther has no need of such information her father indulges her. Her mother insists (and father quietly agrees) that Esther’s role in hastening the Messiah’s return will be through her submission to the man her father chooses as her husband. God, a harsh taskmaster, insists that Esther marry and have many sons. According to God, this is how she will fulfill her faithful duty as a Jerusalem Maiden. Esther, however, dreams of becoming an artist. JERUSALEM MAIDEN is a coming-of-age novel exploring the role religion, faith and family have on one girl’s hopes and dreams for her own future. Carner’s rich details subtly place the reader on the scene. Only when I stopped reading to contemplate Esther’s choices or caught my breath at the next turn in the road did I realize how deeply I was immersed in this story. JERUSALEM MAIDEN is breathtakingly beautiful and will provide many opportunities for personal reflection. 10/11 Kimberly Bower

JESUS OUT TO SEA: STORIES by James Lee Burke: Eleven previously published short stories, none of which include Dave Robicheaux or Billy Bob Holland. One is about the Vietnam War, two deal with the aftermath of Katrina. Others feature academics coping with the encroachments of society and several coming of age tales. All in all a very satisfying sampler, which shows the depth and breadth of Burke’s considerable talents. 07/07 Jack Quick

JESUS’ SON by Denis Johnson: Mr. Johnson currently has a very hot title in Tree of Smoke, so I picked up his book of short stories to see what he had done in that milieu. It is simply the most powerful writing that I have encountered in the last couple years. In these stories, Mr. Johnson writes from the disconnected perspective of the addict/alcoholic in full cry. I was particularly affected by the story, Emergency Room, in which two badly whacked out orderlies, a sort of nurse Rachett and a doctor who is in over his head attempt to treat a man who has been stabbed near his one good eye by his wife. One thinks of De Quincy, Poe, Burroughs, et al and concludes this guy can play ball in their league. His description of local bars in various cities, especially including one he calls The Vine are dead on as is his description of the anesthetized inhabitants. These stories will haunt you. 10/07 Geoffrey R. Hamlin

A JOB TO KILL FOR by Janice Kaplan: Of all the luck, L.A. interior designer Lacy Fields has her latest client drop dead while inspecting a posh penthouse she and her hubby are talking about buying. There goes a commission, and even worse the fingerprints of her pal Molly Archer are on the refrigerator where the arsenic laced bottle of Japanese tea that was the cause of Cassie Crawford’s untimely demise was stored. It turns out Cassie has a biker friend who is murdered soon after, and attention shifts to Lacy as suspect number one. Filled with great fashion moments like “I slowly peeled off my wet shirt and lace La Mystere cleavage-enhancing bra. The padded push-up cups had absorbed the ocean water like sponges, thrusting my chest up to my chin,” and “the necklace clinked against her wedding band, so heavy with sapphires and diamonds that Cassie risked carpal tunnel syndrome every time she lifted a well-manicured finger. Of course, now that she’d married Roger Crawford, she never needed to lift a finger again.” This is the second outing for Fields (after 2007’s Looks to Die For), from the Editor In Chief of Parade Magazine, the popular weekly newspaper supplement. 09/08 Jack Quick

JOE VICTIM by Paul Cleve: This sequel to The Cleaner (2012) finds serial killer Joe Middleton imprisoned and awaiting trial as the accused Christchurch Carver, but despite his imprisonment, dead bodies are still piling up. Joe’s had a run of bad luck; his first two attorneys were murdered, and the latest is court appointed and to Joe’s way of thinking, not that bright. Joe’s convinced a jury will find him innocent by way of insanity, but his lawyer and the court-appointed psychiatrist strongly disagree. The only bright spot is a disgraced ex-cop working for a TV psychic who offers Joe a deal; lead them to a murdered cop’s missing remains for a large payoff, which Joe decides is his ticket out of jail. Meanwhile he has to contend with fellow inmates trying to kill him, his mother’s upcoming wedding, and politicians looking to bring back the death penalty in time for his sentencing. Once again gruesome violence abounds, so fainthearted readers be forewarned. Chelsea Cain and Thomas Harris fans will appreciate reading from Joe’s viewpoint. 9/13 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2013 Booklist, a division of the American Library Association. Reprinted with permission.
JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR. NORRELL by Susanna Clarke: Two magicians battle for supremacy in this amazing literary fantasy debut. In early nineteenth century England, no one practices magic anymore. No one but Mr. Norrell, that is. While Mr. Norrell is dedicated to the study of practical magic, Jonathan Strange is quite the opposite. Strange is a young and stubborn magician with a thirst for knowledge and a growing curiosity about all things magic, especially the fabled Raven King. Norrell agrees to take on the young Strange as his pupil despite his knowledge of an ancient prophecy foretelling the rise of two great magicians destined to be enemies. Can the two friends defeat fate or are they destined to be pawns in an elaborate game set in motion by the Raven King decades ago? With a vivid cast and truly imaginative story peppered with her own original fairy tales, Clarke’s debut is nothing short of genius. Deemed the “adult Harry Potter,” this is an absolute must read for all book lovers. For readers who may be intimidated by the size of this tome, have no fear, there is a three volume trade collectors’ edition available. This makes it a bit more manageable, but be warned, with such an elaborate story you won’t want to wait long between volumes. 05/07 Becky Lejeune

JUAREZ JUSTICE by Jack Trolley: Tommy Donahoo is probably not what the boosters of NAFTA had in mind. When a beautiful Mexican lawyer says, “It’s not over until the fat lady is buried,” Donahoo “didn’t correct her. It was, he suspected, the Mexican version.” Donahoo is supposed to be in Tijuana assisting Mexican Police Captain Torres on a case involving the murder of a rich socialite who was prominent in helping the poor. The contrast between rich and poor is so great it causes Donahoo’s young SDPD translator to become involved in a reckless plot to assassinate Tijuana’s leading criminal. Donahoo begins to wonder if he is there to solve a crime or commit one, a distinction not always apparent to his Mexican counterparts. The Mexican and American cultures meet with the grace of two bull moose rutting in the forest. Trolley knows how to pack a punch into what otherwise might be an ordinary police procedural. 08/06 Jack Quick

THE JUDAS GATE by Jack Higgins: British Muslims have joined the war in Afghanistan – on the Taliban side. It is up to Sean Dillon and his mates to get to the bottom of this new and disturbing development. Both the President and the Prime Minister want this situation resolved immediately. In typical Dillon fashion, he doesn’t go to war, he brings the war to him. Another fine outing from the Brit master of the contemporary thriller. 02/11 Jack Quick

JUDAS HORSE by April Smith: Sometimes it takes a horse to save a horse. FBI Agent Ana Grey is back after a shooting incident when she learns that a fellow agent has been murdered by a group of hard-core anarchists operating behind the façade of FAN (Free Animals Now). The fellow agent not only went through basic with Ana, but at one time the two considered marriage. After successfully completing the FBI’s infamous undercover school, she must now play the part of a down-on-her-luck animal lover. In the process her “Judas Horse” becomes infatuated with the real mustangs the animal lovers are purporting to be trying to save. That infatuation doesn’t extend to Julius Emerson Phelps and his “family” who are determined to do damage to the Bureau. Ana is walking a tightrope that may or may not give out under her in this excellent thriller. Hopefully, we’ll continue to see more of her in future cases. 03/08 Jack Quick

JUDAS KISS by JT Ellison: Lt. Taylor Jackson returns from her much needed vacation to face what could be the toughest challenge of her career. When classy housewife Corrine Wolff is discovered bludgeoned to death in her home, the suspicion naturally falls upon her husband. Then Jackson and her team make some disturbing discoveries regarding the Wolff family and their extra-curricular activities and a whole new avenue of suspects opens up. Meanwhile, a run-in with a stranger leads Taylor to a startling discovery of her own, one that threatens her professional life. Plus, a crazy hit man is gunning for Baldwin, and has recently gone missing, and the Pretender still evades capture. It will take all of Taylor’s strength to make it through this one and still keep her cool. With each new installment to this series, JT Ellison continues to prove that she is one of the best and the brightest in the genre – she should be on everyone’s must read lists. 01/09 Becky Lejeune

JUDAS KISS by J.T. Ellison: Beautiful, pregnant Corrine Wolff is dead, apparently brutally beaten in front of her young daughter. It’s a dangerous case for Nashville Homicide Lt. Taylor Jackson which really explodes when it is learned that Wolff and her husband were making and distributing homemade pornography. In the course of the investigation her people turn up old X-rated footage of Taylor that could destroy her career and her engagement to FBI agent John Baldwin. Meanwhile, one of Baldwin’s old enemies is intent of exacting revenge on John. High stakes emotionally and professionally for both as they try to get to the bottom of all this without blowing up their own somewhat fragile relationship. Interesting. 12/09 Jack Quick

JUDGMENT CALL by J.A. Jance: Adequate police procedural heavy on the family relationships side. When Sheriff Joanna Brady’s daughter, Jenny, stumbles across the body of her high school principal, Debra Highsmith, in the desert Brady’s personal and professional worlds collide, forcing her to tread the difficult middle ground between being an officer of the law and a mother. Crime solving in the modern world of social media challenges Brady who soon learns more than she ever suspected as she finds and dismisses various suspects. Secrets buried for many years come to light as Brady works to be both a good mother and a professional law enforcement officer. 2/13 Jack Quick

Judgment Calls by Alafair Burke: I am a long-time fan of James Lee Burke and his Louisiana cop hero, Dave Robiocheaux, who has a young daughter named Alafair. I was not surprised, therefore, to learn that Mr. Burke also had a daughter named Alafair. I was surprised to learn that she is grown up, had been working as an assistant district attorney in Portland and has written a legal thriller of her own. It is an excellent story about a woman D.A.’s attempt to try a would-be murderer-rapist for a vicious attack on a 13 year old girl. Ms. Burke holds no brief for the accused or the criminals of the world, bluntly characterizing them as mean and stupid. Her writing is as tough as her father’s. My favorite passage was “I suppressed the impulse to mow her down with the Jetta. I would’ve opened a six-pack of Fahrfeghugen on her ass over the c-word, but under the circumstances I could handle the b-word.” Her descriptions of trial preparation and activity, as well as intramural skirmishing in the D.A.’s office, are dead on. This is one of the most accurate “lawyer books” I have ever read and will be a contender for best first mystery of the year. ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

JUDGMENT DAY by Sheldon Siegel: It’s been a few years since the last Mike Daly & Rosie Fernandez legal mystery, but it was so worth the wait. I love this San Francisco series featuring ex-priest Daly and his ex-wife Fernandez. This time out they are working on a particularly intricate case; an attorney, imprisoned for murdering a couple of drug dealers and another attorney, is just days away from being executed. Last minute appeals rarely go well, and this case is complicated further by the fact that Mike Daly’s father was one of the cops involved in the arrest and prosecution. Great dialogue is one of the hallmarks of this series and really helps move the story along, while at the same time investing these characters with strong emotional appeal. I admit that I love the Perry Mason moments along the way that contribute towards making Siegel one of the best legal fiction writers out there. 06/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

Julie & Romeo by Jeanne Ray: This charming, contemporary romance is set in Boston with a middle aged Jewish/Italian Romeo & Juliet. Don’t miss it! Now available in paperback.

JULIE AND ROMEO GET LUCKY by Jeanne Ray: Julie and Romeo is one of my favorite books ever, so I was really looking forward to this sequel and I’m happy to say it did not disappoint. It also did not live up to the original, but sadly, sequels rarely do. Julie & Romeo are still dating, they haven’t figured out how to move past that Julie’s daughter Sandy, her husband (Romeo’s son) and their kids are living with her, and Romeo has the same problem at his place with the addition of his elderly mother who still harbors the family feud against Julie. Not as confusing as I’m making it sound but a problem for the happy couple. Until Romeo decides to carry Julie up the stairs a la Rhett Butler in the Gone With the Wind on a rare night that they have the house to themselves; unfortunately, Romeo isn’t as young or strong as Rhett was and he gets hurt – too hurt to move and he ends up living in Julie’s bedroom for a while. Meanwhile, Julie’s older daughter, the career woman who swore she never wanted kids hears her biological clock ticking and gets pregnant and ends up living with mom too, at least temporarily. With Romeo’s family visiting at all hours, chaos ensues. These are great characters that I enjoy spending time with, and combined with Ray’s trademark gentle humor and pathos bring the story home. The easiest description of this book for readers of her previous books is to say this reminded me of a cross between the first book and the last, Eat Cake. And it was equally delicious. 07/05

JULIET by Anne Fortier: Julie Jacobs is the “lesser” twin of Janice. Janice is prettier, has more friends, is more adventuresome, and when the aunt that raised them dies, she leaves Janice everything except a key to a safe deposit box in Siena, Italy. Julie is off on an adventure, where she learns that her real name is Giulietta Tolomei and that she is the direct descendent of Shakespeare’s inspiration for his Juliet. Their warring family are the Salembenis, and Julie/Giulietta spends time in Siena chasing down her history and searching for some mysterious treasure. The only problem I had with this book was the main character; a whiny woman with no self esteem. I liked Janice, the selfish, spoiled sister more, and I probably wasn’t supposed to. I do have an affinity for Shakespeare and history, so I found the story, which bounces back and forth between modern day and the 1300’s predecessor of Romeo & Juliet, just fascinating reading. 9/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

JULIUS KATZ AND ARCHIE by Dave Zeltserman: Shades of Nero Wolfe – Julius Katz shares the famed Rex Stout detective’s love of good wine, good food and interesting women. Boston’s most brilliant, eccentric and possibly laziest detective, Katz, has as his sidekick, Archie, a tiny marvel of whiz-bang computer technology with the heart and soul of a hard-boiled PI. Famous Boston mystery writer, Kenneth Kingston, tells Julius he wants to find out who’s planning to kill him. The problem is almost everyone in Kingston’s life has good reason to want to kill him, and this case soon plunges Julius and Archie deep into the world of murder and publishing. If you enjoyed Nero, you will love Julius and Archie is even better than RD-D2 or 3CPO as an android partner. 8/12 Jack Quick

JUNE BUG by Jess Lourey: Mira James never imagined life after college would be a doublewide trailer outside Battle Lake, Minnesota. Nor did she imagine her life would be endangered by a local legend. Nearly a century ago a diamond necklace was allegedly lost in Whiskey Lake. Mira’s diving expedition to try to find the necklace uncovers bodies, treasure maps, and much more than she bargained for. Nicely written cozy, heavy on local atmosphere and a good follow-on to May Day, Loury’s first Mira James adventure. Everybody has to have a gimmick. Mira’s is frozen Maple Nut Goodies. Hey, it could be worse. 03/07 Jack Quick

Jury of One by David Ellis: This third time out Ellis pens yet another winner. The first chapter draws the reader in immediately, but this isn’t just another page turner. Shelly Trotter is an attorney for the Child Advocacy Project. She represents kids who get into trouble, and barely makes a living. Actually, Ellis borrowed a trick that is popular with romance authors – he created a novel around a character that was barely mentioned in his previous book; in fact, I’m not sure she even was mentioned. Life Sentence revolved around some of her family members, but this is no sequel.
Shelly is approached by a young man she helped previously on a minor issue, only this time out 17-year-old Alex Baniewicz is in considerably more trouble – he’s accused of murdering a cop. Things become even more entangled when Alex informs Shelly that he is the son she gave up for adoption. There are enough twists and turns to keep the pages turning, but it’s the second storyline, Shelly’s personal story, that makes this story so memorable – plus the shocker of an ending. There are a lot of former & practicing lawyers writing books these days, some with considerable recognition – but Ellis is one of the best.

THE JURY MASTER by Robert Dugoni: David Sloane is a high powered attorney in San Francisco – with a conscience. After he wins a wrongful death suit for his obnoxious client, instead of celebrating, he suffers a migraine and a recurring nightmare that keeps haunting him. Meanwhile, the special assistant to the U.S. President, Joe Branick, commits suicide in a small West Virginia town – or does he? The local police detective is suspicious when the Justice department takes over the investigation with plenty of attitude. Then Sloane’s secretary tells him that Joe Branick left him a message the night before he died, and a mysterious package shows up in the mail. An ex-CIA agent has a visitor who delivers a thirty-year old file, bringing all sorts of trouble along with it. Innocent people (and animals) are being killed and somehow Mexico is going to solve our oil crisis. Dugoni manages to bring it all together at lighting fast speed in this superb, action-packed debut thriller. 03/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE JURY MASTER by Robert Dugoni: Dugoni opens this debut novel with wrongful death attorney David Sloane about to make his closing remarks. Sloane, who has won 14 cases in a row, hates his arrogant corporate client and must face an obviously hostile jury. Rather than focusing on the case, Dugoni quickly moves into new matters: a recurring childhood nightmare Sloane shares with former CIA agent Charles Jenkins, apparently a complete stranger. Meanwhile, West Virginia police detective Tom Molia investigates the suicide of a top adviser to the president. What he finds draws Sloane and Jenkins closer to the truth behind their shared terror: an international conspiracy 30 years in the making. An ambitious first effort, but it worked for me. Recommended. 07/06 Jack Quick

JUST ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE by A. E. Maxwell: California Private investigator Fiddler and ex-wife Fiora love each other too much to live together. In bed everything is fine, out of bed it is a good chance one will kill the other. But when Fiora’s twin brother is the object of a U.S. Customs Department investigation, she knows she needs Fiddler’s help in the daytime. It seems like in addition to dabbling in electronic chips, Danny has been dabbling into other areas, which have brought official and unwanted attention. With Fiora’s soft spot for her twin offset by Fiddler’s hard head and matching muscles, the pair swing into action, knowing they don’t have much time to save Danny from the feds, from his enemies and, most of all, from himself. Published in1985, this is first of what appears to be a fairly neat, yet now dated, series. 03/09 Jack Quick

A JUST DECEPTION by Adrienne Giordano: A love story (sort of) about a guy named Peter and a girl named Isabelle The minor details providing the ingredients for the plot are first; Peter is an ex Navy Seal and a former Jet Pilot. He has hang-ups about involvement with women beyond sexual activity because his ex wife dumped him due to his being busy as the aforementioned Seal and Pilot. Isabel is a beautiful attorney who has her own hangups due to a cousin of hers sexually molesting her when she was younger. Peter left the Navy and works for a private security company which is actually a mercenary business. Peter has to take some time off from work due to the fact that two of his subordinates were killed in the line of duty and Peter feels that he is to blame for their deaths. While on vacation Peter’s boss asks him to design a security system for Isabel. Peter is quite reluctant to do the job and points to his need for time away from work. Peter does finally take the job and guess what: it is lust at first sight for both. While working on the system’s design Isabel’s cousin is murdered and Peter is forced to prove that she is not culpable in the death. While proving Isabel’s innocence the lust turns into love and each are involved with removing the other’s hang-ups. The author does a good job of developing both protagonists as characters and while a simple plot the book is entertaining and makes for a good read. 11/11 Paul Lane NOTE: Only available as an e-book

JUST ENOUGH LIGHT TO KILL by A. E. Maxwell: California Private eye Fiddler is the nephew of an old time border smuggler so he is not totally at a disadvantage when he decides to head south to find what led to the execution of Special Agent Aaron Sharp, a man who once saved Fiddler’s life. A close encounter of the nearly deadly kind with a sniper quickly convinces Fiddler that there are those who do like his presence or his questions. Fourth in the 1980’s series featuring beautiful women, muscular men, and a cast of international villains. 03/09 Jack Quick

JUST MURDERED by Elaine Viets: This is the fourth entry into the always entertaining Dead End Job Series and it was as much fun as the books that preceded it. This time out Helen Hawthorne is working in a fancy bridal salon in Fort Lauderdale – former jobs included bookseller, salesgirl in a fancy dress salon, and telemarketer. Things seem to be looking up though – the money still sucks, but at least the boss is nice. But not all is swell in bridal-land. The beautifully sculpted Kiki Shenrad sashays into the salon with her drab daughter, the bride-to-be, and announces she needs a wedding gown, pronto. And some dresses for herself, the kind that will make her the center of attention instead of the bride. Many thousands of dollars later, Kiki is dead and Helen’s fingerprints are all over the place. Nothing to do but prove herself innocent, which Helen does – but it ain’t easy. Lots of laughs and lots to love about this book and this series. 10/05

JUST ONE DAY by Gayle Forman: Allyson and her best friend are off on a tour of Europe in the wake of their recent high school graduation. It’s their gift and vacation before heading off to separate colleges – Alyson to Boston and Melanie to NYC. On their last days in England, while visiting Stratford Upon Avon, the friends stumble upon a group called Guerrilla Will performing Twelfth Night in the streets. When Allyson runs into the play’s Sebastian on the train to London the following morning, it kicks off a string of events that will turn her world upside down. His name is Willem and Allyson spends just one day with him in Paris before returning to her everyday life. But in the year that follows, Allyson struggles with that old life. She no longer knows what she wants or even who she is, and it’s all thanks to that one day with a boy she barely even knew. A boy she can’t get out of her head. Oh, now I get it. Everyone raves about Gayle Forman and her books but until now I’d not read her myself. Just One Day is only half of the story. Forman has recently released Just One Year telling the tale from Willem’s perspective, which is perfect because the end of Just One Day is guaranteed to send readers on a mad hunt for the second book to find out more about Willem (and Allyson). 10/13 Becky Lejeune

JUST ONE YEAR by Gayle Forman: In this companion to Forman’s Just One Day the reader finally gets Willem’s side of the story. For him, meeting the girl he called Lulu made a lasting impression. But why, then, did he abandon her in Paris? Turns out Willem had a bit of an accident that landed him in the hospital and while Allyson was frantically trying to find her way back to London, convinced she’d been rejected, Willem was trying to find his own way back to her. Over the course of the next year he never forgets Lulu, but without knowing her real name he’s left with very little that can help him in finding her. And as Allyson is beginning to learn who she really wants to be, so is Willem. His own travels will take him to places he never imagined, both literally and figuratively, but will he get a happily ever after? I really loved getting to read this story from two different viewpoints. The reader gets to see how close the two come throughout their individual searches only to miss one another again and again. But like any good story, therein lies the excitement. Willem’s growth throughout Just One Year mirrors Allyson’s in Just One Day but it’s not until the very end that you’ll see what’s to come for the pair. A truly enjoyable read and a satisfying close to Allyson and Willem’s tale. 10/13 Becky Lejeune

Justice Deferred by Len Williams: First novel inspired by the real life events experienced by the author. Williams is the former CEO of Coca-Cola New Zealand, among other companies, and his son was kidnapped. A prison inmate, in for life on the three strike rule for theft, claimed he had killed the boy and offered to show Williams the grave. It turned out to be a bogus claim being used as an escape attempt, and Williams was horrified by the implications of the three strike law putting a man in prison for life for a nonviolent crime like robbery. He turned that story into this fascinating prison epic/legal thriller. Billy Ray Billings is a cracker from Mobile, Alabama and for the first half of the book we follow his life, starting with reform school and ending with life in prison for stealing small appliances. But the life sentence never should have been given – it was forced by the way the local cops were handling their cases to make their conviction rate look good. Enter Harry Brown, lawyer and free lance crime reporter for the local newspaper, who’s interest in this case is quite personal. The rest of the book deals with the legal maneuverings to get those life sentences overturned and have justice prevail. Williams draws the reader in from the first page and doesn’t let go – even after the last page, these characters will stay with you.

KANSAS CITY NOIR, edited by Steve Paul: Kansas City- where East meets West and stunted hopes create broken dreams. Blues in the night and mayhem during the day. The latest of the Akashic City Noir series features authors Daniel Woodrell, Matthew Eck, Catherine Browder, Nancy Pickard, John Lutz, J. Malcolm Garcia, Kevin Profer, Linda Rodriquez, Nadia Pflaum, Phony Nyugen, Andres Rodriquez and others. Steve Paul has been editor of the Kansas City Star since 1975 and he knows his city and his authors. I mean, how about this Daniel Woodrell line, “She was eighteen, said she was twenty, and have every appetite, none of which he could satisfy”. And it couldn’t be KC with barbecue as in Charlie Price’s Last Supper by Nadia Plaum. And the perfect ending – “Nobody’s talking. Nobody ever would” – John Lutz’ Thelma and Laverne. 10/12 Jack Quick

KEEP IT REAL by Bill Bryan: Former investigative reporter and now reality TV producer Ted Collins accidentally witnesses a violent exchange between gangsta rapper Boney and his current hottie, Patrice, just before Patrice goes missing. Since rap music and reality TV rank right up there with prostate exams and root canals in my list of favorites, along with “TV personalities,” this was not a book I would normally purchase. However, since it was sent to me to review, I felt honor bound to give it a try. Reading the book reminded me of the evaluation a college friend got for a college ROTC paper he turned in after 72 hours of coffee, No-doz, and similar substances. “Well written and covers the subject matter. Would have been more effective and very much shorter if the quantity of profanity had been reduced by at least 50%.” That said, if you can get past the subject, the setting and the language, it ain’t that bad a book, just not for me. 05/07 Jack Quick

THE KEEPER by Sarah Langan: Susan Marley wanders the town of Bedford, Maine, leaving a trail of nightmares in her wake. Everyone in the town thinks of Susan at their worst moments. Thoughts and dreams of her come unbidden and are beyond the townspeople’s control. Then, Susan Marley is dead. Rather than relief, her death brings a plague of darkness and evil to the dying town of Bedford. Those who are able, leave before the worst of it begins. Everyone who remains hides a dark secret in their past, a secret that the dead Susan Marley can now release upon them. Sarah Langan’s Stoker nominated debut is an absolute must for horror fans. This creepy tale will, at times, remind readers of King’s Needful Things. Like King, Langan’s characters are not ideal small town folk. Most of them are barely able to keep their dirty secrets hidden from the prying eyes of gossipy neighbors. It is just this element that makes the people of Bedford more realistic, if grandiose, depictions of the worst sort of people today. Langan has an impressive voice that is all her own. I recommend you lock your doors and curl up with this book late into the night. The Keeper is only the beginning. Langan’s recent follow-up, The Missing, revisits the cursed town of Bedford. 11/07 Becky Lejeune

THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES by Jussi Adler-Olsen: Carl Mørck has been back on the job for just one week after returning from medical leave. After surviving being shot in the head on a case that left one partner dead and the other paralyzed, to say Carl has lost his desire to work would be an understatement. Luckily for Carl and his department, politicians are pressuring for the creation of a new investigative arm that would focus on cold cases. Carl is given the job of heading up the new Department Q while his superiors can be satisfied in knowing that he’s out of their hair, all the while getting the benefit of new funding. A five-year-old missing persons case catches Carl’s eye and is the focus of this first in the new mystery series. Carl and his assistant, Assad, dig deeper into the case, which involves a young politician who went missing without a trace, and discover leads previously overlooked. As they unravel the threads of this complicated case, time is running out for the woman who, until now, has managed to survive. Adler-Olsen’s Department Q debut, published in the UK as Mercy, marks the beginning of a fabulously promising series. Carl and Assad make a great team and the plot is one of the most twisted I’ve come across in a while. This is the first of the Danish author’s books to be translated into English. 09/11 Becky Lejeune

THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES by Jussi Adler-Olsen: Long-time Homicide Detective Carl Morck suffers from survivor’s guilt. His head’s no longer in the game. Rather than risk union and political backlash he’s promoted to the head of Department Q. It turns out to be a department of one in a basement filled with boxes of Copenhagen’s coldest case files. Much to his surprise, a five-year-old case about a missing and presumed dead politician catches his interest. He, along with his newly acquired office assistant, Assad, is on the hunt. When new information leads him to believe that she’s still alive, it becomes a race against time to save her life. Keeper of Lost Causes is the first book in Adler-Olsen’s new series centering on Department Q. Detective Morck’s blandness, at first annoying, later accentuates the flamboyance of the other characters. His assistant, Assad, with the questionable background, attention to detail and a host of other slowly revealed skills kept me interested. The scenes with the captive politician were detailed and graphic but the investigation moved so slowly that by the middle of the book my concern for her waned. As the hunt was coming to a close the footwork accelerated at a startling pace, my concern for her waxed and the ending took my breath away. 10/11 Kimberly Bower

KEEPER OF THE BRIDE by Tess Gerritsen: Nina Cormier is a jilted bride and it is her lucky break; the church blows up just as she is leaving. The bomb squad investigates, headed by Detective Sam Navarro, and all leads point to a bomber for hire who is presumed dead, leaving Nina’s ex the prime suspect. Nina is heartbroken and scared, Sam is brave and strong, and both are determined to keep this all professional. But when someone tries to run Nina off the road, Sam realizes her life is in danger and they are thrown together for her safety. Nina’s high society mother isn’t much help, her father is busy with his much younger wife, leaving the two of them to work things out. Sam is skittish since his marriage fell apart because of his dangerous job, but he cannot stop thinking about Nina, and she soon realizes that this is no rebound romance. This fast-paced story has some good twists and two likeable protagonists. Keeper of the Bride is a re-release of a 2002 romantic suspense novel. Rizzoli and Isles fans may think of this as Gerritsen-lite, but Sandra Brown readers will love it. 7/13 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2013 Booklist, a division of the American Library Association. Reprinted with permission.

KEEPING IT REAL by Justina Robson: When I picked this up, I was kind of like, “elves, bleh, they make my teeth hurt.” But they kind of have the same effect on the heroine of the book, with lots of complaining about their twinkly pan flute music and prissy attitude. (“Elves don’t rock!”)
In the story, it turns out there was some kind of temporal anomaly or something, it doesn’t really matter, and now people can travel between dimensions to the elf world and the demon world and possibly others, I don’t remember exactly. And there’s this one elf who is a rock star in the human world, and a human woman who is assigned to be his bodyguard because she was in a horrible accident and is now basically the Bionic Woman and more or less invincible. It’s definitely an unusual take on the whole elf thing, and it was pretty fun with lots of sciency details about magic.
My only problem with it was the rather pointless romance aspect, which is a bit like Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series with the “we LOVE each other because we are SOULMATES because we LOVE each other because we are SOULMATES because we LOVE each other”. Even so, I liked it a lot and will probably read the next one in the series. Jenne Bergstrom 03/08

KEEPER OF LIGHT AND DUST by Natasha Mostert: Mia Lockheart is a Keeper like her mother before her and her mother before that and so on throughout the years. It is Mia’s job to protect and heal warriors. Her particular warriors are all martial arts fighters in the London area. Mia is also a tattooist and uses her art as part of her Keeper duties, using special symbols and ideograms to enhance her link to the fighters in her care. When one of her fighters dies mysteriously, just days after his last fight, Mia senses that there is something dark and sinister at work. How does an otherwise healthy man’s heart just stop beating? Nick Duffy, one of Mia’s closest friends and a fighter himself, also thinks the death is strange and manages to track down five other similar cases from recent years. As they both search out the truth, independent of one another, they are both led back to a stranger who calls himself Dragonfly. Little do they know that Dragonfly is a thief of the worst kind and he wants both Nick and Mia as his latest conquests. Mostert is one of the most creative authors I have read in ages. In each new book, she ties paranormal occurrences to scientific discoveries and philosophy to create intricate and thrilling stories. In Keeper of Light and Dust she has also incorporated the martial arts world and Eastern medicine as well as a new spin on the traditional vampire myth and the idea of Chi; another fantastic read from an amazing talent. 04/09 Becky Lejeune

Kentuckiana by Johnny Payne: This was seriously funny stuff, brilliantly written, about a family that will be impossible to forget. I wasn’t sure what to expect, I never heard of metafiction and still had some trepidations about Southern fiction. Braselton drew me out, and now this…I may be over it! I read it to gain some insight into the author, and I think I accomplished that, but I gained so much more. Onward to North of Patagonia… Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

KEY WEST CONNECTION by Randy Wayne White: Ex-Navy SEAL Dusky MacMorgan will need all his military skills when a psychotic pack of drug runners turns the Gulf stream waters red with the blood of his beloved family. His new life as a fisherman is shattered but soon he is tracking the pack responsible right into the island fortress of a corrupt U.S. Senator. However, even that fortress in vulnerable to a one-man hit squad with MacMorgan’s expertise and arsenal. Originally published in 1981 under the pen name of Randy Striker. Hope they have some more stashed away. 06/06 Jack Quick

KIDNAPPED by Jan Burke: Reporter Irene Kelly and husband Detective Frank Harriman return in this latest installment to the series. The mystery begins with the murder of Richard Fletcher, member of the famous Fletcher family, and the disappearance of his infant daughter Jenny. Five years later, Jenny is still missing. While investigating a story on missing children, Irene fills in for another reporter at a crime scene where human remains have been discovered. The scene turns out to be strangely linked to Irene’s own story. As she investigates further, she becomes entangled in something much bigger than she could have imagined. With original stories and an engaging cast, Jan Burke always delivers. Fans of the series will not be disappointed. This is also a perfect opportunity for newbies to jump in, though there are a few references to past releases. 10/06 Becky LeJeune

THE KIDNAPPING OF ROSETA UVALDO by Zane Grey: Good westerns are like potato chips. It’s hard to stop with just one. Twenty years as a Texas Ranger were about enough for Vaughn Merrill. He was ready to settle down with a good wife, and raise children and cattle on a spread of his own. However, when the lovely dark-eyed Roseta Uvaldo is kidnapped by bad guys from South of the Border, Merrill knows he could never pursue his own dreams until he rescued her and made sure her captors paid the price. 04/06 Jack Quick

KILL ALL THE LAWYERS by Paul Levine: Levine delivers yet again with this fast, funny legal thriller, third in the Solomon vs. Lord series. Steve Solomon, Miami lawyer who lives by his own law and favors t-shirts with pithy sayings like, “Lawyers do it in their briefs” has his hands full. A former client, Dr. William Kreeger, recently released from prison, has somehow learned that Steve threw the case and got him convicted. Instead of appealing or suing, Dr. Kreeger, a well-known psychologist, decides to torture and kill Steve. Steve’s law partner & lover, Victoria Lord, is pressuring him to make a commitment, and worse than that, he thinks he wants to. Steve’s lovable-albeit-challenging nephew, Bobby, is at full pubescent turmoil, compounded by Bobby’s drug-addict mother finding Jesus and trying to move back into his life. To round out this picture of family dysfunction is Steve’s father, who has also found religion – he’s become an Orthodox Jew and is driving Steve crazier than usual. But despite all their faults, none of them really wants to see Steve get killed. With a little help from friends and family, Steve & Victoria live to fight another day. And to fans of this series, that is very good news indeed. I love this series; it’s become one of those that when I read the latest book – a couple of weeks before the on-sale date, mind you – I’m immediately impatient for the next. Hey, Levine, I know you’re reading – can’t you write any faster??? 08/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

KILL ALL THE LAWYERS by Paul Levine: The oddest of odd couples continue their legal practice and love-hate relationship. She honors the rules, he bends them, she wants to settle down, he is too high flying. This time Steve has a little problem, an ex-client and convicted killer psychologist with a genius level IQ discovers that Steve deliberately lost his case. This is not someone you want as an enemy as Steve learns when a 300-pound fish is found dangling from Steve’s door. The threats escalate from there and strain the relationships to the max, before the matter is finally resolved. Please, please keep them coming, Mr. Levine. This has got to be more fun than practicing law. 11/06 Jack Quick

KILL FOR ME by Karen Rose: In Dutton, Georgia, an elderly monster known only as Charles and his associates steal teenage girls to sell to perverts in a lucrative human trafficking scheme. Hot on their trail are the Georgia Bureau of Investigations special agent Daniel Vartanian; his partner, special agent Luke Papadopoulos; and his long-suffering sister, Susannah Vartanian, a New York City ADA. A botched raid spurs the murders of five girls and the removal of abused assets to another hiding place. Two courageous teen survivors provide the GBI with help, but a mole in the GBI working for Charles complicates the takedown. In spite of its topic and some gruesome scenes, there are also romantic overtones that quite frankly, keep taking me out of the action. Not chic lit, but not as hardcore as the subject matter would indicate. 09/09 Jack Quick

THE KILL LIST by Frederick Forsyth: Count on Forysth to deliver a crackling taut thriller. In Virginia, there is an agency bearing the bland name of Technical Operations Support Activity, or TOSA. Its one mission is to track, find, and kill those so dangerous to the United States that they are on a short document known as the Kill List. TOSA actually exists. So does the Kill List. Added to it is a new name: a terrorist of frightening effectiveness called the Preacher, who radicalizes young Muslims abroad to carry out assassinations. Unfortunately for him, one of the kills is a retired Marine general, whose son is TOSA’s top hunter of men. Known only as Tracker, he has spent the last six years at his job. He knows nothing about his target’s name, face, or location. He realizes his search will take him to places where few could survive. But the Preacher has made it personal now. The hunt is on. Not even the Preacher can stand up to the Tracker and the combined might of the United States, Great Britain and Israel. 9/13 Jack Quick
KILL ME by Stephen White: Clinical psychologist Dr. Alan Gregory plays only a cameo role in this tale about a wealthy, happily married businessman with an adventurous streak who becomes one of Gregory’s patients. The businessman has learned of an organization that, for a hefty fee, will end your life should you become a burden to family as the result of catastrophic accident or illness. He signs up, only to learn that while he has a potentially deadly medical condition, it could strike now or twenty years from now. The problem is that the organization has activated his contract. Can our hero evade the assassins he paid with his own money in time to put his house in order? Bizarre and thrilling, but bottom line – I think I prefer White’s other efforts better. 08/06 Jack Quick

KILL ME IF YOU CAN by James Patterson & Marshall Karp: Walter Zelvas has been stealing a few diamonds from each of the international diamond syndicate’s shipments for years, and now he has been found out. He is about to skip town with a bag full of $13 million in gems when the Russian mobsters hire the mysterious contract killer The Ghost to kill Zelvas and retrieve their diamonds. The contract killing does not go as planned, and former Marine-turned-art-student Matthew Bannon ends up with the bag of diamonds. Matthew decides to keep the diamonds and takes his girlfriend, Katherine, an art teacher at Parsons, on a romantic trip to Europe, where he plans on selling the diamonds. The Russian syndicate wants its property, of course, and they have dispatched several hired guns to find Matthew. Part keystone cop comedy and part thriller, the story twists its way to an inevitable conclusion. Not Patterson’s best and not as cool as Karp’s Lomax and Biggs series. Maybe next time. 11/12 Jack Quick

KILL SHOT by Vince Flynn: Prior to beginning this review I was sorry to note in Vince Flynn’s preface that he is fighting prostate cancer. I am sure that his many fans join me in wishing him well, and in the light of the many medical advances currently available it is hoped that his fight against this disease will be successful.

Kill Shot is the second book in which Flynn’s now famous CIA hero Mitch Rapp appears in an actual prequel to a long series of novels about his exploits fighting America’s enemies. Mitch’s forte has traditionally been doing the job assigned without regard to what the do-gooders in our society think should be the right way. If killing is required to defeating the enemy Mitch has no second thoughts about just going ahead and doing it. Kill Shot and the preceding novel American Assassin follow Mitch’s exploits in his first year out of CIA training. His skills as an assassin are positive and he has convinced his supervisor as well as the deputy director of the CIA that he is one of the best agents to ever work in the field for the CIA.
In the opening chapters Mitch has been assigned to assassinate an individual in Paris that seemingly has culpability in the Lockerbie bombing and those responsible for that are the people that Mitch has been hunting. As soon as Mitch pulls the trigger on the target he realizes that he has fallen into a trap set by Al Quada to get the individual responsible for killing so many of them that were involved in the bombing. In a series of permutations and combinations involving the French police, the French equivalent of the CIA, several factions of the CIA Mitch must find a way out of the trap set for him, prove himself innocent of wrong doing, and exposing what finally comes out as a high level rogue employee of the CIA. Always exciting, engrossing and keeping the reader glued to the pages, Flynn delivers another winner. 3/12 Paul Lane

KILL SWITCH by Neal Baer and Jonathan Green: Claire Waters has worked hard to earn a fellowship in Rikers Island’s psychiatric facility and her first case will test all of her instincts and training. As a child, Todd Quimby witnessed his mother murdering his father. Claire knows that Todd’s issues and escalation in sexual misconduct are a direct result of this traumatic experience. But when Quimby seemingly confesses to murder, Claire has no choice but to turn him in. As the bodies pile up, Quimby eludes the authorities again and again and Claire may just be his ultimate target. I wanted to enjoy this debut from Baer and Green, but each turn of the novel seemed to become more and more unbelievable. Unfortunately, none of the twists were all that surprising and the characters didn’t stand out. 1/12 Becky Lejeune

KILL YOU TWICE by Chelsea Cain: Gretchen Lowell is back in almost full form in this latest from Cain. When the flayed body of an unidentified man is found tied to a tree in one of Portland’s parks, Archie and his partner are called in to handle the investigation. Underneath the body, they discover a single white lily. Then a second body is discovered. This time it’s a woman found burned alive next to a Portland monument. Meanwhile, Susan Ward answers a call from Gretchen and gets an exclusive on her very first victim. But Gretchen wants something in return – she wants Archie’s attention and is willing to do just about anything to get it. She even claims to know who is behind this latest string of murders. Archie has fallen for Gretchen’s tricks before but this time it seems she may be on the right track. Cain’s penchant for uber violent and gory description continues in this fifth of the series. Unsurprisingly, it’s this unflinching attitude towards the dark and twisted parts of her characters’ psyches that makes the series a fan favorite. 8/12 Becky Lejeune
KILLER CUTS by Elaine Viets: This is the latest entry in the fabulous Dead End Job series. Helen Hawthorne, who likes to live below the radar and work for cash only, gets a job as assistant to a hair cutter to the stars. Miguel Angel deals with celebrities and tourists with same good grace and humor. One of his clients hires him to do her hair and makeup for her wedding to Kingman “King” Oden, a cable gossip star. King makes it through the wedding, but turns up dead in the pool a few minutes later. Cops find drugs in Miguel Angel’s bag and he becomes the prime suspect in the murder. Helen is sure he didn’t do it and sets out to prove it and find out who did, with the help of her fiancé. Nothing falls into place easily here, but there are lots of laughs on the rocky road to marriage. This is a great beach read, breezy and fun – another winner from Viets. 05/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

A KILLER IN THE WIND by Andrew Klavan: One of the most intriguing psychological novels to come out in a long time. Klavan creates an almost Gothic aura surrounding the events and characters in the book and gets his reader wondering what is real, and what is supernatural. Detective Dan Champion working vice in the city of New York busts a sex slavery ring and the case and it’s resolution busts him. He is so affected by what he had to do to break up the ring that he finally resigns the NYC job and gets a position in a small town with what are seemingly less traumatic crime situations. Three years after joining the police force in that town he is called to help in the investigation of a young woman washed up, but alive, on the beach. Dan immediately recognizes the girl as one that has been in his dreams along with interaction with the ghost of a boy named Alexander. To help him cope with the seemingly impossible hallucinations he gets onto a new drug sold to him by a drug dealer that he has used as a contact before. The drug brings new hallucinations and involvement with events that are not within his memory. What is real, what is imagined and what does it all have to do with seeing the girl in his dreams alive and apparently wanting to contact him are the key factors in the story. Klavan has written a book that logically brings the reader into a seemingly supernatural scenario and ties all factors together with an extremely satisfying climax. Dan Champion may appear as a character in future Andrew Klavan books, but if not has been well fleshed out here. 1/13 Paul Lane

A KILLER IN THE WIND by Andrew Klavan: Former NYPD Vice Detective Dan Champion got burned out after uncovering a sex slavery ring run by a kingpin known only as the Fat Woman. He became a drug user and soon began to form hallucinations of a dead child prowling the streets of New York and a beautiful woman named Samantha with whom he fell in love. Now he is a small town detective in upstate New York and finds the body of a woman who has washed ashore. She is Samantha, the woman he dreamed about long ago, .a woman who doesn’t exist. Is he losing his mind. Yes, Champion is haunted again, but this time it’s by a team of expert killers who want to make sure he never finds the truth. The ghosts of the dead are all around him, and Champion has to find out who murdered them, fast, or he could become one of them himself. 2/13 Jack Quick

KILLER INSTINCT by Joseph Finder: Finder pens another corporate thriller that is his best yet – and that’s saying a lot for the “John Grisham” of the corporate world. Jason Steadman is a happy guy; he’s a successful salesman for Entronics, Panasonic’s biggest rival, he works with some good guys, plays softball for the company team. His wife isn’t so happy; she’d like to see him work a little harder, get further ahead, buy her a bigger house. When he accidentally drives into a ditch, he befriends the tow truck driver, Kurt Semko, ex-Special Forces and semi-pro ball player, recruiting him for the corporate team and getting him a job in security. In a strange twist of fate, good things start happening for Steadman while bad things are happening to his rivals. He becomes uneasy with all the yin and yang and the suspense gets thick as Steadman tries to figure out what is going on and how, or if, to stop it. Believable characters doing unbelievable things combine to make a fast paced, tension filled story that works because of Finder’s superb writing and storytelling skills. This is a page turner of the highest order; don’t plan on putting it down until you turn the last page. 05/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

KILLER INSTINCT by Zoë Sharp: This is the first Charlie Fox adventure. Fox, psychically damaged by a horrendous episode when she was in the British army is a biker chick whose conscience restrains her from using her potentially deadly hand-to-hand combat skills. After some backstory, we meet self-defense teacher Charlie, who is hired as the only woman on the security force at the rehabbed New Adelphi nightclub in Lancaster. She is soon involved with club owner Marc Quinn and mixed up in porn videos, illegal drugs, and multiple rapes and murders. As Charlie herself is threatened by the murderer, action and peril intensify to a harrowing climax. Sharp manages to combine blood-and-guts action with a strongly feminist slant, as Charlie, who knows what it’s like to be a victim, seeks to empower women with her training. 2/12 Jack Quick

KILLER MOVE by Michael Marshall: John Hunter has just been released from prison, and he’s had years to plan his revenge. Meanwhile, Bill Moore is going places. A successful real estate agent, he nonetheless strives for more. One day, Bill has it all: a great life, a great job, a fantastic wife, and prospects. But all that changes with the blink of an eye. It begins with a card that reads: Modified. Soon, someone has hacked into his email and Amazon accounts. It’s making Bill look bad, but it’s still mostly an inconvenience. Then the stakes get much higher and Bill finds himself on the run. And John Hunter? Well, he doesn’t know Bill Moore… yet. This latest from Michael Marshall (aka Michael Marshall Smith) is a stand-alone with ties to his earlier Straw Men trilogy. Fans may know where the plot is headed, but for most it will come as a complete surprise. Marshall is pretty much an expert at setting up a story to go one place and then switching it up completely unexpectedly on the reader. It works on all levels—the twists drive the plot along at an excellent pace. I’m a big fan and can only hope that Marshall starts to gain more recognition here in the States—he’s an author who definitely deserves to be bigger. 07/11 Becky Lejeune

Killer Smile by Lisa Scottoline: After Dead Ringer, Mary DiNunzio and the all-women law firm of Rosato & Associates are back in another installment of the popular series. While it’s chock-full of Scottoline’s trademark murder, mayhem, and merriment, this time she has a more important and personal story to tell-that of the little-known internment camps for Italian Americans during World War II. Scottoline discovered her own grandparents’ alien registration cards, giving her the impetus and passion to bring this story to light. DiNunzio has taken on a pro bono case for the family of Amadeo Brandolini, an Italian immigrant fisherman who settled in Philadelphia but died under mysterious circumstances in one such camp in Montana; now, his family is seeking retribution. DiNunzio takes his case to heart, but her fervent research uncovers more subterfuge than she was supposed to find. Her crazy blind dates offer some comic relief, but the threats, violence, and bodies continue to pile up, and the truth remains elusive throughout this complex and riveting tale.

KILLER SWELL by Jeff Shelby: Smart-talking, wisecracking, surfing San Diego PI Noah Braddock, has a problem with his newest prospective client. Marilyn Crier is the mother of his high school sweetheart, Kate, and was actively involved in making sure the romance didn’t last. But Kate, now married, is missing, and Marilyn plays on his old feelings for her daughter to get him to take the case. After he finds Kate, too late, he sets out to find out exactly what has happened in the dozen years since they parted.. Drugs and drug lords, Federal and local police, Kate’s parents, sister and husband, all work to complicate the puzzle. Good action and a surprise plot twist make it a safe bet that Braddock will return. WICKED BREAK is his next one. 04/06 Jack Quick

KILLER YEAR, edited by Lee Child: Killer Year features a group of 13 debut crime/mystery/suspense authors whose books were published in 2007. The graduating class includes such rising stars as Brett Battles, Robert Gregory Browne, Bill Cameron, Toni McGee Causey, Sean Chercover, JT Ellison, Patry Francis, Marc Lecard, Derek Nikitas, Gregg Olsen, Jason Pinter, Marcus Sakey, and David White. These stories are intorcued by the likes of Lee Child, Jeffrey Deaver and Tess Gerritsen, In addition there are stories by Ken Bruen, Allison Brennan and Duane Swierczynski and essays by Laura Lippman and MJ Rose. Lee Child proves to be as adept as an editor as he has already shown as an author. Definitely a keeper. 04/08 Jack Quick

THE KILLER’S WIFE by Bill Floyd: What if your somewhat controlling, know-it-all husband turned out to be a serial killer? That is the intriguing premise of Floyd’s debut novel that never quite lives up to expectations. Nina Mosley has a baby before she is finally able to admit to herself that there is something wrong in her marriage and with her husband. By that point, he’s decided to trust her, and leaves her the evidence she needs to turn him in, get a divorce, move cross country and change her name. Years pass and then she is confronted by the parent of one of her ex’s victims, turning her new life upside down. When her son is kidnapped by a copycat killer, the tension really escalates. While interesting and towards the end, very suspenseful, the book tends to meander choppily between the back story and the present day situation, but all in all, a very impressive debut. 04/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE KILLER’S WIFE by Bill Floyd: Leigh Wren has been through one of the worst experiences any wife can imagine. Her husband, Randy, was a serial killer and it was Leigh who discovered the truth and turned him in. Some people couldn’t believe that Leigh had nothing to do with the murders. It is one of these people, the father of one of Randy’s victims, who has tracked Leigh down six years after the fact and has turned her world upside-down. Now, neighbors look at her with suspicion, her son is being bullied in school, and it seems that the two may have become a target for a new killer. This is an explosive debut that elicits the most visceral emotional responses – everything from sympathy to downright anger. Like many novels, this one picks up in the middle, Randy sits, running through appeal after appeal on death row and Leigh has attempted to make a new life for her and her son. The story alternates between the events of the present and the events of the past – from the point when Randy first meets and woos Leigh, through her discovery of his terrible secret, to her new life and identity in Cary, North Carolina. This is one of the most talked about debuts of the year, and Bill Floyd really delivers. 03/08 Becky Lejeune

KLLING ART by Jonathan Santlofer: Kate McKinnon is back and has some major adjusting to do since her husband’s demise. She’s moved out of their luxury digs into a slightly more modest Chelsea apartment. She’s working on a new book on the 1930’s-40’s New York School of artists, which included such artists as Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. Then in an odd coincidence, the de Kooning painting that Kate had donated to a museum in her husband’s memory is slashed during a museum benefit. More paintings are destroyed – and their owners are being murdered. The trend continues with an intriguing twist: the murderer is leaving a calling card, paintings that include clues to the next victim. Santlofer is a gifted artist and these paintings are featured throughout the book, putting an unusual spin on the thriller that really draws the reader in. Top notch. 02/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE KILLING ART by Jonathon Santlofer: Kate McKinnon, a former NYPD detective turned art historian has given up her rich clients and is now writing a book about the New York School of painters of the 1930s. After someone slashes a painting by Willem de Kooning, which was loaned to a museum by Kate’s late husband, she reluctantly returns to police work, helping the NYPD’s art squad find out who’s behind this and other slashings. An interesting look into what, for me, was a totally different world. 05/06 Jack Quick

KILLING CASTRO by Lawrence Block: Hardcase Crime Number Fifty One is a reprint of a 1961 classic by one of the masters. Five guys on a mission. The reward – $20,000 each. The target – Fidel Castro. Originally published just before the Cuban Missile Crisis under a pen-name used only this once, it reads as good today. From the opening line – “The taxi, one headlight out and one fender crimped, cut through downtown Tampa and into Ybor City.” to the final scene at the airport, you know this book was not written on a word processor. At best it was typed two fingered on a battered Remington with a cigarette in the ashtray on one side and half a glass of good scotch on the other. No pretty boys here, no psychological insights, no sensitive touchy feely – just what the name implies – Kill him. 12/08 Jack Quick

THE KILLING CIRCLE by Andrew Pyper: Widower and single father Patrick Rush is looking for more out of his life than his journalism career has been giving him. On a whim, he joins a writing class. He finds that he has trouble developing his own story, but he quite enjoys one of his fellow classmates’ tales in particular. Time passes and Patrick hears that the author of this tale has died in a car accident. Patrick, who still has no story of his own, decides to tell hers instead. Then the dead girl shows up at one of his signings cryptically telling him to watch out, that he has awakened the Sandman. Soon, others from the class reveal that they have felt a presence, perhaps someone stalking them, a malicious being hiding in the shadows. Patrick, too, has felt this and believes that the person behind it has to have been one of the members of that writing group. Then the first body appears and Patrick knows that time is quickly running out for them all. At first, my impression was that Killing Circle bore a strong resemblance to Jincy Willett’s Writing Class. Quickly, though the book took a much darker tone than Willett’s more sarcastic tale. Pyper’s story is an ominous thriller with a really great ending. Certainly readers who enjoyed Willett’s novel will also like The Killing Circle, but in the end they are refreshingly different. 09/08 Becky Lejeune

A KILLING FROST by Michael A. Black: Ron Shade is a Chicago-area tough-guy P.I. and martial arts aficionado. Things aren’t going too well for him so he makes some life changing decisions. He buys a new Camaro Z-28 and a big yellow pages ad and starts looking for a different office. Then he meets Maria Castro. She wants him to find her friend Juanita’s missing fiancé Carlos. When Carlos is located, facedown is a shipping canal, the journey really begins to get interesting. By now Shade is involved with Maria, and there are lots of potential bad guys. It’s the Chicago way. Is Shade gonna be tough enough? Stay tuned. 07/09 Jack Quick

KILLING GHOST by Christopher Ransom: It’s been a year since James’s wife, Stacey, was killed. Though it was a terrible accident, no one has ever come forward. No one has ever been caught. For James, this year meant the end of his job, though not quite the end of his life. Hard drinking and wallowing in self-pity take up most of his time, until Annette moves in next door. Annette is a nice distraction—maybe a chance for James to move on—but Annette is starting to look and act a little too much like Stacey. And weird things are starting to happen in his house. Could Stacey be hanging around, unwilling to move on? Christopher Ransom again offers up a nice twist on the classic ghost story. Killing Ghost is a disturbing but fun horror read that will have you looking over your shoulder and second-guessing strange noises in the middle of the night. (Originally released in the UK as The Haunting of James Hastings.) 5/12 Becky Lejeune

THE KILLING GROUND by Jack Higgins: Is there anyone better at writing about bad guys doing good things? Sean Dillon, the colorful former IRA hit man turned British intelligence antiterrorism op is back, along with his able sidekick, Billy Salter, son of London pub keeper and career criminal, Harry Salter. The actual villain is Muslim extremist Hussein Rashid, aka the Hammer of God, one of the most successful assassins alive, with 27 certified kills of American and British soldiers and Iraqi politicians. This time Hussein is after Charles Ferguson, head of British intelligence. It’s a longstanding grudge, complicated by the recent kidnapping of Hussein’s promised bride, his 13-year-old cousin Sara, who was earlier kidnapped by Hussein himself. Don’t worry, it reads easier than it explains. Just don’t get too comfy because you never know what the next page will bring. With almost forty of these published, Higgins knows how to pull all the strings and without ever a letdown. Definitely recommended. 03/08 Jack Quick

A KILLING IN COMICS by Max Allan Collins: Mr. Collins is a throwback to the days of serious pulpwriters who produced solid crime story after story without getting too formulaic. Not bad company – Dashiell Hammett, Ellery Queen and currently Lawrence Block and Ken Bruen. Prodigious producers all. (And not to be confused with those who write the same book over and over – like James Patterson and Stuart Woods), One of the areas Collins has dabbled in is setting older crime fiction writers as characters in his novels. It has been a real source of pleasure to me to see how he treats the old masters like S.S. Van Dine in his works. One may well ask whether if it were not for Philo Vance, whether there could have possibly been a Lord Peter Wimsey.
In this outing, Mr. Collins is taking a slightly different tack and adopting heroes from the golden age of pulp comic books. The result is an amusing effort interspersed with good graphics reminiscent of both comic books and the excesses of the Batman television show. I really liked the resolution with a “here are the suspects, who did it?” presentation, pictures and all. My only minor complaint with the book is the tacky name changes for the creators of Superman and Batman. That is more than redeemed by the dedication of the book to one of the truly great men of comic literature (yes, there is comic literature), Will Eisner, the creator of The Spirit. 07/07 Geoffrey R. Hamlin

KILLING ME SOFTLY by Maggie Shayne: Bryan Kendall is a young cop in the Shadow Falls, Vermont PD who kills a perp in a hostage situation. He is placed on leave and then eventually cleared to go back to work. That news calls for a small party, but somehow Kendall ends up on the bathroom floor. The next morning he finds his girl friend has been strangled in the unique style of .the Nightcap Strangler, who terrorized the town of Shadow Falls fifteen years ago, before being arrested, convicted and dying in prison. Is this a copy-cat crime or was the wrong man arrested? Kendall’s ex-love, Dawn Jones, learns of his problems and returns to Shadow Falls to help him. Doing so places her at risk for the same fate. Not a bad book, but a little too much emphasis on the “true love” between Dawn and Bryan, as well as Dawn’s “ability” to talk to the dead. 06/10 Jack Quick
A KILLING NIGHT by Jonathon King: This time out Florida PI Max Freeman, is primarily in Fort Lauderdale and Philadelphia helping pal Bill Manchester look after the interests of a dozen immigrant cruise ship employees who were injured in a boiler explosion. Freeman is also looking into the murder of three pretty female bartenders. The suspect is Philadelphia ex-cop Colin O’Shea, with whom Max once worked. King just keeps getting better and better. 05/07 Jack Quick

KILLING RAIN by Barry Eisler: A blown assignment in Manila for his new employers – the Mossad – leaves two CIA agents dead and John Rain in the cross hairs as the Israelis fear his continued existence will lead back to them. Mossad operative Delilah who had become Rain’s lover and introduction to Mossad is now tasked with finding him and setting him up for elimination. But the dead agents are actually ex-CIA and there is more going on here than suspected by anyone. There are both official and unofficial agendas being pursued. Most of the action actually happens in Bangkok and Rain and his partner Dox seem to be under the gun all the time. Rain is a contradictory character, but Eisler makes him likable and the pace is always fast. Expect the unexpected and you may still be surprised at the end as I was. Recommended. 07/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS by Katrina Kittle: Sarah Ladens is struggling to keep her family intact after the death of her husband. Her oldest son, Nate, has been getting in trouble at school and her youngest, Danny is barely getting by. Sarah learns that her best friend is charged with a horrendous crime against her son, a classmate of Danny’s, as well as several other young children in this small, close-knit town. Sarah must determine who to believe–the scathing evidence the police has found, or her best friend. And caught in the middle is Jordan, Danny’s classmate. Jordan has never known what it feels like to really be loved. Now, without parents, he’s destined to become part of the foster care system. The Ladens step up and offer to foster him. After a long and difficult struggle, the Ladens, once again a family of four all begins to heal. The Kindness of Strangers is powerful and full of emotion. Katrina Kittle deals with a sensitive topic that is often buried. The emotion that each of the characters experience is genuine and believable. The reader feels that they are part of the story, a member of the community that is forced to deal with this horrendous crime. 05/08 Jennifer Lawrence

KINDS OF LOVE, KINDS OF DEATH by Donald Westlake: This was first published January 1966 under the penname of Tucker Coe, so a reissue of an early book introducing Mitch Tobin, a police officer that was let go from the force for a love affair outside of his marriage. He was an honest cop with the one glaring error to mar his career and cause him to lose his job and his pension. He has spent six months watching his savings go down to nothing, and attempting to live off the small amount of money his wife makes on a low end job. She has forgiven him and stays with him. Crime boss Ernie Rembeck turns up and asks Mitch to investigate the murder of his mistress. He explains that he would like an ex cop to do the investigation and feels that the murderer is someone inside his crime syndicate. Mitch is reluctant to work for a crime boss, but does take on the job for the large sum of money promised to solve the case. While certain factors date the novel, such as comparatively small amounts of money that are stated as large, it is still good Westlake and holds the reader’s interest during Mitch’s investigation. All told there were five Mitch Tobin novels written and look like they will be reprinted and offered to today’s readers. If, like this one, which was the first Tobin book, they will be well worth the read and take the reader into the era of the 1960’s. 8/13 Paul Lane

THE KING OF LIES by John Hart: This powerful literary thriller starts off slowly but builds momentum like a runaway train. Jackson Workman Pickens, Work to his friends, is an unambitious criminal defense lawyer in a small North Carolina town who has some serious baggage. He’s lost his mother, his father Ezra has been missing for more than a year, leaving Work to deal with his psychologically damaged sister, and his marriage is on the rocks. Ezra, a prosperous attorney of questionable ethics and Work’s boss, made a lot of enemies, so when his body is found pretty much everyone is a suspect – but only one man is charged with the murder. Small town ostracism and a social climbing wife only add to the difficulties of trying to find out the truth behind the murder, which eventually opens a Pandora’s Box for Work. The writing is beautiful and the story is gripping, but it is the character study of a damaged southern lawyer that puts this debut novel on the must-read list. 06/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch. Copyright © 2006 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Reprinted with permission.

THE KING OF LIES by John Hart: This debut novel is evocative of some of the early John Grisham works. “Work” Pickens is a second-generation lawyer in Salisbury, North Carolina who has always lived in the shadow of his father, Ezra. Ezra’s body, with two .357 bullet holes is found over a year after he disappeared the same night Work’s mother died. Because Work stands to inherit over $15 million, he is an immediate suspect, although it is known that Ezra had a number of people who actively disliked him. Then Work learns that Alexandra, his sister’s partner, was convicted of killing her own abusive father which makes Work fearful for her safety an well. A powerful story and reasonably well written. I found it a bit long on “touchy-feely” and had some difficulty in warming up to Work because of his brooding nature and some of his personal predilections. I look forward to Hart’s next effort to see if there is improvement. 04/07 Jack Quick

KING OF SWORDS by Nick Stone: Nick Stone made his debut last year with the award-winning Mr. Clarinet. In his first thriller, readers were introduced to PI Max Mingus. Now, Stone takes readers back to 1980 when Mingus was still a Miami cop. In King of Swords, Miami is suffering the results of years of racial intolerance and turmoil. It’s only a matter of time before a wrong step is taken and the whole city explodes. Max is part of an elite team of cops who don’t always go by the books, or follow the rules, to get their results. Max’s partner, however, is another matter. Joe has been left out of the loop and only Max’s dedication to his friend has kept him in his current position. When a prominent member of the Miami drug trade is gunned down on the witness stand, Max is told to make a certain connection in an attempt to bring down a wanted drug lord. He and Joe decide to play it the boss’s way, but continue to investigate on their own in hopes of actually solving the case. When it is discovered that the killing is linked to yet another series of murders that took place just months before, Max and Joe know that they have stumbled onto something big. Miami gangsters, drug lords, dirty cops, and Haitian voodoo are just some of the key aspects of this gritty and dark prequel. King is a great starting point for new readers, and fans of Mr. Clarinet are guaranteed to enjoy reading about how Max Mingus got his start. 12/08 Becky Lejeune

KING OF SWORDS by Nick Stone: Stone’s 2007 thriller Mr. Clarinet was one of my top ten reads for last year. This second thriller is actually a prequel which begins when Detective. Sergeant Max Mingus and his black partner, Detective Joe Liston, of the Miami PD discover a decomposed body in a primate park. When a tarot card—the ominous King of Swords—is found in the victim’s stomach and his entire family killed, it’s clear something darker is at work. The detectives are soon hot on the trail of a young Haitian pimp and his fortune-teller mother, who are thought to be linked to voodoo gang leader Solomon Boukman. Mingus and Liston soon realize that with the rampant police corruption there is no one they can trust and they are both in way too deep to back out. There are hauntingly violent and gruesome scenes as in Clarinet, but if you can stand the heat, Stone has turned out another great read. 06/09 Jack Quick

KING OF THE ROAD by Paul Hemphill – Paul Hemphill grew up in Birmingham, Alabama and became a featured daily columnist in the Atlanta Journal during the 1960’s. In this novel, he captures the spirit of the last American cowboy – the over the road trucker – who is trying to pass along his love of this life to his son. Jake and Sonny go on the road for Jake’s last trip from Alabama to Nevada – a journey that will enable Sonny to see his father, and himself, in a new light. Jake is over seventy, his wife has Alzheimer’s and doesn’t know him most of the time, his daughter and son-in-law have disowned him. All he has left is Dixie Red ball IV – his gasoline powered Dodge truck – and Sonny, an alcoholic want-to-be writer who has settled for teaching at community colleges rather than reaching for his goals. Extremely well written and accurately depicts the time and location. 08/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

THE KINGDOM by Amanda Stevens: In this second book of the Graveyard Queen series, cemetery restorer Amelia Gray has been hired to clean up Thorngate in the small South Carolina town of Asher Falls. Once the Asher family cemetery, Thorngate was donated to the town in an attempt to make amends after Pell Asher allowed the state to build a reservoir over the prior graveyard. To say the townspeople are still sore over the deal would be an understatement and Thorngate has been neglected in the years since. Amelia is prepared for some resistance to her hiring, but her reception in town is downright chilly. When she discovers an unmarked grave and begins digging into Asher Falls history, Amelia soon finds that she’s upset someone or something that might be willing to kill to make sure their secret remains safely buried. As with the first in the series, Amelia’s position and her talent for seeing the dead leaves lots of opportunity for interesting cemetery and burial practice history as well as a great set up for a creepy paranormal mystery. Stevens also reveals more of Amelia’s somewhat secretive background in this follow up to The Restorer. 5/12 Becky Lejeune

THE KING’S DECEPTION by Steve Berry: A very complex novel but the ease with which Berry ties all factors neatly together marks a truly fascinating and engrossing read. What do Elizabethan times in British history, going from the reign of Henry VIII to Queen Elizabeth I and her successor, the return of one of the terrorists in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing to Libya due to humanitarian reasons based on his terminal cancer, and questions of territory granted to Irish Protestants by Elizabeth I have to do with one another? A possible answer to this is presented by Steve Berry in his latest Cotton Malone novel. Malone is returning to Denmark with his son Gary via a stopover in England. His previous employer: the CIA, has asked him to escort a teenager that fled England rather than endanger himself by providing facts about a murder he saw. Looks like an easy drop, with a delivery of the fugitive to British authorities than on to Denmark with Gary for a much needed father and son get together visit. No such luck, the boy and Gary are kidnapped by persons unknown and Malone enters into the midst of a conspiracy involving the US CIA, the British equivalent of the FBI, a visit to Oxford University, exploration of London underground, and tours of the tombs of deceased British royalty interred in Westminster Abbey. Steve Berry and his wife are fascinated by history and together founded a society called History Matters which is dedicated to historic preservation. He incorporates his love of history with a great story featuring a theory about Elizabeth I changing the way she is featured, and based upon interpretation from writings of her contemporaries as well as an essay published by Bram Stoker, the creator of Dracula showcasing that change in view of her. The concept of a different Elizabeth I and what it could mean if true has the possibility of reshaping the UK. King’s Deception is fiction, but a reading of certain facts presented by Berry in the course of the novel are sure to provoke the reception of new ideas and theories on the part of the reader. In keeping with the formats of his last several books Steve Berry’s research into other times leads to alternative ideas of that period and I certainly look forward to his next novel. 6/13 Paul Lane

KINGS OF MIDNIGHT by Wallace Stroby: Crissa Stone is a career criminal who has pulled a number of impressive heists by knowing how to keep her mouth shut and her temper in check. Still, as good as she is, she wants to get out of the life. She’s not the only one. Benny Roth, a former mobster, has been straight for years, but now he has his own problems. A face from the past has popped up to tell him that boss Joey Dio is finally dead and to ask about the five million dollars that Joey was rumored to have stashed away years ago. Benny denies knowing anything about it and claims he’s out of the business. That may be what he says, but he’s willing to risk almost everything for one last shot. The two unlikely partners risk it all for that one last score. Excellent. 6/12 Jack Quick

A KISS BEFORE MIDNIGHT by Eloisa James: My quest to find a romance novel I can read and enjoy continues, with a fun stop with this fairytale. If the title didn’t clue you in, allow me – this is a retelling of Cinderella. This is not a modern, Enchanted type tale; the author states in her note at the end that it is set probably around 1813, so a historical Cinderella, if you will. The rats are small, yipping dogs, there is no pumpkin, and the glass slippers are made of spun tapestry silk that looks like glass. The godmother is no fairy but a practical, sensual, funny woman, and yes, there is a prince. He’s probably darker than Disney ever envisioned, but totally hot – a real fairytale prince. This was a fun read and I’m looking forward to the next book, a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. 08/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

A KISS GONE BAD by Jeff Abbott: Welcome to Port Leo, Tex., original home of porn star Pete Hubble, the black sheep son of a senator, who returns only to be killed. His producer and girlfriend, Velvet Mojo, along with rookie Judge Whit Mosley and police detective Claudia Salazar, a pompous southern sheriff, a wrestler turned evangelist, a shadowy psychotic killer named Blade, a corrupt female senator and a delightful sidekick who sticks to his ethics even if they don’t always coincide with judicial law seek to get to the bottom of the matter. You’ve probably guessed the conclusion by now, but you still should give it a read. 06/06 Jack Quick

KISS HER GOODBYE by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins: Mickey Spillane is no longer with us but thanks to his notes, and his good friend Max Allan Collins, we still have some more of Mike Hammer. Hammer has been recuperating in Florida after a deadly mob shootout when his friend Pat Chambers calls to tell him their old mentor on the New York Police force, Inspector Bill Doolan, has committed suicide rather than face a drawn out death from cancer. Hammer returns to New York for the funeral—and because he knows that Inspector Doolan would never have killed himself. Hammer’s lovely longtime partner, Velda, has disappeared after he broke it off for her own safety, and his office is shut down. When a woman is murdered practically on the funeral home’s doorstep, Hammer is drawn into the hunt for a cache of Nazi diamonds and for the mysterious beauty who had been close to Doolan in his final days. He also mixes it up with some drug racketeers, who had it in for the tough old police inspector, and plays footsie with a sleek lady D.A., a modern female on the make for the old fashioned Hammer. At the end Hammer and his .45 do a bit of house cleaning. Its definitely Hammer Time. 05/11 Jack Quick

KISS ME, JUDAS by Will Christopher Baer: Remember the one about the man who wakes up in a hotel bathtub full of ice to discover someone has removed a kidney? That really happens to Phineas Poe, an ex-cop on his first night out from a six month stay in a psychiatric hospital. Poe heads to the sex-shop where his friend Crumb works. “Crumb isn’t really a doctor. He does cheap abortions and gunshot wounds and even dental work for the mad and desperate.” Crumb confirms the absence of Poe’s kidney and even further complications : but you just have to read it for yourself…. 11/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

KISS ME, KILL ME by Lauren Henderson: Every girl knows how hard it is to be a teenager. Scarlett Wakefield is one the very unlucky ones. When Scarlett is invited to attend a party thrown by one of the most popular girls at St. Tabby’s private school, she is elated. Her crush, Dan McAndrew will be there. Her two friends are understandably angry at being ditched, but Scarlett can always deal with that later. After all, this could finally be her chance with Dan. Everything is going fantastically well. She and Dan are talking, and then, magically, kissing, but something is wrong with Dan. Dan is dead and it seems like Scarlett must be cursed with the kiss of death. Shamed out of St. Tabby’s, Scarlett is whisked away by her grandmother to attend Wakefield Hall Collegiate. Wakefield Hall is a far cry from St. Tabby’s and being the headmistress’s granddaughter isn’t helping. At least no one knows about Scarlett’s killer past. There is even a boy at Wakefield, the gardener’s hot grandson. Scarlett can’t shake the horrifying memory of Dan’s death, however, or the guilty thought that it was all her fault and she vows to find out the truth at any cost. This is Henderson’s first young adult title and the start of what promises to be a great teen mystery series. It’s fun for adults as well. Henderson is no newbie to the mystery trade. She is the author of seven precious adult tart noir mysteries. 01/08 Becky Lejeune

Kisscut by Karin Slaughter: In this sequel to Blindsighted, Dr. Sara Linton and Police Chief Jeffrey Tolliver are back, dealing with very disturbing subject matter; a child porn ring and teenage genital mutilation, in a story even more depraved and gory than it’s predecessor. Slaughter borrows a page from Andrew Vachss, but unfortunately doesn’t quite measure up. The story just plods along in places, and certain plot points were dubious at best.

KISSER by Stuart Woods: This is Woods’ 17th Stone Barrington novel and I am afraid that with it, Mr. Woods has joined James Patterson and the late Harold Robbins on my list of “burned out” authors. Stone Barrington (who, other than Stone Phillips of NBC-TV, is so uniquely named), ex-NYPD Detective and current legal eagle falls hook, line and sinker for one Carrie Cox, an aspiring actress who’s recently moved from Georgia to New York City, whom he picks ups at Elaine’s, his favorite Manhattan restaurant. Add her to Barrington’s long and somewhat unusual list of conquests art gallery assistant Rita Gammage, U.S. attorney Tiffany Baldwin, and mentally unstable Dolce Bianci, to whom he was once briefly married. Ms. Cox allegedly is being pursued by a violent ex-husband who wishes her great harm, so Stone and his current and former NYPD and CIA friends jump into protect the poor lass. Stone even allows her to spend most nights with him. In a few days major discrepancies appear in Ms. Cox’s story but in the meantime, Barrington manages to get involved in protecting young heiress Hildy Parsons from a con artist/drug dealer, and plots to take down Ponzi scammer Sig Larsen. I know I am not getting old, but all the whining and wining and dining and bedding, etc. begins to wear thin. 02/10 Jack Quick

KISSES AND LIES by Lauren Henderson: Six months ago, Scarlett Wakefield thought all her dreams were coming true. After being invited to an exclusive party by some of the most popular teens in London, she ends up alone with the guy she’s been crushing on for ages. But everything falls apart when Dan, the boy in question, dies while kissing Scarlett. She’d thought it was her fault, but in Kiss Me, Kill Me she finally discovered that she was wrong. Dan had a severe peanut allergy and someone laced the chips at the party with peanut oil and then stole Dan’s epi-pen (emergency allergy injector). Though her own conscience is clear, Scarlett is now determined to track down the person responsible for Dan’s murder. Her investigation eventually leads her to Dan’s ancestral home in Scotland. Scarlett manages an invite to the estate, but is not prepared for the surprises that await her upon arrival. This mostly lighthearted, contemporary mystery series is great fun for teens. I have a teen sister who’s been dying to get her hands on this book. I must admit that I was so intrigued after Kiss Me, Kill Me that I just had to read this one before handing it over to her. I was not disappointed. Who knows what Scarlett and Taylor will be up to next, but I can tell you the twist at the end of Kisses and Lies looks very promising for this series’ continuation. 04/09 Becky Lejeune

Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto: Quirky first novel, more accurately a novella. I found the translation a bit awkward but it was a funny, touching story worth reading. Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE KITCHEN DAUGHTER by Jael McHenry: Ginny Selvaggio doesn’t have a syndrome, she has a personality. Or that’s what her mother always said. In truth, Ginny has Aspergers, which makes social situations somewhat awkward. Her mother has always protected her and had plenty of rules to help Ginny along. But when both of Ginny’s parents die, she must finally face things on her own. Her sister is ready to sell their house and believes Ginny shouldn’t be on her own. Meanwhile, Ginny, who has always been more comfortable in the kitchen than anywhere else, has discovered that she can bring back the dead by cooking their handwritten recipes. But their brief visits bring strange messages that are a riddle yet to be solved. Jael McHenry’s debut is a sweet and touching story about sisters, loss, family, and cooking. I loved Ginny as a narrator. Her unique point of view really captures the reader. The Kitchen Daughter is a fine debut and a lovely read. 04/11 Becky Lejeune

THE KITCHEN HOUSE by Kathleen Grissom: In the early 1800’s, Lavinia is orphaned on a ship from Ireland to America and becomes an indentured servant to the ship’s captain. He brings her to his home, ordering his slaves to train her in the kitchen house, a building far enough away from the main house to avoid any sort of fire problems. Lavinia has no memory of her life prior to her parents’ deaths and she clings to Mama Mae, the head of the household staff, and Belle, who’s in charge of the kitchen. Lavinia grows up there and leads a life that mirrors that of the slaves, until the captain dies and his sister-in-law takes her in. Life becomes even more difficult as a free woman, especially when Lavinia marries. Grissom is a wonderful story, bringing these characters and this place to life. A very interesting and very disturbing read about life on a plantation, told from the slave’s point of view. Lots to discuss here, which is why this book is so popular with reading groups. 12/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini: I had the privilege of meeting Josseini this past summer which compelled me to finally pick up his book. This book is an incredible coming-of-age story along with a fascinating history of modern Afghanistan. Amir is the son of a very successful businessman in Kabul and he grows up in privilege. His closest friend, Hassan, is the son of their servant. Amir’s mother died in childbirth and Hassan’s mother left him as an infant, and they shared the same wet nurse. They grow up together, playing games and flying kites, which is serious business in Afghanistan. They would be as close as brothers, except they are separated by class and by a horrific incident during their teenage years. Eventually Amir and his father flee Afghanistan and end up in California, (rather like the author’s own experience) but as an adult, Amir ends up going back to the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan to right some wrongs. Anyone with an interest in other cultures, especially in light of what’s going on over there, should plan on reading this. Beautifully written and very autobiographical, it is a book that will be haunting me for years to come. This one is definitely going to make my top ten for the year.

KITTY AND THE MIDNIGHT HOUR by Carrie Vaughn: Kitty Norville is a DJ for a Denver radio station. She’s also a werewolf, a secret that she’s been able to keep from her audience. One night, however, things change. She brings up the topic of “Bat Boy”, a local phenomena that frequently appears in the news. Hundreds of calls start pouring in, comments ranging from “My girlfriend, a werewolf, won’t bite me” to recommendations on exorcisms. And thus, “The Midnight Hour”, a supernatural advice show, is born. Kitty is overjoyed at the success of her new show. But her pack leader, Carl, is not. He’s afraid the show is casting too much attention on their pack. Nevertheless, Kitty continues to broadcast, and a rift forms between her and her pack. Her desire for independence is misunderstood as an attempt to gain power within the pack. When Kitty accidentally reveals herself as a werewolf on one airing of a show, her life is in danger. When Cormac, a werewolf hunter, threatens her life, Kitty, and her show, are brought to the attention of the local police. Hardin, a local detective, asks for Kitty’s advice on a batch of unsolved murders. Murders originally thought were the work of wolves. Kitty visits the crime scene and it’s instantly obvious—a rogue werewolf is killing people. The first in a series, KITTY AND THE MIDNIGHT HOUR is a very addictive read. I can’t wait to pick up the next book in the series. 03/09 Jennifer Lawrence

KLLRS by Phil Bowie: John Hardin has just been given an offer he can’t refuse, literally. Living under an assumed name and working as a pilot specializing in aerial photography, Hardin has some skeletons in his closet that are better off remaining hidden. When Nolan Radar, a former ATF agent, approaches him and blackmails him into helping him on a job, Hardin has no choice. Radar’s younger brother is missing and he believes that the notorious motorcycle gang, Satan’s Ghosts, is behind it. Radar wants Hardin to infiltrate the group and find his brother in exchange for keeping quiet. What the two don’t know is that a man calling himself Brain has taken the younger Radar as part of a twisted experiment and it’s just a matter of time before he’s killed. A great thriller that just sucks you in! Kllrs is third in a series that has been praised by both Lee Child and Stephen Coonts. 10/08 Becky Lejeune

KNEE HIGH BY THE FOURTH OF JULY by Jess Lourey: Chief Wenonga is one muscled dude. Of course, he is also 23 feet tall and formed from fiberglass. But when he goes missing just before the town of Battle Lake, Minnesota celebrates the statue’s 25th anniversary, there is sadness throughout the land. Enter amateur sleuth Mira James. However, her investigation is quickly interrupted by both the disappearance of her second biggest crush after the Chief, one Johnny Leeson, and the discovery of a dead body. So is Mira after a statue thief, a kidnapper, or a murderer? And the clue? A scalp left at the scene of the Chief’s disappearance. Better cook up another hot dish, Mama, this one is going to take awhile. One of the better cozy series, but then again I also love Prairie Home Companion. 11/07 Jack Quick

KNIT TWO by Kate Jacobs: It’s been five years since we met the members of the Friday Night Knitting Club. Dakota is now an eighteen year old NYU student, working part time at her mother’s yarn shop, Walker & Daughter. She aspires to become a pastry chef, but everyone seems to remind her of her duty to her mom’s shop. Darwin and her husband Dan, after trying for many years, are expecting twins. Lucie has really taken off as a video producer, while trying to be a single mom to her hyperactive 5 year old, Ginger. Anita, the mentor of the group, decides its time she do what she wants to do in life, and not rely on what her family thinks is best. Catherine has a successful wine/antique shop, and KC goes back to work at a firm that once dismissed her, but this time she’s their legal counsel. Reading KNIT TWO was like coming home again. The first few chapters were very difficult; I missed Georgia (who passed away from cancer at the end of FNKC) tremendously. Apparently so did the members of the Friday Night Knitting Club. They all relied on Georgia so much, and they were just now coming to terms with how to survive without her. I cried tears of sympathy for dear Dakota. Everyone thought they knew what was best for her, but weren’t listening to what she wanted. The strength of the women in this group is quite amazing. They have all overcome so much. And while they started as a knitting club, they evolved into so much more. 02/09 Jennifer Lawrence

KNOCKEMSTIFF by Donald Ray Pollock: If Flannery O’Conner and William Faulkner created a bastard lovechild, the result would be Donald Ray Pollock. Instead of the deep south, Pollock sets his stories in Knockemstiff, Ohio. The town is harsh and unforgiving. This despair is reflected in the lives of it’s characters. Incest, drug abuse, and domestic violence are pasttimes for the denizens of Knockemstiff. The factories are closing. Poverty is rampant. This is the forgotten underbelly of America where life is cheap. While the subject matter may be grim, it is delivered with a deft touch. Pollock’s writing style is nothing short of high-art, the work of a craftsman. This book will delight fans of transgressive fiction and university professors alike. 05/08 Dan Cawley

THE KOREAN INTERCEPT by Stephen Mertz: This one avoids Iraq and Afghanistan in favor of the other member of the Evil Axis – North Korea. The space shuttle Liberty, in orbit and set to deploy a defense satellite while making repairs to other satellites, has its mission aborted on order from NASA. Veteran captain Ron Scott is uneasy but obeys the order–then crash-lands in the frontier between North Korea and China. Scott, copilot Kate Galt and handsome but hotheaded crewman Bob Paxton survive. Scott must try to help the others avoid capture until Kate’s estranged husband, Major Trev Galt, a special-ops type for the National Security Council, can get them out of harm’s way. Not great literature but enough action to satisfy those who prefer an adrenaline rush to more subtle pleasures. 02/07 Jack Quick

MAD DOG by Mark Rubenstein: It is actually Dr. Mark Rubenstein, a practicing psychiatrist, who authored this very taut, compelling novel. Rubenstein wrote five technical books before turning to fiction, and his first fictional effort certainly indicates a talent in that direction. Roddy Dolan and Danny Burns are old friends and successful men that have their roots in Brooklyn 30 years ago. Roddy almost went to jail at that time, but thanks to efforts by his friend Danny’s mother was allowed to enlist in the army instead of serving time. The experience turned his life around and he became a successful surgeon. Danny became an accountant with a wide practice. Both are married with loving families and very happy with their places in life. An old friend from their boyhood days in Brooklyn approaches them to offer a chance to divest their portfolios by investing with him into a restaurant as silent partners. Danny does the proper investigation and proposes that they do so. Their wives concur and both put up sums required to enter into the deal. The situation begins to go sour when Roddy determines that their friend has been skimming from the business and is on both drugs and drink. A loanshark enters the scene and demands that the three partners pay him money owed by the managing partner in the sum of at least double the amount invested. Roddy, who was known as “Mad Dog” as a boy, comes up with a scheme to put an end to the loan shark’s ideas to collect money, and collect more money whenever he wants to. The account of what Roddy and Danny have to do is extremely well handled. The characters are very well fleshed out, and the reader will understand the reactions and thoughts of both men. This is definitely an impossible book to put down with an ending that will cause a reaction of “of course” by readers. A short preview of Rubenstein’s next novel appears at the end of the book, and as I did will cause a note to be placed on file to get it as soon as it comes out. 10/12 Paul Lane

MAD DOGS by James Grady: Grady’s first novel (Six Days of the Condor, 1974) was awesome and I heartily recommend it to anyone who hasn’t read it. Time will tell whether his latest will stand the same test of time. Five former CIA operatives, deemed to be mentally unable to continue, are housed in a top-secret insane asylum in Maine. When their psychiatrist is murdered they realize they will be framed for the crime, so they break out and make their way to Washington, D.C. and a man they hope holds the key to the mystery. On one level this is a well-written thriller that moves at a rapid pace with plenty of action, or you may consider it an extended hallucination not unlike One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. Ultimately, it’s a tale of emancipation and coming to terms with the realities of life, and one’s own limitations. 11/06 Jack Quick

THE MADMAN’S DAUGHTER by Megan Shepherd: Times have been tough for Juliet Moreau since her father’s disappearance. Doctor Moreau was once a noted surgeon but rumors concerning the questionable nature of his research ruined his career. He left six years ago and Juliet has always assumed that he was dead. When her mother passed away, Juliet was left with no choice but to find a job. Fortunately, an old colleague of her father’s secured Juliet a position cleaning at the university. One evening, Juliet discovers a page of her father’s notes in the possession of some of the students. She traces the notes to a local inn, but instead of Moreau she finds Montgomery, his assistant. Montgomery admits that Moreau is very much alive and that he, Montgomery, has continued working alongside him all these years. At first Montgomery is insistent that Juliet cannot accompany him back to the island where Moreau does his research. But when Juliet attacks a man while defending her honor, Montgomery is left with no choice but to bring her along. Soon Juliet finds herself face to face with her father once again, but is she ready for what she’ll discover? Megan Shepherd’s take on HG Well’s Island of Doctor Moreau is fabulous. It’s a dark and twisted teen sci fi read that’s perfect for adults as well and it’s to be the first in a trilogy, which means there’s more to Juliet’s tale. 2/13 Becky Lejeune
MAD MOUSE by Chris Grabenstein: In this terrific sequel to TILT-A-WHIRL, Danny Boyle is applying for a full time position with the Sea Haven police department after spending the summer working part time with John Ceepak. Ceepak lives by a code of honor that is both refreshing and worth emulating, at least to Danny. Danny is partying one night at the beach with his friends when they are attacked by someone with a paintball gun. It’s not fun being hit, but it’s usually not dangerous either, except one of the girls gets hit in the eye. And then they get shot at again, more paintballs but also bullets go whizzing by, leaping up the investigation a notch. All of this is happening just prior to the Labor Day barbeque bonanza weekend, closing the summer season at the Jersey shore resort area. The new chief of police wants to keep a lid on things and not scare off the tourists and the mayor is worried about local businesses losing money if they have to cancel. Then another of the friends is shot and seriously wounded, the mayor and police chief are trying to keep everyone calm, and Danny and Ceepak are determined to find the shooter before anything else happens. Besides the suspense and the humor, you can smell the salt air and taste the taffy, making this the perfect beach read. 06/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

MAD MOUSE by Chris Grabenstein: Labor Day is coming and the New Jersey resort town of Sea Haven is gearing up for a big celebration. Easygoing part-time-summer-only cop Danny Boyle has become so enamored of police work with his partner, super-cop John Ceepak, that he wants to be promoted to full-time and kept on after the end of the season. Luckily, Ceepak, the decorated Iraq War veteran, is on the case when a sniper begins stalking Danny, girl friend Katie and their friends. The mayor wants things solved before the holiday festivities. Danny wants it solved before someone gets killed and John wants it solved period. Having now read both of Grabenstein’s initial efforts, I would comment, not negatively, that they would probably make better television show episodes than mystery books. Think Rockford Files meets Baywatch on the East Coast. Give it a Springsteen soundtrack, some eye candy, and a couple of mis-matched leads as Danny and John. It would be a lot better than most of what’s on the tube today. 11/06 Jack Quick

MAD RIVER by John Sandford: Virgil Flowers has his hands full with three teenagers with dead-end lives who go on a Bonnie and Clyde spree. The body count keeps mounting and Flowers can’t seem to move fast enough as their crime spree cuts a swath through rural Minnesota. With the growing army of cops after them, the end is pretty likely, but the getting there is not. Another good Sanford. 10/12 Jack Quick

MADE IN THE U.S.A. by Billie Letts: Lutie and Fate McFee have been dealt a really raw deal. They were abandoned by their drunk father; left with one of his many girlfriends while he made his way to Vegas for his fortune. Now said girlfriend, who was nice by all accounts, has dropped dead of a heart attack in the WalMart checkout line. After some inventive lies, Lutie packs up Fate and they head off to Vegas, in a technically stolen car with technically stolen money, in hopes that they can find their father. Upon arrival, they learn that their father was arrested and eventually died in prison. Lutie takes it upon herself to provide for Fate as best as she can, hoping to make it big and give them both a better life. Unfortunately, as with other Letts characters, Lutie and Fate experience some of the worst things that can befall kids on their own. I have to say that I think even the folks in Where the Heart Is had it a little better than these two kids. Another tear-jerking and overwhelmingly heart-warming tale of growth, redemption, and the importance of family. 06/08 Becky Lejeune

MADELINE MANN by Julia Buckley: Aha, another perky female newspaper reporter with uncanny sleuthing abilities. Madeline Mann, Madman to her brothers and close friends wouldn’t sign the Declaration of Independence – too conformist. She must go her own way and if that means getting involved in homicide investigations in her hometown of Webley, Illinois, so be it. You wouldn’t think a major metropolis like Webley would have political intrigue, love, greed, obsession, and an Annual Fall Harvest Festival. Count on the madman to find them all in this series, that’s series, not serious opener. There are appears to be more substance here than say, a big wad of cotton candy, but no steak and potatoes that I could find. I can’t help but wonder where all these young blonde femme fatales were when I was a newspaper publisher. All I ever got were like you know, functionally illiterate, or else ex-school teacher empty nesters seeking fame and glory, but heaven forbid you tried to give them direction. Anyway, it’s enjoyable. 08/07 Jack Quick

THE MADNESS UNDERNEATH by Maureen Johnson: Though Rory is much recovered from her run in with the killer known as the Ripper, her parents are less than anxious to allow her to return to life as usual. She’s living with them in Bristol, attending her mandatory therapy visits, but desperate to return to Wexford. She soon gets her chance, though, when therapist Julia announces that it’s the most promising opportunity for getting over the incident. Rory quickly learns that her return has been finagled by her friends, The Shades — the super secret ghost busting division of the police. They were in danger of being shut down after the Ripper destroyed their last Terminus – which allowed them to send ghosts back where they belong – but Rory has inherited a neat little power as a result of her Ripper experience: she’s apparently become a Terminus herself. With her help, The Shades can continue. As she tries to maintain a balance between school and her friends, she discovers something else. A murder near Wexford appears to be tied in with the aftermath of the Ripper case. At first, no one believes her, but it soon becomes clear that she’s right. But can Rory handle the secrets and responsibilities of her two different lives? This second in the Shades of London series continues where The Name of the Star left off. Johnson’s snappy prose and snarky wit make this a creepy and quirky series that perfectly ties together paranormal and mystery elements. 2/13 Becky Lejeune

THE MADONNAS OF LENINGRAD by Debra Dean: This is Russian immigrant Marina Buriakov’s story and it is a rather difficult one. Marina is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, and her family is trying to cope with her and her granddaughter’s upcoming wedding at the same time. Marina can barely remember who her granddaughter is, but has no trouble remembering working as a docent at the State Hermitage Museum in Leningrad on the eve of WWII. The story alternates between the present day and her memories of that time, emptying the museum in preparation for the possible theft or damage of its treasures. The writing is lovely, especially about the artwork in the museum, but the theme of memory and how it affects our lives is most poignant and moving in this lovely, heartfelt family tale. 07/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE MAGDALEN MARTYRS by Ken Bruen: The Magdalen Martyrs is the latest mystery novel in author Ken Bruen’s series about a self-destructive Irish crime solver named Jack Taylor. While I think that this is his best so far, if this appeals to you, I would recommend that you go back and read his earlier novels as well and trace his development as an author.
Jack Taylor is a former member of the Irish police force known as the Guardia. His experiences on that job hardened him, turned him to the bottle and led him to resent any form of authority. His boozing and behavior led to his ouster from the Guards and they keep asking him to please give them their uniform coat back. Jack, at this point in his life, is an alcoholic going down. He hates his life, but finds consolation in his books (he likes mysteries, poetry, A.A. Alvarez and Thomas Merton in particular) and he finds numbness and forgetting in whiskey and drugs. Like Lawrence Block’s Matthew Scudder, who he admires, he has at this point in his descent, nonetheless developed a reputation as a detective of sorts and is asked to help various souls who are reluctant to involve the authorities.
The title of this book involves an Irish scandal that had been fairly widely publicized in the past year. It refers to the Magdalen laundry facility, a home established by an order of nuns for unmarried women thrown out of their families for engaging in premarital sex. A far cry from The Cider House, the women are not only forced to work as virtual slaves, but subjected to great physical and mental abuse as well. Many simply did not survive and even the survivors were scarred for life. In this case, Jack is asked to pay off a favor he owed to a very “hard man” in the Irish underworld. The hard man’s sister was a laundry survivor and he asks Jack (on the pain of being killed if he fails to perform) to find one of the teachers who retired from there and was the only good person on the staff. As the plot develops, it is clear that she was not an angel of mercy. In fact, the poor young women referred to her as Lucifer. And the hard man does not intend to thank her, but to make her experience the same sort of misery she meted out. In the course of investigating this case, and another unrelated matter, Jack gets beaten badly repeatedly, his clothes are ruined over and over again, he is thrown in jail and even his books are destroyed. (This gives him another to excuse to launch into one of his long lists of authors – I am getting a little tired of this, although I like the same writers Jack does). However, this destruction is secondary to that which he is imposing on himself in every page with each sip, each pill and each line of cocaine. I fear greatly for Jack.
Ultimately, and in very clever, but very tough fashion, the various plot lines are resolved, but the larger dilemmas in Jack’s life remain.
I have not enjoyed reading a new mystery author this much in several years. If you like hard-nosed crime fiction with a real Raymond Chandler hero, you can not miss these. 03/05 ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.
THE MAGDALEN MARTYRS by Ken Bruen: “So I drink. I’m way past my sell-by date and am on precious borrowed time. I should have gone down a long time ago. Lots of days, I wish I had.” Meet Jack Taylor who brings new meaning to the term hard-boiled. An erstwhile detective and full time alcoholic Taylor prowls the dark side of Galway, as if there were no tomorrow. Why? He really and truly doesn’t care whether there will be a tomorrow. After all, it will only be as bad as today and yesterday, anyway. Jack is trying to locate a woman associated with the notorious Magdalen Home for Unwed Mothers as well as determine whether a merry widow was responsible for her husband’s death. Powerful writing from the man called the Celtic Dashiell Hammett. 10/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

THE MAGDALENA CURSE by F.G. Cottam: Mark Hunter was an accomplished military man. His experiences and expertise made him an optimal choice for a very secret mission in the Amazon. It is this mission that hangs over him. Now Mark’s son is the victim of a terrible curse, the result of the wrath of an evil woman. Everyone becomes pawns in her game, playthings for her amusement. If Mark can’t free his son from the curse, it could mean the end of them both. With the help of a local doctor who has her own dark past, Mark will attempt to track down the one person with the power to stop things before they go too far. Cottam’s talent lies in his ability to build an intense and atmospheric story. The Magdalena Curse is a chilling horror tale from the very beginning. Unfortunately, the end is abrupt—one misstep in an otherwise effective and interesting read. 08/11 Becky Lejeune

THE MAGE IN BLACK by Jaye Wells: Sabina Kane is back in this follow-up to Jaye Wells’s urban fantasy debut, Red-Headed Stepchild. Since learning the truth about her family and her twin sister, Sabina has left behind her former life as an assassin for the vampire Domina. Sabina’s grandmother is not one to easily admit defeat, though, and Sabina soon finds herself being hunted by the Domina’s lackeys. Making matters worse is the fact that Sabina seems to have stepped on someone’s toes in New York: Her first night in, she’s attacked by a couple of werewolves and accused of poaching in their territory, an act that comes with its own penalties. It’s what happens next that really takes the cake, though. I like Sabina as a lead character; she’s feisty and has a killer attitude. I also enjoyed the momentum of Red-Headed Stepchild and was glad that Wells was able to keep up the pace in this second book of the series. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing where Sabina’s story goes from here. 03/10 Becky Lejeune

MAGIC CITY by James W. Hall: The Magic City is Miami and Thorn is trying to determine if the magic he has found with Alexandra is powerful enough to enable him to leave his beloved Key West and move to Miami full-time. In the process Thorn gets involved in a betrayal and series of murders that occurred in 1964. A photograph taken ringside of the Sonny Liston – Cassius Clay heavyweight fight in Miami is apparently critical to solving the mystery, and the only remaining copy of the photograph belongs to Alexandra’s father, Lawton, who suffers from dementia. While Thorn is trying to make sense of the matter, a modern day murder spree erupts that reaches from the quiet neighborhoods of Miami all the way to the White House and puts Thorn and everyone he loves into grave danger. Quite a romp. 03/07 Jack Quick

THE MAGIC KNOT by Helen Scott Taylor: Rosenwyn Tremain is your average, everyday accountant. Growing up, her mother warned her never to go to Cornwall and, in spite of their many differences, Rose has obeyed her mother’s wish, until now. Rose is sent to Cornwall to investigate the bankruptcy of a local pub, the Elephant’s Nest. The pub is run by the charming and handsome Michael O’Connor, but it is his somewhat rude brother, Niall, who interests Rose. All of that is beside the point considering Rose’s desire to close the case and track down her long lost father, except for the fact that the O’Connor’s will figure in to both her past and her present in ways that she can’t ignore. See Rose was raised without being told of the race of fair folk who live in the world. Her race. Rose is half human and half pisky and she’s about to discover that she’s much more than that as well. Helen Scott Taylor’s debut fantasy/paranormal romance was winner of Romantic Times magazine’s American Title competition in 2008. It’s fun and original romance, and hopefully the beginning of a great new paranormal series. 01/09 Becky Lejeune

MAGIC TO THE BONE by Devon Monk: The job of a Hound is to track down and identify the illegal offloading of magic—all magic comes with a price and some choose to filter that price through another living thing. An after-hours job leads Allie Beckstrom, one of the best Hounds in the industry, to suspect that her own father, a prominent figurehead who’s made big business out of magic, has been using a young boy as an Offload. But when her father ends up dead, Allie’s own magical signature points the finger at her as the killer. Unfortunately, Allie’s price in using magic is her memory and she has no memory of what happened after confronting her father. Allie knows that she’ll have to use all of the power at her disposal to untangle the pieces and find out what her father’s role truly is. But Allie will also have to decide if, in the long run, the price she pays is really worth it. Devon Monk’s urban fantasy debut is a good read, but there is a lot of information in this first of the series for readers to digest. Building a world as setting for something different is a big challenge and I think Monk does it well, but I also think that the follow-up titles of the series will be even better now that a lot of the background has been introduced. 11/09 Becky Lejeune

THE MAGICIANS by Lev Grossman: I must confess I have not read a single Harry Potter book, nor have I seen a Harry Potter film. I am vaguely familiar with Narnia as a quite successful movie, but couldn’t tell you anything else about it. Therefore, I really couldn’t appreciate the various nuances and sub texts in this book. I can tell you it is well written and entertaining and probably a must read if you are into this sort of thing. Quentin Coldwater is a Brooklyn high school student and the nerdiest of nerds. His most devout wish is to be in a children’s series set in the Narnia-like world of Fillory. Instead, he and his friends are heading to an interview relative to his possible admission to Princeton. When they arrive, they find the interviewer is dead of a massive stroke. On the way back home he ends up at Brakebills, a very secret and exclusive college of magic in upstate New York. At Brakebills, Quentin learns about college life – friendship, love, alcohol and sex, while also learning all about modern sorcery. Upon his departure he and his friends stumble on the dark secret behind the story of Fillory. Call this an ultimate coming of age, where neither black nor white are completely clear, and the cost of knowledge is enormous. 07/10 Jack Quick

MAHU SURFER by Neil S. Plakcy: Surf’s up – and so is the body count. Gay Hawaiian police detective Kimo Kanapa’aka is mahu, a generally negative term for homosexual. Outed and semi-retired, Kimo must go undercover and stop a brutal killer who has already taken the life of three members of the close-knit surfing community. If he succeeds he may be able to return to active duty. If he fails, he most likely will be dead. Second in the series and certainly different. Not badly written, but overall not my cup of tea. It’s not the homosexual aspect so much as the fact that my take on Hawaii is more Gidget and Don Ho than Hawaii 5-0. A surfer cop is just a bit too much for me, no matter what the sexual persuasion. 11/07 Jack Quick

MAIDEN ROCK by Mary Logue: Pepin County is shocked by the Halloween death of a local high school student, an apparent suicide. When the autopsy reveals traces of meth, Deputy Sheriff Claire Watkins is off on a particularly difficult murder investigation. The victim is the best friend of her daughter, Meg. To makes matters worse, Meg and Krista had fought over a boy, just before Krista ran away. While Deputy Claire is faced with meth labs and doped up teenagers, mother Claire must try to help her own daughter make sense of the situation. Reminiscent of the J.A. Jance Joanna Brady series, and well done. 01/08 Jack Quick

MALICE by Lisa Jackson: In the end of Lost Souls, New Orleans homicide detective Rick Bentz is recovering in the hospital when he sees his ex-wife, Jennifer. His dead ex-wife. The scent of her perfume hits him at random moments as well, but it can’t be. He identified her body himself over a dozen years ago. He convinces himself it’s just some strange symptom of his injuries and hospitalization, but as Malice begins, he still can’t shake the feeling that she’s nearby. He begins to see her everywhere, even in his own backyard, and is convinced that someone is messing with his head. Then he receives a package containing recent photographs of a woman who looks exactly like Jennifer did when she died, and a copy of her death certificate with a question mark next to the date of death. In order to figure out what is going on and who is playing with him, Rick gives in and travels to California. Unfortunately, he is not welcome in the eyes of his former colleagues. Then a killer who has been quiet since Bentz left strikes again, and even his old partners begin wondering if Bentz being back is the reason behind the killer’s return. There are so many twists in this latest from Jackson, that even if you think you have it figured out, you’re probably dead wrong. Another suspenseful read, just what I’ve come to expect from her. 04/09 Becky Lejeune

MAMA DOES TIME by Deborah Sharp: Imagine Stephanie Plum in rural Florida. Her Mama is a true Southern woman partial to sherbet colored pantsuits and marriage (4 ex-husbands). Mace, and her sisters Maddie and Marty, are called by Mama from the police station. After an inopportune fender bender at the Dairy Queen, the body of the fiancé of the Police Department receptionist is found in the trunk of Mama’s car. The new handsome detective from Miami has few problems in seeing Mama for the crime. So it’s up to the girls, primarily Mace, to prove the man wrong. Colorful characters and a segment of Florida seldom seen by tourists evoke a Southern Sisters feeling in this very well written Southern fried epic. “Her voice was so cold, they could have pumped it into the beer cooler down at the Booze ‘n’ Breeze drive-through.” Or this scene at the office of Mace’s lawyer cousin – “Mr. Bauer, this lady says she’s Ms. Bauer. “Thanks, Amber. I might not have recognized Ms. Bauer with her clothes on. We used to splash nekkid together in the kiddy pool in my back yard. That was decades ago, darlin’, way before you was even born.” A winner. 12/08 Jack Quick

THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF VAMPIRE ROMANCE edited by Trisha Telep: An anthology featuring stories from the best and the brightest in the paranormal romance and urban fantasy genres, and it’s all about vamps. An absolute must read for paranormal romance fans everywhere. The collection features the likes of Vicki Pettersson, author of the fantastic Zodiac series. Pettersson, whose tales feature superheroes battling the forces of evil in Las Vegas, shows off her skills with a steamy installment, “Remember the Blood.” Lilith Saintcrow, author of the Dante Valentine and Jill Kismet series, gives readers a little extra with Liana’s story (Dante’s Valentine’s adopted daughter) “A Stand-up Dame.” Werecat author, Rachel Vincent takes a break from her feline heroine with “The Midday Mangler Meets His Match.” Other contributors include writing duo C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp, Keri Arthur, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Rebecca York, and Jenna Black, just to name a few. This collection truly has something for everyone, whether you prefer the sillier sarcastic stories or steamy sexy ones. 08/08 Becky Lejeune

Man and Boy by Tony Parsons: This was cute but not as spectacular as the reviews had led me to believe. Fairly standard boy meets girl, with the requisite tears and laughter, nods to Ms. Fielding. Personal note: the Gone With the Wind reference, which was to the movie as the book had obviously not been read, just pissed me off.

MAN CAMP by Adrienne Brodeur: Lucy and Marsha are two single New York City girls. Lucy is in love with Adam, until their Valentine’s Day vacation fiasco forces her to confront his shortcomings. Marsha can’t seem to get past the first date, causing her to start a business by dating men and critiquing their dating style. Reminiscent of the Will Smith movie, Hitch, Marsha’s “FirstDate” business soon evolves into a more intense program the girls surreptitiously call “Man Camp”. Lucy’s best friend from college, Cooper, is a gentleman farmer from West Virginia, and he agrees to host the city slickers and coach them on how to be real men, which encompasses teaching them how to change a tire and shoot a gun, but the students end up teaching the teacher when he almost loses the farm. Cooper and Marsha fall in love, but his southern bell of a mother isn’t too keen on her son taking up with a Yankee. Fast paced and fun, this debut is sure to please fans of chick-lit light. Adrienne Brodeur is the founding editor of Francis Ford Coppola’s Zoetrope All-Story. Recommended for larger fiction collections. Pub date July 19. Copyright © 2005 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Reprinted with permission. 07/05

MAN EATER by Ray Shannon: The author (really Gar Anthony Haywood) has put together a memorable cast in this Hollywood based tale that is the equal to any Elmore Leonard. There is stone killer Neon Polk who is after Ronnie “Raw” Deal, a sexy producer on the rise, ex-con Ellis Langford who is helping Ronnie, and the Ayala brothers, a pair of vicious, drug-dealing morons. Add in Antsy Carruth, a trashy bimbo who steals drug money from her equally trashy boy friend. Mix in a couple of confrontations, some wounded egos, and scenes like this one: “I better leave you with a little somethin’ to think about. So you don’t go and do somethin’ stupid like tell Five-Oh I was here. Which one of your ears you like best? Left or right?” Start it early in the day if you don’t want to stay up all night. 03/06 Jack Quick

THE MAN FROM PRIMROSE LANE by James Renner: David Neff hasn’t been able to write since his wife’s suicide four years ago. He’s been living off lucrative royalties from his debut release, The Serial Killer’s Protégé, a true crime book that nearly cost him his mind. Neff’s publisher thinks it’s time to try again and presents the perfect case for Neff to begin researching: the murder of The Man From Primrose Lane. The man had no visitors, lived under a stolen name, and was brutally murdered in his own home. The case has been cold ever since. Neff is intrigued. As his research into the case grows deeper, strange connections begin to appear and the author soon finds himself under investigation as well. The Man From Primrose Lane is a really brilliant multi-genre tale: part mystery/thriller, part science fiction, all exceptional! I loved it and definitely highly recommend it to anyone looking for a dark thriller that’s a bit different from the usual fare. 3/12 Becky Lejeune

The Man in the Box by Thomas Moran: I was hooked from the beginning: “During the war, we kept our Jew in a box,” and read the rest straight through. This engrossing novel is told from the point of view of the teenagers of a small town in Austria during WWII. A truly remarkable story.

MAN IN THE MIDDLE by Brian Haig: This book is scheduled to go on sale January 6, 2007. That might he a good day to be at your local bookstore when it opens and to plan on taking the rest of the day off. What is the true meaning of patriotism? During the weeks preceding the 2004 Presidential election, Army lawyer Sean Drummond is caught between duty to Washington’s elite and the soldiers in Iraq. Sent to investigate a reported suicide of one of the most belligerent of the hawks supporting the conflict in Iraq, Drummond uncovers the secrets that led to this war. Now he must choose. The soldiers dying overseas or the Washington power brokers, knowing that once exposed the information he has could destroy public support and undermine the presidency. This one has top ten written all over it, with roots in Vietnam, connections to the Carter presidency and to the Iraq Study Group Report. Whether or not its true, it is certainly plausible, and awesomely told. 01/07 Jack Quick

The Man I Should Have Married by Pamela Redmond Satran: First novel from the very successful author of baby name books like Beyond Jennifer and Jason and the upcoming Cool Names, and one of the first issues from the new Simon & Schuster imprint for chick lit and hip reads, Downtown Press. Kennedy and Frank have been married for a while and have a 5-year-old daughter, Amanda. Kennedy also has a teenage daughter, Maya, from her previous live-in lover Marco, who she dumped when his interest in drugs superseded his interest in his family. And also lurking in her past is Declan, who was her boss and best friend until the night she slept with him, after which she ran off to marry Frank. But Frank’s left Kennedy for Sunny, and Maya wants to find her father Marco, who she doesn’t even remember, and Kennedy is searching for what she really wants, while dealing with her past, her children and her five-time-married mother’s advice. It’s really not as confusing as it all sounds! These are great characters in a fast paced, sweet and funny story that I could not put down. Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

MAN OF THE HOUSE by Ad Hudler: Anyone who thinks men can’t write chicklit hasn’t read Ad Hudler. This is light, humorous, romantic fun at its best. I loved Househusband, and this sequel has been several years in coming but it was so worth the wait. Linc has always been the stay-at-home parent, cooking gourmet meals, keeping a spotless house, and being a great dad to Violet. But as Violet grows up and the family moves from New York to Florida, Linc starts having second thoughts about his role in the family and as a man in general. We hear directly from the newly teenaged Violet, her mom, Linc and Violet’s teacher, making us privy to their thoughts and ideas. Women will love how the traditional job of homemaker takes on the depth and importance that it deserves, and will appreciate Linc’s dive into the testosterone pool. All in all, a very satisfying and enjoyable read. 10/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

MAN WITH THE IRON-ON BADGE by Lee Goldberg: Harvey Mapes, an overeducated security guard for a Southern California gated community, is pulled out of his rut when a wealthy resident hires him to tail his wife. We learn that Mapes is fond of masturbation, television PI shows, nipples, masturbation, gratuitous violence, junk food and masturbation. Actually, this is not a bad read if you are into amateur detectives with lots of on-the-job training. The writing is crisp and the plot interesting, but overall not my favorite to come down the pike. 01/06 Jack Quick

THE MAN WHO WALKED LIKE A BEAR by Stuart Kaminksy: In the sixth Inspector Rostnikov thriller, Rostnikov is visiting his wife, Sarah, hospitalized in their home city of Moscow. The “walking bear” is a man who escapes from the mental ward and alarms the women in Sarah’s room before the inspector succeeds in calming him This strange event starts Rostnikov, with his comrades Karpo and Thach, on another series of Moscow adventures where the Inspector divides his time battling criminals, the KGB, and his police superiors. Another first rate police procedural on a par with McBain’s 87th Precinct. 01/06 Jack Quick

MANHATTAN NORTH by John Mackie: Sergeant Thornton Savage and his partners are challenged by a series of slayings – each one a notorious drug dealer. But after one of Savage’s long term friends is killed, the heat gets turned up big-time which in turn leads to threats against Savage and his fiancée. Another first rate procedural from John Mackie, author of Manhattan South, Eastside and Westside. Where will John take Savage next? Whichever direction, you can count on it being action packed. 03/06 Jack Quick

MANHATTAN SOUTH by John Mackie: Candace Mayhew and her Gambino mob boyfriend are murdered in a bar at closing time. Later that same morning, Andric Karazov plays with his toy Napoleonic Calvary and thinks about the less-than-perfect job he just completed, a senator in Queens contemplates his run for the presidency while his wife enjoys another rendezvous with her Russian lesbian lover. All of these people are linked to Candace Mayhew. NYPD Sergeant Thornton Savage ends up the target of both a shootout and an internal investigation before ultimately fitting all the pieces together of a plot involving infidelity, extortion and political intrigue. A very well-done police procedural. 01/06 Jack Quick

MANNHEIM REX by Robert Pobi: The way Gavin Corlie sees it, he has two options: suicide, or a complete change of scenery. The death of his wife has left him grieving and depressed and he knows he can’t take one more minute in their shared home. An old fixer-upper upstate seems to be the answer. The town of New Mannheim is quiet and more than a bit off the beaten path. The house needs work but sits on the banks of the picturesque Lake Caldasac and should be the perfect place to recuperate and begin work on his next novel. As a horror author, Corlie makes a living telling dark and twisted tales, but the secret hiding beneath the still waters of Lake Caldasac is all too real. After an accident on the lake almost claims the life of local kid Finn Horn, Corlie takes him under his wing and learns the truth about that fateful afternoon. Soon the two are on the hunt for a killer monster that’s been hiding in the depths of Lake Caldasac for decades. If they can catch it, it’ll mean fame and fortune for the young boy. If they fail, they could both become the creature’s latest victims. If you’re in the mood for a graphic and gory creature feature horror that doesn’t take itself too seriously, Mannheim Rex would have to be my recommendation. While I would have loved more of the creature itself, I thought this latest from Pobi was highly entertaining. 12/12 Becky Lejeune

MANIFESTO FOR THE DEAD by Domenic Stansberry: Knowledgeable critics panned this one when it came out in 2000. Fortunately, I am not a member of the intelligentsia so I enjoyed it immensely. Its 1971 and real life 64 year old novelist Jim Thompson is drinking himself to death at the famous Musso & Frank Grill on Hollywood Boulevard. A sleazy producer called Billy Miracle and a fading star named Michele Haze sign the vulnerable Jim to write a novel based on a screenplay, planning to entice movie mogul Jack Lombard into bankrolling both the book and the film. Haze is murdered and Thompson is set up as the chief suspect. As homage to Thompson, purists may quibble, but the writing is spare, dark, and full of simple but powerful imagery. (“He had not died after all. He was in Beverly Hills”) Maybe not Stansberry’s best work, but obviously audacious, and I thought, enjoyable. 06/07 Jack Quick

THE MANUAL OF DETECTION by Jedediah Berry: Charles Unwin is an agency clerk who loves his job. He’s careful about putting together files for his detective and strives to be the best clerk he can be. Then one morning Unwin is surprised to find that he’s been promoted to detective. It’s nearly unheard of for a clerk to be promoted to detective and it’s not exactly something that Unwin has ever aspired to himself. Then Unwin discovers that his detective, Travis Sivart, has gone missing. The only solution, for Unwin to find out what happened to Sivart so that he can go happily back to being a clerk. Turns out there’s something strange going on with Sivart’s cases, though, and it could be that the reason for Sivart’s disappearance lies hidden somewhere in the files themselves. The Manual of Detection is an interesting read to be sure. It’s in the same vein as the recently released Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes, and like Barnes’ debut, Berry’s novel can be quite hard to get a handle on. One blink and the reader runs the risk of completely losing their grasp on this strange tale. Overall, a clever mystery, but one that does require some amount of concentration. 02/09 Becky Lejeune

THE MANUAL OF DETECTION by Jedediah Berry: This debut is easy to read, but difficult to describe. A relatively simple story, but exceptionally well told. Charles Unwin is the personal clerk for legendary detective Travis Sivart, the key man in the Agency, in an unnamed rainy city. When Sivart goes missing, Unwin is promoted to fill the vacancy. All Unwin wants to do is find Sivart so he can go back to being a clerk. With the help of a book – Manual of Detection – he sets forth on his adventure. What makes this book so memorable is the quality of Berry’s writing. For instance, his description of Unwin – “life time resident of this city, rode his bicycle to work every day, even when it was raining. He contrived a method to keep his umbrella open while pedaling, by hooking the umbrella’s handle around the bicycle’s handlebar…Today he was behind schedule. He had scorched his oatmeal, and tied the wrong tie, and nearly forgotten his wristwatch…Now his socks were getting wet, so he pedaled even faster.” Can’t you just see the epitome of every meek little minor bureaucrat in that simple description. “Even Mr. Duden alluded to (his work), most often when scolding someone for sloppy work. “You like to think your files stand up to Unwin’s and you don’t even know the difference between a dagger and a stiletto?” Highly recommended. 05/09 Jack Quick

THE MAP THIEF by Heather Terrell: In the time since Mara Coyne dealt with the case surrounding The Chrysalis, she’s been able to begin fresh and open her own firm. To the average person, Mara’s firm specializes in legal cases surrounding stolen art. To the not-so-average clientele, she offers a very unique service that involves the tracking and returning of stolen items without the help of the authorities. This has allowed Mara to make some contacts in the underground art world that would otherwise be against her efforts.
Mara’s specialized service has caught the attention of one Richard Tobias, an affluent businessman who’s funding an archaeological dig in China. Richard received word from his chief archaeologist that a very important discovery had been made at the site, a fifteenth-century map that may very well be the first accurate world map, and it was created years before any such map was supposed to have been made. The next day, the map was stolen. Richard has hired Mara and her team to help recover the map without alerting Chinese officials of either the discovery or the theft of the item. Of course, Mara’s investigation doesn’t begin as easily as she would have hoped and the more she learns about the map itself, the more difficult she realizes this case will be. With The Map Thief, Terrell has transformed her series into something much more than that of a legal thriller. She alternates chapters between the present day and the Chinese and Portuguese expeditions in 1421 that surround this mysterious map. The combination of actual historical fact and her distinctive new direction for the series make this a captivating thriller. 07/08 Becky Lejeune
THE MAPPING OF LOVE AND DEATH by Jacqueline Winspear: Winspear says the character Maisie Dobbs, investigator and psychologist, sprang full blown in her head while she was stuck in a San Rafael traffic jam. By the time she arrived at her job in San Francisco the entire plot of her first book was firmly in hand. That led to Ms. Winspear’s career change to full-time writer. Now in Dobbs seventh outing, Maisie must unravel a case of wartime love and death. It’s April, 1932 and the parents of one Michael Clifton have retained Dobbs to look for the unnamed nurse mentioned in love letters recently discovered in France, love letters written to their son who has been listed as missing in action since The Great War. Her inquiries lead to the stunning discovery that unlike the other members of his unit who were killed by German artillery, Michael Clifton was murdered in his trench. When Clifton’s parents are brutally beaten in their hotel room, Dobbs soon realizes that this attack is somehow connected to the death of the son. Over the course of her investigation, Maisie must cope with the approaching loss of her mentor, Maurice Blanche, and her growing awareness that she is once again falling in love. 03/10 Jack Quick

MAPS OF HELL by Paul Johnston: Imagine waking up in cell, with virtually no memory, being subjected to physical and mental abuse, without knowing who is doing this or why it is being done? Crime writer Matt Wells learns he is the subject of secret brainwashing experiments in the Maine wilderness being conducted by a para-military group. He knows they’ve been feeding him instructions—but for what? As he begins to try to unravel the secret he learns that he is being blamed for some gruesome murdered and there is a woman, someone from his past, if only he could remember. Definitely over the top, and nicely done. 05/10 Jack Quick

MARGARITA NIGHTS by Phyllis Smallman: Amateur sleuth Sherri Travis is a bartender in an upscale Jacaranda, Florida bar but Sherri is from the side of town where luxury is an extra wide trailer. In this debut novel, her husband Jimmy Travis, from whom she is separated and who comes from Jacaranda’s social register, and his boat, the Suncoaster, explode in an orange ball of fire. The combination of a witness who puts Sherri on the Suncoaster hours before it went boom and a quarter million dollar insurance policy make Sherri the one and only suspect. Sherri knows she didn’t do it, but it is imperative that she fine who did. In the process she discovers a whole lot of people who wanted to see Jimmy dead. Interesting. 02/10 Jack Quick

MARIANA by Susanna Kearsley: The first time Julia Beckett laid eyes on Greywethers, she knew it was home. It would be another twenty-five years before it would become hers. After a small inheritance allows her to purchase the house, Julia relocates from the city intent on devoting herself to her latest project. But from the moment she steps over the threshold, Julia begins to experience something strange. She begins to dream of life through the eyes of a girl named Mariana. As the slips become more frequent, Julia realizes that they are not dreams at all. She is experiencing 17th century life as Mariana Farr, a girl who once lived at Greywethers. Originally published in the early 90s, Mariana has been recently re-released for a new audience. Kearsley’s gothic style and rich storytelling make Mariana an utterly satisfying read. 4/12 Becky Lejeune

THE MARK by Jason Pinter: Rookie reporter Henry Parker has landed his dream job with the New York Gazette. His first assignments, minor obituaries, have left him yearning for something a bit more exciting. When his mentor, Jack O’Donnell asks for help on one of his own stories, Henry is happy to oblige. O’Donnell is working on an article about rehabilitated criminals and Henry is sent to do one simple interview with a Luis Guzman. Something about Guzman and his wife concerns Henry though and he decides to follow up to find out why. On returning to the apartment, Henry finds that the Guzman and his wife have been tied up and brutally beaten. He defends the two and ends up killing their attacker in the process. Confused and scared, Henry leaves the scene only to find that he is now being accused of murdering a police officer. Henry must find out the truth behind the Guzman attack and clear his own name before the authorities, or worse, find him. Pinter’s thrilling debut promises to be a hit with readers this summer. This is definitely one that will have you hooked until the very last page. 06/07 Becky Lejeune

The Mark of the Angel by Nancy Huston: This was fascinating, well written, shocking and horrific. About a romance and a marriage, with two different men of course, with the Holocaust and other atrocities thrown in. Put me in mind of The Reader by Schlink. I loved it. Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

MARK OF THE DEVIL by William Kerr: Matt Berkely knew that cleaning up his aunt’s house after the damage inflicted by Hurricane Grace would be messy, but it’s his help locating a wrecked barge that leads to real trouble. As a former Navy Special Warfare officer and current member of NAARPA (North American Archaeological Research and Preservation Association), Matt is no stranger diving. When his friend asks that he assist in marking a wrecked barge, though, Matt makes a much greater discovery that could mean the revelation of long lost WWII secrets. What appears to be a German U-Boat has been trapped under the sand and silt at the bottom of the ocean until Grace leaves it partially uncovered. As there is no record of any ship going down in the area, however, it is clear that the sub’s presence could be of some significance. Before Matt can investigate further, though, his life is threatened and a friend is murdered. Seems the sub and the mission that led it to the coast of Florida all those years ago is still fresh on someone’s mind and they’re not too keen for others to learn the truth. A great thriller with a hint of espionage and enthralling history, This is latest in a series but can be read as a stand-alone. 02/09 Becky Lejeune

MARKED by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast: In Zoey Redbird’s world, everyone knows that vampyres are real. When Zoey is marked by one of their trackers, her life is turned upside down. The fact that she has no choice in the matter sucks. On the bright side, being sent to the House of Night does mean escaping her horrid stepfather. It also means giving up everything and everyone she knows to join the other fledglings like herself at the vampyre school. And life at the House of Night is pretty much like life outside, with the popular Dark Daughters and their leader, Aphrodite, bullying those outside of the clique. Zoey is destined for great things, though, and standing out only draws more unwanted attention to the new girl. Plus there’s the fact that her ex won’t leave her alone and she seems to be experiencing a very strong craving for blood. This first in the popular teen series offers a great twist on the vampire mythology and a heroine readers can really get behind. 04/11 Becky Lejeune

MARKS OF CAIN by Tom Knox: David Martinez’s grandfather is recently deceased, but his legacy is just beginning. David knows little about his family’s background and heritage, but a hefty inheritance leaves him wondering. His grandfather was well off, but lived a quiet and conservative life. Where then did the money come from and why was it kept secret all this time? The inheritance comes with one strange stipulation: David must go to the Basque region of Spain and deliver a map to an old acquaintance of his grandfather’s. It is this task that sets David on a dangerous path that will ultimately lead to the truth of his family’s origins. Meanwhile, a string of murders has led journalist Simon Quinn to the story of his life. As the two plot lines grow closer and closer together, a horrible truth is revealed. One that powers around the world will kill to keep under wraps. While Knox’s story is gripping and fast-paced, I wish there had been a bit more character development. Parts of the narrative felt unnecessarily rushed and would have benefited from being fleshed out a bit more in my opinion. A fun read, nonetheless. 05/10 Becky Lejeune

MARRIED WITH ZOMBIES by Jesse Petersen: Looking for a zombielicious read? Married With Zombies is the latest and greatest addition to the walking dead trend. Husband and wife Sarah and Dave have been trying to hold their marriage together, but their efforts are pretty much failing. With each independently seeking out divorce attorneys, their weekly couples’ counseling sessions seem to have been a waste of time and limited money. Until they walk in on their therapist snacking on her previous clients. Now Dave and Sarah are on the run from the living dead and will have to work together if they want to survive. If Shaun of the Dead is a favorite in your zombie collection, you won’t want to miss Jesse Petersen. This first in the new Living With the Dead series is seriously hilarious stuff. Books two and three are due out in January and June of next year and I can honestly say that you’re going to love the direction this post-outbreak zombie series is headed in. 09/10 Becky Lejeune

THE MARVELOUS BOY by Peter Corris: In this third Cliff Hardy adventure from 1982, Hardy is still more ex-surfer than accomplished PI. In spite of his beat-up leather jacket and jeans, Lady Catherine Chatterton, widow of a prominent judge, hires him to find her missing grandson. The search starts and almost ends with an aging drunk, but Hardy obtains a helpful photograph from the drunk – who is immediately murdered. Now Hardy is on a murder case. Dated but shows promise for further adventures. 09/07 Jack Quick
MARY, MARY by James Patterson: “Mary Smith” is sending e-mails to a Los Angels Times editor claiming credit for the shooting of a well known actress. She says this wasn’t her first victim nor will it be her last. The FBI Director calls in agent/psychologist Alex Cross who is on vacation with his family at Disneyland. It is like no other case Ales has ever tackled. Is this an isolated incident or part of a bigger pattern? Is Mary Smith really a woman? Delightfully twisty, and somewhat of a return to style of the earlier Patterson thrillers. 12/05 Jack Quick

MASK MARKET by Andrew Vachss: The anti-hero Burke is approached by a man about a job, but as he goes to his car to get Burke’s money, he is killed, leaving Burke with only the “meet money” and a DVD. Now, Burke and his family are trying to find out if there is something in it for them to find the man’s killer. Dark as always, Burke somehow survives in a world that we instinctively know would claim us in a minute. Not for the faint of heart, but Burke and his family, after a time, become familiar, if not trusted acquaintances. 08/06 Jack Quick

MASQUES by Bill Pronzini: Pronzini captures the New Orleans that was and hopefully will be again in this Mardi Gras pot-boiler. Photographer Steve Giroux is trying to put his life back together after a failed marriage and a devastating fire at his photography business. His Mardi Gras trip soon involves his being chased by a masked reveler who thinks Giroux has a photograph that the masked man wants. Giroux also gets involved with two women, each with a very different agenda. A quick read, very descriptive, which captures the Mardi Gras spirit quite nicely. Pass me some beads and another drink, please. 11/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

MASTER OF THE GAME by Sidney Sheldon: Originally published in 1982, Sidney Sheldon’s bestselling family drama now has a sequel, Tilly Bagshawe’s Mistress of the Game. And what a perfect time for readers unfamiliar with Sheldon’s work to be introduced. Master begins with Kate Blackwell celebrating her ninetieth birthday. As the matriarch of the Blackwell family, and the reigning heir of the Kruger-Brent empire and fortune, she has played the game well. Everything in her life has been carefully chosen to lead to this point and completely manipulated by Kate to ensure that she gets her way. As she recalls her family’s story, beginning with her father, Jamie MacGregor, as he sets off from Scotland to Africa to find his fortune in the late 1800s, the reader is taken along for the ride of a lifetime—literally. Kate’s tale is a century of family history punctuated by greed, deceit, manipulation, obsessive love, and tragic loss. In the end, however, she proves that she is indeed the Master of the Game. Sheldon has been described as a “master storyteller” and Master of the Game proves that this is so. At almost 500 pages, I found myself finishing this book in just two sittings. 08/09 Becky Lejeune

MASTERS MATES by Peter Corris: Booklist says there are three “evergreen” mystery series that never go stale – Westlake’s Dortmunder novels (35 plus years), McBain’s 87th Precinct series (49 plus years), and Corris’ Cliff Hardy series over 25 years. Having enjoyed McBain and Westlake for years, I am pleased to say that I agree with their analysis of Corris as well. When Hardy is hired by a beautiful woman to look into her husband’s heroin-smuggling conviction, he becomes threatened by a conspiracy that may be more than even Hardy can overcome. Another solid outing with believable characters and plenty of action. Lets hope this series could go on another quarter century. 10/07 Jack Quick

MATCHED by Ally Condie: The Society has been set up to protect its people from the dangers of the world. It is true that early societies became overwhelmed and overly dependent on technology. When that technology failed, society did as well. Today everything has been planned and measured out to ensure the happiness and longevity of the population. It is Cassia Reyes’s seventeenth birthday, the day she is to meet her match—the boy who will become her husband. Statistically, most girls who choose to be matched are paired with boys from other towns. To be matched with someone you know is almost unheard of, but Cassia is one of the lucky ones. Her match is her best friend, Xander. But for just one moment, Cassia sees another match, another boy that she knows. It’s impossible to have two matches, especially when Cassia learns more about this second boy. It is that tiny chance, though, that causes Cassie to ask, “What if?” And that question will lead Cassia to question much, much more about her life and the world around her. Condie’s imagined future is a scary one indeed, a world that seems perfect in every way but has no room for individuality or freedom. Perfect for fans of dystopian fiction. 12/10 Becky Lejeune

Matchstick Men by Eric Garcia: This book has a rather unusual sticker on the cover; it says, “Read next summer’s big movie this winter. Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Nicolas Cage.” Usually you see the “movie cover” when the paperback comes out, but this time it’s right on the hardcover of this just released book. Interesting.
The story revolves around two con men, “matchstick men”, Roy and Frankie, who have been partners for years. They sucker you in on page one and as the story progresses, the cons get more involved and the monetary rewards much larger until they finally pull the biggest scam of their careers, and go screeching towards the surprise ending. There isn’t a whole lot of plot here, but there is an easy, entertaining read.
MATRIMONY by Joshua Henkin: We meet Julian Wainwright in 1987 when the eighteen-year-old begins his freshman year at Graymont College. Julian dreams of one day becoming a writer. He meets Mia Medelsohn, Mia from Montreal, one evening after picking her out of a yearbook. They fall in love and eventually marry during their senior year. Following college, the couple relocates to Michigan where Mia pursues a graduate degree in psychology – a decision that results from the death of her mother. Julian is now attempting to write his “great American novel” and failing miserably. Henkin’s novel traces the couple through twenty years of life, love, and marriage. Over time, Julian and Mia will face the worst of betrayals and disappointments that life can hurl at them. It’s the mundane and ordinary events that are illuminated in Henkin’s novel, however. Julian and Mia are very real people. They face the same challenges and miseries that every young adult faces today. Some of the more serious issues, like the death of Mia’s mother, are absolutely heartbreaking to read. Julian’s and Mia’s expectations, hopes, dreams, and fears are all so achingly real that readers will find it impossible not to associate with them on some level. At times funny and always thoughtful, Matrimony is a wonderful literary novel. 11/07 Becky Lejeune

MATTERHORN by Karl Marlantes: There is no member of my generation that was not shaped in one way or another by the war in Vietnam. For all of us, Matterhorn should be a must read. It is the definitive “war story” of that conflict.
Author Marlantes tells us about Marine Company Bravo through the eyes of a young ROTC second lieutenant Mellas – a bright, ambitious young man, who thinks that military service will be helpful in a future political career. It is through his thoughts and feelings that we realize how young and unlived are the men and women that our leaders send off to fight our wars.
Matterhorn is a painfully honest account of the frustrations that arise from a lack of experience and equipment, distant micro-management and an environment that is as relentless as the enemy. As Mellas arrives in country, Bravo Company is assigned to take and secure a hill which has been designated “Matterhorn.” It is a brutal struggle and just as that hill has been won, the order comes to abandon it. Ultimately, the Company is assigned to take the hill again. Only this time, the enemy is embedded in the fortifications that Bravo had dug out and built there the first time.
The novel is graphic in its description of the toll that struggling in the jungle takes on the men. It is just as graphic and honest in the description of racial tensions between the troops which have the Black soldiers wearing symbolic nooses. We are reminded not only what the world was like then, but also that the military is merely a reflection of our larger society. It is unfair to hold soldiers to a higher standard or to expect them to behave better, particularly when they are risking their lives at every turn.
This book is 600 pages long and it is 600 pages of blood and pus and sweat and fear and death. At times, I had to put it down. But I will never forget it. 06/10 Geoffrey R. Hamlin
MAY DAY by Jess Lourey: Mira James is tired of her dead-end job in the Twin Cities of Minnesota anyway, so when she finds her boyfriend is cheating on her, that is enough to send here away. She moves to Battle Creek to enjoy the slower paced rural life. She begins her new career(s) as an assistant librarian and part-time reporter, and falls into an unexpected romance with a guy who seems to be the perfect man, that is until he is found dead in the reference stacks her tenth day on the job. Soon Mira uncovers even more unknown dangers lurking beneath the small town surface and that revenge is a tater-tot hot dish best served cold. Breezy first outing for Mira who is expected to be featured in further outings. 08/09 Jack Quick

THE MAX by Ken Bruen & Jason Starr: In 2006 it was BUST; then in 2007, SLIDE. This year the zany team of Bruen and Starr continue the madness with a free-for-all that has something for everyone. Drug baron Max Fisher, the Max, is in prison – where he belongs. He shares this fate with ex-girlfriend Angela Petrakos, who is also in prison – on the Isle of Lesbos. (Didn’t I say this had something for everyone?). Both are intent on making the best of a bad situation and maybe, perhaps, ultimately, getting free. To that end Angela hooks up with Sebastian and Max is counting on his hulking cellmate Rufus. Max is also in cahoots with one Paula Segal – an aspiring true-crime writer with a jones for Laura Lippman. Sleazy, depraved, daft, noir, ruthless, repulsive, dirty rotten scoundrels and natural born killers. What hath the two boys wrought? Another winner. 09/08 Jack Quick

MAXIMUM BOB by Elmore Leonard: Maximum Bob is liberal Palm Beach County Judge Bob Isom Gibbs, so named for his propensity to throw the book at a defendant. To quote Bob, “What is the book for if you don’t go by it and, yes, occasionally throw it at a criminal offender.” But now Bob has run afoul of the Crowe family, primarily Elvin, an habitual criminal who didn’t think it was fair that he had to do ten years plus five years probation when he shot the wrong guy. He is joined by twenty year old Dale Crowe Junior who is out less than 72 hours when he gets revoked for a fight with the bouncer at a strip joint and Dr. Tommy Vasco, ex-friend of Elvin’s prison boyfriend. Together they plot to take care of Maximum Bob who is meanwhile trying to scare off his weird young wife, Leanne, a possible psychic sharing a body with Wanda Grace, a dead slave girl. Kathy Diaz Baker, probation officer for Elvin, Elvin’s nephew and eventually Dr. Tommy works with Detective Gary Hammond regarding such questions as (Who brought a gator to Gibbs’s house? Who shot at the house? What’s Elvin up to with Dr. Tommy?) Although Maximum Bob wants Ms. Baker its Detective Hammond who will win the fair maiden, eventually. A riot. 03/11 Jack Quick

THE MAYOR OF LEXINGTON AVENUE by James Sheehan: This somewhat uneven story of miscarried justice and loyalty is the debut effort of Sheehan, a Florida trial lawyer. Rudy Kelly, a “slow” 19-year-old, is arrested for a murder he didn’t commit. Hotshot Miami attorney Jack Tobin, who was friends with Rudy’s father, is asked to intervene to repay a debt to Mikey Kelly, the boy who once named him “Mayor of Lexington Avenue.” After a somewhat slow start, the book finishes fast and Sheehan’s bar experience shows in his courtroom scenes and passages on legal maneuvering. 04/06 Jack Quick

MAZURKA by Aaron Paul Lazar: Middle aged Gus and Camille LeGarde are on their honeymoon in Paris, accompanied by Gus’s brother-in-law Siegfried, the victim of a brain injury which limits his ability to take care of himself. Siegfried is being taken to visit his great aunt who is dying of cancer. A bloody brawl on the Champs Élysées thrusts Siegfried and Gus into the news, where Siegfried is incorrectly identified as the killer of a Neo-Nazi group. The Nazis seek revenge on Gus and Camille while Siegfried is in the hospital recovering. They barely escape to safety in Denkendorf, at the home of Siegfried’s aunt. But the story is not over at that point, as there is a shocking family secret about Chopin’s steamy past. Not a bad tale, but suffers from poor editing, i.e, “The steaming hot water from the shower pulsed steadily against my muscles vibrating with sensuous memories of the night before.” In a romance, maybe, in a mystery, no. 04/09 Jack Quick

THE McCONE FILES by Marcia Muller: Before there was a V.I. Warshawski, or a Kinsey Milhone, or a Carlotta Carlyle, there was Sharon McCone, the 1977 product of Marcia Muller, credited with the creation of the modern female private eye story. McCone worked for All Souls Legal Cooperative in San Francisco for many years before starting her own detective agency. Fifteen of her All Souls cases were written up by Muller, and those fifteen are set forth in this volume. If you’re a McCone fan like me, it’s a must read. If not a fan, there still is probably at least one or two that you will enjoy. An original from Crippen & Landrau Publishers. 02/07 Jack Quick

ME BEFORE YOU by JoJo Moyes: Louisa has lived in a small English village her whole life, and even though she’s in her 20’s she has no plans on leaving. She loses her job when the cafe where she works closes, and the employment office in town offers her up one job more awful than the next, topped by their final offer; caretaker for a quadriplegic for six months. The money is very good, and her family relies on her income to get by, so after being assured she won’t have to wipe any bottoms, she grudgingly agrees to an the job. Her new boss is a much younger man than she expected. Will comes from money, but was a very successful businessman prior to his accident, the type that traveled world wide and lived life to the fullest. Struck by a car, he is in constant pain and needs constant care. He has someone to do the physical stuff for him, Louisa is there to be more of a companion for him. But he’s nasty and angry and she doesn’t know how to reach him. But eventually she does, and is determined to help him find a way to enjoy his life to the best of her ability, but will that be enough? Will wants to die, and his parents have agreed to let him provided he give them six months. Once Louisa learns this, she becomes more determined than ever to save him, falling in love with him along the way. What could have been a maudlin story, or an overly sweet one, is instead a cataclysmic love story that just resonates; this is a remarkable book. 8/13 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

MEAN TOWN BLUES by Sam Reaves: Tommy McLain is home from the Iraq war with a reconstructed abdomen. There is nothing left for him in his native Lexington, Kentucky so he heads for Chicago and an old friend. As he is getting settled in, he meets Lisa DiPetro who is being stalked. One thing leads to another and before you know it McLain is inside a different pentagon than the Army one. There are two mob families, two police departments and the FBI all looking into his life. Will he escape this five-sided puzzle? Lets just say that a sequel is not out of the question, and worth reading. 01/09 Jack Quick

MELANCHOLY BABY by Robert B. Parker: Sunny Randall is no Spenser but her fourth adventure reaffirms Parker’s ability to tell a story, and to tell it well. Sunny faces the emotional turmoil of her ex-husband Richie’s re-marriage while trying to solve a difficult case that ends up taking two lives and altering others. A young woman thinks her parents are not really her parents. Their actions convince Sunny that something is wrong, but she can’t figure out what. In the meantime she begins to see a shrink – Susan (remember Susan, Spenser’s girlfriend?). Sunny is also assisted by Leonard (remember Spenser’s friend Leonard?). All in all a good read, but definitely Spenser lite. Most memorable line – Sunny after meeting Richie’s new wife –“I spent the next two hours trying to figure out how to kill her without getting caught.” You go girl. 04/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

THE MEMORIST by M.J. Rose: When Meer Logan was young, she suffered from terrifying dreams of an elaborate box and a haunting melody. Desperate for help, her father contacted Malachi Samuels head of the Phoenix Foundation. Jeremy Logan and Samuels believed that Meer’s issues stem from reincarnation. Meer believes, however, that the box and the music are actually the result of false memories created by her own mind. Then her father discovers the real box and a letter hidden inside that appears to have been written by Beethoven himself. In the letter, Beethoven talks of a flute that when played with a specific tune will allow people to see their past lives – a memory tool. Meer’s dreams begin to return and she travels to Vienna in hopes that she can finally make sense of them. Instead, the dreams become even more vivid and seem to be leading Meer straight to the famous flute. Word of Logan’s discovery has been made public, though, and they’re all about to see just how far people are willing to go to get their hands on yet another memory tool. Rose delves into the mysteries of the mind and reincarnation again in this magnificent follow-up to last year’s Reincarnationist. Memorist features an all new cast of characters, with the exception of Samuels and the Phoenix Foundation, and can easily be read without having read book one. Like Reincarnationist, Rose moves easily from one storyline to the next, from one character to another, and from one century to another. The plot is elaborate and totally engaging; a page-turner that will stick with you long after you put it down. 11/08 Becky Lejeune

THE MEMORY COLLECTOR by Meg Gardiner: Jo Beckett, the forensic psychologist in the excellent Dirty Secrets Club, is back, only this time she’s called to the airport to determine whether or not Ian Kanan should be arrested or hospitalized; no more “psychological autopsies” for Beckett. One of the things I liked best about the Dirty Secrets Club was the unusual occupation; shrinks are a dime a dozen in thrillers, but I had never heard of a forensic psychologist who does psychological evaluations on the dead until Gardiner introduced me to it. To revert this character to yet another run-of-the-mill, super-smart, able-to-make-an-evaluation-in-a-single-bound psychologist, does the character, and the reader, a disservice.
Back to our story. Kanan was acting erratically on his return from a business trip to South Africa, and had to be physically restrained on board the plane. Beckett quickly determines he has a very rare condition called “anterograde amnesia,” the inability to form new memories. This means that Kanan forgets all new information every five minutes. Really.
This book is apparently an exercise in thriller writing for Gardiner; she’s included just about every gimmick and device used in the genre, from the rare medical condition that appears to be spreading and taking lives, a race against the clock with a kidnapped family-in-peril, high tech super-deadly explosives, international terrorists, high speed car chases, and a couple of strong women who can make jokes while outrunning a homicidal maniac. The complete lack of character development and terse writing style makes for a fast-paced story, but not necessarily a good one. 06/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch. Copyright © 2009 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Reprinted with permission.
THE MEMORY OF WATER by Karen White: It’s been ten years since Marnie Maitland left low-country South Carolina for the deserts of Arizona. Ten years since she last heard the sound of the ocean, ten years since she last spoke to her sister, Diana. Now she’s returned at the request of Diana’s ex-husband, Quinn. Two months ago, Diana and her son Gil were involved in a sailing accident. The official ruling is that it was an accident, but it’s left Diana angry and reserved, and Gil hasn’t spoken a word since. Quinn hopes that Marnie, an art teacher who works with special needs kids, can help his family to heal. What Quinn doesn’t know is that the accident that led to their own mother’s death tore apart the Maitland sisters and that the anger and hurt from all those years ago has only festered in the time since. Marnie has never understood her sister’s hatred towards her and she has almost no memory of the accident that took her mother’s life. Diana has remained silent all these years, and now she’s hiding something about her own accident with her son. An appealing story of loss and healing. White also tackles the complicated issue of bi-polar disorder and its effects on families. 06/08 Becky Lejeune

MEN FROM BOYS edited by John Harvey: Sometime a book’s cover nails the contents exactly. In this case the cover shows a fearsome looking automatic pistol, which upon closer examination, is revealed as a water pistol. Inside seventeen masters provide stories of boys becoming men, men becoming fathers, being a son, and being a man. Here’s the cast, in addition to John Harvey, Mark Billingham, Lawrence Block, Andrew Coburn, Michael Connelly, Jeffery Deaver, Reginald Hill, Bill James, Dennis Lehane, Bill Moody, George Pelecanos, Peter Robinson, James Sallis, John Straley, Brian Thompson, Don Winslow, and Daniel Woodrell. There is bound to be a story you will like, and you may discover a new to you author in the bunch. Grab a cold one of your choice, kick back, and enjoy. 06/07 Jack Quick
THE MERMAID OF BROOKLYN by Amy Shearn: When Jenny Lipkin’s husband disappears, the mother of two isn’t terribly worried. Her husband has been known to go on unannounced gambling weekends in the past. No, Jenny’s not worried. She is pissed, though. And stressed out. And the longer her husband is missing the more stressed and upset she becomes until one day she finally cracks. Help comes in the form of a rusalka – a mermaid – who saves Jenny after a fall from the Brooklyn Bridge. With the rusalka by her side, Jenny begins to put her life back together, but is her savior even real? There are so many things I loved about Amy Shearn’s latest. Shearn’s writing is wonderfully sarcastic and funny but also quite elegant. This unique blend brings both the characters and setting to life, making the story fun and believable. What I found I liked the most, though, was the fact that you never quite know whether the rusalka is real or a figment of Jenny’s imagination. The Mermaid of Brooklyn is an amusing and sweet read about families and motherhood. 5/13 Becky Lejeune

THE MESA CONSPIRACY by David Kent: Eric Anthony was raised by his tough loving but distant actress cousin Colleen. What happened to his “real” parents has never been an issue for Eric, but now on her deathbed, Colleen reveals to him a cryptic directive from the man who was his father. Now Eric, single dad to his young deaf son, feels obligated to go to Oklahoma and try to learn the meaning of his legacy. There he runs into Department Thirty where U.S. Marshall Faith Kelly is chasing the mastermind behind a wave of domestic terror. Their solo quests meet in a fashion that will have explosive implications for them both. Another good read about the Unit created to serve those whose value to the government outweigh the need to punish them for the crimes they have committed. 09/06 Jack Quick

THE MESSENGER by Jan Burke: In 1815, Tyler Hawthorne was a soldier fighting against Napolean at Waterloo. He was in his early twenties. He still is today. On the brink of death, Tyler was offered a deal, if he were to agree, he would never grow old and he would never die. In exchange, he must walk the Earth delivering the messages of the dead. His trusty sidekick, a massive dog called Shade, a cemetery dog, is his constant companion. Problem is, the deal was never meant to be for longer than a few years. Course Tyler had no way of knowing this, and his would-be enemy was eliminated long ago, or so he thought. This entity has finally returned and is determined to gain back what was once his. Amanda Clark has only just met her newest neighbor, and after mistakenly assuming that the man is a con artist of the worst kind, she finds herself drawn to him. Unfortunately, Amanda’s association with Tyler lands her right in the middle of the conflict. The Messenger is quite different from what Burke’s fans may be used to with the Irene Kelly series. At its heart, though, the plot is all her and will please new and old readers alike. A fantastic paranormal thriller. 12/08 Becky Lejeune

THE MESSENGER by Daniel Silva: Gabriel Allon, Israeli art restorer and spymaster returns to Rome when Ahmed bin Shafiq, a former chief of a clandestine Saudi intelligence unit, targets the Vatican for attack, in particular Pope Paul VII and his top aide, Monsignor Luigi Donati, who both appeared in Silva’s previous novels. Shafiq is allied with a militant Islamic Saudi businessman known as Zizi, a true believer committed to the destruction of all infidels. Gabriel must infiltrate Zizi’s organization, and protect his partner, beautiful American art expert Sarah Bancroft. Schedule some decompression time after the ending of this one. 01/07 Jack Quick

METRO GIRL by Janet Evanovich: Alex Barnaby is not Stephanie Plum as she tries to track down her missing brother in Miami. Assisted by the despised NASCAR driver Sam Hooker (Stephanie and Joe?), Alex risks life and limb to learn what has happened to Bill. Although the same fem-jep as the one-two-three series, Alex is more capable of defending herself and doesn’t quite fall to pieces like Stephanie. She is however afraid of heights, snakes, sex, and guns, but after all no one is perfect. The Miami and Key West locales are certainly more attractive than Jersey but apparently attracts similar wacky female characters. Bottom line. If you liked Stephanie Plum, you will probably like the slightly more accomplished Alex Barnaby. If you didn’t like Stephanie, take a pass. 05/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

MIAMI NOIR edited by Les Standiford: Akashic’s salute to Miami has sixteen new mystery stories by Carolina Garcia-Aguilera, Kevin Allen, Preston Allen, Lynne Barrett, David Beaty, John Bond, Tom Corcoran, John Dufresne, Anthony Dale Gagliano, James W. Hall, Vicki Hendricks, Christine Kling, Paul Levine, Barbara Parker, George Tucker and Jeffrey Wehr. From South Beach to Alligator Alley, from Haitian boat people and Cuban émigrés to home grown redneck psychopaths, you will find it all in these stories. Characters like Vicki Hendricks 4’ 10” protagonist – “too short for normal chicks, too tall for a dwarf” to James W. Hall’s “Jumpy”, a “6’4″ low life, skinny as a greyhound, pasty-skinned, all knuckles and Adam’s apple”. Guaranteed something for everyone. This is another great anthology. 01/08 Jack Quick

MICRO by Michael Crichton & Richard Preston: For Peter Jansen and his labmates, the opportunity to work for a company like Nanigen is the opportunity of a lifetime. It could make their respective careers. Fortunately, Peter’s brother is high up in the Nanigen food chain and when a number of positions open up with the company, all seven of them are hired on. Unfortunately, Peter’s brother is killed under somewhat mysterious circumstances just before their arrival. When Peter discovers that the head of Nanigen is behind the crime, he and his six colleagues end up in the line of fire. Shrunk down to the size of bugs by the company’s super-secret technology, the group finds themselves battling mother nature as they try to find a way to reverse the effects. Each of their specialties proves to be a strength, but the world around them is a challenge they may not survive for long. Knowing that Micro was only partially completed before Crichton’s death makes it pretty easy to be forgiving of the book’s shortcomings. If read for pure entertainment, the book pretty much delivers; it’s a fun way to spend an afternoon. 12/11 Becky Lejeune

MIDDLE MAN by David Rich: Rich’s book is a continuation of his first novel “A Caravan of Thieves” in which he introduces Rollie Waters a soldier serving in Afghanistan. Rollie’s father Dan is accused of stealing a large amount of money while serving in the Iraq war . The monies had been secreted in the coffins of soldiers killed in that war and shipped back to the US where those that set up the plan could dig up the grave and get the money. Unfortunately Dan had been killed in attempting to steal the money from the military leaders that set up the plan, and Rollie is tasked by his commanders to find it. He is recruited into an elite military group termed “Shade” and assigned to find the money. The one error committed by Rich is to assume that the reader has read “A Caravan of Thieves” and Rollie’s relationship with his deceased father and his constant imagined conversations with him during the action. Rollie’s attempts to find the money take him to Houston and back to Iraq. He meets the self proclaimed king of Kurdistan, his beautiful daughter and his interactions with them are part of a plan to recover the money. The ending leaves the reader more than a little befuddled with the many allusions to “Caravan” and imagined conversations with his dead father. It is obvious that Rich intends to continue with Rollie’s adventures and it is hoped that the next books will allow readers to come in and pick up on past actions with hints about what occurred rather than assume that everyone has read the previous novels. 9/13 Paul Lane

THE MIDNIGHT CHOIR by Gene Kerrigan: If someone asks you what is a crime novel, show them this one. Kerrigan’s garda patrol the underside of Dublin in this gritty tale of the inner city. There are several cases – a woman tries to mug a pair of tourists with a syringe as her weapon; a man plans a jewelry heist; a gangster’s life is torn apart by his brother’s murder; a detective builds a case against an accused rapist – it’s the day to day attempt to clean the worst of the garbage off the streets, without getting it all over you. Kerrigan, a veteran journalist who lives in Dublin, is about as good as you can get. 09/07 Jack Quick

THE MIDNIGHT HOUSE by Alex Berenson: CIA Agent John Wells is back undercover in the Arab world in this 4th adventure after last year’s The Silent Man. Task Force 673 was a secret unit formed after 9/11 and charged with interrogating high value terrorist detainees, by any means possible. Although the unit has been dismantled, someone has access to the names of the unit’s personnel and is out to eliminate them. Five of the ten are already dead when Ellis Shafer, John’s sort-of boss at the agency, calls him back to Washington, D.C., from his New Hampshire retreat for a new assignment. Find the killer or killers and put them out of business. Another great thriller. 04/10 Jack Quick

Midnight Pass by Stuart Kaminsky: Stuart Kaminsky’s latest mystery features one of his more recent heroes, the process-server Lou Fonseca, who is working out of Sarasota, Florida. Because process-servers have to know their way around town, Lou is regularly asked to “help” find people, despite his lack of a formal P.I. ticket. In this book, he is simultaneously searching for a wayward wife whose husband wants her back and a missing town father whose vote is necessary to preserve Midnight Pass from developers.
The geographic search for these people is easy and turns out to be tangential to Fonseca’s other search, which is to find out why they are missing and how they fit into the lives of many others. He finds them and helps them fit back in better ways. Along the way, Lou helps a lot of other people too.
Lou is a nice guy. He is desperately missing his dead wife and washes his own clothes at the laundromat. If you like the TV show, Monk, and I do, you will like this book. It is a good story by a good storyteller. 01/04 ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

MIDNIGHT RAMBLER by James Swain: Jack Carpenter was a maverick but still a good cop. Then he is fired after a violent physical confrontation with a serial killer known as the Midnight Rambler. The incident also costs him his marriage and he ends up living alone working as an abductions specialist in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Then the body of one of the Midnight Rambler’s victims is found, and forensic evidence suggests that Carpenter jailed the wrong man. What little there is left of Carpenter’s world collapses when Simon Skell, (the Midnight Rambler) is released. The only one who seems wiling to continue to help him is an FBI agent whose own daughter vanished years ago. More intense that swains; Tony Valentine series and nicely done. I look forward to the sequel. 10/08 Jack Quick

MIDNIGHT RIOT by Ben Aaronovitch: Peter Grant gets a lucky break when he meets a ghost at a crime scene. Tapped for a position with the Case Progression Unit, i.e. the folks who take care of paperwork within the Metropolitan Police Service, his new ability to see the dead instead lands him a spot as protégé to Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale. Their division of two is responsible for investigating cases involving magic, like the murder of William Skirmish. While Skirmish doesn’t initially appear to be anyone terribly important, his murder sets in motion a series of strange events across London and Peter is soon thrown headfirst into a world of magic turf wars and faceless evils. Aaronovitch’s debut is a great addition to the urban fantasy genre. I loved the characters, the history, and the sheer originality of this first in the series. 02/11 Becky Lejeune

THE MIDNIGHT ROAD by Tom Piccirilli: I don’t usually try to compare authors directly, but in this case I would describe this new-to-me author as Stephen King-esque, at least in this outing. Suffolk County Child Protective Services Investigator Flynn has no idea when he responds to the possible child abuse call on a snowy wintry night that his life is about to be radically changed. Escaping the Shepards’ million-dollar Long Island home with daughter Kelly and an abused autistic uncle in hand, he is pursued by her gun toting mother, who has already shot her husband, and is finally forced off the road onto a frozen lake. He manages to get Kelly and her uncle out of the car to safety before the ice caves and takes him and his prized Dodge Charger with it. The cold is so intense he is flash frozen and then successfully revived after a 28 minute underwater ordeal. Unfortunately no one noticed Zero, Kelly’s French bulldog, who was also in the car. As a consequence Zero’s ghost is now is a near constant companion of Flynn (which raises some interesting mental health issues) and provides him with insights and guidance. Not long after a known prostitute approaches Flynn and hands him a note saying THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT. Before Flynn can learn more, the woman’s head explodes, victim of a sniper shot from over one hundred yards away. Now a determined homicide detective and a beautiful, inquisitive reporter are both all over Flynn and he is clueless. Certainly not your typical mystery, but nicely done. 01/10 Jack Quick

MIDNIGHT’S WILD PASSION by Anna Campbell: This is my romance of the month, as I continue my study of the genre. Labeled “historical romance,” this tale of a disgraced woman and the rogue who pursues her borders on erotica without a whole lot of history getting in the way. The Marquess of Ranelaw is on a mission of revenge. His half sister had her reputation destroyed by Godfrey Demerast, and now the Marquess is going to destroy Demerast’s daughter’s reputation in kind. But when he meets her chaperone, he finds himself in lust – and the feeling is mutual. I did enjoy this fast, sexy read, despite the shallowness of the plot. 04/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE MIDWIFE OF VENICE by Roberta Rich: This book was recommended to me by several people so I gave it a read and was not disappointed. Set during the 1500s, Hanna is a Jewish midwife living in the ghetto with her husband Isaac. Isaac is a spice merchant and gets kidnapped and taken to Malta as a slave. Jews are forbidden from giving medical assistance to Christians, but when a rich Venetian offers her enough money to ransom her husband back, Hanna agrees. The baby is the heir to a huge fortune, leaving his uncles plotting ways to get rid of him and Hanna. Hanna runs to her estranged sister, a courtesan who helps hide her. Meanwhile Isaac is trying his best not to starve to death in captivity to a nun who will only help him if he converts, and then to a brutal ship owner. The characters are not very well developed other than Isaac, but the story moves and is interesting. The Midwife of Venice feels like the anemic younger sister of The Red Tent by Anita Diamant or People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks, but it’s definitely worth a read. 4/13 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE MIDWIFE’S CONFESSION by Diane Chamberlain: How well do you really know your friends? Emerson and Tara thought that they both knew Noelle Downie fairly well. The three had been friends since their college days, after all. Turns out, they barely knew the real Noelle. Noelle’s suicide comes as a shock to almost everyone who knew her. But when Emerson and Tara begin going through Noelle’s old things, they find a letter that implies something terrible about Noelle’s past. Secrets long hidden are soon revealed. Secrets that directly affect both Emerson and Tara. Secrets that proved to be too much for one person to handle alone. The Midwife’s Confession is an emotional and fast-paced read. Chamberlain touches on, but never dwells on, some tricky subjects. It’s the emotional impact of these subjects and her characters that are the big focus, making Chamberlain’s latest (my first by her) a sometimes heart wrenching—but overall touching—read with characters that come to life. 05/11 Becky Lejeune

MIGHTY OLD BONES by Mary Saums: America’s most mis-matched pair of sleuths returns for a new adventure. Jane Thistle has seen much of the world as the wife of a military officer while Pheobe Twigg has hardly even been away from the sleepy Alabama village of Tullulah. The odd couple are now the best of friends and practically inseparable. A severe thunderstorm knocks down a huge tree on Jane’s property, unearthing human remains – just in time for Halloween. While there is some evidence to indicate this may be an old Indian burial site, there is also the matter of the disappearance of one of the town’s older citizens. Add in some cute dogs and an unusually strong supporting cast, particularly the local restaurant owner, but then again, that’s another story, and you have a great Southern cozy that evokes memories of the Two Sisters, but even better. Another solid outing for Ms. Saums, whose love for her birth home shines through on every page. 07/08 Jack Quick

MILK GLASS MOON by Adriana Trigiani: This is the third volume of the Big Stone Gap series and I am just loving this series all over again. Ave Maria and Jack are struggling with Etta’s teenage years in the still lovely small town of Big Stone Gap, Virginia. The similarities to the family village in Italy are explored and the laughs and love just warm the heart. This is comfort reading of the best kind; real characters, interesting settings, and terrific writing that just makes you yearn for more. Trigiani is always a treat to read. 04/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

The Millionaires by Brad Meltzer: With nary a lawyer or politician in sight, this thriller is Meltzer’s best work yet. Two brothers find a way to commit a more or less victimless heist of $3,000,000 when suddenly it turns into much, much more than that. Everyone is after them and you can’t tell the good guys from the bad guys. It’s hard to root for someone who is committing a crime, but somehow Meltzer makes it all work. Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

MIND SCRAMBLER by Chris Grabenstein: This latest entry into the Ceepak series is a bit darker than previous adventures. John Ceepak, straight arrow cop and his young partner, Danny Boyle, are in Atlantic City when Danny’s old girlfriend calls. She’s now the nanny for a magician whose family act is headlining at one of the hotels. She tells him she needs help but before he can find out what’s going on, she ends up dead in what appears to be an S&M act gone bad. But that’s only the first murder, and the slight-of-hand and illusions are way more sinister than most magic acts. Deputized by the local police, Ceepak and Boyle help unravel the mess of lies to find the truth and the murderer. Another excellent mystery from Grabenstein, and apparently, and sadly, the last book of the series. 07/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

MIND SCRAMBLER by Chris Grabenstein: Danny Boyle and ultra-straight-arrow cop John Ceepak are on leave in Atlantic City when a former girlfriend of Boyle’s winds up dead in what appears to be a bizarre S&M sex ritual. Katie has been the nanny to the children of a magician performing there so from the outset you suspect nothing is at it first appears. Sure enough, the bodies start to pileup, both civilian and police, as the two deputized Sea Haven, N.J. cops work the “big city”. It’s another good one for the evolving Ceepak whom Grabenstein has made into a well done hybrid of Sherlock Holmes and Dudley Do-Right. It’s magic !! 07/09 Jack Quick

The Miracle Strip by Nancy Bartholomew: Very light mystery with a twist; the main protagonist is a stripper. This is the first one of a very cute series, bound to appeal to fans of Evanovich. The newest one in the series is Strip Poker. Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

MIRROR IMAGE by Dennis Palumbo: Dr. Daniel Rinaldi is a psychologist who consults with the Pittsburgh Police. His specialty is treating victims of violent crime, something with which he himself is familiar. Kevin Merrick is a college student and victim of an armed assault. Desperate for a role model and a sense of identity, Kevin has begun dressing like Rinaldi, acting like him, even mirroring his appearance. Before Daniel has a chance to work this through with his patient, he finds Kevin brutally murdered outside Rinaldi’s office. He and the police question whether the intended victim was Merrick or Rinaldi. Death threats made against Rinaldi make them think that, in fact, the Doctor was the intended victim but then it turns out that Merrick is the son of a Bill Gates-like biotech giant. This turns the murder into a national story which may or may not help solve the crime. Rinaldi, an ex-fighter who has himself lead a very interesting life, is a great main character but there are other strong characters as well in this nicely done debut likened to the efforts of Jonathon Kellerman. Lets hope the mean streets of Pittsburgh hold further adventures for Dr. Rinaldi. 08/10 Jack Quick

THE MIRRORED WORLD by Debra Dean: Xenia of St. Petersburg is the subject and inspiration of Dean’s latest. Born and raised in the eighteenth century, Xenia devoted her life to helping the needy after losing her husband. In The Mirrored World, Dasha, Xenia’s cousin, recounts their life together and the path that led to Xenia’s sainthood. Xenia always was a bit odd, recalling dreams that sometimes came true. Then she met Andrei and fell madly in love. The two married and Xenia longed for children, finally conceiving and giving birth to a daughter. But tragedy struck. Xenia was left widowed and retreated from the world. Dasha stayed by her side through it all, shocked to discover that Xenia had begun giving away all of her household possessions to the impoverished people of the city. And then Xenia disappeared. Years later, Dasha would find her living amongst the poorest of the poor, revered for her visions and good works. Dean has a great talent for bringing historic Russia to life but I felt that there were many parts of the story that were only glossed over and would have benefited from more attention. 9/12 Becky Lejeune

MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN by Ransom Riggs: As a child, Jacob idolized his grandfather and could never get enough of the fanciful tales of his youth. The amazing stories of an island in Wales and a home for strange refugee children with odd abilities—and the pictures to accompany them—fascinating young Jacob. As he grew older, however, the stories began to seem more like fairy tales, definitely not the kind of thing a teenager would mistake for an actual history. But when Jacob’s grandfather dies, his final request is that his grandson find the home and the woman who once ran it. Jacob convinces his father to take him on the trip and as he searches for his grandfather’s past, those stories of long ago become real to him once again. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is one of the most original and wonderful books of the year. The use of vintage images enhances the story and gives it even more of a unique but amazingly believable twist. Riggs’s book is a great one for readers of most ages (maybe not too young) to get lost in. 08/11 Becky Lejeune

THE MISSING by Sarah Langan: Sometimes I’ve thought the likes of the grand old days of horror writing would never come again — early Stephen King, Peter Straub, Ramsay Campbell — with a silent thank you aside to Dean Koontz for fairly consistently hanging in there. But in spite of much blurb hype, no new author has come into this genre who could hold a candle to those guys. Until now.
Her name is Sarah Langan, and the book is THE MISSING. Set in the present in an inland Maine town of some affluence called Corpus Christie, this is a story about what happens when a strange virus is released from soil in woods near the town — an area that was contaminated in the previous year by a fire that destroyed a pulp mill. (Langan has an earlier book about this, THE KEEPER, which I have not yet read.) But the virus, as it turns out, is much, much older than that; like the growth of ancient redwoods, this virus is triggered by fire. This is all eerily plausible, even as the town’s infected habitants begin to change into life forms that are no longer exactly human.
Langan’s greatest skill is that she truly writes well, creating characters we quickly grow to care about. This ratchets up the tension unbearably as they each try to escape infection, not giving up even when the CDC abandons the town. Do not begin this book on a night you’re unwilling to stay up late. And be prepared for the possibility of nightmares. Some of the images are sure to stay with you. 11/07 Dianne Day

MISSING MARK by Julie Kramer: Reporter Riley Spartz has been looking for a big story ever since she got her break in Stalking Susan. After all, sweeps week is nearing and the station is fighting for ratings. Plus, Riley’s not been up to much since uncovering that serial killer. She hasn’t had a shortage of dead bodies, though. In fact, by the end of Missing Mark, her tally is up to six. This latest mystery begins with an ad for a wedding dress for sale. “Never worn,” it says. Riley’s radar is immediately up—there’s got to be a story there. And she’s right. The bride was left waiting at the altar and the groom hasn’t been seen since the rehearsal dinner. Riley’s boss isn’t too keen on the story, though. In fact, she’s much more interested in the case of the missing record-size bass recently stolen from an indoor aquarium. As Riley balances both investigations, she trips over a third story and gets herself into trouble once again. Julie Kramer has proven that she has what it takes. Her books are light but a bit edgy and her heroine is fun, spunky, and completely loveable. 07/09 Becky Lejeune
MISSING WITNESS by Gordon Campbell: As a first year associate with the firm of Butler and Menedez, Doug McKenzie has not yet had the opportunity to work on a case. All that changes when Travis Eddington, only son of the biggest cattleman in Arizona, is murdered. The sole witness to the event saw the man’s wife, Rita, and daughter, Miranda, enter the home where the young Eddington had been staying and close the door. The witness heard six shots. Only seconds later Rita and Miranda emerged from the home. Then, the witness saw a gun drop from Rita’s hand. Eddington’s father retains the lawyers of Butler and Menedez to defend Rita. Why would a father hire a top law firm to defend the woman accused of murdering his son? This question weighs heavily on the minds of the lawyers, but Eddington is a major client for the firm and no one wants to lose this case. Hotshot defense attorney Dan Morgan is assigned to defend Rita, and he requests that newcomer McKenzie assist him. What follows is a series of events that will stay with McKenzie for the rest of his life. This page turning thriller is one of the most realistic legal dramas to come along since Grisham’s A Time to Kill. Campbell, an attorney for over 40 years, originally began work on his debut over thirty years ago. Not to worry, though, he’s already hard at work on his next title. 10/07 Becky Lejeune

THE MISSINGS by Peg Brantley: No sophomore slump here after Ms. Brantley’s first successful outing – RED TIDE. I must admit as a kidney dialysis patient and hopeful eventual recipient of a kidney transplant, I found the premise of this book riveting. Aspen Park, Colorado police are dealing with a serial killer with a twist. The first body they found had no visible abuse but had recently had a kidney removed. The second body had been carved up like a side of beef with a number of organs missing. Both were Latino. Then a female Latino teenager goes missing. The investigation by Detective Chase Waters is not helped by his supervisor, a curmudgeon who definitely would benefit from sensitivity training. Then it gets worse. A third body is found, but it’s not the missing girl. And the body count continues to rise. Another “unputdownable.” 11/12 Jack Quick

Mission Flats by William Landay: This superb debut novel of suspense is set in Boston and the small town of Versailles, (pronounces Ver-sales) Maine. Police Chief Ben Truman inherited his job when he left Boston University to help his retired police chief father care for his ailing mother, who eventually died from Alzheimer’s disease. Nothing much happens in this small town, so when during a routine inspection, Ben finds the body of a Boston D.A. in a cabin by the lake, the big city cops come visiting. Retired Boston cop John Kelly gets involved, and Ben gets involved with both Kelly and his D.A. daughter. Inner city drug lord Harold Braxton is the chief suspect and the cops seem determined to prove his guilt. Landay deftly manages to keep the suspense high through the final shocker of an ending in this terrific new chiller. Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

MISSION FLATS by William Landay: Ben Truman, the young police chief in the Maine town of Versailles gave up his pursuit of a doctorate in history at Boston University to come home and care for his Alzheimer’s-stricken mother. His biggest case to date starts with the discovery of the bloated body of a Boston assistant district attorney in a rental cabin. Ben joins a crew of big-city cops and prosecutors in a search through the blighted Boston neighborhood of Mission Flats for the answer to the ADA’s murder and a 10-year-old mystery. Will “Opie”, as the big city cops refer to Ben, prevail? Interesting first effort. 03/06 Jack Quick

MISSION ROAD by Rick Riordan: Everyone needs a little Texas in his or her life. Riordan’s PI Tres Navarre fills the bill perfectly. This time he is caught up in a twenty year old murder case involving his best friend Ralph, South Texas’ top mobster Guy White, girl friend Maia Lee (who has her own surprise for Tres), and a bunch of ticked off San Antonio police. And then it gets interesting. Fast paced, well written and portrays that part of the world perfectly. We are relatively sure Tres will survive all this, but at what price. Must read. To be released 06/05. 05/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

MISTER B. GONE by Clive Barker: Clive Barker’s long-awaited return to adult horror is finally here. In Mister B. Gone, Jakabok Botch, a low-level demon, recounts how he was lured from the depths of hell – Demonation – into our world. Upon his arrival, he is immediately set upon by group of entrepreneurial demon hunters. He manages to escape them only to be attacked by a blood-thirsty mob of village folk amassed in anticipation of a public execution. Botch is saved by Quitoon, a higher level demon with pyrokinetic powers. Quitoon and Botch travel the world throughout the centuries wreaking havoc and mayhem and searching out new inventions that will change the world. Jakabok reluctantly reveals his tale to the reader. You see, Jakabok is in fact trapped between the pages of this book. He sees our world through the lines of print and exists only in its prose. His persistent pleas that the reader burn the novel are amusing and make this read much lighter fare than is typical of past Barker titles. 11/07 Becky Lejeune

MISTER PIP by Lloyd Jones: In 1988, Bougainville Island in Papua New Guinea became the scene of a bloody rebellion that would stretch on for almost a decade. Matilda Laimo, the adult narrator of this tale, recalls how, in 1991, all the whites left the island except for Mr. Watts. Mr. Watts eventually takes over teaching the children of the island, including the then thirteen-year-old Matilda. During this time of turmoil, he introduces the students to Dickens’ Great Expectations. By reading them a chapter a day, Mr. Watts provides a safe and comforting escape from the terror that surrounds the children’s daily lives. Imagination becomes the key to survival for Matilda as the situation on the island deteriorates completely. It will be years, however, before Matilda will truly understand the lesson that Mr. Watts has taught her. While Mister Pip is both disturbingly brutal and realistic, it is also an inspirational and thought provoking novel. 07/07 Becky Lejeune

MISTRESS OF THE ART OF DEATH by Ariana Franklin: In the first of Franklin’s series featuring twelfth century Trotula (term based on an actual female physician from Salerno at the time) Adelia Aguilar, the King of Sicily sends his best master in the art of death to Cambridge where a handful of children have been kidnapped and murdered. The townsfolk suspect that the Jews are responsible and they have been moved to the sheriff’s own home for protection. Cambridge officials are getting desperate and so Adelia and one of Sicily’s top investigators, Simon of Naples, are brought in to help. It is only upon their arrival in town that the bodies of the missing children are discovered. Because of superstition and local law, Adelia must keep her occupation, and therefore her purpose in town, a secret. With a select few helping her, they set about trying to solve this case using her medical expertise and Simon’s deductive skills. But when Simon is murdered Adelia becomes determined, law or not, to track down the killer on her own if necessary. Mistress is a brilliantly conceived and original spin on the forensic mystery. Franklin has chosen what must be one of the most fascinating historical periods in which to base this series. A fantastic read. 03/09 Becky Lejeune

SIDNEY SHELDON’S MISTRESS OF THE GAME by Tilly Bagshawe: It’s been over two decades since Sidney Sheldon’s bestselling Master of the Game was initially released. Now, the Blackwell saga continues as Lexi Templeton, granddaughter of the inimitable Kate Blackwell, recounts her own rise to the top of the Blackwell family empire. The story begins with the death of Kate Blackwell in 1984. Her great-grandson, Robbie, was set to inherit everything she had worked so hard for, but like his grandfather before him, Robbie had other plans in mind. Instead, his young sister Lexi will take up the mantle in an attempt to stake her claim as the new master (mistress) of the game. But with her cousin Max as her strongest contender, she will find herself fighting temptation and learning some of the same lessons those who came before her struggled with as well. In the end, can she overcome what others would see as insurmountable odds and live up to her family’s legacy? Bagshawe captures Sheldon’s voice completely in this carefully plotted sequel to the “master storyteller’s” work. Fans new and old are sure to be pleased as they are once again swept up in the sordid and scandalous lives of the Blackwell heirs. 09/09 Becky Lejeune

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley: Magnificent book about the King Arthur legends, told from the female point of view. Don’t judge a book by its movie (or mini-series!) Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins: The wrap-up to Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games series, Mockingjay, answers all the burning questions brought forth by the first two installments. After being saved by District 13 (which does in fact exist) and the rebels, Katniss is being heavily pushed to represent them as the Mockingjay, the symbol of their rebellion against the Capitol. Her only concern is how to keep her friends and loved ones safe and to rescue Peeta from the other side, something that will come at a heavy price. Mockingjay lacks some of the intensity of Hunger Games and Catching Fire, in my opinion because of the games themselves. Overall, a wonderful and exciting (and more than a little disturbing) teen dystopian trilogy, but Mockingjay didn’t pack quite the punch I’d hoped. 1/11 Becky Lejeune

MOIST by Mark Haskell Smith: Start with a severed arm decorated with an erotic tattoo, add a minimum wage morgue attendant, mix in a one-armed murderer, a Wharton Business School graduate and a masturbation coach with unnatural urges and you have the basis for a one of a kind murder, sex, mobster tale worthy of Carl Hiassen or Elmore Leonard – and it’s a first effort. The jailhouse scene where Bob has to pee like a racehorse to preserve his manhood is in itself worth the price of admission. One funny, funny book. 01/06 Jack Quick

MONEY BURNS by A. E. Maxwell: In spite of their failed marriage, Fiddler and Fiora still work together solving cases. This time it’s a young bank owner who has run afoul of a murderous Colombian drug lord. Masquerading as financial consultants the two infiltrate Don Faustino’s organization, kidnap the son of his bagman, and make off with $15 million. But will they live to spend it? First-rate tale from the 1980’s. 03/09 Jack Quick

Money for Nothing: Donald Westlake has once again written a funny crime story that may very well be turned into a movie, as were The Hot Rock (Robert Redford) and Bank Shot (George C. Scott and Joanna Cassidy). In this particular case, Mr. Westlake must have been watching old Hitchcock, wrong man caught up in events not of his making movies when he sat down to write. The hero of this tale is Joshua Redmont, who has been receiving checks for $1,000 a month from a mysterious “U.S. Agent” for seven years. His attempts to find out where these checks have come from have been to no avail and he has simply accepted them as a needed supplement to his income. Until the day when a stranger sits down next to him and says “You have been activated.” Gulp.
Of course, he is out of his depth. Of course, there is an assassination plot and of course, his wife and child are threatened by the bad guys. Hitch would have insisted on it. But Westlake is in control the whole way and develops his characters with just enough human detail and a lot of humor. Reviewers will describe this book as “a rollicking good time.” It is. I was also reminded recently of what a good writer Westlake is when I read his foreword to the reissue of one of Ross Thomas’ books, Out on The Rim. They are a pair to draw to. This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.
MONEY SHOT by Christa Faust: “Coming back from the dead isn’t as easy as they make it seem in the movies. In real life it takes forever to do little things like pry open your eyes.” Opening lines from Hard Case Crime’s first offering by a female author. In order to clear her name of a murder charge, former porn star Angel Dare only has to locate a briefcase of stolen money and defeat an international sex-slavery ring. It’s all in a day’s work for this newest heroine. It’s Modern Noir at its finest from the woman film director Quentin Tarantino called “Veronica in a world of Betties.” With endorsements from Richard S. Prather, Jason Starr, Allan Guthrie and Duane Swierczynski – well, lets just say it, its darn good. 02/08 Jack Quick

MONEY TO BURN by James Grippando: This new stand alone thriller set on Wall Street is a real page turner; I couldn’t put it down. Michael Cantrello is a hedge fund wunderkind who impulsively marries his girlfriend while on vacation in the Caribbean. But she disappears on their wedding day and the DNA says she was eaten by a shark. Several years later it’s Michael’s 35th birthday, and his current wife throws him a big surprise party. But the real surprise comes later that night when Michael finds out he’s the victim of identity theft, and that all his money is gone, moved through an offshore account in his dead 1st wife’s name and then gone for good. The new wife throws him out, and the high life style Michael once knew is gone when she also cleans out their joint account, leaving him cashless, without any credit cards, and homeless. Someone is out to get him, but he doesn’t figure out who or why until the very end of this highly suspenseful, action packed thriller that’s a riveting, adrenalin charged read. 03/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

Money To Burn by James Zagel: A federal court judge, a firefighter/arsonist and two Federal Reserve Bank employees team up to rob the Federal Reserve bank of $100,000,000. Some interesting twists along the way, and even though the story bogs down in places, it’s still a good debut novel. Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

Monkeewrench by P. J. Tracy: This new author is actually a mother-daughter writing team and they are off to a fabulous start. “Monkeewrench” is a software company in Minneapolis, owned by an eclectic and eccentric group of friends. Their newest product, still in the beta testing stage, is a game called “Serial Killer Detective,” with crime scene photos providing the clues through the various levels of the game until the serial killer is found. But somehow one of their carefully staged murder scenes ends up happening on the streets of Minneapolis, so one of the partners, the enigmatic ice princess Grace MacBride, reports it to the police. Turns out this is the third murder and the murderer is playing their game for real. The software team is able to pinpoint the next murder, making themselves suspects in the process. Meanwhile, in a small town in rural Wisconsin, the local sheriff has a rather gristly murder on his hands – an elderly couple is found shot to death in the church. Somehow this all gets tied together – at breakneck speed, no less – and the big city cops and small town sheriff solve their respective cases. Well developed characters and crisp, witty writing make Monkeewrench a great read. Don’t miss it.

MONSTER by A. Lee Martinez: Monster is a freelance cryptobiological rescue agent—a division of animal control specializing in beasties and creatures of strange origin. Oh, and he changes color. When Monster and his paper gnome partner, Chester, are called to a grocery store with a yeti problem, they meet Judy, one of the night staff. Judy’s life isn’t glamorous. In fact, it’s a little boring. That must be why, when the trolls appear in her closet, she decides that Monster’s line of work is pretty interesting. Judy is a light cog, someone who can see magic but can’t remember it, which makes tagging along with Monster a bit difficult at times, but a memory spell fixes that. Course, Monster isn’t the easiest person to be around (he’s not very likable) but even he has to admit that strange things are happening around Judy at an alarming rate. Before he can find out why, Judy is kidnapped by a crazy cat lady and Monster’s house is wrecked, something that will be difficult to explain to his demon girlfriend. But that will be dealt with later, right now Monster has to find Judy and figure this whole thing out. Fun stuff. Martinez’s fantastical fiction will appeal to readers who enjoy Christopher Moore and Mario Acevedo’s Felix Gomez mysteries. 05/09 Becky Lejeune

THE MONSTER’S CORNER: Stories Through Inhuman Eyes, edited by Christopher Golden: What do you get when you bring together some of the best of the writing business in a collection of stories all featuring the most monstrous of characters? The Monster’s Corner, the latest anthology edited by Christopher Golden. The collection features new and never-before-published tales from horror and suspense heavyweights like Jonathan Maberry, Gary Braunbeck, Chelsea Cain, Sharyn McCrumb, and many others. In “The Awkward Age,” David Liss introduces readers to a teenager with an unhealthy eating habit, Kevin J. Anderson revisits one of horror’s most famous monsters in “Torn Stitches, Shattered Glass,” and Sarah Pinborough shows us another side of Medusa in “The Screaming Room.” From monsters created by their surroundings—or by others—to demons and other dark beings, this is an excellent collection of chilling and shocking tales for any time of year. 10/11 Becky Lejeune

THE MONSTERS OF TEMPLETON by Lauren Groff: Distraught and disappointed, twenty-eight year old Willie Upton has left Alaska where she was working at an archaeological dig as part of her PhD program, to come home to Templeton. An affair with her professor led to her trying to run over his wife with a plane and now Willie’s returned to home base to try and straighten out her life. Did I mention she may be pregnant? Willie’s own mother left her hometown for California at a young age and only returned after the death of her parents – Willie’s grandparents. The story is that the free-loving Vi was pregnant, unsure of who the father was, and planning to sell the family homestead when she up and decided to stay. The story is not all true. Turns out, Vi has been keeping a secret from Willie, a secret that she finally reveals in the midst of all this turmoil. Willie makes it her mission to uncover the truth about her parentage and in doing so, learns more about her family than she could ever imagine. As Willie unravels the many secrets of her heritage, her predecessors each take turns telling bits of the story themselves. As the most recent addition to a rather large family tree that begins with the founding father of Templeton, Willie and her family’s tale is closely intertwined with the history of the town itself. The cleverness with which Groff unfolds her debut is nothing short of expert. The monsters of Templeton, and they are there both literally and figuratively, make for humorous, touching, and scandalous reading. The Monsters of Templeton is a wonderful debut from a hugely talented writer that should be on everyone’s must read list this year. 02/08 Becky Lejeune

MONSTROUS BEAUTY by Elizabeth Fama: The locals have long whispered of mermaids and monsters of the deep. When Ezra, a naturalist in 1872, meets Syrenka, he is fascinated and smitten. As he learns more about her and her world, the two begin to share an undeniable connection. But when Syrenka becomes human, their fate is tragically sealed. Over a century later, Hester Goodwin has come to the decision that she must never fall in love or bear children. Her family’s history is filled with heartbreaking tales of mothers dying shortly after giving birth and Hester is sure the same awaits her. When she meets a man on the beach who suggests maybe it’s a curse, one that might be broken if only Hester can unravel it, she is leery. Something about the man draws her, though, and as she looks further into her family’s story, she becomes convinced that he may be onto something after all. Monstrous Beauty is great fun. In the beginning, chapters alternate between Syrenka and Hester, providing a nice setup for what comes later in Hester’s story. I especially loved the mix of modern and historic throughout the book. 9/12 Becky Lejeune

Montana 1948 by Larry Watson: Be forewarned: this small book carries a powerful punch. It is the coming of age story of David Hayden, set in a small town in Montana near the Canadian border. David’s father is the gun-kept-in-the-drawer, badge-in-the-wallet Andy Griffith type sheriff, a position he inherited from his father, who is determined to keep this a family business. His uncle Frank is the town doctor, but when Marie Little Feather, their Native American housekeeper, becomes ill, she gets hysterical when Frank is called in. David grows up real fast that summer when his father has to arrest his own brother for rape, and murder. Beautifully written, the stark scenery is as much a character as the family members in this painful, honest page-turner about family secrets and small town tragedy. 12/03 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

MOON OVER SOHO by Ben Aaronovitch: DI Peter Grant is back in this second book of the series following Midnight Riot. Peter’s friend and boss are both laid up thanks to their previous case, so Peter takes the lead on a new investigation involving the recent death of a jazz musician. Notes of a famous tune linger around the body and Peter knows this means that something magical is to blame rather than the initial death-by-natural-causes verdict. But when Peter discovers a string of the strange murders, he begins to realize that the case is quite complicated indeed. Meanwhile, another magic practitioner seems to be at play in London and his intentions are less than noble. Aaronovitch’s series is a welcome and exciting addition to the urban fantasy genre. Definitely recommended for paranormal mystery fans. 03/11 Becky Lejeune

MOON TIGER by Penelope Lively: My book club was supposed to read this a while ago, but I never got around to it until lately since it just didn’t sound like my kind of thing. You know, some old lady on her deathbed, remembering her life, blah blah. BUT IN FACT, her life was pretty dang interesting, and the book carries you right along. She was not always a nice person, but she was never dull. She experienced a wide variety of what was available to upper-class women of the mid-twentieth century, becoming a reporter in WWII and traveling through Egypt, among many other things.
It won the Booker Prize, and I also found myself thinking about it for days afterwards, both of which are usually good indications of an excellent book. 05/07 Jenne Bergstrom

THE MOON TUNNEL by Jim Kelly: This book offers an intriguing premise and setting: the discovery of a body which has been concealed in a tunnel. The corpse is discovered on the site of an old World War II English Prisoner of War camp; Italian and then German POWs were housed there. Who was this person? And why in heaven’s name would he be in what was clearly an escape tunnel heading into the camp? And is there any connection with the “real” treasure being sought on this site, where Anglo-Saxon items have been found?
The history is interesting and well-described; readers get to read about might be “enemy combatants” who stayed behind after the war was over. Upon realizing they would not be murdered by the Allies, as both Italian and German soldiers had been told, they found England congenial and became members of the community, made their homes, opened restaurants, raised families.
Not surprisingly, this is a tale of deception and pretty complicated history; I did get lost at times, but it’s just as likely that I don’t comprehend tangled family ties as it is that the author wasn’t clear. The protagonist is a reporter, with connections to the town that police might not have, which makes him a useful sleuth. The very well-written sideline, of Dryden’s wife, Laura, emerging from “locked-in syndrome” and learning to communicate after years is told well, with a minimum of bathos and a maximum of understanding. Recommended. 12/05 ~This review contributed by Andi Shechter.

THE MOONPOOL by P.T. Deutermann: Cameron Richter is back (The Cat Dancers and Spider Mountain). The retired cop who runs Hide and Seek Investigations, a PI firm staffed by other ex-cops is in Wilmington, NC following up on the death of one of the firm’s agents, Allie Gardner. The location of the death – a gas station bathroom. The cause of death – ingestion of a highly radioactive liquid. Although there is no solid reason to suspect a connection, Aristotle Quartermain, chief of security at Helios, the local nuclear power station hires Hide and Seek to determine whether it would be possible that the contaminated liquid came from their Moonpool – the pond where spent fuel rods were stored. Aiding Cam are his German shepherds, Frick and Frack, along with some first rate agents in this great thriller. Hopefully, Mr. Deutermann, who has nine stand-alones as well as these three in the Richter series will churn out more featuring this very engaging sleuth. 05/09 Jack Quick

MOONSHINE by Alaya Johnson: In Zephyr Hollis’s 1920’s New York, Others exist within regular society. That doesn’t mean that they’re readily accepted. As a suffragette, Zephyr fights for women’s rights, but she also regularly appeals for equal rights of Others as well. When she discovers a young boy recently turned, she knows she cannot bring him to the authorities. A vampire that young wouldn’t be expected to be able to control himself. As such, the law requires staking. One of her students agrees to take the boy into his protection. Amir is a mysterious man and definitely not human. In return, he asks a favor from Zephyr: find a vampire called Rinaldo. The catch, Rinaldo just happens to be a notorious crime boss who no one can recall ever laying eyes on. With this first in the series, Johnson has created a unique urban fantasy landscape within a historic setting. The combination of Prohibition-era backdrop, an appealing heroine, and Others makes Moonshine a fresh new standout in the genre. 4/12 Becky Lejeune

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins: T. S. Eliot called this “the first and greatest of English detective novels” and I am certainly not going to argue with that judgment. First published in 1868, this classic mystery involving the theft of a diamond from an English country manor has withstood the test of time. Collins created a formula that is still being used today, including the bumbling policeman; the famous, albeit eccentric, Scotland Yard detective; the concept of an ‘inside job’; false suspects; reconstruction of the crime; the least likely suspect being the guilty party; and the final twist at the end. While it is considerably longer in length than contemporary mysteries, any fan of the genre really should add it to their reading list.

MORE LIKE HER by Liza Palmer: Frannie Reid has just recently split with her boyfriend when she meets Emma Dunham, the new head of school at Markham. To Frannie, Emma is perfect: poised and polished with a great career and a seemingly perfect life. But Emma is living a lie that becomes all too clear when her husband brings a gun to a faculty party and kills her in front of Frannie. Now, Frannie and her friends are faced with the aftermath of surviving such a tragedy. More Like Her is like a punch to the gut. It begins with a horrible 911 call and then jumps back to Emma’s first day at Markham. The reader is aware that something horrible is coming in what is essentially a chick-lit story of a thirty-something woman hoping to meet the man of her dreams and learning to be herself. The transition between the prologue and the beginning of the story is jarring, as it should be given the nature of the overall story. More Like Her was not at all what I’d expected it to be, but I liked it. 4/12 Becky Lejeune

MORE THAN IT HURTS YOU by Darin Strauss: Can there be anything more frightening than Munchausen syndrome by proxy, the psychological disorder which leads parents to abuse their own children in order to draw attention or sympathy to themselves. Josh Goldin is a happily married TV airtime salesman living on Long Island with wife Dori, and an eight-month-old son named Zack. When Zack is treated twice for mysterious and life-threatening symptoms, the head of a pediatric ICU, Dr. Darlene Stokes, suspects Dori suffers from that disorder. The Goldin are Jewish, Dr. Stokes is black, and situation leads to a topsy-turvy world where doctors are trying to save babies from their parents, police legally tear families apart, and everyone turns on everyone else. In the midst of this chaos Josh sees all his faith and preconceptions torn abruptly away. What is left is not pretty. 06/09 Jack Quick

THE MORNING SHOW MURDERS by Al Roker and Dick Lochte: Go behind the scenes with Al Roker at a morning news program for a little murder and mayhem, and lots of laughs. Billy Blessing is a celebrity chef with a successful New York City restaurant and a regular gig on Wake Up, America – until the executive producer is murdered by poisoned coq au vin takeout from Billy’s restaurant. Billy becomes the leading suspect, the cops close down the restaurant and he’s suspended from the show. Billy decides to prove his innocence, and an amateur sleuth is born. Al Roker’s charm is evident throughout, but there are too many zany characters for my taste. All in all, a solid debut and what appears to be the first book of a possible series. 11/09 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

MORNING SPY, EVENING SPY by Colin MacKinnon: Described as a CIA procedural, this disturbing portrayal of the CIA from the end of 2000 to the night of September 10, 2001, grabs you and keeps you on edge all the way through. Agency troubleshooter Paul Patterson spends most of that time period investigating the murder of a shady CIA contractor in Pakistan. In the process he uncovers hints of a major al-Qaeda plot in the making. However, since the various intelligence services are determined to not share what they know, you sense with each passing day the increasing inevitability of what is going to happen at the end. Nevertheless, there are still surprises along the way. All in all this reminds me of the early Tom Clancy material in which you hope there is more fiction that fact, but fear there may be more truth than imagination. 03/09 Jack Quick

MORTAL FEAR by Greg Isles: Futures trader Harper Cole, moonlights as the systems operator of an erotic online services called EROS. When he contacts the New Orleans police with information about the murder of celebrated author-and EROS subscriber-Karin Wheat, he immediately becomes the prime suspect in six other murders of EROS subscribers across the country. Also on the FBI’s short list is Cole’s eccentric friend and EROS colleague Miles Turner, who has dubbed the killer “Brahma.” When Cole learns that the man he thought was Brahma was killed a year ago and that his online identity was stolen, a tense cat-and-mouse game commences. Coles’ digging leads to his posing on line as a potential victim, using as bait a secret that endangers the mother of his child, as well as his wife. The final climax is breathtaking. Recommended. 03/07 Jack Quick

MOSCOW RULES by Daniel Silva: Silva has done it once again with a grabber of an adventure for art restorer and Jewish James Bond – Gabriel Allon. Allon is in Italy working on restoring a Nicolas Poussin painting for the Vatican and celebrating his honeymoon with new wife Chiara, when he is summoned by “The Office” to take a meeting, with a Russian journalist who claims to have critical information that he will reveal only to Allon. The journalist is killed at the meet and Allon sets forth to discover what may be the greatest threat ever to Israel’s existence. Ivan Kharkov, a former KGB official and now global entrepreneur and gun runner, is apparently ready to provide unprecedented weapons to al- Qaeda. Allon must somehow prevent the exchange but this time he is playing by Moscow Rules – Anything goes, take no prisoners, and win at all costs. Wouldn’t you love to see Allon made into a movie, a real one, not the Mission Impossible, Who Killed Roger rabbit type? I’d get in line for tickets for it. 08/08 Jack Quick

MOST WANTED by Michele Martinez: First novel from a hot shot New York Federal prosecutor about a hot shot New York Federal prosecutor. Art imitates life in this fast paced debut. As with many first efforts, Most Wanted would benefit from a tighter editorial hand. We tend to learn too much about too many people. While it is obvious that Melanie the prosecutor is the main character, you’re not as certain about some of the others. Major gritty, even for a hard boiled fan like me. Nicely paced, but again just a bit jam packed, as though there is concern about no tomorrow (or second book). Overall a promising start for a shiny new talent. Maybe next time lets just focus on the crime rather than the crime, the separation, the baby, the new boyfriend, the family, the victim, the department… 03/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

MOTOR MOUTH by Janet Evanovich: This is the sequel to Metro Girl and what I suspect will be another Evanovich money-making series. Not because this is such a great book (it’s not,) but she has her fans and I’m one of them. This series features Alexandra Barnaby, AKA Barney, who is much like Stephanie Plum – clueless, sexy, and lovable, but she has only one male love interest, Nascar driver Sam Hooker. Personally, I find Nascar boring as hell, but I like the books although not nearly as much as the Plum series. These characters are fairly one dimensional, but this is not great literature (am I repeating myself?) and is completely plot driven. Motor Mouth centers around some new-fangled technology that can make a car win a race, except that it’s illegal. There are kidnappings, murders, sexual tension and dog jokes galore in this effervescent read that is real short on logic, but is fast & fun. Let’s call it brain candy – too much is certainly no good for you, but if you want to escape for a couple of hours and have a few laughs, go for it. 10/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

MOTOR MOUTH by Janet Evanovich: An epiphany. I have read and generally enjoyed the first dozen Stephanie Plum books. But, I don’t know that much about bounty hunting in New Jersey. This is the second book featuring Alexandra Barnaby in a NASCAR setting. I do know something about NASCAR, which is why this one is DNF (Did Not Finish) before the first green flag pit stop. If you are a NASCAR fan, I suspect you will quickly reach the same conclusion. If you are not a NASCAR fan, maybe the stilted dialogue, improbable plot and unrealistic scenario will appeal to you. Back to the drawing board on this series. 03/07 Jack Quick

MOUNTING DESIRE by Nina Killham: This second effort by Killham (after the very funny How to Cook a Tart) is a humorous inside look at the business of writing romance. Jack Carter, AKA Celeste D’arcy, is a very successful romance writer – but not finding the romance he wants in his own life. He takes a vow of celibacy, which proves to be the irresistible icing on the hunky-successful-romantic-guy cake and women are throwing themselves at him, literally. His sister convinces him to take in Molly, her friend who was fired from her job for inappropriate sexual behavior with a subordinate. He reluctantly agrees and the sparks fly despite their different agendas; Jack just wants someone to love, and then maybe he’ll think about sex, while Molly just wants sex and then maybe she’ll think about love. Then Molly starts writing her own romance novel while Jack ends up with writer’s block. I don’t read romance so I had the sneaking suspicion that I was missing some inside jokes about the business, but it was a fun and funny read nonetheless. 08/05

MOUNTING FEARS by Stuart Woods: Woods uses an implausible plot to showcase most everyone he has ever written about. Ostensibly about President Will Lee, Woods brings in Lance Cabot of the CIA and former Florida police chief Holly Barker to deal with a resurfaced Teddy Fay who has been “killed” in at least two previous Woods’ outings. Lee has loose nukes in Pakistan, a Vice-President who dies after surgery, and a new Vice President with a zipper problem and a vindictive wife from whom he is trying to escape. The polls are going in the wrong direction, and Lee’s wife, Kate Rule Lee, head of the CIA, is upset when a former Lee lover comes into the picture. Believe it or not, all ends well, the world is saved as well as the upcoming election, so there is sure to be a sequel. Not bad if you are a Stuart Woods fan, like me. If not, you may want to skip it. 04/09 Jack Quick

MOURNERS by Bill Pronzini: When Nameless made his assistant, Tamara, a partner in his detective agency and hired Jake, a new operative, he genuinely felt he was moving toward retirement. But business has increased, and Nameless finds himself reluctant to give up the work that has defined him for so long, even though he has recently become a husband and father. Pronzini’s series becomes more layered and complex with each entry. This time the primary characters are all in one stage or another of mourning. A dark, foreboding entry in a classic series. Pronzini is a master. 04/06 Jack Quick

THE MOURNING SEXTON by Michael Baron: The sexton in this story is an orthodox lawyer with a past. Having served ten years in the federal penitentiary for embezzlement, David Hirsch is trying to rebuild his life. He regains his law license with the proviso that he be allowed to practice only under the direct supervision of a lawyer in good standing for at least 20 years. His oldest friend takes him into his bankruptcy practice and David is working and living a quiet life. Until one of the minyan at the shul where he is sexton asks him to find justice for the daughter he lost in a car accident three years previously, and he reluctantly agrees to help out. As he immerses himself in the case, he finds irregularities and starts digging deeper. But his client is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease which is progressing rapidly, opposing council doesn’t want him looking into it any further, and things just spiral out of control from there. This is a well written, fast moving, original legal thriller with some very clever twists and I highly recommend it. 11/05 Stacy Alesi, the BookBitch

THE MOURNING SEXTON by Michael Baron: Michael Baron, who as Michael Kahn writes (or wrote) the Rachel Gold series, set in St. Louis; his characters are sharply drawn, and the stories are often complex without being dizzying, and he knows his city.
David Hirsch is getting his life back together. A high-flying attorney, he self-destructed, losing his practice, his family, and his sex-filled, embezzling way of life. Upon release from prison, old friends and new-found faith support him. One morning at his synagogue he’s approached by Abe Shifrin who wants justice in his daughter’s death in a seemingly straightforward car crash. Hirsch, along with his friend and law partner (who has to oversee this felon), ex-con Jumbo and Dulcie, an attorney who becomes a friend, begin to look into the death of Judith, who was the devoted law clerk of a judge.
This story reminded me (positively) of both Barry Reed’s “The Verdict” (made into a fantastic film in the 80s) and of the Gold books, the latter in their detailed knowledge of St. Louis landmarks. A tarnished guy going after big business with big arrogant lawyers is a good story. He’s got great loyal friends and is an appealing character. It was hard for me to buy that Hirsch was ever the schmuck he must have been to end up in federal prison, since he’s awfully nice here. 12/05 ~This review contributed by Andi Shechter.

MR. CLARINET by Nick Stone: Max Mingus spent seven years in Attica for killing three child molesters. Now the ex-Miami cop and erstwhile PI is trying to put his life back together. He is hired to find the missing three-year old son of a wealthy white Haitian family in the violent mid 1990’s world of Haiti. His search for Charlie Carver leads him from the richest to the poorest sections of the island and to powerful drug baron Vincent Paul. Not for the faint hearted, this first effort is gritty throughout. Hopefully we will hear more from Mr. Stone in the future. 01/08 Jack Quick

MR. MONK AND THE TWO ASSISTANTS by Lee Goldberg: I have not seen the USA Network show Monk, but this has a script feel to it. Monk, apparently a genius sleuth, is dealing with both his current assistant Natalie Teeger (who is the narrator) with his former assistant Sharona Fleming, whose husband, Trevor, is in prison for murder. The two are jealous and Monk’s idea of them both working part-time is certainly not the smartest thing he has done. He does deal with a few simpler challenges, gets Trevor out of prison, and is poised for his next adventure, same time, same station, next week. Very light-weight. 11/07 Jack Quick

Mr. Paradise by Elmore Leonard: Mr. Paradise is the derogatory name given to the aging (84 years old), Mafia don, Anthony Paradiso. A die-hard (unfortunate choice of words) U of Michigan football fan, Mr. Paradise prefers to review his library of Maize and Blue victories in the company of very attractive topless women in cheerleader skirts who he adorns with a big M in magic marker. Ever tasteful, Mr. Leonard slyly avoids Wisconsin jokes.

In the middle of his two-model pleasure, Mr. Paradise is bumped off by a couple of idiots hired by his loyal right-hand man. The rest of the story is police detective Frank Delsa’s efforts to track down all those responsible (and their lawyer) while absolving the model who quickly becomes his love interest.
As in most of Mr. Leonard’s books, the dialog in Mr. Paradise is superb. I was so struck by the sign in the Detroit police squad room that I immediately e-mailed a bunch of friends about it. If this isn’t the way that bad guys and cops and high fashion models talk, by God, it ought to be. And as is also typical in Mr. Leonard’s books, the action moves right along. (His explanation is “I cut out the parts everybody skips over.”)
However, this is not as side-splitting as some of this author’s recent books and I think will disappoint some of his newer fans. Too bad. They are missing a fine story while looking for laughs. 02/04 ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

MR. PENUMBRA’S 24-HOUR BOOKSTORE by Robin Sloan: Every once in a while I stumble onto a book so creative, so inspiring that it is just impossible to put down and impossible to forget. This is a conundrum of a novel; part mystery, part fantasy, very charming and just plain smart. The titled bookstore is unlike any I have been to; sure, they sell some used books, but mostly they warehouse a strange collection of books that are borrowed by an even stranger collection of people. When Clay Jannon loses his job due to economic collapse, he feels lucky to land the job of night clerk in this intriguing bookstore. Clay’s girlfriend is a Google employee and much is made about the Google culture, which adds another dimension to the story. This book is populated with quirky, interesting characters and they each bring a unique skill set to the story. Who are these people who wander into the store in the middle of the night and why do they borrow these strange books? If I may borrow from Winston Churchill, this book is truly a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, and I loved every page. 2/13 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch
MR. SHIVERS by Robert Jackson Bennett: Horror meets the great depression in this genre-bending debut. Connelly’s daughter has been murdered. For him, life will never be the same, but the possibility that carrying out revenge might bring him close is enough. He sets off west, following the scarred man known to most as Mr. Shivers. Shivers leaves a wake of death and sorrow in his path, a path that spares some but brings great pain to many. Throughout Connelly’s journey, he meets others who also seek vengeance against the scarred man. Each person shares the same tale and each person is willing to sacrifice everything to see Shivers suffer as they have. But their payback comes at a hefty price. Robert Jackson Bennett creates a bleak and dark world that is virtually unforgiving to all. His characters’ suffering and pain is clear, making Mr. Shivers a macabre sort of read and a window into a world that one hopes to never enter themselves. 01/10 Becky Lejeune

MRS. SOMEBODY SOMEBODY by Tracy Winn: This debut collection from Tracy Winn seems to have something for every type of reader. Each of the stories is connected by locale: all of the characters are tied to mill town Lowell, Massachusetts. The similarities in stories pretty much ends there. Some of these tales are heartfelt peeks inside the life of one of Lowell’s citizens – June DeLise’s free trip to Central America in “Gumbo Limbo,” and young immigrant Izabel’s story in “Cantogallo.” Four of the tales connect through one family, the Burroughs: Dr. Charlie Burroughs’s return from war in “Blue Tango,” Delia Burroughs’s secret in “Glass Box,” son Frankie’s early days and downfall in “Smoke” and “Frankie Floats,” and daughter Helen in “Copper Leaves Waiting.” The Burroughs’s stories were by far my favorites, but as with all short story collections, readers will connect with their own favorite tales. Overall, a balanced and well-written selection from Winn. 06/10 Becky Lejeune

THE MULLAH’S STORM by Thomas W. Young: Air Force Major Michael Parson is navigator of a C-130 carrying a high-value prisoner from Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan that is shot down. Not allowing the prisoner, a radical mullah, to be recaptured by his Taliban supporters is of the highest priority – beyond that of saving the lives of any of the plane’s crew or female Army Sergeant Gold, an interpreter/guard accompanying the mullah. This doesn’t sit well with Parson who fortunately has Dirk Pitt like superhuman powers to enable him to perform like Jack Reacher still in uniform. All in all, not a bad adventure tale, with authentic and believable information regarding weapons, tactics, and combat set in the severe Afghanistan landscape. Recommended. 09/11 Jack Quick

MUNCHIES AND OTHER TALES OF GUYS, GALS & GUNS by Jack Bludis: Munchies – a snack mix sold by Frito Lay, a confection sold by Nestle, a sudden strong desire for food, or best of all – the title story and title of Jack Bludis’ new collection of hard-boiled PI stories set in Baltimore, New York City and Los Angeles. Or, as Richard Helms proclaimed: “From Baltimore to the mean streets of New York, to the smoke-and-gin-soaked Hollywood of the 1940s, Bludis presents a lineup of some of the finest hard-boiled literature around. Page after page is filled with bullets, bucks, and broads. This is the good stuff!” This one reads like an alkie on his way to the gin mill and includes the Anthony and Shamus Award finalist tale, “Munchies,” plus “Pigtown Will Shine Tonight,” “Ticket to the Top,” “New Guy on the Block,” “Blonds, Blonds, Blonds,” and eight more short stories and novelettes. The only problem with this offering from the author of Shadow of the Dalhia is deciding which is best. My vote: The Transfer, in which the hundred seventeen year old Baltimore private dick is still hitting the streets and making it happen. Would that I could… 05/11 Jack Quick

MURDER AS A FINE ART by David Morrell: In his outstanding novel First Blood, David Morrell depicts a Vietnam veteran afflicted by post traumatic stress syndrome involved in violent confrontation with law officers of a small town. The horror of war and killing motivate John Rambo, to what happens to him in that town. “Murder As A Fine Art” has at its premise the psychology behind a murderer’s motivation. The novel is set in London in 1854 during the mid years of the Victorian age and shortly after the Crimean War between England and Russia. Two sets of murders take place: the first in a shop after business hours, and the second a few days later in a tavern. Called to the scene of the first set of murders is Sean Ryan who is depicted as one of the first detectives in England to have studied scientific detection methods. He approaches the murders with both an active searching for clues and a logical attitude towards the set up of the crime scene. Utilizing persons that actually lived at the time and facts about them enables Morrell to enhance the story and plot. First is Thomas De Quincey who was infamous for his memoir “Confessions of an English Opium-Eater”. He was a suspect in murders committed 43 years earlier in London due to his essay “On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts”. He is enticed to come to London with his daughter by an anonymous offer of lodgings in order to meet with a woman that he loved during the period of the first murders and lost touch with. The murders currently perpetrated are similiar to those committed 43 years earlier and De Quincey again becomes a suspect. Next is Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston known as Lord Palmerston and home secretary during the period depicted in the book. An historical view of him shown by Morrell was his active secret movements to foment unrest in Europe as a means of fostering England’s continued rise to power. He was involved with protecting the Opium Trade with China which is an important background issue in the novel. He was a superb politician and his political machinations are done justice in the book. In an afterward David Morrell indicates that he spent a year researching the London of 1854 and his descriptions enhance an already good story. The noise, the filth, the overcrowding, the life of people forced by poverty to live on the streets is presented as it was and are an integral part of resurrecting the London of the era. The motivations of the murderer and the reasons for the crimes will be understood by today’s reader based upon current knowledge of abnormal psychology. An engrossing read and one which will keep the reader glued to the pages. 05/13 Paul Lane

MURDER AT HOTEL CINEMA by Daniel Edward Craig: A diva dives off the top floor of a Hollywood hotel during a hot party. Did Chelsea Fricks commit suicide or was this more than a publicity stunt gone badly. Hotel Cinema becomes the setting of the ensuing investigation, starring Chelsea’s former pit bull publicist; a hairy, star-struck detective; tasteless tabloid reporters; and the incompetent manager, who breaks every rule in the hotel handbook. Cristal champagne is flowing. Business is booming. But who will survive the uproar and are other deaths in store? Easy read. 08/08 Jack Quick

MURDER AT LONGBOURN by Tracy Kiely: Elizabeth Parker is a big Jane Austen fan. As is her aunt, the proud owner of the Longbourn B&B, named for the Bennett residence in P&P. Elizabeth was all set to spend her New Year’s Eve alone after a break-up with her cheating boyfriend, until her aunt invites her to her own shindig. The festivities were to include a murder mystery dinner and, as promised in the invite, “screams in the dark.” But when the lights came back on, a real murder was discovered and Elizabeth’s beloved aunt the unfortunate prime suspect. Now Elizabeth must unravel the mystery in order to save her aunt from being accused. This cozy debut is a light read with an engaging heroine. Elizabeth will charm readers just as much as her literary namesake and Austen fans will enjoy picking out the references to her famed work as well. Murder at Longbourn is a traditional British inspired mystery with a contemporary twist. 09/09 Becky Lejeune

MURDER AT THE FOUL LINE edited by Otto Penzler: excellent follow-up anthology to Penzler’s MURDER IS MY RACKET, which focused on the tennis court. In this one, due out in January, a similar group of heavyweights weigh in on the basketball court with new short stories from Lawrence Block, Jeffery Deaver, Mike Lupica, Laurie R. King, S. J. Rozan and interestingly a joint effort by Joan H. and Robert B. Parker, among others. If you’re into hoops, you’ll love this one. 12/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

Murder Between the Covers by Elaine Viets. The Dead End Job mystery series is set in Fort Lauderdale, and features great stories interspersed with gentle humor. This one revolves around the murder of a bookstore owner named Page Turner (you gotta love it!) Our heroine is Helen, who feels the need to stay on the lam from her ex-husband, preferring to keep out of his, and the law’s, radar. So she takes jobs that are way beneath her talents and education (a former high powered CPA in her married life) and ends up working for cash in a small, independent bookstore that is owned by a real creep. When the creep gets killed, Helen can’t help but get involved along with the zany cast of characters that populate this series. Sometimes I just want to read something light, fun and fast, and Viets always comes through. 04/04

MURDER GRINS AND BEARS IT by Deb Baker: Amateur sleuth Gertie Johnson says “Anyone who smears chicken grease all over himself and goes bear hunting with a bow and arrow is plain stupid or has a death wish.” In seems everyone in this second book in the Yooper Mystery series is some kind of over the top crazy, including Gertie. Opening day of bear season, game warden murdered, Gertie’s favorite grandson Little Donny (all 280 pounds in his boxer underwear with footballs on them) disappears. Just another day on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Oh yeah, did I mention Gertie’s man hungry friend Cora Mae, who, since her discovery of Wonderbras, follows her boobs wherever she goes. But what really gets Gertie’s goat is her son Blaze, the local sheriff named for one of the horses she didn’t have as a child, seems more interested in arresting his mom for driving without a license than finding Little Donny or catching the killer. I guess the best description is: think Stephanie Plum, except it’s the wilds of Michigan rather than Newark, and Granny Mazur is the lead character, not Stephanie. All in all, a fun read that can cause excess laughter. Then there’s BB. What does BB stand for? “Bazooka,” BB said puffing up his chest. Marlin snorted, “More like them little pellets they shoot rabbits with.” But Gertie knew the truth – Bottom of the Brain Barrel. PS: may be offensive to persons of Scandinavian descent, upholders of sobriety and those who feel that society should be staid, but as Grandma Johnson said, “Once I find my pistol, I’m taking one of ‘em down. Don’t know how I could misplace it, but I’m on the look out. It’ll show up.” 05/07 Jack Quick

MURDER IN THE ABSTRACT by Susan Shea: Sleuthing is definitely not part of museum employee Dani’ O’Rourke’s job description. In fact, her position requires that she schmooze with folks who can make significant contributions to the Devor Museum in San Francisco, so solving a murder is a bit out of her comfort zone. But that’s just the task Dani finds herself faced with when up-and-coming artist—and ex-boyfriend—Clinton Maslow takes a tumble out of her own office window. Not only does Dani want to know what happened to her friend, but she also finds herself uncomfortably tagged as the prime suspect in the case. With more than just her career and the museum’s reputation at stake, Dani must uncover the true murderer’s identity before it’s too late. Susan Shea’s cozy-ish debut is a light mystery with an engaging heroine and an interesting setting. With a cast of fun (and suspicious) characters and a mystery that really keeps you guessing, Murder in the Abstract has everything a mystery fan is looking for in a new series. Brings to mind the early Goldy Shultz titles by Diane Mott Davidson (set in the art world, of course). 06/10 Becky Lejeune

Murder in the Hearse Degree by Tim Cockey: Amusing romp with undertaker Hitchcock Sewell in this fourth book of the series. His former girlfriend Libby shows up with her kids in tow – turns out she’s left her abusive husband. Things get ugly when her nanny disappears and her body is found in the river, and the autopsy shows that she was pregnant. The police rule it suicide, but the girl’s mother is insistent that her daughter would never do that, and Libby has a hard time with that choice too. Finding the father may lead to finding the murderer, and Hitch is off and running. Then things really get interesting. This is a fun series and does not have to be read in order. Enjoy them all – The Hearse Case Scenario, The Hearse You Came in On, and Hearse of a Different Color are the first three.

MURDER IS A PIECE OF CAKE by Elaine Viets: The latest entry in the Josie Marcus Mystery Shopper series finds Josie engaged to her heartthrob veterinarian, so Josie is delighted when her boss has her mystery shop wedding cakes and bridal salons. Her fiancé lands a gig on the local news channel, but when they begin filming, a woman comes barging in, declaring that she is marrying the vet. Hysteria ensues and the crazy bride ends up murdered. There are enough kooky characters and red herrings to make this a really fun read with a surprise ending. Cozy mystery fans will enjoy this latest escapade as much as I did. Viets has two series going is doing a great job with them both, putting her on my must read list. 11/12 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

MURDER IS MY RACQUET: Original Tennis Mysteries, edited by Otto Penzler: Only the A-list in this anthology of fourteen original stories of love, death and tennis – the game that conjures the height of genteel sportsmanship. I enjoyed all fourteen chapters – I mean what is not to like from Lawrence Block, John Harvey, Stephen Hunter, Robert Leuci, Ridley Pearson and Lisa Scottoline, among others. Each story is tightly edited and on target. I am surprised Penzler didn’t hold out for one more story so the subtitle could be Love – Fifteen. A June release that will delight tennis buffs and mystery fans. 05/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

MURDER MOST MAINE by Karen MacInerney: I suppose if you live in Austin, Texas, one way to cool off would be to write about the rugged coast of Maine. Ms. MacInerney does this quite well in this, her third Gray Whale Inn mystery set on Cranberry Island off the coast of Maine. Actually this could be called Murders Most Maine because there are two – or at least the remains of two. One is a centuries old skeleton discovered in a secret compartment by contractors renovating the old lighthouse. The more immediate concern, however, is the demise of Dirk DeLeon, the hunky heart throb personal trainer at the local weight loss spa who was certainly in the peak of physical condition, just ask any of the local ladies. Innkeeper Natalie Barnes must come up with the answer as the suspicions of poisoning force her to close down her beloved kitchen while boyfriend John is being eyed as a key suspect in the murder. It’s cozy, but nicely done. Oh, check out the recipe for Nat’s Midnight Mint bars. Yummm. 11/08 Jack Quick

MURDER NEW YORK STYLE edited by Randy Kandal: New York City – its murder. This group of twenty-one stories hits all the bases – Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Westchester, and the Outer Reaches. This classic look at New York includes Chinatown, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, even a Turkish nightclub. The stories range in time from the Revolutionary War until now with ghosts and gore, murder and mayhem – all in that particular New York style. The authors are: Cynthia Baxter, Meredith Cole, Fran Brannigan Cox, Peggy Ehrhart, Erica Harth, Marianna Heusler, Nan Higginson, Randy Kandel, M.E. Kemp, Ronnie Klaskin, Chelle Martin, Margaret Mendel, Terri Farley Moran, Dorothy Mortman, Anita Page, R.M. Peluso, Triss Stein, Deirdre Verne, Pearl Wolf, Lina Zeldovich, and Elizabeth Zelvin. 03/08 Jack Quick

MURDER NOTEBOOK by Jonathan Santlofer: This is the terrific sequel to Anatomy of Fear, the first book to feature New York City police sketch artist Nate Rodriguez. Santlofer is an extremely gifted artist, and brings a unique combination of a complex and interesting page turner with original drawings that serve to create visual interest and propel the story along. Nate is working on two cases – he’s reconstructing a skull for identification purposes in a cold case, and working a murder case that soon multiplies into several murders – only he has to convince the rest of the NYPD that the murders are related. This is psychological suspense taken to a new level – don’t miss it. 06/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

MURDER ON THE CLIFFS: A MYSTERY FEATURING DAPHNE DU MAURIER by Joanna Challis: While vacationing in Cornwall, aspiring author Daphne du Maurier stumbles across the body of a dead girl. As someone seeking inspiration for a story, Daphne couldn’t ask for a better setting. The woman, once a member of the Padthaway kitchen staff and recently engaged to marry Lord David Hartley, was a beautiful girl with a somewhat questionable past. Her future mother-in-law made no bones about her disapproval of the match, and David’s own sister, Lianne, a troubled teen who is on the scene when Daphne makes her discovery, had her own issues with the dead girl. With such a fascinating cast of characters surrounding her as possible suspects, Daphne soon makes it her business to solve what can only be murder. Fans of du Maurier’s work, especially Rebecca, will enjoy seeing the author as the sleuth in this gothic-tinged cozy debut. I know I’ll definitely be looking forward to the next title in Challis’s series. 11/09 Becky Lejeune

MURDER ON THE EIFFEL TOWER by Claude Izner: While touring the grand opening of the Eiffel Tower, a woman collapses and dies after supposedly being stung by a bee. Bookseller Victor Legris thinks nothing of it until he follows a certain artist later on and happens upon a second “bee sting” that results in death. Victor is enthralled with the young woman, but realizes that she always seems to be around when another body pops up. Strangely enough, Victor has also noticed his partner in the book business, Kenji Mori, has been acting very odd lately. Victor discovers that Kenji can also be linked to some of the victims. With clues pointing to both his best friend and the object of his affection, Victor makes it his personal business to discover the truth behind these mysterious deaths. Set against the backdrop of the 1889 World Exposition in Paris, France, this first in a new traditional mystery series is a truly enjoyable read. Interestingly enough, Izner is a pseudonym for two French sisters, both of whom are booksellers and experts on the time in which the series takes place. Their attention to detail and social commentary on the period make this a great historical mystery. So far there are four books in the series. Murder on the Eiffel Tower is the first to be published stateside, and book four is due out in the UK next spring. 09/08 Becky Lejeune

MURDER ON THE MIND by L.L. Bartlett: A skull fracture gives Jeff Resnick the ability to “see” crimes” starting with the murder of his brother’s banker. Then there is another victim : the banker’s wife. Resnick must find out the truth to protect himself and his brother, even at the risk of his life. A little too woo-woo for me but nicely written and quite twisty. Set for general release 12/05. 11/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

MURDER ON THE TRANS-SIBERIAN EXPRESS by Stuart Kaminsky: All good things must come to an end, even the Porfiry Petrovich Rostnikov Moscow police procedural series. In this, the 14th (and last) Rostnikov novel is assigned along with Sasha to ride the 6,000-mile Trans-Siberian Express to intercept a courier exchanging money for a package somewhere along the route. At the same time Rostnikov’s son and fellow policeman Iosef and his fiancé and fellow cop Elena Timofeyeva lead the effort to locate a madwoman whose random knife attacks have injured or slain men at a series of subway stops. Lastly, the “Vampire”, detective Emil Karpo and Zelach “the Slouch” are trying to locate a kidnapped heavy metal rock performer who is also the son of a powerful Jewish businessman. Too bad it all has to end. 03/08 Jack Quick

MURDER ON THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD by Stuart Kaminsky: Private Eye to the Stars Toby Peters’ second outing features Toby, Judy Garland, Clark Gable and Raymond Chandler along with a host of munchkins, except one who is lying on his back in the middle of the yellow brick road with a knife sticking out of his chest. Its 1940 and, having saved Errol Flynn in BULLET FOR A STAR, Toby must now deal with dreamers, child stars, and half-sized philosophers on behalf of the real Wizard of Oz, Louis B. Mayer, head of Metro-Goldwyn Mayer. If you have a thing for old movies as well as mysteries, this series is a must read. If not, you still should read it. Who knows what it might do for you. 04/09 Jack Quick

MURDER ONE by Robert Dugoni: David Slone (Bodily Harm) is slowly rebuilding his life after his wife’s murder. He runs into Barclay Reid, a beautiful attorney and an old adversary. Reid is also grieving; her daughter died from a drug overdose. They start dating, but Reid is obsessed with the man she believes caused her daughter’s death, so when he gets off on a technicality, Reid decides to go after him via a civil suit with the famous “Jury Master” himself, Slone, as her new lawyer. The romance flourishes until the drug kingpin ends up dead and Reid is arrested for his murder. Slone reluctantly tackles her defense, his first time in a criminal courtroom, with great skill regardless, but Reid isn’t always forthcoming and Slone finds his defense unraveling. His investigator finds some troubling evidence and the suspense really ratchets up a notch until the final surprise of an ending. VERDICT: Tight plotting and well developed characters push Dugoni to the head of the legal thriller pack in what is probably his finest book to date. Grisham and Turow fans should add Dugoni to their list of must-reads. 06/11 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

MURDER PASSES THE BUCK by Deb Baker: Great Britain may have had Sherlock Holmes and New York its Lincoln Rhyme, but nobody out sleuths 66 year old Gertie Johnson on the Michigan Upper Peninsula. In this “Yooper” mystery Gertie sets out to find who shot Chester Lampi in his deer blind on Opening day of deer season. Her son Blaze (named after a horse) who is now the local sheriff says it was an accident but Gertie knows better. With the help of Little Donny, her 6 foot 4 grandson and best friend hairdresser Cora Mae, she sets out to prove her son wrong. I mean you got to admire someone whose idea of putting out a building fire is ramming it with a vehicle. Fun read. 09/08 Jack Quick

The Murder Room by P. D. James: Sometimes a particular book seems to come along at just the right time. As it happened, The Murder Room found its way to me at a particularly pensive time of the year and suited my mood perfectly.
It is full of older characters and even Ms. James’ protagonist, Commander Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard is showing signs of age. This is not a bad thing as the passing of years instills in many persons of maturity a deeper appreciation for all aspects of life, its colors and smells, its frailties and noble moments and a keener sense of the nuances in all of these. Ms. James’ careful prose spelled these out and gave me too a sense of the rightness of whatever is going to happen.
The story itself involves a modest museum devoted to the history of the period between the First and Second World Wars. When its founder dies, his three children have very different ideas of what should be done with it and how they can best use it to their own personal advantage. The dissenting sib is immolated on the grounds in his precious Jaguar motorcar and Dalgliesh and his special squad are called in when the government senses that sensitive concerns may be involved.
The careful description of the principal characters in the book makes this more of a real solve-it type mystery than most these days. That too was a pleasure.
The final delightful twist in this tale is the parallel between the circumstances surrounding various murders and the murders depicted in the museum’s murder room of historic cases from the interwar years.
I enjoyed this thoughtful book, but if you want something more fast-paced, you had better look elsewhere. That is not to say that this book is without passion. Adam Dalgliesh believes he has found true love, but they have trouble getting together. His work and her lesbian roommate present serious and perhaps insurmountable obstacles to the flowering of their relationship.
Hopefully, you will get this book and stick it away for a cloudy day when you are in a reflective state of mind. 12/03 ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

MURDER…SUICIDE…WHATEVER… by Gwen Freeman: Remember the scene in Good Morning Vietnam where the Lieutenant was discussing humor with Robin Williams? Well, I will tell you this lady is funny. Laugh out loud, hurt your sides funny. When “Uncle” Ted Heffernan, insurance broker to the (porn) stars is found dead inside a locked office it is up to unemployed bi-racial twenty-something Fifi Cutter and her half-brother Bosco Dorff (who is partial to women with big bazongas) to find out what happened and why. Pretending to be private investigators who are pretending to be grief counselors gives them access to situations which they completely and consistently screw up. How about this for an answer “If he told me, I would know. But if he didn’t tell me, then I wouldn’t.” Whomever invented the “locked room mystery” never had this pair in mind. You would not want to be locked up with them. Excellent debut. Janet Evanovich should be hearing footsteps. 03/07 Jack Quick

MURDER TALKS TURKEY by Deb Baker: In order to understand Gertie Johnson, you have to remember she named her children Heather, Star and Blaze, all names of horses she wanted but never had. Blaze is the local sheriff but he’s out of commission with bacterial meningitis on this fine spring day in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. So there is sixty-six year old Gertie, standing in line at the Stonely Credit Union on April 1 to cash her social security check when a man wearing a ski mask pulls a gun and demands all the money. Obviously he was from out of town, or he would have known everyone in Stonely was armed and most can shoot a nickel off the top of a soda can. So the robber is shot down by a police sniper in a room full of witnesses, but where is the money? In the excitement, the money has disappeared and its Gertie, Cora Mae, and Kitty, the geriatric gumshoes who must track it down. So pull up a plate of “hot dish” and have it. It’s a regular whodunit. 04/08 Jack Quick

MURDER UNDER THE LOON by Gerald Anderson: John Hofstead always wore a coat and tie, and in winter often a vest as well. After all, you wouldn’t want to entrust your money to just any insurance man. John was so good at his work that Hofstead Hail Insurance was now one of the most prosperous firms in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. So it just didn’t seem right when Hofstead’s body was found in the snow beneath a giant concrete loon, the apparent victim of a snowmobile accident. Sheriff Palmer Knutson isn’t so sure. After all there are no footprints in the snow and the death came on the eve of Hofstead’s planned announcement of the successor to his position as President of the Company he had founded. Had one of the four employees or their spouses taken the matter into their own hands to avoid the announcement? Its old-fashioned greed, ambition and jealousy in the North Country with a full cast of characters. Never fear Sheriff Knutson and wily deputy Orly Peterson will prevail. 04/08 Jack Quick

MURDER UNLEASHED by Elaine Viets: Viets hardcover debut and the latest in the Dead End Job mystery series is a hoot. Helen Hawthorne is living beneath the radar in South Florida after running from St. Louis and her unsavory past – she went after her cheating husband with a crowbar and then refused to pay him alimony. She’s surviving by living in a dumpy old apartment and taking any job that will pay her cash under the table. This time out she’s working for an upscale Fort Lauderdale pet shop with competing dog groomers, one of whom is a diva of the highest order. The parade of dog obsessed customers gets shorter when one is found with a pair of grooming shears stuck in her chest, a celebrity dog gets caught in a messy custody battle, and another body turns up, all of which is a prelude to the hurricane that’s blowing in. Helen is smart enough to see trouble coming and works hard to avoid it, often with hilarious results. A fast, fun read and a wonderful addition to the series. 05/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

MURDER WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS by Elaine Viets: Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper is checking out the local Christmas stores and it’s not putting her in the Christmas spirit – not when you have to buy Christmas “pornaments” and your gingerbread cake has a raisin with legs in it. Townspeople are furious, and they are picketing the store when a mysterious Santa up on the roof upends a shovelful of snow onto one of the picketers, putting her at death’s door. Then at the lovely Christmas store across the way, two customers end up hospitalized after eating chocolate sauce laced with antifreeze. One of those customers is Josie’s ex, a drug dealer whose sharp lawyer got him out of jail on a technicality. Lots of family angst amid the Christmas mayhem in this simple, light holiday mystery, which at this time of year, may be the perfect read. 12/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

MURDER WITH RESERVATIONS by Elaine Viets: This latest installment in the Dead End Job series has our heroine, Helen Hawthorne, finding another dead body. Still on the run from her ex-husband, Helen takes one low-paying, cash-under-the-table job after another, from bridal consultant to bookseller to dog groomer to this latest, maid in a small Fort Lauderdale hotel. But finding bodies is not a good way to stay undercover, and Helen is a nervous wreck when sure enough, her sister calls to warn her that the ex is on his way. Great characters, wonderful location, nice plot twists, and gentle humor make this a must read. Viets has penned another winner. 05/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE MURDERER VINE by Shepard Rifkin: Joe Dunne is just an ordinary gumshoe trying to make a living in New York City after being kicked off the cops. He handles a drug pusher for a client and the next thing he knows he is being hired to commit murder. It’s during the 60’s and three young men who have gone to rural Mississippi to register black voters have disappeared. Dunne is hired by the father of one of the men to confirm the boys are dead and then take care of the perps. It goes against all his scruples but the money comprises the proverbial offer you can’t refuse. Only at the end does he learn the true cost. Its Mississippi Burning, told yet another time. 05/08 Jack Quick

THE MURDERER’S DAUGHTERS by Randy Susan Meyers: Lulu’s mother told her not to let her father inside. But when he came knocking, young Lulu opened the door to her father’s bidding. That fateful day, Lulu’s father killed her mother. Merry, just five at the time, was stabbed and would bear the scar for the rest of her life, a reminder of the event that changed things forever. Afterwards, Lulu and Merry were left virtually orphaned with no one to care for them but each other. Through the story each sister grows, taking their secret with them, and dealing in their own way with the burden of their past. Lulu, an overachiever, pushes herself to great accomplishment while closing herself off emotionally. Merry, on the other hand, is always trying to please others first, including Lulu. Eventually, they must both recognize the ways that that pivotal moment has shaped their lives in order to finally move on. Randy Susan Meyers approaches her subject with grace and sensitivity. A thoughtful, if somewhat sad (but ultimately hopeful), story about family, sisters, and the tragic effects of domestic abuse and violence on children. 01/10 Becky Lejeune

Must Love Dogs by Claire Cook: This utterly charming novel is a fun read, perfect for whiling away an afternoon on the beach. Sarah Hurlihy is 40 years old, divorced and happily teaching preschoolers a multicultural curriculum. But her interfering, overzealous Boston Irish family thinks she should be dating, and with much love she is pushed into answering a personal ad from a gentleman seeking a lady “who enjoys elegant dining, dancing and the slow bloom of affection” and the clincher; he’s a man who “loves dogs.”
That date turns out to be the last man on earth any woman would want to date, but Sarah pushes on, slowly falling headlong into the dating game with decidedly mixed results. Meanwhile, Sarah’s widowed father has his own dating troubles, brother Michael is having marital problems, sister Carol is having troubles at home with her temperamental teenage daughter Siobhan, who turns to her favorite aunt for comfort and body piercing support. Somehow, they all seem to end up on Sarah’s doorstep at the most inopportune moments, keeping the laughs going all the way to the not-quite-storybook-perfect ending. Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch. Copyright © 2002 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Reprinted with permission.
MY DEAR I WANTED TO TELL YOU by Louisa Young: The horrors of war are laid out in Louisa Young’s debut adult novel, My Dear I Wanted to Tell You. At the onset of WWI, young Riley Purefoy, a boy in love with a girl who seems out of his reach, joins up to serve and defend his country. The object of his affection, Nadine Waveney, comes from a good, middle-class family. She’d hoped to attend art school, but instead volunteers to do her part on the home front as a nurse. Meanwhile, Riley meets up with Peter Locke, a young professional and newlywed who is his commanding officer. Locke left behind a lovely bride, Julia, who wants nothing more than to please her husband. But the war has left its mark on Peter who is increasingly distant on each return home. His cousin, Rose, also a nurse, works with a cutting-edge surgeon whose techniques are offering injured soldiers a new life at home. Young offers an emotional glimpse inside the lives of these five characters, but it felt a bit unbalanced. Too often, I felt like Riley had become the focus of the story at the expense of other characters, though I never felt he was the main character in the book. Then the story ends. It wraps up so quickly, that I was left wanting more. More of the inbetween story before Riley is injured, more of Rose’s tale, more background on Julia and Peter. 06/11 Becky Lejeune

MY LAST CHRISTMAS AS A CHILD by Gabriel Melton: Lighthearted semi-autobiographical short tale of growing up in Alabama by a local (to me) author who co-incidentally is my age. Its all about first love, the agony of not “fitting in”, and learning some life lessons that will guide you as you become an adult. This would make a good stocking stuffer for that young teen or pre-teen in the household. 09/08 Jack Quick

My Lurid Past by Lauren Henderson: Lauren Henderson takes a break from her terrific Sam Jones crime series in her first attempt outside the mystery genre. Juliet Cooper is a 33-year-old Peter Pan wanna-be who spends her days as a food publicist with a gorgeous male assistant and her biggest client, Liam, an up-and-coming TV chef, both of whom have the hots for anything in a skirt. She spends her nights carousing with her good friend Mel, a professional dominatrix, and having casual sex, which has suddenly become unfulfilling. Juliet is mired down with an antagonistic, egocentric mother, a ne’er-do-well brother, and best gal-pal Gillian on the brink of divorce. Alex, who hasn’t made a pass and is “a coke virgin” [cocaine] to boot, is the only calm in the storm and helps Juliet discover that maybe it’s time for a real relationship. Henderson may push the chick-lit genre to the wall with this hint of a fetish fest but there’s too much whining and not enough story to make it work. 11/03 Copyright © 2003 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Reprinted with permission.

MY SOUL TO SAVE by Rachel Vincent: It’s only been a matter of months since Kaylee Cavanaugh learned that she was a bean sidhe—a banshee—responsible for singing a song that allows the soul of the dead to travel on. Kaylee never thought things could get any weirder than they already were, but when she and her fellow bean sidhe boyfriend, Nash, attend a concert and witness a pop star die on stage, that’s just what happens: things get weirder. Kaylee expects the soul song to begin, but it never does. In fact, what leaves the star’s body is not a soul at all, but something called Demon’s Breath, the substance takes the soul’s place after the soul is signed away. Kaylee may have been too late to save the girl, but she and her friends soon learn that there is another who will suffer the same fate if they don’t try to help. Helping will come at a cost, though. Kaylee will have to learn all she can about the Netherworld in order to track down and negotiate with the demon. And Netherworld is no place for the living, especially not a novice bean sidhe. Vicent’s Soul Screamers series is a stand out for so many reasons: First, the premise is totally original. Second, My Soul to Save enters some truly hair-raising territory with the Netherworld. And third, the story rocks (for teens and adults, I might add). 01/10 Becky Lejeune

MY SOUL TO TAKE by Rachel Vincent: Kaylee Cavanaugh, like most teens, sometimes wonders if she may be losing her mind. But Kaylee is far from the normal teen. Kaylee is a bean sidhe (banshee), one of few left in the world, and the latest in a line of bean sidhes. Kaylee has been completely in the dark about her ability, until now. She is able to sense death, and the overwhelming need to scream for the dying is not something that anyone has bothered to explain to her before. The truth behind Kaylee’s ability is revealed to her at the same time that a string of teenage girls have mysteriously dropped dead with no apparent cause. Kaylee knows that something strange is going on—stranger than learning that there are real bean sidhes and other beings walking the world, that is. Together with her friends’ help, Kaylee will uncover the truth behind the deaths, but is her power enough to stop them from continuing? Leave it to Rachel Vincent (author of the Shifters series) to find another corner of the urban fantasy market that has yet to be touched. This original and addictively readable teen debut also marks the inaugural title in the new Harlequin Teen line—and it’s such a perfect way to start. Highly recommended for adults and teens alike. 08/09 Becky Lejeune

MY WORK IS NOT YET DONE by Thomas Ligotti: In this time of economic crisis, I’m not sure if Ligotti’s tale of “corporate horror” becomes more amusing or more chilling. In “My Work is Not Yet Done,” the first part of this slim novel, office employee Frank Dominio has been let go after enduring humiliation from his coworkers, a demotion, and even theft of his ideas. His elaborate revenge plot is changed, though, when Frank discovers that he is no longer hampered by the physical world. The book also contains two other tales, “I Have a Special Plan for This World,” which, despite appearances, does not seem to be connected to Frank’s own tale, and “The Nightmare Network,” a series of disturbing want ads and internal memos from a nightmarish corporation that seeks to control and ultimately ruin everything. Ligotti’s creepy tales are highly original and contemplative. Perhaps not the best read for a work break, but otherwise recommended for any horror fan looking for something different in the genre. 05/09 Becky Lejeune

THE MYSTIC ARTS OF ERASING ALL SIGNS OF DEATH by Charlie Huston: Webster Fillmore Goodhue (Web) is kind of an asshole. Truth be told, he’s not completely without reason. His father is responsible for his best friend’s parents’ deaths and Web himself survived a truly horrific ordeal that has left him in a bit of a predicament. See Web used to be an elementary school teacher and a kind of nice guy. But then a random shooting ended with one of his students dead and left Web unable to return to work. So now, after months of loafing and mooching, he’s taken a job with a friend as a crime scene cleaner, and likes it. But then a girl asks for help and Web finds himself unable to say no which brings him into a messy situation that even his cleaning skills may not be enough to fix. Huston, author of the Joe Pitt vampire series, has created a witty and amusing dark tale of friendship and family and all the problems that come with both. Web is a likeable character in spite of his personality disorder, one that the reader wants to see come out on top, which makes the book that much more fun to read. 01/09 Becky Lejeune

Mystic River by Dennis Lehane: Phenomenal book about three men who were childhood friends. One day they were playing in the street when a car stops. They think it is the cops, and when the “cops” take one of the boys it changes their lives forever. He escapes but twenty-five years later they are all wearing the scars of that day. This book reminded me a bit of the way Stephen King tells stories, minus the supernatural stuff. There is enough horror and twists and turns to qualify it as a thriller, but it is the relationships of the characters that is so riveting and memorable. Another Lehane not to be missed: Gone Baby Gone. Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch