Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

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1) Cost of Life by Joshua Corin: Giddy ride about a hijacking of a passenger airline. Well done character presentation of feelings and thoughts of both hijackers and their victims.

2) One Man’s Flag by David Downing: Very well researched novel set during the early period of World War I and the Irish rebellion against England. Mr Downing paints his characters as they would have been during the period described. They act and talk as they most likely would have at the time they existed.

3) Trust No One by Paul Cleave: Cleave tells the story through the eyes of an author of books dealing with murder. The individual, Jerry Grey is sinking into early onset Alzheimer’s and is beginning to believe that he actually committed the murders described in his books. The novel is a brilliantly handled description of Grey’s gradual descent into the disease and the solving of actual murders via the clues that his non lucid ravings provide.

4) Night Tremors by Matt Coyle: A detective story set in Southern California, La Jolla and San Diego. Coyle proves adept at introducing many characters with varying connections to a murder that occurred eight years ago. His detective Rick Cahill, suffering from the horrors of his beloved wife being killed two years prior to the opening of this book is attempting to regain some semblance of order in his life.

5) Clear by Fire by Joshua Hood: A book about men and women in combat told by a veteran of war in both Iraq and Afghanistan. An adrenalin rush of constant action with the advantage of both intimate knowledge of both the weapons and tactics utilized as well as the emotions, thoughts, and reactions of the people involved in the battles.

6) Chimpanzee by Darin Bradley: Set in the near future when the US economy has collapsed, unemployment is rampant and millions defaulting on their loans. The government has evolved a method of collecting the principal defaulted on by actually recovering on his memories through Repossession Therapy. Ben Cade has been called to undergo the Therapy, but discovers a novel way to prevent this. A book that could predict the future as government giveaways destroy the economy and drive millions into debt that cannot be repaid.

7) Storm Front by Robert Conroy: Well done novel about the damage unrestrained nature can cause when let loose. An unexpected major snowfall hits the town of Sheridan Michigan and causes everything to stop. Compounded by the presence of two killers that entered Sheridan and cannot get out due to the weather. Plenty of well done action.

8) A Different Lie by Derek Haas: Married couple has a baby, the norm for a happy marriage. Minor problem. The husband is an assassin and his wife works at the details in setting up a hit. Very different picture of a loving husband and wife just having a baby.

9) Sunfail by Steven Savile: Jake Quinn was formerly a member of the armed forces Special forces. He now works as an electrician for the New York subway system. He comes upon two young men spray painting graffiti and comes to the realization that the writing is actually a code in an ancient language. The “hidden” are calling to each other and Jake is dragged kicking and screaming into a world of conspiracy and menace. An all nighter from the very inception.

10) The First Hostage by Joel Rosenberg: The author has written several novels about terrorism in the middle east. His knowledge is uncanny and each novel seems to forecast what is to occur. J.B. Collins is a foreign correspondent for the New York Times He becomes witness to a devastating attack by ISIS terrorists in Amman Jordan. The terrorists are able to capture the US president who is in Jordan to meet with the leaders of Israel and Palestine and attempt to reconcile their differences. Fast moving and a picture of ISIS and it’s goals.

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It is my pleasure to present my favorite reads of 2015. Once again I didn’t constrain myself to any arbitrary number of good books – these are all terrific and are listed alphabetically by author within each category. That said, my top three for the year would have to be The Crossing by Michael Connelly, The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, and Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal. But believe me when I say every one of these books is worth reading!

Perennials – these are the authors that I wait for each year, and somehow they just seem to get better and better.

MAKE ME by Lee Child: When I review a new Jack Reacher book, it often feels like I will run out of superlatives or lapse into another review that sounds much like the one before it. But really, it’s not my fault if Child keeps pumping out series books that get better every time – especially considering that he started out with a winner. This is a dark and twisty story as only Lee Child can tell it, and I stayed up late into the night to finish it.

THE CROSSING by Michael Connelly: This is the beginning of a new Harry Bosch. Connelly has gone where he swore he wouldn’t go and Harry is working for his half brother, the Lincoln Lawyer himself, Mickey Haller. As far as I’m concerned, Connelly is the best crime fiction writer out there, and his latest just proves it.

CORRUPTED by Lisa Scottoline: Bennie Rosato, founder of the Rosato & Associates law firm, is a very private person, even with her staff. This book moves back and forth in time from a young Rosato handling a juvenile case, to a present day murder case. Both are compelling on their own, but the combination and the glimpse into Bennie’s younger self make this a wonderful addition to the series.

CHECKED OUT by Elaine Viets: The fun continues, this time at the library, in Viet’s latest entry into one of my favorite mystery series. I love the south Florida culture that Viets always infuses her mysteries with, and this time out she also inserts lots of interesting library trivia, and any library regular will love all the inside gossip. Another great cozy mystery with lots of laughs, warm, wonderful characters and an intriguing premise. Being a librarian, this book holds a special place in my heart.

Thrillers

COLD COLD HEART by Tami Hoag: Tami Hoag has been writing nail biting thrillers for years, but takes a different turn here, while fans will recognize some series characters in minor roles. While the suspense is high, the stakes are even higher as Hoag delves into traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder. This unusual look at the serial killer genre is a most welcome exploration of these brain injuries and what it is like to be a survivor.

A COLD WAR by Alan Russell: This “Cold War” has nothing to do with Russia and everything to do with an Alaskan autumn, and is a fascinating look at survivalists and the wilderness of our fiftieth state, as well as being a truly gripping page turner.

CRAZY LOVE YOU by Lisa Unger: This is a complex, intricate story yet the pages fly by as Ian, the most unreliable narrator since Nick Dunne in Gone Girl, leads us on a wild ride in this superb psychological thriller. Unger is at the top of her game here.

Cozy Mystery

TWENTY-EIGHT AND A HALF WISHES by Denise Grover Swank: There is a lot of humor in this book that borders on but never quite crosses over to silly, and the mystery here almost takes a backseat to Rose and her declaration of independence.  It is light, fluffy Southern fun and should appeal to Mary Kay Andrews and Charlaine Harris fans.

Literary Mystery

EILEEN by Ottessa Moshfegh: Eileen is the narrator of this dark look back at her life during a 1960’s Christmas week. Eileen has to be one of the most damaged characters in fiction. A friendship turns into something truly ugly that leads to a shocking ending. This is literary psychological suspense at its best.

Women’s Fiction

THE DRESS SHOP OF DREAMS by Menna van Praag: This is a fabulist, wondrous story about a girl, the guy whose been in love with her for most of their lives, and her grandmother. There are several storylines here that flow seamlessly together and make the pages fly by. I loved this magical read, and just might read it again – which is high praise indeed.

WHO DO YOU LOVE by Jennifer Weiner: I have loved Jennifer Weiner since her first book, Good in Bed, and she has grown since then, graduating from smart chick-lit to smart women’s fiction. These characters are complex and real, and this is a beautiful coming of age story in a addition to a sweeping romance. Best of all, the book is totally unputdownable – I couldn’t stop turning the pages and when I finished it, I couldn’t stop thinking about these characters, and that is the highest praise I can give.

Historical Fiction

THE NIGHTINGALE by Kristin Hannah: This was a completely mesmerizing story, a female side of the war that isn’t often explored. I was totally immersed in their world, and often brought to tears. It is a difficult subject, and the brutality and violence is not whitewashed at all, but is necessary to the story. I have read a lot of Holocaust fiction and this was one of the more interesting, unusual and compelling books on the subject. This strong, well written feminist historical fiction is simply not to be missed.

ALL THE STARS IN THE HEAVENS by Adriana Trigiani: In a bit of a departure from her usual big Italian family sagas, All the Stars in the Heavens takes a look back at the glamorous Hollywood of the 1930s. The story centers around Loretta Young, Spencer Tracey and Clark Gable and the fascinating lifestyles of these rich and famous. If you haven’t read Trigiani, this is a terrific place to start and if you’re already a fan, you won’t want to miss this one.

Foodie Fiction

THE COINCIDENCE OF COCONUT CAKE by Amy E. Reichert: One of my favorite movies is You’ve Got Mail, the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan romcom written by Nora & Delia Ephron that is set around NYC bookstores. Much as You’ve Got Mail was a love letter to New York City, Coconut Cake is a love letter to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Reichert did an amazing job – I want to go!  The Coincidence of Coconut Cake is the foodie equivalent of Mail, and that completely worked for me.

KITCHENS OF THE GREAT MIDWEST by J. Ryan Stradal: This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It has everything; great characters, terrific setting, a creative premise and mouthwatering meals. This is a story about fathers and daughters, mothers and daughters, and community. It’s always about the Midwest and the foodie culture that has pervaded America. There are a lot of laughs, poignant moments that brought me to tears, and everything in between. The prose is beautiful, almost poetic at times, but it is the characters that completely stole my heart. It is a book that begs to be read slowly and savored, and book that craves to be discussed.

Historical Romance

WHEN A SCOT TIES THE KNOT by Tessa Dare: This was such a fun read! I admit, I have a thing for Scots – at least Scots men in kilts – thank you, Diana Gabaldon. And I love Tessa Dare. Lots of angst, sex and a bit of history are thrown into the mix. I haven’t had this much fun reading a romance in a while.

FOUR NIGHTS WITH THE DUKE by Eloisa James: Eloisa James is my favorite romance writer. She does historical romance, this one set in late 18th century England. This is another wonderful romance, filled with likeable characters, enough drama to make the pages fly by and as always, lots of passion. I loved it.

Contemporary Romance

IT HAPPENED ONE WEDDING by Julie James: This book was on so many best romances of the year lists for 2014 I quickly got on board. And am I glad I did – I found a new author that I will continue reading. Plus this is book 5 of a series which means there at least 4 more I can get my hands on. I loved this fast paced romance. The characters were believable, their stumbling blocks realistic, and having a wedding as a backdrop just added to the charm of this book.

PLAYING WITH FIRE by Kate Meader: This is the second book in the series but my first Meader read, and I’ll be back for more.  A contemporary romance bordering on erotica but not quite crossing the line, Meader excels at heating things up page by page, and I couldn’t turn them fast enough. Loved her main character, a female firefighter, and the chemistry between her and the mayor up for reelection. A super fun, sexy read.

Nonfiction

LEAN IN by Sheryl Sandberg: I don’t read a lot of business type books, but I ripped through it in one Sunday afternoon – I could see why there has been so much hype around this book. The book is part memoir, part career advice, and eminently personal. This is an inspirational and important book, and I urge anyone who works to read it – both men and women. There is a new edition called Lean In for Graduates, which expands on this book with additional chapters “offering advice on finding and getting the most out of a first job; résumé writing; best interviewing practices; negotiating your salary; listening to your inner voice; owning who you are; and leaning in for millennial men.”

HEADS IN BEDS by Jacob Tomsky: Jacob Tomsky works the front desk of high end, luxury hotels. Here he offers up the inside dirt on what really goes on, how to get the most bang for your buck, but really his point is how to beat the system – all told in a most entertaining fashion. I listened to the audiobook, which the author reads, and he does a really good job. I actually had to stop it a few times to take notes! But for the most part, the note taking portion is in the appendix. The book itself is by turns funny, horrifying and always interesting –  at least to anyone who has ever stayed or is planning to stay in a hotel. A fun and informative read.

Cookbooks

THE PIZZA BIBLE by Tony Gemignani: I am Italian by marriage, and over the years we have gotten pretty serious about pizza, serious enough that my husband built a wood burning pizza oven in the back yard. For the beginner to the Professional Pizzaiolo, this book works for everyone. This is an excellent cookbook, well laid out, easy to use, with recipes that work. It is pizza nirvana.

FOOD52 GENIUS RECIPES by Kristen Miglore: Food52 is one of the great foodie blogs out there. The pictures are gorgeous, they offer columns with lots of really useful info, tons of recipes, a hotline where you can post any kind of cooking/kitchen question, and lots more. This cookbook is a collection of recipes from many chefs, all tops in their fields like Julia Child, Dorie Greenspan, Marcella Hazan, Dan Barber, James Beard, & Tom Colicchio. Having all these amazing recipes in one book means that this is a book I will keep on my kitchen counter and draw from again and again.

Coffee Table Cookbook

A NEW NAPA CUISINE by Christopher Kostow: There are cookbooks that have great recipes that I can’t wait to try, and there are cookbooks that have the most gorgeous pictures. This is one of the latter. This is a beautiful coffee table book, from the cover, which is a sort of burlap-like fibrous material, to the stunning photos of the Napa Valley, the local artisans, the farms, and of course the food.

YA
EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING by Nicola Yoon: Who can forget the Bubble Boy? Well, I certainly couldn’t, and Nicola Yoon takes that story and gives it a modern, unique twist. Short chapters are interspersed with drawings, charts & graphs, drawn by the author’s husband. I love epistolary novels and this is a really good one, filled with unforgettable characters.

Holiday

CHRISTMAS BELLS by Jennifer Chiaverini: I figured if I keep reading Christmas novels, eventually I’ll find one I can rave about…and here it is! This book is a twofer – two stories told in alternating chapters that are set over a hundred years apart. The obvious inspiration of the historical story neatly focuses the modern day one, and I loved them both. This is heartwarming, of course, but also fascinating and beautifully written.

Older books I found this year:

JOSHUA: A Brooklyn Tale by Andrew Kane: At its heart, it is a coming of age story but it is also a history of the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, starting in the late 1950s but with some additional historic information going back to the 1800s. This a completely engrossing story, with well defined characters that the reader can’t help but care about. The tumultuous times add a lot of drama and action, making this a fast paced story as well. What I really liked is that the author showed both the good and the bad in all these racial and religious groups. There was no black and white, only the more realistic shades of gray.

DREAMING OF YOU by Lisa Kleypas: The innocent yet smart woman saving the damaged man is a standard in the romance genre, and this is an excellent example. The cover has actually been updated, the book was reissued last summer and from what I can tell has been in print continuously since 2000. There are probably thousands of paperback romances that have gone out of print in that time so while that may not sound like a big deal, trust me, for a paperback romance to be in print for that long, especially to be reissued with a new cover 15 years later, is a very big deal. But having read it, I completely understand.

Geoff’s Ten Favorites for 2014

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I thought that this was pretty good year for both great stories and intellectual challenges, so this was not an easy list to put together.

1.  Faithful and Virtuous Night by Louise Gluck: Much to my surprise, the book that moved me the most this year was this slender volume of poetry by Louise Gluck.  Calm and reflective, Ms. Gluck’s language is an easy entrée into thoughts about both the deepest and the most transient aspects of life and family.

2. The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan: The powerful WWII story of a doctor from Australia who is the commanding officer of a group of Australian prisoners of war.  His men are being forced by the Japanese Army to try to build a railroad through the jungle in Burma. It pulls no punches and is not a pretty or romantic story.  However, there are many examples of courage and weakness displayed. The doctor, Dorrigo Evans, finds himself forced to be a better man than he had ever dreamed of being in order to set an example for his men.  The book looks in depth at why people do great things and why other people engage in acts of what seems to be unspeakable cruelty.  It is a powerhouse and was well deserving of the Booker Prize. (By the way, the title comes from a book by Basho, the legendary Japanese poet.)

3.  The Burning Room by Michael Connelly: Bosch is back, working on another cold case, a man who finally dies from a bullet fired ten years earlier. It is politically sensitive and becomes even more so when tied to another cold case involving children killed in a fire. Bosch is assigned a new protégé, Lt. Lucia Soto, who turns out to be a survivor of that fire. As the story progresses, Bosch tries to pass along not only what he knows about crime-solving and why murderers must be brought to justice, but also how to avoid the pitfalls of politics and the press. Lt. Soto is an apt student, although every bit as headstrong as Bosch himself.  As the twin cases progress, they each gain increasing trust and respect for each other. Hopefully, they will continue to get to work together in the future.

4.  The Long Way Home by Louise Penny: Those who know how strongly I feel about Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache stories will appreciate how powerful I thought the first three books were to place them ahead of her latest. The Long Way Home is interesting for a lot of different reasons.To start with, it is not, at least at first, a murder story. It is the story of the usual gang’s search for the husband of Clara Morrow, the artist extraordinaire. Secondly, it does not take place in the wonderfully familiar and comfortable setting of the Village of Three Pines, but rather travels to the no man’s land at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. But most of all, it is different because you can sense Ms. Penny feeling more confident and liberated as an author, willing to take chances and try new things. It will be fascinating to see where her next book goes. I can’t wait.

5.  Redeployment by Phil Klay: Klay’s short stories about life as a soldier in Iraq and afterward are based on his personal experiences there. A review of some of the stories titles will  let you know how deep and powerful they are going to be – Frago, After Action Report, Bodies, Money as a Weapons System, In Vietnam They Had Whores, Prayer in the Furnace, Psychological Operations, and Unless It’s a Sucking Chest Wound. The grim humor of men at war comes through in the story OIF, which pretty much consists of the acronyms that bureaucracies love. It starts “EOD handled the bombs. SSTP treated the wounds. PRP processed the bodies. The 08’s fired DPICM. The MAW provided the CAS. The 03’s patrolled the MSR’s. Me and PFC handled the money.”

6.  In Paradise by Peter Mattheissen: Mattheissen’s last book is one of his best. It is the story of Clements Olin, a professor of twentieth century Slavic literature, with a special interest in survivor texts.  Professor Olin, who is himself of Polish extraction joins a group of about a hundred people, from various countries, for a week-long “healing” at a German death camp.  The use of these different peoples, including a spiritual leader, Ben Lama, and a cynic named Dr. Anders Stern, illustrates how hard to it is to understand the holocaust and assign responsibility for that.  It is thought-provoking, as well as a good story.

7.  Cold Storage by John Straley: Straley is one of our finest regional crime fiction writers.  It is interesting to see that his cover blurbs come from the likes of James Sallis, Ken Bruen, Gary Snyder, and Sam Alden (graphic novelist). Cold Storage is the name of a small town in Alaska. Clive McCahon returns there after having served seven years in prison for drug offenses. He rebuilds an old town gathering place which he calls the Love Nest and serves beer and plays  music on records during the week and delivers a sermon on Sunday. All of the town characters are in fact characters. When a Tlingit Indian named Lester is asked if everybody in town is a comedian, he responds, “No, actually most of the people in this town are drunks or depressives, but we have our funny moments.”

8. Soul of the Fire by Elliot Pattison: This is the seventh in a series of novels about a Chinese official, Shan Tao Yun, who was exiled to and imprisoned in Tibet for alleged political crimes. He was able to survive his imprisonment by embracing the instruction he received from other prisoners in the Tibetan religious practices and traditional way of life. Now he uses those beliefs and practices to ameliorate the evils being perpetrated by the Chinese rulers of Tibet. What these books are really about is the way in which the Chinese are seeking to extinguish everything that characterized the Tibetans.  In addition to being an entertaining and different story, the serious message of these books is an important reminder that awful things are still being done in many parts of the world.

9. The Laws of Murder by Charles Finch: The latest in Finch’s Charles Lenox Victorian era mysteries has Lenox starting a private detective agency after resigning his seat in Parliament. At first, he is frustrated because bad press has prevented him from bringing in his share of the business. However, when the Scotland Yard detective who was allegedly the source of the bad press is killed, Scotland Yard again requests his help. I enjoy these books not only because they are good stories, but also because they always have some interesting tidbit of English history or etymology.  For example, I now know where the name Charing Cross comes from.

10.  The Elephant Man by Vicki Croke: The story of an Englishman who humanized the treatment of elephants in the lumber camps of Burma and so was able to put together a formidable and useful force of elephants to assist the British in their defense and retreats during WWII.

I should note that I have not had the time to read Marilynne Robinson’s new book, Lila, which I suspect would have made this list. I would also like to mention Solo, by Rana Dasgupta, the story of a 100 year old man in Sofia, Bulgaria, looking back on his life. It was the best book I read this year that was published before 2014.

Paul Lane’s Top Ten 2014

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1) Chain of Events by Fredrik T. Olsson

Author’s first novel.  An ancient Sumeranian text outlines a plague that will strike in modern times killing more people than the Black Plague did.  Two people are kidnapped by a mysterious group and made to work on translating the text in order to come up with it’s remedy.  Fast moving and engrossing novel following the progress towards finding the answers.

2) Twilight’s Last Gleaming by John Michael Greer 

A look into a possible near term scenario when the United States runs out of oil, and fracking does not work anymore.  A war to conquer an African country that has just discovered a huge oil deposit on it’s shores.  The poor shape of American weaponry due to corrupt politicians taking bribes to okay the choice of these arms, the intervention of China that has an alliance with that country and a leadership of the U.S. concerned only with their own gain.  The results of the lose of that war leads Americans into a revolution to overthrow  the government.  Events depicted by Greer are possibilities based on current trends and the thoughts provoked by him will give the reader pause.

3) The Carnage Account by Ben Lieberman 

Story told with three principal characters all well delineated.  One is a multi millionaire who invests in a business selling death bonds.  That is betting on the death of individuals buying a policy to pay an amount on their demise.  The millionaire decides to help beneficiaries of high payments by hastening the death of the principal on the policy.  This is done for a payment by the beneficiary to him.  The second two people are a beautiful woman that does publicity for the millionaire’s pro basketball team who is a love interest for him and an ex navy seal that had a love affair with the woman some years ago.  Very well set up plot and events of the novel.

4) Full Measure by T. Jefferson Parker

A stand alone novel by Parker. A young ex marine returns from Afghanistan with the intention of starting a sport fishing guide business.  He finds instead that his parent’s Avocado tree ranch has been destroyed by a wild fire and his mother and father are facing ruin.  His brother who is intellectually slow gets involved with a criminal element in order to prove that he is worthy of his family’s love.  The book is a study of the thoughts and emotions of all of the characters and extremely well done by Parker who generally writes crime novels.

5) The Color of Justice by Ace Collins 

Engrossing book by Collins told in two parts.  Both parts take place in the Mississippi town of Justice. Part one takes place in the past during a period when Jim Crow was alive in the south.  A lawyer born in Justice and returning there with his law degree takes the case of a young black man accused of murder.  The attorney realizes that doing so will cause him to become persona non grata with the white element. Collins is superb in bringing the events of both periods together logically.

6) Assassin’s Game by Ward Larson

A retired assassin that had worked for the Mossad, married and living in the U.S. with his wife is forced to reenter service by his ex employers.  A scientist in Iran has succeeded in bringing that country to the brink of perfecting a nuclear tipped ballistic missile and attempts to assassinate him have failed. David Slaton, the retired assassin is coerced into returning to action in order to kill the Iranian scientist since it is believed that there is a leak within the Mossad and David is not known.  The novel is replete with fast moving action and a guaranteed all nighter.

7) Dead Line by Chris Ewan 

Daniel Trent and his fiancee are partners in the unusual business of helping families of kidnapped individuals deal with the kidnappers in order to reach a speedy and successful conclusion.  Daniel knows that his fiancee has been in contact with a wealthy family to sell the head a policy to negotiate his release should he be kidnapped.  His fiancee has also just told him that she is pregnant when she suddenly disappears. Daniel decides to begin following the millionaire on whom his partner has been calling on to sell him one of their policies. He is a witness when that person is kidnapped right in front of him.  Daniel has to enter the picture to negotiate the millionaire’s release while also trying to find his fiancee.  Engrossing and different story to fascinate the reader.

8) I am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes

A fascinating story involving a battle between two men from different sides.  One is a master terrorist born in Saudi Arabia and known as the Saracen and the other known as Pilgrim who was adopted by a very wealthy family.  Pilgrim has become the top agent of a U.S. agency only known as above the CIA.  Both men are destined to meet as the Saracen plots a massive attack against the United States.  The threat is a brilliant conception that the reader will be able to identify with and the mental jousting between the two adversaries is equally as brilliant.

9) Natchez Burning by Greg Iles

After a long absence from the literary world due to a major auto accident Greg Iles returns with a vengeance.  In the first of an announced trilogy Iles uses the Cage family familiar to readers from other books to tell the story of the old south from the early 70’s until about the Katrina hurricane. Penn Cage, an attorney has to take on the defense of his father accused of murdering a black woman who had left the area years ago in order to leave behind a love affair she was having with the father.  She is raped before leaving by a group known as “The Double Eagles” who were members of the KKK.  Leaving the south she settles in Chicago and has a baby there.  It is not known if the child is by Penn’s father or as a result of the rape.  The murder is solved with this book but leaves problems and situations in all probability to be solved in the second and third novels.

10)  Influx by Daniel Suarez 

Suarez postulates an agency of the U.S. Government known as the Bureau of Technology Control.  They are charged with examining and possibly suppressing inventions and discoveries that could cause society to bypass orderly progress.  They have gone rogue and kept inventions that could benefit society but deemed by them to be contrary to an orderly progression of events secret.Jon Grady and his team have come up with a device that will reflect gravity probably causing travel by any form using it to become faster, safer and less expensive.  The Bureau of Technology Control offers Jon a job working on the device under their supervision, but he refuses and is thrown illegally into a high tech prison maintained by the Bureau. A very different science fiction story and an all night read following Jon’s escape and subsequent events.

Becky’s Top Ten of 2014

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BIRD BOX by Josh Malerman – a violent epidemic leads to the end of everything. Four years after its onset, Malorie has decided it’s time to try and create a new life for her and her two children. But this new life means risking everything. This is an eerie and unsettling debut, one that builds slowly and is worth savoring!

ROBOT UPRISINGS ed by Daniel H. Wilson and John Joseph Adams – a fabulous collection of shorts based on the premise that artificial intelligence and technology can and will go wrong.

ABROAD by Katie Crouch – this dark thriller is loosely inspired on the Amanda Knox case. Abroad is a powerful read but also an emotionally draining one.

SINFUL FOLK by Ned Hayes – set in the winter of 1377, this story is based on a real incident wherein a group of village boys was killed in a suspicious fire. A group of villagers sets off to plead justice from the king, but one of their party is hiding secrets that could be a detriment to them all. This is a really fantastic historical tale, one with a surprising and gripping premise.

BLISS HOUSE by Laura Benedict – after an accident claims the life of her husband and leaves her daughter severely injured, Rainey decides it’s time for a change. She moves back to the old family estate but soon finds that it isn’t the refuge she’d hoped it would be at all. Benedict’s latest is excellent and chilling! It’s also the first in a series of titles to be set around Bliss House.

THIRD RAIL by Rory Flynn – Eddy Harkness’s last big case ended in massive embarrassment and suspension. In spite of his current attempts to keep his nose clean, Eddy finds himself in the midst of another sensitive case and on the brink of further trouble. This pseudonymous debut is a top-notch thriller packed with unexpected twists and turns.

MIND OF WINTER by Laura Kasischke – Christmas morning begins on an ominous note for Holly and her daughter. As a snowstorm rages outside, Holly revisits the strange occurrences that have plagued her family since their trip to a Siberian orphanage thirteen years ago. Mind of Winter is so incredibly creepy and atmospheric!

THREE SOULS by Janie Chang – this debut begins with the main character witnessing her own funeral. Before her soul can move on to the afterlife, she has something that she must atone for – but first she has to figure out what that something is. Three Souls is a beautiful book steeped in history and folklore.

WHITE SPACE by Ilsa J. Bick – a holiday getaway quickly turns dangerous in this first of the Dark Passages series. This is a bizarre tale that’s often compared to Memento and Inception. It’s trippy as all get out and readers seem to either love it or hate it – I’m firmly in the love category!

EX-PURGATORY by Peter Clines – this fourth installment of Peter Clines’s Ex-Heroes series (featuring superheroes and zombies) turns the entire series on its head. It’s spoilerific if you haven’t read the preceding three books, but it is also super fun and super clever.

Jack Quick’s Top Ten 2014

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1. THE ACCIDENT by Chris Pavone: The Accident is a somewhat more conventional thriller than Pavone’s fine debut (The Expats, 2012), but he excels at developing characters’ back stories. Highly recommended.

2. COP TOWN by Karin Slaughter: This book is set in Atlanta in 1974. As a brutal murder and a furious manhunt rock the city’s police department, Kate Murphy wonders if her first day on the job will also be her last. It’s also the worst day possible to start given that a beloved cop has been gunned down, his brothers in blue are out for blood, and the city is on the edge of war.

3. THE CUCKOO’S CALLING by Robert Galbraith AKA J. K. Rowling: I may be the only remaining person on the planet who has never read a Harry Potter book or watched a Harry Potter Movie. However, after reading this one I may have to change my priorities. I thought it was great.

4. FULL MEASURE by T. Jefferson Parker: A tale of two brothers and overcoming the odds. May be Parker’s best.

5. THE HEIST by Daniel Silva: Gabriel Allon, art restorer and occasional spy, searches for a stolen masterpiece by Caravaggio in Silva’s latest action-packed tale of high stakes international intrigue. Another must read from one of today’s finest thriller writers.

6. RUN by Andrew Grant: Marc Bowman is a highly successful computer consultant and software designer who is fired on the spot, stonewalled by his boss, and ushered out of the building. But it’s only Monday, and before the week is over, he’ll be stalked, ambushed, wiretapped, arrested, duped, double-and triple-crossed—until he can’t tell enemies from allies. And the only thing left to do is keep running—or end up a dead man walking.

7. THE SACRIFICE by Peg Brantley: Another great read from Ms Brantley. Suspense builds until near the end when it all comes together, but wait, the fat lady hasn’t sung yet, so keep on reading. You won’t be disappointed.

8. SNIPER’S HONOR by Stephen Hunter: Bob Lee Swagger’s war was Vietnam and now the former sniper has been out of the game a long time, and, sadly, nothing has ever replaced what he’s appalled to call the killing fever. Perhaps most memorable of all, though, is Hunter’s vivid re-creation of the carnage on the Eastern Front, where, as Milli notes, the Russians’ only advantage over the Germans was numbers: If they kill us five to one, we bring six to one . . . we shall prevail because, all things being equal, we can outbleed them. May be Hunter’s best ever.

9. THE TARGET by David Baldacci: Unputdownable. The President knows it’s a perilous, high-risk assignment. If he gives the order, he has the opportunity to take down a global menace, once and for all. If the mission fails, he would face certain impeachment, and the threats against the nation would multiply.

10. THE TARGET by L J Sellers: With her latest Agent Dallas outing, Ms. Sellers has once again hit it out of the park. Focusing on the world of industrial espionage and cutting edge medical technology, Sellers shows that while greed is universal and seemingly boundless, you can’t keep a good agent down, and Agent Dallas is the best of the best.

Jack was kind enough to share this list – enjoy!

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THE ACCIDENT by Chris Pavone: The Accident is a somewhat more conventional thriller than Pavone’s fine debut (The Expats, 2012), but he excels at developing characters’ back stories. New York literary agent Isabel Reed plows through an anonymous manuscript in one night and immediately knows two things: The manuscript, a biography of a media mogul, will be a blockbuster, and people will die if word of its existence leaks. She’s also fairly sure she knows who the author is, but he’s dead (or is he??) Word does leak, in New York and Hollywood , and ambitious young women in publishing quickly die violently. Isabel and her chosen editor, Jeffrey Fielder, are on the run from resourceful, relentless killers. Pavone’s plot twists nicely, shifting focus among a large cast of well-drawn characters and using flashbacks and changes of locale ( Copenhagen , Zurich , Manhattan , Hollywood , the Hamptons ) to build suspense. Isabel and Jeffrey, for example, are successful but frightened that changes in their business and the onset of middle age might make them has-beens, and they’re both recalling the mutual attraction they once had but didn’t act on. Like Isabel, many readers will read this one through the night. Highly recommended.

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THE CUCKOO’S CALLING by Robert Galbraith AKA J. K. Rowling. I may be the only remaining person on the planet who has never read a Harry Potter book or watched a Harry Potter Movie. The Hunger Games series shares that same distinction for me. However, after reading this one I may have to change my priorities. After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan , Detective Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, and creditors are calling. He has also just broken up with his longtime girlfriend and is living in his office. Then John Bristow walks through his door with an amazing story: His sister, the legendary supermodel Lula Landry, known to her friends as the Cuckoo, famously fell to her death a few months earlier. The police ruled it a suicide, but John refuses to believe that. The case plunges Strike into the world of multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends, desperate designers, and his own celebrity parents, and it introduces him to every variety of pleasure, enticement, seduction, and delusion known to man. I thought it was great.

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HAZARDOUS DUTY by W.E.B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV – Mexican drug cartels are shooting up the streets of Laredo and El Paso . Somali pirates are holding three U.S. tankers for ransom. The President is fed up and has what he thinks is a pretty bright idea—to get hold of Colonel Charley Castillo and his merry band and put them on the case. Unfortunately, that will be difficult. Everybody knows that the President hates Castillo’s guts, has just had him forcibly retired from the military, and now Castillo’s men are scattered far and wide, many of them in hiding. There are also whispers that the President himself is unstable—the word “nutcake” has been mentioned. So how can Castillo “follow” the Presidents orders without creating harm to the nation. It is truly Hazardous Duty.

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THE SACRIFICE by Peg Brantley – Another great read from Ms Brantley. Although it begins in Colorado which Ms. Brantley calls home, most of the action takes place in and around New Orleans , or as we say Naw’lins. Mex Anderson was an honest Mexican cop. The drug cartel punished him by killing his pregnant wife and two children. Now a high ranking member of the cartel has come to Mex with a proposition – find the leader’s missing daughter and he will give Mex the name of the man who ordered the murder of Mex’s family. The leader’s son applies additional pressure to Mex by kidnapping Mex’ s sister to be returned only if his sister is returned alive. Suspense builds until near the end when it all comes together, but wait, the fat lady hasn’t sung yet, so keep on reading. You won’t be disappointed.

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THE TARGET by L J Sellers – With her latest Agent Dallas outing, Ms. Sellers has once again hit it out of the park. Focusing on the world of industrial espionage and cutting edge medical technology, Sellers shows that while greed is universal and seemingly boundless, you can’t keep a good agent down, and Agent Dallas is the best of the best. Dallas lives for the thrill of working undercover and rides high on the adrenaline rush from a tense situation. The death of another agent in San Diego under suspicious circumstances starts her on the new assignment, which quickly becomes high risk. The stakes are high and the other side thinks nothing of taking those who interfere off the board- permanently. Intertwined with the case is the murder of an aging film star. Are the two cases connected? Few authors can do one successful series, but Sellers has two on-going – with Detective Jackson and with Agent Dallas. Which is better? Try both and decide for yourself.

Alabama Jack
Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.