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Body Farm Novel, Book 10

In this tenth entry into the popular Body Farm series, forensic anthropologist Dr. Bill Brockton has a new case.

Bones were found in a field near a tree with a chain attached to it. It is not a complete skeleton, and identification is not going to be easy, but with forensics and some good detective work, Brockton soon realizes that a young man met a gruesome death that was probably a hate crime.

But things get worse before they get better when the serial killer he helped put away escapes from prison, motivated by revenge. On a lighter note, Brockton’s beloved assistant has finally completed her dissertation and is looking for a new job, leaving him bereft.

This is a dark, suspenseful story with enough forensics to please any fan of the genre. The science is fascinating and never slows the story, due to the skill of the forensic/writer partnership known as Jefferson Bass. Fans of Kathy Reichs and Patricia Cornwell should enjoy Without Mercy, as well as the rest of Body Farm series.

Copyright ©2016 Booklist, a division of the American Library Association.

10/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

WITHOUT MERCY by Jefferson Bass. William Morrow (October 4, 2016).  ISBN 978-0062363190. 352p.

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A Ryder Creed Novel, Book 3

Ryder Creed has an elite K-9 business of search and rescue dogs. Hannah runs the business end and Ryder is the trainer, and that includes training new dog handlers like Jason, an amputee veteran. One of Creed’s dogs finds the body of a young girl who had gone missing, but also finds some dead birds.

There is a new strain of bird flu, and unfortunately it is affecting more than just birds. Homeland Security is after a doctor who has gone rogue and seems to have disappeared into thin air. There are several suspicious deaths, so when an infected person turns herself in, along with a mysterious flash drive, that helps tie everything together.

Creed’s dogs are trained to detect certain cancers and other illnesses, so he is asked to train them to detect the deadly virus, but the government doesn’t seem overly concerned about putting the dogs at risk. There are a lot of moving parts to this fast paced story and Kava brings them altogether by the end. This third book in the Creed series is sure to please fans.

Copyright ©2016 Booklist, a division of the American Library Association.

9/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

RECKLESS CREED by Alex Kava. G.P. Putnam’s Sons (September 27, 2016).  ISBN 978-0399170782. 336p.

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A Maisie McGrane Mystery, Book 3

Maisie McGrane is an undercover cop in Chicago – so deep undercover, her large, Irish family of cops and lawyers don’t even know. When there’s an assassination attempt on the mayor, the ATF and DEA want to use Maisie’s connections to infiltrate a dangerous gun and drug cartel in the city.

Meanwhile she’s recovering from some serious wounds, which she tends to forget about. But when her brother is shot, she loses sight of her mission and puts herself in more danger, not to mention her family may end up accidentally blowing her cover.

Her boyfriend is out of the country, and agent Lee Sharpe is trying to move in, complicating things further. This fast moving story has some comedic moments sprinkled throughout, but it is much darker comedy than the oft-compared Janet Evanovich.

This third entry into the series offers little in the way of back-story, making it almost impossible to figure out who’s who, what’s going on, and why we should care, without having read the first two.

Copyright ©2016 Booklist, a division of the American Library Association.

9/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

SHOOT ‘EM UP by Janey Mack. Kensington (September 27, 2016).  ISBN 978-1617736940. 352p.

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A short, but extremely interesting book about a man who has spent four decades of his professional life as a great political cartoonist in Columbia.

Vasquez has made a reputation as someone able to influence politicians, make or break careers, change the opinions of judges and certainly become a person to be both feared and admired by his countrymen. The opening of the book shows the man, Javier Mallarino, at the height of his powers and a force to be reckoned with when he is visited by a young woman out of his past who forces him to reevaluate his past and question his own self worth.

Vasquez writes in an almost stream of conscious style masterfully bringing the reader into the thought processes of Mallarino. The almost forgotten events of his life are brought up and gone over by Javier Mallarino and bring up a story that will come up again and again.

A different type of tale but one that will cause reverberations in the mind of any reader.

9/16 Paul Lane

REPUTATIONS by Juan Gabriel Vasquez. Riverhead Books (September 20, 2016).  ISBN 978-1594633478. 208p.