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Bauer writes intense psychological thrillers that move on the backs of her fascinating characters, and her latest is no exception.

Latham is the “shut eye,” a psychic, who is called in desperation to aid in the case of a missing twelve year old girl. Detective Chief Inspector Marvel is a cold, single minded investigator who never gives up, and keeps the case open. Marvel also has a murder to work on, except his superior orders him off the murder investigation to find a missing dog, and Marvel is infuriated.

Meanwhile another child is missing; four-year-old Daniel wandered off after his father accidentally left the front door open. The only evidence is a set of Daniel’s footprints through wet cement which disappear into nothingness, and his mother, Anna, turns those footprints into a shrine.  Anna becomes understandably depressed, then agoraphobic and starts sinking deeper and deeper into madness, until she turns to the shut eye herself. Latham won’t help her, but Anna starts getting visions, and it seems all these cases may hinge on those visions. 

Bauer is a unique voice in crime fiction who has won awards in the UK; hopefully she will find a wider audience in the US.

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

1/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE SHUT EYE by Belinda Bauer. Grove Press (January 12, 2016).  ISBN 978-0802124852. 304p.

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The Kovac-Liska Series

This is the latest entry in the popular Kovac-Liksa series, but they are no longer working together for the Minneapolis police homicide unit. Detective Nikki Liska is now working the new cold case squad in hopes of spending more time with her teenage sons.

Detective Kovac is lost without her but learning to deal with a young, green partner on a new case; a brutal home invasion. An Asian studies professor and his wife were killed by a Samurai sword from the professor’s collection.

Liska is assigned a twenty-five year old murder of a highly honored sex crimes detective, and for some reason, his family does not want the case reopened and Liska doesn’t even want it. There is no DNA, which is the primary resource to help solve cold cases, but she is determined to do the best she can anyway, even while envying her old partner his new case.

This is a dark, gritty thriller but Hoag manages to lighten it up now and then with some black humor. A real page turner that is sure to please her legion of fans.

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

1/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE BITTER SEASON by Tami Hoag. Dutton (January 12, 2016).  ISBN 978-0525954552. 416p.

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The Sam Capra Series, Book 5

Sam Capra has been granted ownership by his employers of a chain of bars situated around the world, to be utilized both for expenses and income, as well as an excuse to travel to different areas. He works for a government agency and is a chief operative for them. Capra had previously seen a video of his brother, Danny, shot dead. At that time, he was picked up by the agency employing him and molded into the talented operative that he has become.

Capra has been looking on and off for his brother, not wanting to believe that he is dead. His search now takes him into the inner circle of Russia’s hierarchy, meeting with a group of men that support the corrupt Russian president Morozov. One of these men now wants Morozov killed and on American soil during a meeting there. Circumstances allow Capra to believe that it is his brother Danny that has been hired to assassinate Morozov.

The chase to find Danny, and stop him from killing the Russian leader, results in a worldwide, world wind search going from Pakistan to Brooklyn, New York and into the Caribbean, where the super rich enjoy themselves.

Like all books I’ve read by Jeff Abbott, action is continuous, writing crisp with a believable plot that draws the reader in and keeps him or her glued to the book.

1/16 Paul Lane

THE FIRST ORDER by Jeff Abbott. Grand Central Publishing (January 5, 2016).  ISBN 978-1455558414. 400p.

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Jammer Davis Thrillers, Book 3

Davis works for the government as an airline crash investigator. Larsen knows the technical aspects of crash investigation and projects this knowledge into his character.

Davis is called by his boss to take charge of the examination of a crash by a small passenger plane in the jungles of Colombia near Bogota. This time it becomes very personal.  Davis’s daughter was on that plane, heading for a semester of study in Colombia.

Davis gets himself assigned to the investigation and is allowed to do so by his boss with the admonition that he recuse himself if his personal feelings get in the way of his maintaining the focus to find out what caused the crash. His daughter is listed on the flight, and when the bodies of all the passengers killed have been identified, she and another girl that she had become friendly with are missing.

The book is a very readable novel involving crime, drug dealing and involvement at the very top of the U.S. and Colombian governments.  Davis works through the available evidence piece by piece in order to arrive at answers he needs as quickly as possible.

Another Jammer Davis novel is in the works and is sure to provide the excitement and interest that this one does.

1/16 Paul Lane

PASSENGER 19 by Ward Larsen. Oceanview Publishing (January 5, 2016).  ISBN 978-1608091676. 368p.

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A Cruxys Solutions Investigation

Nancy goes to her usual locker at the gym and finds a note telling her that her daughter’s been taken, to notify her husband Michael and not call the police. She runs home in a panic to find the front door wide open, her daughter and the nanny gone.

Somehow she remembers that her husband had told her in case of an emergency to call a certain number and tell them Code Red. The number leads to Cruxys Solutions, a private security firm specializing in kidnappings in drug war torn countries and other security issues.

Michael works for various charities in many of these countries as well as the Middle East, and is often out of cell phone range. Nonetheless, Nancy texts her husband as instructed then calls Cruxys.

The action speeds up as the security officers find several irregularities and dig deeper, and Nancy’s story and lifestyle gets more unbelievable with each passing day. Magson takes the suburban thriller overseas and gives it a good twist. Readers who enjoy Harlan Coben and Joseph Finder will happily get lost in the nightmare presented here.

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

1/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE LOCKER by Adrian Magson. Midnight Ink (January 8, 2016).  ISBN 978-0738746722. 384p.

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Dove Carnahan is the chief of police in a small town in rural Pennsylvania. Once on the fast track with the state police department, she abruptly left for her small hometown, much to the disappointment of her mentor, Nolan. They still work together and occasionally sleep together, so when a teenage girl’s body is found half burnt, Chief Dove welcomes the help.

The cause of death wasn’t the fire but the fire did enough damage to delay identifying Camio, the shining light of a terribly dysfunctional family of drunks, drug addicts and worse. Camio’s boyfriend is the immediate suspect, as are members of her family, but everyone has an ironclad alibi – or so it seems.

Chief Dove herself comes from a similarly hideous background, but her and her sister seemed to have risen above their mother’s reputation as the town whore and her subsequent murder to become successful, worthwhile members of the community.

This is a small town full of ugly secrets that slowly unfurl, and the prose here has some truly lovely moments, but at heart this is a psychological thriller that is almost impossible to put down.

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

1/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

ANGELS BURNING by Tawni O’Dell. Gallery Books; Library Edition edition (January 5, 2016).  ISBN 978-1501132544. 288p.

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