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When a suburban wife and mother is murdered in her home, DCI Karlsson and his team are sure it must have been a burglary gone bad. They even have a suspect in hand. But when they discover their perp has a solid alibi for the time of death they’re essentially back to square one. That is until they begin to discover the murdered woman’s secrets. Ignoring orders, Karlsson once again brings Frieda Klein in to consult, but this time Frieda is working on a mystery of her own.

Hal Bradshaw, the official consultant for the police, has been none too pleased with Frieda showing him up. In what seems to be a growing vendetta against her, Bradshaw helms an investigation into therapists’ practices, sending fake patients out to Frieda and a number of other therapists throughout London. Rather than get angry, Frieda becomes curious about one of the pieces of the fake patients’ stories. Sure it could be a holdover from nearly dying, and it could be a needed—but created—distraction on her part, but as she traces the story further to its source Frieda becomes more certain there’s something to her inquiry.

This series really does keep getting better and better with each new installment.
Waiting for Wednesday picks up in the wake of Tuesday’s Gone with Frieda having returned home to continue recuperating from her wounds. Karlsson and his team have been sworn off consulting with Frieda, an order they soon ignore especially when they find out their murder victim’s son is friends with Frieda’s niece. The fact that Bradshaw has proven that he’s not only fairly useless but that he’s more focused on revenge against some interpreted wrong Frieda has done against him further convinces Karlsson to avoid all dealings with him.

What makes this series stand out is the continued progression in the characters’ stories. Each new installment features a new mystery but also continued growth of each individual character.

4/14 Becky Lejeune

WAITING FOR WEDNESDAY by Nicci French. Pamela Dorman Books (April 3, 2014). ISBN 978-0670015771. 384p.

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Evan Stoess graduated from one of the best prep schools in the country, courtesy of an absent father who left him with an abusive alcoholic mother and stepfather, and a full scholarship. But despite a stellar education, Evan always felt like an outsider, and lived with the nickname “Kmart” for years.

When he lands the job of his dreams as a stock analyst and picks a winner, he is riding on top of the world – until the CEO of the company dies, plunging the stock price into the cellar and costing Evan his job. A few months later, he finds a new job, this time with a company that shorts stocks, betting they will falter. Once again Evan is riding high until he’s not – and he realizes that if this CEO dies, that will work in his favor.

Murder is now an option, and if he gets away with it, there will be no stopping him. Stoess is a sympathetic character despite his murderous ways, making this financial thriller an emotional rollercoaster of a read. Fans of Christopher Reich and Joseph Finder will love this debut.

Copyright ©2014 Booklist, a division of the American Library Association.

4/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

EAT WHAT YOU KILL by Ted Scofield. St. Martin’s Press (March 25, 2014). ISBN 978-1250021823. 304p.

Thirteen years ago, Holly and her husband, Eric, traveled to Siberia to meet their daughter, Tatiana. In the gloomy and sad setting of Pokrova Orphanage #2, they fell in love with that tiny, pale girl and her big, dark eyes.

On a snowy Christmas morning so many years later, though, Holly wakes in fear. She has become convinced that something followed them home from Russia. As her husband sets off to the airport and Holly prepares for the big celebratory dinner that’s to come, that one thought plagues her mind.

Soon the snow has blanketed everything and one by one the guests cancel. Roads are closed and Holly and Tatiana are forced to spend the day alone. And as Holly mulls over that pervasive thought, she begins to notice that Tatiana’s behavior has grown increasingly odd.

Laura Kasischke’s latest is a gripping and hypnotic read. Much of the story is focused on Holly’s own introspection. She tries first to determine why she feels something has followed them and what it might mean. She examines her relationship with her daughter, her husband, and her own family giving the reader keen insight into her life, past and present.

The image of a family—a mother and daughter in particular—coming apart at the seams on Christmas morning is effective enough, but the addition of the snowstorm and Holly’s memories of her trips to the Russian orphanage makes Mind of Winter that much more chilling. The entire book is amazing right up to the pitch perfect ending.

3/14 Becky Lejeune

MIND OF WINTER by Laura Kasischke. Harper (March 25, 2014). ISBN 978-0062284396. 288p.

This is the third Crawford novel featuring Ethan Warner, continuing the trend of setting up a plot that is outside of the normal and involving him in scenarios that enter into the paranormal. Warner is summoned by the Defense Intelligence Agency to help with the investigation of a double murder of a woman and her daughter.

Within moments of arriving at the scene with his partner Nicola Lopez, Ethan is telephoned by the woman’s husband who tells him that he did not commit the murders, but he himself will be killed within 24 hours, knows the murderer who is not yet aware that he will kill, and predicts various events that will occur during the 24 hour period.

The opening throws Ethan and Nicola into an investigation that involves the Bermuda Triangle, and the mysteries surrounding it, a huge undersea installation first built by the military and taken over by a private company and a logically developed and explained method of seeing into the near future.

Crawford has a knack for grabbing the reader and drawing him or her into the book, explaining the possible science behind developments portrayed in easy to understand terms without making these events explained away by glossing over them. High adventure very well done with out of the ordinary plots continues to be Crawford’s forte and he guarantees sleepless nights for the reader engrossed in his book.

3/14 Paul Lane

APOCALYPSE by Dean Crawford. Touchstone (March 18, 2014). ISBN 978-1451659498. 416p.

Louise Beeston is on the brink of a complete meltdown. Distraught over being separated from her seven-year-old son, Louise is already in a sensitive place. But now her neighbor’s partying has kept her up late one too many times. Exhausted, Louise attempts to once more politely broach the subject with her neighbor. Her pleas are not only ignored, she’s ridiculed by Justin Clay and his friends.

Clay takes things one step further by blasting Louise’s walls with classical pieces and finally what sounds like choral music. Choral music like that her son has been performing at the elite Saviour College School. Louise reaches out to the local authorities but becomes convinced that their efforts will be in vain. Then she hears about a new second home community just over an hour away. It would mean peace and quiet, a break from the neighbor, a chance to recover and relax. But even here Louise can’t escape the haunting melodies and hymns. Now it seems Louise may truly be losing her mind… unless there’s another meaning behind the music.

This stand alone from Hannah had all the pieces of a potentially great chiller but unfortunately fell flat. While the book begins with good character development, setting the scene for Louise’s no doubt looming mental breakdown, the overall balance of the book is disappointing.

By the time Louise starts to find out more about her mysterious choral music, the book is fully three quarters through. Ultimately the end comes on much too quickly and with very little explanation.

3/14 Becky Lejeune

THE ORPHAN CHOIR by Sophie Hannah. Picador (January 28, 2014). ISBN 978-1250041029. 288p.

The author of The Expats returns with another mesmerizing espionage novel, this time centered on a novel written by someone styling themselves as “Anonymous.”

Isabel Reed, a top literary agent, is sent a manuscript which captures her immediately, revealing dark hidden secrets about a great man whose life and career could be destroyed if the book were ever published. At the same time, Hayden Gray, a CIA chief of station in Copenhagen, is attempting to prevent that publication from happening. The author of the manuscript is living the life of an expat in Zurich, attempting to make up for a life of lies and deceits with the publication of the book.

Pavone sets up a plot that moves quickly from danger and possibly murder for anyone that has a copy of the book, in attempts to squelch the revelations. Scenes move from New York to Europe and also to a road in upper New York State a quarter of a century earlier, when the subject of the book commits what becomes the point of the plot.

Chris Pavone is good at making his characters react and think as they would in real life and allow his readers to enjoy a fascinating internationally focused novel. An all nighter and one that will prompt interest in his next book.

3/14 Paul Lane

THE ACCIDENT by Chris Pavone. Crown (March 11, 2014). ISBN 978-0385348454. 400p.

Grippando brings back Jack Swyteck, his Miami based attorney, who is marrying his girlfriend Andie Henning. Andie is an undercover agent for the FBI and Jack has to accept the fact that much of what she does is confidential and he will not know about it. The two plan a honeymoon to Key West and settle in for days of romance and getting to know each other as man and wife. The getting to know includes the revelation that Andie is pregnant and expecting in about eight months.

An unexpected glitch suddenly affects both Jack and Andie when an ocean going, Cuban owned drilling rig explodes, triggering an immense oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that wends its way towards the Florida Keys and up the coast from there. The rig is in Cuban waters and is actually a consortium between Cuba, Venezuela, China and Russia whose group prohibits the U.S. from bringing in equipment to contain the oil spill.

The problem falls into both Jack and Andie’s laps when the F.B.I. calls her back to work on what might be a terrorist plot to blow up the rig. At the same time Jack agrees to represent a girl whose fiancé was on the rig working towards a solution to be allowed to leave Cuba and be with his sweetheart in the United States.
The author covers the activities of both Jack and Andie in their work on what could be the same problem. As always, Grippando’s knowledge of the intricacies of the law and his explanations of cause and effects in the action tied to these rules makes the action very real to the reader, and allows him to think of Jack as not superman, but a good, knowledgeable practitioner of the law. Andie’s role in her portion of the events is in keeping with her image as a woman loving her job, doing it well, but aware of the dangers involved in working undercover.

Grippando’s books never cease to attract and keep the reader going, and when finished anxiously awaiting the next one.

2/14 Paul Lane

BLACK HORIZON by James Grippando. Harper (March 4, 2014). ISBN 978-0062109880. 384p.