Death Without Company
Charles L.P. Silet

Craig Johnson is a man who knows snow, and it is in abundance in the second of his small-town cop procedurals set in Absaroka County, Wyoming during the middle of winter. Yes, there are plenty of murders, past and present, some backstory, and enough quirky characters to make for an enticing read, but the snow that Johnson adds helps chill the fingers and toes.

The death of an elderly Basque woman, Mari Baroja, in the Durant Home for Assisted Living seems routine enough; she was old, she had heart problems, and she smoked and drank. But when local sheriff Walt Longmire is asked by his former boss to investigate further, he begins to uncover Mari's past, which has some nasty turns to it, including a missing, presumably dead abusive husband, the rights to some hefty methane revenue, and her long lost love.

Death without Company can stand as a perfectly fine crime story but what makes it special is Craig Johnson's exacting sense of place, fine appreciation for character, and his wonderful flare for humor. Add these and it makes for a marvelous novel.

Super User
2010-04-24 20:27:47

Craig Johnson is a man who knows snow, and it is in abundance in the second of his small-town cop procedurals set in Absaroka County, Wyoming during the middle of winter. Yes, there are plenty of murders, past and present, some backstory, and enough quirky characters to make for an enticing read, but the snow that Johnson adds helps chill the fingers and toes.

The death of an elderly Basque woman, Mari Baroja, in the Durant Home for Assisted Living seems routine enough; she was old, she had heart problems, and she smoked and drank. But when local sheriff Walt Longmire is asked by his former boss to investigate further, he begins to uncover Mari's past, which has some nasty turns to it, including a missing, presumably dead abusive husband, the rights to some hefty methane revenue, and her long lost love.

Death without Company can stand as a perfectly fine crime story but what makes it special is Craig Johnson's exacting sense of place, fine appreciation for character, and his wonderful flare for humor. Add these and it makes for a marvelous novel.

Have Your Cake and Kill Him Too
Lynne Maxwell

It's hard to believe that Nancy Martin has already completed the fifth entry in her marvelous Blackbird Sisters series, starring Nora Blackbird, Philadelphia society page columnist, along with eccentric sisters Libby and Emma. Born to old money, the Blackbird sisters have fallen on hard times, as their once wealthy parents leave a crumbling Bucks County estate and a two-million-dollar bill for back taxes to Nora, who is compelled to take a job (gasp!) to survive.

In Have Your Cake and Kill Him Too, Nora is in a bind. Having broken up with Michael Abruzzi, who appears to have returned to his career as a mafioso, she discovers that she is pregnant. Richard D'eath, her aptly-named new beau, wants to get married, but she can't convince herself that the safety Richard offers is really what she needs. No matter what her head says, her heart gravitates toward bad-boy Michael.

Amidst the turmoil of an unexpected pregnancy and two dead-end romances, Nora and her sisters become embroiled in a murder mystery. When a flirtatious millionaire meets an untimely demise, Nora works overtime to absolve her friend Delilah, who is clearly being framed by the unsavory blue-blooded relatives of the deceased.

Which family member perpetrated the murder? Is it the dimwitted politician, the angry middle-aged stepdaughter, or the overly ambitious, but impecunious, granddaughter? Everyone has a potential motive. Nora takes it upon herself to tease out the truth, which radiates to her romantic life, as well. Check out this classy cozy.

Super User
2010-04-24 20:30:45

It's hard to believe that Nancy Martin has already completed the fifth entry in her marvelous Blackbird Sisters series, starring Nora Blackbird, Philadelphia society page columnist, along with eccentric sisters Libby and Emma. Born to old money, the Blackbird sisters have fallen on hard times, as their once wealthy parents leave a crumbling Bucks County estate and a two-million-dollar bill for back taxes to Nora, who is compelled to take a job (gasp!) to survive.

In Have Your Cake and Kill Him Too, Nora is in a bind. Having broken up with Michael Abruzzi, who appears to have returned to his career as a mafioso, she discovers that she is pregnant. Richard D'eath, her aptly-named new beau, wants to get married, but she can't convince herself that the safety Richard offers is really what she needs. No matter what her head says, her heart gravitates toward bad-boy Michael.

Amidst the turmoil of an unexpected pregnancy and two dead-end romances, Nora and her sisters become embroiled in a murder mystery. When a flirtatious millionaire meets an untimely demise, Nora works overtime to absolve her friend Delilah, who is clearly being framed by the unsavory blue-blooded relatives of the deceased.

Which family member perpetrated the murder? Is it the dimwitted politician, the angry middle-aged stepdaughter, or the overly ambitious, but impecunious, granddaughter? Everyone has a potential motive. Nora takes it upon herself to tease out the truth, which radiates to her romantic life, as well. Check out this classy cozy.

Isolation Ward
Jules Brenner

Josh Spanogle's debut novel is a mystery thriller, but no detective, lawyer or CIA agent need apply. Taking a page from Michael Crichton, he unleashes Dr. Nathaniel McCormick, a medical dynamo for the Special Pathogens Branch of the Centers for Disease Control, to avoid a pandemic when a powerful, unidentifiable virus breaks out in Baltimore group homes for the mentally impaired.

Nate is as brash and impulsive as a graduate student whose curriculum didn't include diplomacy. Dr. Herbert Verlach, a rare ally, remarks, "You either got some balls on you or you're dumb as a post."

The virus is worse than hemorrhagic fevers, Ebola and dengue combined. The common point of origin is a suspected sexual predator, a male patient at Baltimore Haven. Though his room is plastered with posters of San Francisco, he denies ever being near there. After he disappears, however, his phone records lead to a lady in San Jose. Nate's boss Tim Lancaster "relocates" him to track the man down. The Bay Area revives Nate's old feelings for two former flames. He reconnects with bronzed, blond Dr. Brooke Michaels, but pants around Alaine Chen whose affect on him is a fever all its own.

Spanogle grips us as much by the escapades of a bad boy in a China shop as by his virtuosity with a well obscured mystery. He writes deep and detailed with as good a handle on the form as on the virtues of lidocaining before a self-inflicted injury.

Super User
2010-04-24 20:30:45

Josh Spanogle's debut novel is a mystery thriller, but no detective, lawyer or CIA agent need apply. Taking a page from Michael Crichton, he unleashes Dr. Nathaniel McCormick, a medical dynamo for the Special Pathogens Branch of the Centers for Disease Control, to avoid a pandemic when a powerful, unidentifiable virus breaks out in Baltimore group homes for the mentally impaired.

Nate is as brash and impulsive as a graduate student whose curriculum didn't include diplomacy. Dr. Herbert Verlach, a rare ally, remarks, "You either got some balls on you or you're dumb as a post."

The virus is worse than hemorrhagic fevers, Ebola and dengue combined. The common point of origin is a suspected sexual predator, a male patient at Baltimore Haven. Though his room is plastered with posters of San Francisco, he denies ever being near there. After he disappears, however, his phone records lead to a lady in San Jose. Nate's boss Tim Lancaster "relocates" him to track the man down. The Bay Area revives Nate's old feelings for two former flames. He reconnects with bronzed, blond Dr. Brooke Michaels, but pants around Alaine Chen whose affect on him is a fever all its own.

Spanogle grips us as much by the escapades of a bad boy in a China shop as by his virtuosity with a well obscured mystery. He writes deep and detailed with as good a handle on the form as on the virtues of lidocaining before a self-inflicted injury.

Kill Me
Barbara Fister

Dr. Alan Gregory takes a backseat--or rather a therapist's chair--in White's new thriller that fuses two sources of contemporary anxiety into one high-octane concept. The narrator is a wealthy man whose greatest nightmare is to become physically incapacitated. He wants reassurance he will be able to escape such a fate, even if he's not capable of acting himself. He finds it in a specialized firm of personal assassins, the Death Angels, a pricey and highly secretive organization that will honor your stated wishes. The only problem is once you sign the contract, you can't change your mind.

In a world where Terry Schiavo's fate riveted the nation and polarized Congress, the question of when a life may not be worth living is a charged and potent one. In imagining his Death Angels, White has also tapped into a deep unease with the surveillance society. They know everything about you. No secrets, no privacy. No escape. The narrator discovers he has unexpected reasons to live when faced with a health crisis, and the chase is on.

The Death Angels are relentless and powerful, and as he tries to outwit them he learns much about himself. The trouble for the reader is that until that happens, he's an irritating, self-absorbed, and boring companion. It's enough to make you root for the assassins. Still, the reader who persists and manages to sustain disbelief through the first two-thirds of the book will be rewarded by a slam-bang, emotionally charged finale.

Super User
2010-04-24 20:30:45

Dr. Alan Gregory takes a backseat--or rather a therapist's chair--in White's new thriller that fuses two sources of contemporary anxiety into one high-octane concept. The narrator is a wealthy man whose greatest nightmare is to become physically incapacitated. He wants reassurance he will be able to escape such a fate, even if he's not capable of acting himself. He finds it in a specialized firm of personal assassins, the Death Angels, a pricey and highly secretive organization that will honor your stated wishes. The only problem is once you sign the contract, you can't change your mind.

In a world where Terry Schiavo's fate riveted the nation and polarized Congress, the question of when a life may not be worth living is a charged and potent one. In imagining his Death Angels, White has also tapped into a deep unease with the surveillance society. They know everything about you. No secrets, no privacy. No escape. The narrator discovers he has unexpected reasons to live when faced with a health crisis, and the chase is on.

The Death Angels are relentless and powerful, and as he tries to outwit them he learns much about himself. The trouble for the reader is that until that happens, he's an irritating, self-absorbed, and boring companion. It's enough to make you root for the assassins. Still, the reader who persists and manages to sustain disbelief through the first two-thirds of the book will be rewarded by a slam-bang, emotionally charged finale.

Labyrinth
Sue Reider

At an archaeological dig in southwestern France, volunteer Alice Tanner discovers two skeletons and a mysterious symbol in a hidden cave. She also experiences some sort of time warp, where she views a bit of the life of Ala?s DuMas, who lived in nearby Carcassonne eight centuries earlier.

Ala?s is helping her father, steward for the local viscount, prepare for the onslaught of the crusade against the Cathars in the area. He entrusts her with a book bearing secrets from ancient Egypt, as well as a ring bearing the same symbol Alice has found in the cave.

The book is unusual--an adventure story with heroic, but not superhuman, female leading characters. The author slowly reveals that the secret Ala?s is protecting is the same secret that others are attempting to wrest from Alice. Alice's confusion as she tries to figure out who is following her, and why is well portrayed.

Vast in scope, the novel is rich in historical detail, but not at the expense of characterization. Each of the main characters, both medieval and modern, exhibits a realistic personality, with intricacies and contradictions. The author vividly portrays the mood of Carcassonne as it prepares for a siege, as well as the terror of its residents. The story is well-researched with accurate descriptions of everything from fighting equipment to clothing and food. The political rationale for the crusade is woven seamlessly into the plot. The modern elements, while more familiar, are equally well depicted.

Full of history, mystery, romance and intrigue, this book is a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience.

Super User
2010-04-24 20:30:45

At an archaeological dig in southwestern France, volunteer Alice Tanner discovers two skeletons and a mysterious symbol in a hidden cave. She also experiences some sort of time warp, where she views a bit of the life of Ala?s DuMas, who lived in nearby Carcassonne eight centuries earlier.

Ala?s is helping her father, steward for the local viscount, prepare for the onslaught of the crusade against the Cathars in the area. He entrusts her with a book bearing secrets from ancient Egypt, as well as a ring bearing the same symbol Alice has found in the cave.

The book is unusual--an adventure story with heroic, but not superhuman, female leading characters. The author slowly reveals that the secret Ala?s is protecting is the same secret that others are attempting to wrest from Alice. Alice's confusion as she tries to figure out who is following her, and why is well portrayed.

Vast in scope, the novel is rich in historical detail, but not at the expense of characterization. Each of the main characters, both medieval and modern, exhibits a realistic personality, with intricacies and contradictions. The author vividly portrays the mood of Carcassonne as it prepares for a siege, as well as the terror of its residents. The story is well-researched with accurate descriptions of everything from fighting equipment to clothing and food. The political rationale for the crusade is woven seamlessly into the plot. The modern elements, while more familiar, are equally well depicted.

Full of history, mystery, romance and intrigue, this book is a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience.

Ladies Courting Trouble
Sue Reider

A series of seemingly random poisonings--one fatal--frightens residents and baffles police in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The elderly victim, who lived modestly, leaves her surprisingly large estate to a local minister; he becomes the poisoner's next target. Local herbalist Cass Shipton is intrigued, since the poison came from indigenous plants and she fears she might be suspected. She also wants to find the person terrorizing her friends and neighbors.

Of course, Cass isn't just any herbalist; she is also psychic. The fact that her visions are ambiguous and sometimes not very helpful makes them more realistic. In addition, she and her four closest friends are white wiccans, who celebrate their holidays and work their spells with abandon. Although the group is very nature-oriented, environmentally conscious, and concerned about the town and its inhabitants, meetings seem to be more about food, fun, fellowship, and a little wine. Their spells are always cast either to gain knowledge or for some beneficial purpose.

All the information about the Wiccan holidays and their presence in modern times is interesting. The characters are charming and funny. They seem like women I would enjoy knowing--if they were real.

Super User
2010-04-24 20:30:45

A series of seemingly random poisonings--one fatal--frightens residents and baffles police in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The elderly victim, who lived modestly, leaves her surprisingly large estate to a local minister; he becomes the poisoner's next target. Local herbalist Cass Shipton is intrigued, since the poison came from indigenous plants and she fears she might be suspected. She also wants to find the person terrorizing her friends and neighbors.

Of course, Cass isn't just any herbalist; she is also psychic. The fact that her visions are ambiguous and sometimes not very helpful makes them more realistic. In addition, she and her four closest friends are white wiccans, who celebrate their holidays and work their spells with abandon. Although the group is very nature-oriented, environmentally conscious, and concerned about the town and its inhabitants, meetings seem to be more about food, fun, fellowship, and a little wine. Their spells are always cast either to gain knowledge or for some beneficial purpose.

All the information about the Wiccan holidays and their presence in modern times is interesting. The characters are charming and funny. They seem like women I would enjoy knowing--if they were real.

Maitland Under Siege
Barbara Fister

Evan Maitland isn't entirely sure why he feels a need to abandon his antiques business to do a little skip tracing now and then, but for this ex-Chicago cop the work comes naturally. When he's sent after Thomas Hicks, a bail-jumper accused of murdering two men, he makes sure the fee is reasonably high, but a two-time killer turns out to be the least of Maitland's problems. He tracks his prey to a small town in the rural high plains and soon realizes he's not in Chicago anymore.

When Nina Harrow travels from Dallas to locate her missing sister, she asks too many questions and sets off a chain of events that entangles her fate with that of Hicks and Maitland. Against the menace of a small Kansas town run by corrupt men with too much power and no morals, Maitland has to rely on his wits and on the two strangers who share his predicament.

The prose is crisp and rugged, the situation both desperate and plausible. Hunt creates complex and interesting characters caught up in the kind of rural nightmare that is Noir's country cousin. These streets may not be paved, but they're mean enough. Maitland's just the guy you want on your side as you go down them.

Super User
2010-04-24 20:30:45

Evan Maitland isn't entirely sure why he feels a need to abandon his antiques business to do a little skip tracing now and then, but for this ex-Chicago cop the work comes naturally. When he's sent after Thomas Hicks, a bail-jumper accused of murdering two men, he makes sure the fee is reasonably high, but a two-time killer turns out to be the least of Maitland's problems. He tracks his prey to a small town in the rural high plains and soon realizes he's not in Chicago anymore.

When Nina Harrow travels from Dallas to locate her missing sister, she asks too many questions and sets off a chain of events that entangles her fate with that of Hicks and Maitland. Against the menace of a small Kansas town run by corrupt men with too much power and no morals, Maitland has to rely on his wits and on the two strangers who share his predicament.

The prose is crisp and rugged, the situation both desperate and plausible. Hunt creates complex and interesting characters caught up in the kind of rural nightmare that is Noir's country cousin. These streets may not be paved, but they're mean enough. Maitland's just the guy you want on your side as you go down them.

May Day
Lynne Maxwell

In May Day, Jess Lourey's first installment in her Murder by Month Mysteries, small-town Minnesota takes an unanticipated turn for the deadly. Hip young Mira James flees a dead-end job and romance in Minneapolis to seek rural comforts in Battle Lake. Overeducated and underpaid, Mira takes a job in the library, along with a part-time gig as a reporter. Initially, Battle Lake seems to fit the bill as a rural retreat, and Mira's life is definitely on the upswing when she meets Jeff, a handsome archeologist on assignment to examine a parcel of property. Her luck runs out again, though, as Mr. Perfect fails to appear for a special date and winds up dead instead. To make matters worse, Mira is the one to discover his body--in the library, of all places.

Determined to learn who Jeff really was and why he was murdered, Mira begins her own investigation, which uncovers numerous surprises. Nothing is as it seems, and Mira learns the dangerous way whom she can actually trust. Who would have imagined that her boss, the librarian, would have kinky sexual appetites? Who knew there was a huge market for sex parties geared to the geriatric set? Or that the mild-mannered banker had maniacal propensities? It's enough to make one yearn for the anonymity of the big city, where perversity is more evenly distributed. Nonetheless, Mira exposes the truth, and gets a wonderful scoop for her newspaper too. Meet this witty heroine in Lourey's engaging new series.

Super User
2010-04-24 20:30:45

In May Day, Jess Lourey's first installment in her Murder by Month Mysteries, small-town Minnesota takes an unanticipated turn for the deadly. Hip young Mira James flees a dead-end job and romance in Minneapolis to seek rural comforts in Battle Lake. Overeducated and underpaid, Mira takes a job in the library, along with a part-time gig as a reporter. Initially, Battle Lake seems to fit the bill as a rural retreat, and Mira's life is definitely on the upswing when she meets Jeff, a handsome archeologist on assignment to examine a parcel of property. Her luck runs out again, though, as Mr. Perfect fails to appear for a special date and winds up dead instead. To make matters worse, Mira is the one to discover his body--in the library, of all places.

Determined to learn who Jeff really was and why he was murdered, Mira begins her own investigation, which uncovers numerous surprises. Nothing is as it seems, and Mira learns the dangerous way whom she can actually trust. Who would have imagined that her boss, the librarian, would have kinky sexual appetites? Who knew there was a huge market for sex parties geared to the geriatric set? Or that the mild-mannered banker had maniacal propensities? It's enough to make one yearn for the anonymity of the big city, where perversity is more evenly distributed. Nonetheless, Mira exposes the truth, and gets a wonderful scoop for her newspaper too. Meet this witty heroine in Lourey's engaging new series.

Million Dollar Baby
Lynne Maxwell

Make way for the most clueless and adversarial couple since Jane Austen's Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Amy Patricia Meade's Million Dollar Baby (fortunately, there are no female boxers here!) features Marjorie McClelland, protagonist of this new Depression era series, an independent woman and mystery writer of middling renown.

As Marjorie labors over her third novel, Creighton Ashcroft, a dashing and cultivated British millionaire, arrives in her Connecticut town and purchases a mansion with an unhappy history. Immediately, the two notice each other but repeatedly deny their obvious mutual attraction. They find reason to associate relentlessly though, when Creighton discovers a body on his new estate, and the bickering non-couple decide to join forces as detectives.

At the insistence of Marjorie and Creighton, the police agree to reopen the five-year-old case of the previous owner's suicide, in light of the newly discovered skeleton. Incredibly, the attractive police detective allows the duo to join the investigation, which they do to great success, greatly multiplying the list of possible suspects.

Million Dollar Baby offers much in the way of plot and setting, but its distinguishing characteristic is the wonderful repartee between Marjorie and Creighton. Their incessant barbed remarks alone make this book a winning read. Meade's timing is impeccable, as she delivers the lines at just the right moment and in just the right proportion. Clearly, she is in control of her characters and of her book. I'm eagerly anticipating an entertaining reunion with Marjorie McClelland in Meade's next series entry.

Super User
2010-04-24 20:30:45

Make way for the most clueless and adversarial couple since Jane Austen's Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Amy Patricia Meade's Million Dollar Baby (fortunately, there are no female boxers here!) features Marjorie McClelland, protagonist of this new Depression era series, an independent woman and mystery writer of middling renown.

As Marjorie labors over her third novel, Creighton Ashcroft, a dashing and cultivated British millionaire, arrives in her Connecticut town and purchases a mansion with an unhappy history. Immediately, the two notice each other but repeatedly deny their obvious mutual attraction. They find reason to associate relentlessly though, when Creighton discovers a body on his new estate, and the bickering non-couple decide to join forces as detectives.

At the insistence of Marjorie and Creighton, the police agree to reopen the five-year-old case of the previous owner's suicide, in light of the newly discovered skeleton. Incredibly, the attractive police detective allows the duo to join the investigation, which they do to great success, greatly multiplying the list of possible suspects.

Million Dollar Baby offers much in the way of plot and setting, but its distinguishing characteristic is the wonderful repartee between Marjorie and Creighton. Their incessant barbed remarks alone make this book a winning read. Meade's timing is impeccable, as she delivers the lines at just the right moment and in just the right proportion. Clearly, she is in control of her characters and of her book. I'm eagerly anticipating an entertaining reunion with Marjorie McClelland in Meade's next series entry.

Murder in Montmartre
Barbara Fister

Aim?e Leduc is back, and takes us to another intriguing part of Paris, the hill above the city that artists and prostitutes have made their own since the days of Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. This time her friend, a police officer, is charged with killing her crooked partner, and since she herself has suffered a massive head injury, it's hard to know exactly what happened, but that won't stop Aim?e from finding out.

Neither will the Corsican mob, nor the heavy-handed resistance of the police, who resent her interference, nor the state security apparatus. As she untangles the rooftop shooting, she also uncovers the roots of her father's suspicious death in an explosion years ago--one that has left too many questions dangling.

As always, the Parisian setting is vividly evoked, the heroine's wardrobe is chic, and the action is non-stop. The story has its Nancy Drew elements--secret passageways, confrontations in darkened graveyards, chases across cobblestones in spike heels--and Aim?e herself is prone to emotional states that seem excessive for a tough private eye. But if you don't mind mixing your map of modern Paris with a baroque imagination, and if you long for the adventure-filled stories that got you hooked on reading in the first place, you'll enjoy this series.

Super User
2010-04-24 20:30:45

Aim?e Leduc is back, and takes us to another intriguing part of Paris, the hill above the city that artists and prostitutes have made their own since the days of Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. This time her friend, a police officer, is charged with killing her crooked partner, and since she herself has suffered a massive head injury, it's hard to know exactly what happened, but that won't stop Aim?e from finding out.

Neither will the Corsican mob, nor the heavy-handed resistance of the police, who resent her interference, nor the state security apparatus. As she untangles the rooftop shooting, she also uncovers the roots of her father's suspicious death in an explosion years ago--one that has left too many questions dangling.

As always, the Parisian setting is vividly evoked, the heroine's wardrobe is chic, and the action is non-stop. The story has its Nancy Drew elements--secret passageways, confrontations in darkened graveyards, chases across cobblestones in spike heels--and Aim?e herself is prone to emotional states that seem excessive for a tough private eye. But if you don't mind mixing your map of modern Paris with a baroque imagination, and if you long for the adventure-filled stories that got you hooked on reading in the first place, you'll enjoy this series.

Night of the Jaguar
Verna Suit

In the depths of the Amazonian rain forest, a priest is murdered by order of Cuban American businessmen in Miami who are conspiring to harvest ancient hardwoods from a forest preserve. Before the priest dies, his departing spirit tells an Indian shaman why he was killed, names the businessmen, and urges the Indian to go to Miami and stop the forest's destruction. The Indian, Moie, makes his way to Miami and locates the men. Then he picks them off one by one, by turning into the god Jaguar and eating them.

Ex-police detective Jimmy Paz, now working as a cook in his mother's Miami restaurant, becomes bothered when his household starts having frightening dreams about jaguars. When the baffled police come to him for help with the gory murders, because of his experience dealing with "weird stuff," he temporarily comes out of retirement to help figure out who is killing and eating Cuban businessmen.

Night of the Jaguar is Gruber's third Jimmy Paz novel. It is an intriguing, analytical blend of the mystical, intellectual, and mundane. Paz tries to understand the phenomenon of shape-shifting, while primitive Moie tries to interpret life as he finds it in Miami, and members of an environmental commune are preoccupied with their individual agendas. Night of the Jaguar will leave you with lots to think about and possibly give you very strange dreams.

Super User
2010-04-24 20:30:45

In the depths of the Amazonian rain forest, a priest is murdered by order of Cuban American businessmen in Miami who are conspiring to harvest ancient hardwoods from a forest preserve. Before the priest dies, his departing spirit tells an Indian shaman why he was killed, names the businessmen, and urges the Indian to go to Miami and stop the forest's destruction. The Indian, Moie, makes his way to Miami and locates the men. Then he picks them off one by one, by turning into the god Jaguar and eating them.

Ex-police detective Jimmy Paz, now working as a cook in his mother's Miami restaurant, becomes bothered when his household starts having frightening dreams about jaguars. When the baffled police come to him for help with the gory murders, because of his experience dealing with "weird stuff," he temporarily comes out of retirement to help figure out who is killing and eating Cuban businessmen.

Night of the Jaguar is Gruber's third Jimmy Paz novel. It is an intriguing, analytical blend of the mystical, intellectual, and mundane. Paz tries to understand the phenomenon of shape-shifting, while primitive Moie tries to interpret life as he finds it in Miami, and members of an environmental commune are preoccupied with their individual agendas. Night of the Jaguar will leave you with lots to think about and possibly give you very strange dreams.

Nightlife
Derek Hill

Thomas Perry returns with this mesmerizing thriller focusing on a quick thinking female serial killer named Tanya Starling (though she changes alias faster than most of us can change our minds) who knocks off her mostly male prey once she has used them for her financial and material gain.

Her venomous black widow ways catch up with her when she kills a computer programmer in Portland, Oregon--who also happens to be the nephew of L.A. crime boss Hugo Poole--triggering a multi-state police investigation, as well as a private hunt funded by the crime boss who desires that she be taken vigilante style. Portland detective Catherine Hobbes leads the official crusade against Starling, racing against time to apprehend her before Poole's assassin nails her, though the path to justice gets precarious when the increasingly mentally-unstable Starling focuses her wrath on Hobbes herself.

Fans of Perry, as well as serial killer novels in general, should find this fast-paced and always engaging novel a sure bet. Starling, as atypical a serial killer as you're likely to come across, chills the blood as she charms, manipulates, and cuts down anyone unlucky enough to cross her path or who fails to keep her in wealth. But however bloodthirsty Starling is, Perry refuses to make her simply a one-dimensional villain. Though Starling's homicidal hunger is monstrous, her desperate weakness for acceptance and luxury is sadly all too human.

Super User
2010-04-24 20:30:45

Thomas Perry returns with this mesmerizing thriller focusing on a quick thinking female serial killer named Tanya Starling (though she changes alias faster than most of us can change our minds) who knocks off her mostly male prey once she has used them for her financial and material gain.

Her venomous black widow ways catch up with her when she kills a computer programmer in Portland, Oregon--who also happens to be the nephew of L.A. crime boss Hugo Poole--triggering a multi-state police investigation, as well as a private hunt funded by the crime boss who desires that she be taken vigilante style. Portland detective Catherine Hobbes leads the official crusade against Starling, racing against time to apprehend her before Poole's assassin nails her, though the path to justice gets precarious when the increasingly mentally-unstable Starling focuses her wrath on Hobbes herself.

Fans of Perry, as well as serial killer novels in general, should find this fast-paced and always engaging novel a sure bet. Starling, as atypical a serial killer as you're likely to come across, chills the blood as she charms, manipulates, and cuts down anyone unlucky enough to cross her path or who fails to keep her in wealth. But however bloodthirsty Starling is, Perry refuses to make her simply a one-dimensional villain. Though Starling's homicidal hunger is monstrous, her desperate weakness for acceptance and luxury is sadly all too human.

Out of Cabrini
Derek Hill

Steel-toed Chicago cop Stacey Macbeth works the dreaded Cabrini Green beat, trying to keep the peace between gunshots, drug deals, dumped bodies, and all the other mayhem that festers in the city's most notorious housing development. Things get even more intense when one of the top soldiers in the project's largest and most feared street gangs--the Gangster Disciples--is released from prison.

The GDs reward Lonnie Huggin's silence during his fourteen months locked away by giving him a chance to stake out some new territory up north in Minnesota for the gang. But before Lonnie can relocate, he gets tossed back in jail and his prized BMW--equipped with the latest state-of-the-art accessories like...cocaine--gets confiscated by the police and resold at auction, triggering serious trouble for Macbeth as he follows the trail of blood leading back to Lonnie.

Writer Dave Case is a nineteen-year veteran of the Chicago Police and his debut crackles with the grit and texture of having worked the same streets that he expertly documents. The modern, urban crime novel is a well-paved road and Case manages to navigate the terrain reasonably well despite many of his characters failing to materialize past two-dimensions, and dialogue that doesn't always bite the way it should. Fans of unmitigated tough guy novels will find this tale of blood and bullets a satisfying read, and there's no doubt that Case is a talent to watch in what will hopefully be a long-running series.

Super User
2010-04-24 20:30:45

Steel-toed Chicago cop Stacey Macbeth works the dreaded Cabrini Green beat, trying to keep the peace between gunshots, drug deals, dumped bodies, and all the other mayhem that festers in the city's most notorious housing development. Things get even more intense when one of the top soldiers in the project's largest and most feared street gangs--the Gangster Disciples--is released from prison.

The GDs reward Lonnie Huggin's silence during his fourteen months locked away by giving him a chance to stake out some new territory up north in Minnesota for the gang. But before Lonnie can relocate, he gets tossed back in jail and his prized BMW--equipped with the latest state-of-the-art accessories like...cocaine--gets confiscated by the police and resold at auction, triggering serious trouble for Macbeth as he follows the trail of blood leading back to Lonnie.

Writer Dave Case is a nineteen-year veteran of the Chicago Police and his debut crackles with the grit and texture of having worked the same streets that he expertly documents. The modern, urban crime novel is a well-paved road and Case manages to navigate the terrain reasonably well despite many of his characters failing to materialize past two-dimensions, and dialogue that doesn't always bite the way it should. Fans of unmitigated tough guy novels will find this tale of blood and bullets a satisfying read, and there's no doubt that Case is a talent to watch in what will hopefully be a long-running series.

Out of Order
Jeff Siegel

It's not often any book--let alone a mystery--combines a mortgage clerk, a red-headed, pony-tailed train spotting Canadian, and a package tour of India, but Out of Order is not just any book. Charles Benoit's second novel requires more than one leap of faith from the reader (the clerk, a small town nobody named Jason Talley, ends up going to India inorder to solve an upstate New York murder), but Benoit manages to combine all the disparate elements into a cleverly phrased, well-characterized whole.

Talley is in India because he is convinced that his good friends, an Indian husband and wife, did not die in a murder suicide, the result of an unhappy marriage. Yes, they fought, but "like Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn, like Nick and Nora Charles, like Burns and Allen." This is why Talley ends up halfway around the world, tracking down leads in the Byzantine world of the subcontinent's software and computer industries, enjoying his own Nick and Nora with train spotting Rachel. And if the ending is more Murder, She Wrote than Graham Greene, it still doesn't detract from Benoit's effort.

Super User
2010-04-24 20:30:45

It's not often any book--let alone a mystery--combines a mortgage clerk, a red-headed, pony-tailed train spotting Canadian, and a package tour of India, but Out of Order is not just any book. Charles Benoit's second novel requires more than one leap of faith from the reader (the clerk, a small town nobody named Jason Talley, ends up going to India inorder to solve an upstate New York murder), but Benoit manages to combine all the disparate elements into a cleverly phrased, well-characterized whole.

Talley is in India because he is convinced that his good friends, an Indian husband and wife, did not die in a murder suicide, the result of an unhappy marriage. Yes, they fought, but "like Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn, like Nick and Nora Charles, like Burns and Allen." This is why Talley ends up halfway around the world, tracking down leads in the Byzantine world of the subcontinent's software and computer industries, enjoying his own Nick and Nora with train spotting Rachel. And if the ending is more Murder, She Wrote than Graham Greene, it still doesn't detract from Benoit's effort.

Penumbra
Jules Brenner

As much romance novel as mystery, author Haines creates steamy tension in a small Mississippi town where fixed class inequities, secrets, and lust--both degenerate and natural--overheat the atmosphere.

The big man in town is Lucas Bramlett, as demanding and callous as they come. Small wonder that his beautiful wife Marlena is cheating on him on a trip out to the woods with her daughter Suzanna to meet Big Johnny, a salesman from another town.

The planned picnic and roll in the hay turns tragic when two hooded men grab Suzanna and viciously assault Marlena. When she's found, naked and on the edge of life, her secret half-sister Jade, a white-skinned beauty with mixed blood and deep understanding, stays with her in the hospital. When Marlena awakens from her coma, she gives Jade clues about her attackers. Hubby, meanwhile, waits for a ransom call that never comes.

Contrasted against slightly mad and dangerous bully Junior Clements, Sheriff's deputy Frank Kimble treats Jade with uncommon respect. As the only capable investigator in the area, he's a refuge of decency in an atmosphere that grows more combustible by the minute. While Jade finds him the only man with whom a relationship can be more than sex and passion, she contemplates the dangers of forbidden mixed-race romance.

Haines' 1950s town is a swamp of cruelty and evil in which fear and apprehension breed like ticks, and where love asserts itself against prevailing prejudice. If it sounds a bit cliched it's because you'll find much similarity in the Harlequin catalogue.

Super User
2010-04-24 20:30:45

As much romance novel as mystery, author Haines creates steamy tension in a small Mississippi town where fixed class inequities, secrets, and lust--both degenerate and natural--overheat the atmosphere.

The big man in town is Lucas Bramlett, as demanding and callous as they come. Small wonder that his beautiful wife Marlena is cheating on him on a trip out to the woods with her daughter Suzanna to meet Big Johnny, a salesman from another town.

The planned picnic and roll in the hay turns tragic when two hooded men grab Suzanna and viciously assault Marlena. When she's found, naked and on the edge of life, her secret half-sister Jade, a white-skinned beauty with mixed blood and deep understanding, stays with her in the hospital. When Marlena awakens from her coma, she gives Jade clues about her attackers. Hubby, meanwhile, waits for a ransom call that never comes.

Contrasted against slightly mad and dangerous bully Junior Clements, Sheriff's deputy Frank Kimble treats Jade with uncommon respect. As the only capable investigator in the area, he's a refuge of decency in an atmosphere that grows more combustible by the minute. While Jade finds him the only man with whom a relationship can be more than sex and passion, she contemplates the dangers of forbidden mixed-race romance.

Haines' 1950s town is a swamp of cruelty and evil in which fear and apprehension breed like ticks, and where love asserts itself against prevailing prejudice. If it sounds a bit cliched it's because you'll find much similarity in the Harlequin catalogue.

Riders Down
Verna Suit

Racing columnist Matt O'Connor is asked by a mob friend to look into the suspicious death of his elderly bookmaker uncle. Then Matt's editor asks him to look into some inexplicable jockey murders and a large, unexpected bet payoffs. Could these anomalies be connected? They are. And the connection, the reader soon learns, is Claude Bledsoe, a multi-talented perpetual student who, for a complex reason, is faced with the necessity of earning a million dollars in one year. To accomplish his goal he comes up with an utterly amoral method of fixing races.

Author John McEvoy is a former editor of the Daily Racing Form and the author of five nonfiction books on horseracing. He knows the racing world cold. He also knows many good horseracing stories and generously sprinkles them onto the pages of Riders Down, his second novel. A downside of the book is that fictional journalist Matt seems to have a mental block when it comes to putting together obvious clues. To be fair, the police don't do much better. The book's abundance of stories and anecdotes, colorful characters, and jockey and racing lore more than make up for any shortcomings. With a little work, McEvoy could be the next Damon Runyon.

Super User
2010-04-24 20:30:45

Racing columnist Matt O'Connor is asked by a mob friend to look into the suspicious death of his elderly bookmaker uncle. Then Matt's editor asks him to look into some inexplicable jockey murders and a large, unexpected bet payoffs. Could these anomalies be connected? They are. And the connection, the reader soon learns, is Claude Bledsoe, a multi-talented perpetual student who, for a complex reason, is faced with the necessity of earning a million dollars in one year. To accomplish his goal he comes up with an utterly amoral method of fixing races.

Author John McEvoy is a former editor of the Daily Racing Form and the author of five nonfiction books on horseracing. He knows the racing world cold. He also knows many good horseracing stories and generously sprinkles them onto the pages of Riders Down, his second novel. A downside of the book is that fictional journalist Matt seems to have a mental block when it comes to putting together obvious clues. To be fair, the police don't do much better. The book's abundance of stories and anecdotes, colorful characters, and jockey and racing lore more than make up for any shortcomings. With a little work, McEvoy could be the next Damon Runyon.

Smoked
Derek Hill

Smoke Dugan lives a respectable if low-key lifestyle, and that's the way he likes it. He's got a beautiful younger girlfriend named Lola, he makes toys for children, and he loves his Dominican cigars and good wine. But Smoke unfortunately harbors a dark secret that none of his few friends would or could ever believe was possible. Smoke is a bomb maker and a killer, a man who used to make his living doing bad things for bad people to even worse individuals.

Now, Smoke's dangerous past has come exploding back into form, igniting a shock wave of violence that threatens to engulf his girlfriend and anyone unlucky enough to be near him. The worst part is that the killer inside Smoke's weary bones is about to be reawakened as well.

Patrick Quinlan's first novel is pure pulp nirvana. With its fast paced, vivid, sometimes grotesque characters, and the requisite steely prose which keep things engaging even when the storyline veers towards the far-fetched, Quinlan has crafted one hell of a mean hardboiled thriller. And though Smoke makes for a compelling anti-hero, it's his resilient and courageous main squeeze Lola who steals the show and threatens to hijack the entire novel with her martial arts skills and her grace under big time pressure. A savage good read.

Super User
2010-04-24 20:30:45

Smoke Dugan lives a respectable if low-key lifestyle, and that's the way he likes it. He's got a beautiful younger girlfriend named Lola, he makes toys for children, and he loves his Dominican cigars and good wine. But Smoke unfortunately harbors a dark secret that none of his few friends would or could ever believe was possible. Smoke is a bomb maker and a killer, a man who used to make his living doing bad things for bad people to even worse individuals.

Now, Smoke's dangerous past has come exploding back into form, igniting a shock wave of violence that threatens to engulf his girlfriend and anyone unlucky enough to be near him. The worst part is that the killer inside Smoke's weary bones is about to be reawakened as well.

Patrick Quinlan's first novel is pure pulp nirvana. With its fast paced, vivid, sometimes grotesque characters, and the requisite steely prose which keep things engaging even when the storyline veers towards the far-fetched, Quinlan has crafted one hell of a mean hardboiled thriller. And though Smoke makes for a compelling anti-hero, it's his resilient and courageous main squeeze Lola who steals the show and threatens to hijack the entire novel with her martial arts skills and her grace under big time pressure. A savage good read.

Sorrow's Anthem
Hank Wagner

Long repressed emotions erupt when Cleveland PI Lincoln Perry learns that former friend Ed Gradduk has been accused of arson and murder. Feeling pangs of regret from the results of a well-meant past gesture gone bad, the ex-cop seeks his childhood pal out to offer his assistance. He eventually locates Ed, only to see him run down by a police car moments later.

Motivated primarily by guilt and shame, Perry strives to uncover the truth behind the accusations, hoping to clear his friend's name. He starts poking around at the edges of a conspiracy that includes members of a local police precinct; unfortunately for him, the conspirators are willing to go to any length, including murder, to protect their secrets.

A worthy follow-up to his highly praised debut, 2004's Tonight I Said Goodbye, Sorrow's Anthem is notable not only for its swift pacing, well-drawn cast, and harrowing, hardboiled action, but also for the fact that its author is all of twenty-two years old. Displaying an outsize talent that belies his youth, Koryta cements his reputation as one of the top young mystery writers in America today. He delivers a work that takes a hard look at the world of crime, and on the impact of the choices people make in that world, both criminals and law enforcement officials; everyday choices that often mean the difference between life and death, and between a life lived inside or outside the blurry confines of the law.

Super User
2010-04-24 20:30:45

Long repressed emotions erupt when Cleveland PI Lincoln Perry learns that former friend Ed Gradduk has been accused of arson and murder. Feeling pangs of regret from the results of a well-meant past gesture gone bad, the ex-cop seeks his childhood pal out to offer his assistance. He eventually locates Ed, only to see him run down by a police car moments later.

Motivated primarily by guilt and shame, Perry strives to uncover the truth behind the accusations, hoping to clear his friend's name. He starts poking around at the edges of a conspiracy that includes members of a local police precinct; unfortunately for him, the conspirators are willing to go to any length, including murder, to protect their secrets.

A worthy follow-up to his highly praised debut, 2004's Tonight I Said Goodbye, Sorrow's Anthem is notable not only for its swift pacing, well-drawn cast, and harrowing, hardboiled action, but also for the fact that its author is all of twenty-two years old. Displaying an outsize talent that belies his youth, Koryta cements his reputation as one of the top young mystery writers in America today. He delivers a work that takes a hard look at the world of crime, and on the impact of the choices people make in that world, both criminals and law enforcement officials; everyday choices that often mean the difference between life and death, and between a life lived inside or outside the blurry confines of the law.

Speak Softly, She Can Hear
Beverly J. DeWeese

Shy, overweight Carole has only one friend at her expensive prep school--rich, dysfunctional Naomi. The two of them are quite close, so, one weekend, they decide to lose their virginity to "older, sophisticated" Eddie. Unfortunately, the sex becomes rough, their friendship is shattered, and a woman's body lies deep in the Vermont woods.

Admittedly, Carole is a heroine that will sometimes exasperate readers, but others will sympathize with her since the terrified Carole is under a lot of pressure from her ambitious parents and snooty classmates. Nobody is quite as foolish or fragile as a young girl who has little self-esteem. And her overwhelming determination to run away and create a new life for herself makes her quite empathetic. The suspense focuses on that question: "can Carole hide her past and create a new life?"

Though other characters are not as fully drawn as Carole, they are believable. Carole's parents are clueless and don't understand why she doesn't accept the life they've planned for her. Naomi's parents ignore her, so Naomi will try anything to get attention. Even Eddie is a believable sleaze. Later, when Carole is safe, her unknowing, but kind friends realistically cannot understand what kind of person she is nor what kind of terror she experiences.

The Vermont small town in winter is vividly presented. The plot moves quickly as Carole fights fears that her past will be exposed. Excellent suspense, good writing, and a vulnerable, complex heroine make this more than a "woman in jeopardy" novel.

Super User
2010-04-24 20:37:56

Shy, overweight Carole has only one friend at her expensive prep school--rich, dysfunctional Naomi. The two of them are quite close, so, one weekend, they decide to lose their virginity to "older, sophisticated" Eddie. Unfortunately, the sex becomes rough, their friendship is shattered, and a woman's body lies deep in the Vermont woods.

Admittedly, Carole is a heroine that will sometimes exasperate readers, but others will sympathize with her since the terrified Carole is under a lot of pressure from her ambitious parents and snooty classmates. Nobody is quite as foolish or fragile as a young girl who has little self-esteem. And her overwhelming determination to run away and create a new life for herself makes her quite empathetic. The suspense focuses on that question: "can Carole hide her past and create a new life?"

Though other characters are not as fully drawn as Carole, they are believable. Carole's parents are clueless and don't understand why she doesn't accept the life they've planned for her. Naomi's parents ignore her, so Naomi will try anything to get attention. Even Eddie is a believable sleaze. Later, when Carole is safe, her unknowing, but kind friends realistically cannot understand what kind of person she is nor what kind of terror she experiences.

The Vermont small town in winter is vividly presented. The plot moves quickly as Carole fights fears that her past will be exposed. Excellent suspense, good writing, and a vulnerable, complex heroine make this more than a "woman in jeopardy" novel.

The Dead Hour
Verna Suit

The setting is 1984 Glasgow, a grim and gritty place with high unemployment. When Paddy Meehan, a young reporter for the Scottish Daily News, covers a domestic altercation in a posh neighborhood one night, a man thrusts a 50-quid note into her hand as a bribe to keep the incident out of the papers. Paddy feels guilty at taking the money and calls the story in anyway. Police who respond to the call get similar bribes. They ignore the obviously battered woman. The next morning the woman is dead.

Paddy investigates the woman's beating death and discovers the role played by Kate, a cokehead party girl whose story alternates throughout the book with Paddy's. The two couldn't be more different. Kate grew up as the most beautiful girl in her well-to-do neighborhood, while Paddy is self-conscious about being overweight and is the sole support of her parents and three siblings. She is frustrated by her narrow prospects, wracked by guilt over taking the bribe, fearful over retribution from the police for exposing their corruption, and worried about losing her job.

The Dead HourField of Blood, is a strong and memorable character in Mina's capable hands and I look forward to her next appearance.

Super User
2010-04-24 20:37:56

The setting is 1984 Glasgow, a grim and gritty place with high unemployment. When Paddy Meehan, a young reporter for the Scottish Daily News, covers a domestic altercation in a posh neighborhood one night, a man thrusts a 50-quid note into her hand as a bribe to keep the incident out of the papers. Paddy feels guilty at taking the money and calls the story in anyway. Police who respond to the call get similar bribes. They ignore the obviously battered woman. The next morning the woman is dead.

Paddy investigates the woman's beating death and discovers the role played by Kate, a cokehead party girl whose story alternates throughout the book with Paddy's. The two couldn't be more different. Kate grew up as the most beautiful girl in her well-to-do neighborhood, while Paddy is self-conscious about being overweight and is the sole support of her parents and three siblings. She is frustrated by her narrow prospects, wracked by guilt over taking the bribe, fearful over retribution from the police for exposing their corruption, and worried about losing her job.

The Dead HourField of Blood, is a strong and memorable character in Mina's capable hands and I look forward to her next appearance.

The Dead Yard
Beverly J. DeWeese

After exposing a powerful Irish mobster for the FBI, Irish mercenary Michael Forsythe is trying to create a new life in Spain. But, after getting caught up in a soccer riot, he's arrested and forced to take on a new mission: to infiltrate a Boston-based, terrorist IRA cell. From this point on, this thriller is a runaway train.

The characters are all tough and violent. Michael himself knows how savage terrorists can be, and he has survived by being equally savage and cruel. All the members of this secret cell are merciless, including the leader, a seemingly friendly Irish charmer; his lovely daughter, who's been taught fanatical hatred; and Touched, a clever, vicious psychopath. These characters are superbly drawn.

Since this is a super secret cell and Michael is undercover, naturally no character is quite what he/she seems. There are many levels of deception, and Michael is often horrified by what he uncovers. No one can be trusted. Even his British agent control, Samantha, is not safe.

This is a gritty, extremely suspenseful read, with as much noir atmosphere as any reader would want. Recommended.

Super User
2010-04-24 20:37:56

After exposing a powerful Irish mobster for the FBI, Irish mercenary Michael Forsythe is trying to create a new life in Spain. But, after getting caught up in a soccer riot, he's arrested and forced to take on a new mission: to infiltrate a Boston-based, terrorist IRA cell. From this point on, this thriller is a runaway train.

The characters are all tough and violent. Michael himself knows how savage terrorists can be, and he has survived by being equally savage and cruel. All the members of this secret cell are merciless, including the leader, a seemingly friendly Irish charmer; his lovely daughter, who's been taught fanatical hatred; and Touched, a clever, vicious psychopath. These characters are superbly drawn.

Since this is a super secret cell and Michael is undercover, naturally no character is quite what he/she seems. There are many levels of deception, and Michael is often horrified by what he uncovers. No one can be trusted. Even his British agent control, Samantha, is not safe.

This is a gritty, extremely suspenseful read, with as much noir atmosphere as any reader would want. Recommended.

The Dramatist
Jeff Siegel

It's always interesting to see how other cultures handle the distinctly American creation, the hardboiled novel. It's a treat to find someone like Bruen, who handles it so well. The Dramatist is the fourth in the series featuring the Irish hard case Jack Taylor, and it finds Bruen's hero off booze and coke and going to church. But not to worry. Taylor is still going to do plenty of things he'll eventually regret--or as he notes at one point: "Tests were never my strong point, especially if they involved character."

The novelist James Crumley has waxed poetic about Bruen, which isn't surprising. Taylor bears more than a passing resemblance to Crumley's various hopped up protagonists. But if Crumley's heroes struggle with their failure to live up to the promise of America, Taylor's dilemma is the opposite. He can't accept an Ireland that now offers promise and opportunity after millions of lifetimes as the Third World of Western Europe. That irony is one of the themes of the book, as Taylor investigates the death of his drug dealer's sister, who's in jail and can't supply Taylor. Throw in an old girlfriend, some pike-wielding vigilantes, and a past that continually haunts Taylor, and The Dramatist is well worth reading.

Super User
2010-04-24 20:37:56

It's always interesting to see how other cultures handle the distinctly American creation, the hardboiled novel. It's a treat to find someone like Bruen, who handles it so well. The Dramatist is the fourth in the series featuring the Irish hard case Jack Taylor, and it finds Bruen's hero off booze and coke and going to church. But not to worry. Taylor is still going to do plenty of things he'll eventually regret--or as he notes at one point: "Tests were never my strong point, especially if they involved character."

The novelist James Crumley has waxed poetic about Bruen, which isn't surprising. Taylor bears more than a passing resemblance to Crumley's various hopped up protagonists. But if Crumley's heroes struggle with their failure to live up to the promise of America, Taylor's dilemma is the opposite. He can't accept an Ireland that now offers promise and opportunity after millions of lifetimes as the Third World of Western Europe. That irony is one of the themes of the book, as Taylor investigates the death of his drug dealer's sister, who's in jail and can't supply Taylor. Throw in an old girlfriend, some pike-wielding vigilantes, and a past that continually haunts Taylor, and The Dramatist is well worth reading.

The Fallen
Joseph Scarpato Jr.

After recovering from a severe on-the-job injury, detective Robbie Brownlaw becomes the youngest homicide detective in the San Diego Police Department. The injury has left Robbie with a very rare condition called synesthesia, a neurological condition that allows him to see people's spoken words as colors, including red when they're not telling the truth. Although this ability is bothersome at times, it helps him in his homicide investigations.

In this story, Robbie is investigating the murder of a fellow officer, Sergeant Garrett Asplundh, who was shot while sitting in his car under a bridge near Balboa Park. Until the recent death of his young daughter, Garrett worked in Internal Affairs, helping to police the police. Lately he had been working for the San Diego Ethics Authority, a department which helped keep politicians, city administrators, and business people honest and aboveboard.

In a fast-paced and riveting mystery, Robbie must overcome his own personal demons while his search for the identity of the murderer takes him into the dark underbelly of San Diego politics where motives for murder abound. T. Jefferson Parker is a two-time winner of the prestigious Edgar Award for best mystery, including his 2004 novel, California Girl.

Super User
2010-04-24 20:37:56

After recovering from a severe on-the-job injury, detective Robbie Brownlaw becomes the youngest homicide detective in the San Diego Police Department. The injury has left Robbie with a very rare condition called synesthesia, a neurological condition that allows him to see people's spoken words as colors, including red when they're not telling the truth. Although this ability is bothersome at times, it helps him in his homicide investigations.

In this story, Robbie is investigating the murder of a fellow officer, Sergeant Garrett Asplundh, who was shot while sitting in his car under a bridge near Balboa Park. Until the recent death of his young daughter, Garrett worked in Internal Affairs, helping to police the police. Lately he had been working for the San Diego Ethics Authority, a department which helped keep politicians, city administrators, and business people honest and aboveboard.

In a fast-paced and riveting mystery, Robbie must overcome his own personal demons while his search for the identity of the murderer takes him into the dark underbelly of San Diego politics where motives for murder abound. T. Jefferson Parker is a two-time winner of the prestigious Edgar Award for best mystery, including his 2004 novel, California Girl.

The Housekeeper
Jeff Siegel

When a writer starts a book with a 1 1/2 page paragraph, it's obvious she's up to something. When she knows what she's doing, as Melanie Wallace does in The Housekeeper, it's a book well worth reading.

Wallace does not use one word when a sentence will suffice, or a sentence when a paragraph will work. In too many writers, this is a handicap, a reason for the reader not to finish what they've started. In The Housekeeper, though, it's Wallace's way into the life of a teenaged runaway named Jamie Hall and the people she meets in the small mountain valley town where she ends up.

The plot revolves around a nameless boy Jamie finds tied to a tree (in the paragraph before the 1 1/2-page one), but that's just an excuse for Wallace to use language to explore the town and its inhabitants--Galen, an ex-con who helps Jamie look for the boy; Harlan, who has known Galen for much too long; and Margaret, a photographer (yes, there is symbolism here) who hires Jamie to keep house. Whether she discovers who the boy is is not entirely Wallace's point; it's the hunt that matters.

Super User
2010-04-24 20:37:56

When a writer starts a book with a 1 1/2 page paragraph, it's obvious she's up to something. When she knows what she's doing, as Melanie Wallace does in The Housekeeper, it's a book well worth reading.

Wallace does not use one word when a sentence will suffice, or a sentence when a paragraph will work. In too many writers, this is a handicap, a reason for the reader not to finish what they've started. In The Housekeeper, though, it's Wallace's way into the life of a teenaged runaway named Jamie Hall and the people she meets in the small mountain valley town where she ends up.

The plot revolves around a nameless boy Jamie finds tied to a tree (in the paragraph before the 1 1/2-page one), but that's just an excuse for Wallace to use language to explore the town and its inhabitants--Galen, an ex-con who helps Jamie look for the boy; Harlan, who has known Galen for much too long; and Margaret, a photographer (yes, there is symbolism here) who hires Jamie to keep house. Whether she discovers who the boy is is not entirely Wallace's point; it's the hunt that matters.

The Prop
Hank Wagner

Life is good for Peeky Kane, an employee of an Arizona casino owned by the Santa Cruz tribe. She loves her job (which involves sitting in on short handed poker games), and her boyfriend. She feels financially secure, and her relationship with her daughter is improving every day. Her good fortune, however, quickly evaporates after she unwittingly shares in a winning pot in a rigged poker game. This event triggers a run of monumental bad luck--acquaintances die violently in a casino robbery, and her loved ones turn out to be anything but stable and dependable. Trying to turn things around, Peeky becomes involved in an investigation to identify those behind the casino robbery, taking part in a game where the stakes are higher than any she's ever encountered.

Readers will take an immediate liking to Peeky, who proves a reliable and entertaining narrator, a character they can trust and empathize with. What they'll probably enjoy most, however, is their visit to the world of poker, where luck and skill play equal roles. Every game described in the book has a purpose, whether to advance the plot, or to introduce a particular character. Players bring different styles to the table, but in the end they're all in the business of reading people. It's this characteristic that makes Peeky so intriguing, as it's the way she unconsciously approaches life, carefully sizing up each situation she finds herself in. It's the subtle details she notes that keep readers solidly engaged throughout.

Super User
2010-04-24 20:37:56

Life is good for Peeky Kane, an employee of an Arizona casino owned by the Santa Cruz tribe. She loves her job (which involves sitting in on short handed poker games), and her boyfriend. She feels financially secure, and her relationship with her daughter is improving every day. Her good fortune, however, quickly evaporates after she unwittingly shares in a winning pot in a rigged poker game. This event triggers a run of monumental bad luck--acquaintances die violently in a casino robbery, and her loved ones turn out to be anything but stable and dependable. Trying to turn things around, Peeky becomes involved in an investigation to identify those behind the casino robbery, taking part in a game where the stakes are higher than any she's ever encountered.

Readers will take an immediate liking to Peeky, who proves a reliable and entertaining narrator, a character they can trust and empathize with. What they'll probably enjoy most, however, is their visit to the world of poker, where luck and skill play equal roles. Every game described in the book has a purpose, whether to advance the plot, or to introduce a particular character. Players bring different styles to the table, but in the end they're all in the business of reading people. It's this characteristic that makes Peeky so intriguing, as it's the way she unconsciously approaches life, carefully sizing up each situation she finds herself in. It's the subtle details she notes that keep readers solidly engaged throughout.