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 ESCAPE
CLAUSE by James O. Born
Bill Tasker is one of my favorite
heroes. An officer with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, he's
not your typical tough guy cop who solves crimes by busting heads or relying on
snitches. Instead, he digs in his heels and uses his streak of
stubbornness along with his smarts to a real advantage; he just refuses to give
up. Through three books now, he's shown how to work around orders from his
superiors (if necessary), or the FBI, or other agencies, to get the job done.
Tenacity is a trait that is often overlooked and desperately needed, especially
in law enforcement work, and Tasker - whose name implies a certain tenacity
about work - has it in abundance. But he's not just a
nose-to-the-grindstone guy either - he has a life that often intrudes on his
work, and vice versa. He's still in love with his ex-wife, who got tired
of competing for his attention with the job, and he's a great dad to his two
young daughters. Tasker is understated and real, a hero for our times.
After a shocking opening, Tasker finds himself in the position
of being forced to deal with the results of everything he went through in the
first two books - a series best read in order, although there is enough
information here to clarify. He's sent out to a prison in the
Everglades to investigate the murder of a wealthy Florida land developer's son.
Nobody really wants him there except for the two good looking women who hone in
on the hunky visitor. But this is no romance; Tasker has a few run-ins in
town and at the prison, prisoners escape and the bodies start piling up, but our
hero is up to the challenge. With this third entry into the series, Born
is now firmly entrenched as a "must read". 02/06 Stacy
Alesi, AKA The BookBitch
Visit the Author's Website:
James O. Born
 THE
JURY MASTER by Robert Dugoni
David Sloane is a high powered attorney in San
Francisco - with a conscience. After he wins a wrongful death suit for his
obnoxious client, instead of celebrating, he suffers a migraine and a recurring
nightmare that keeps haunting him. Meanwhile, the special assistant to the
U.S. President, Joe Branick, commits suicide in a small West Virginia town - or
does he? The local police detective is suspicious when the Justice
department takes over the investigation with plenty of attitude. Then
Sloane's secretary tells him that Joe Branick left him a message the night
before he died, and a mysterious package shows up in the mail. An ex-CIA
agent has a visitor who delivers a thirty-year old file, bringing all sorts of
trouble along with it. Innocent people (and animals) are being killed and
somehow Mexico is going to solve our oil crisis. Dugoni manages to bring
it all together at lighting fast speed in this superb, action-packed debut
thriller. 03/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch
Visit the Author's Website:
Robert Dugoni
 KILLER
INSTINCT by Joseph Finder
Finder pens another corporate thriller that is his best yet - and
that's saying a lot for the "John Grisham" of the corporate world. Jason
Steadman is a happy guy; he's a successful salesman for Entronics, Panasonic's
biggest rival, he works with some good guys, plays softball for the company
team. His wife isn't so happy; she'd like to see him work a little harder,
get further ahead, buy her a bigger house. When he accidentally drives
into a ditch, he befriends the tow truck driver, Kurt Semko, ex-Special Forces
and semi-pro ball player, recruiting him for the corporate team and getting him
a job in security. In a strange twist of fate, good things start happening
for Steadman while bad things are happening to his rivals. He becomes
uneasy with all the yin and yang and the suspense gets thick as Steadman tries
to figure out what is going on and how, or if, to stop it. Believable
characters doing unbelievable things combine to make a fast paced, tension
filled story that works because of Finder's superb writing and storytelling
skills. This is a page turner of the highest order; don't plan on putting
it down until you turn the last page. 05/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA the
BookBitch
Visit the Author's Website:
Joseph Finder
 THE KING
OF LIES by John Hart
This powerful literary thriller starts off slowly but builds
momentum like a runaway train. Jackson Workman Pickens, Work to his friends, is
an unambitious criminal defense lawyer in a small North Carolina town who has
some serious baggage. He's lost his mother, his father Ezra has been missing for
more than a year, leaving Work to deal with his psychologically damaged sister,
and his marriage is on the rocks. Ezra, a prosperous attorney of questionable
ethics and Work’s boss, made a lot of enemies, so when his body is found, pretty
much everyone is a suspect – but only one man is charged with the murder. Small
town ostracism and a social climbing wife only add to the difficulties of trying
to find out the truth behind the murder, which eventually opens a Pandora’s Box
for Work. The writing is beautiful and the story is gripping, but it is the
character study of a damaged southern lawyer that puts this debut novel on the
must-read list. 06/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch.
Copyright © 2006 Cahners
Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Reprinted with
permission.
Visit the Author's Website:
John Hart
 KILL
ALL THE LAWYERS by Paul Levine
Levine delivers yet again with this fast, funny legal thriller,
third in the Solomon vs. Lord series. Steve Solomon, Miami lawyer who
lives by his own law and favors t-shirts with pithy sayings like, "Lawyers do it
in their briefs" has his hands full. A former client, Dr. William Kreeger, recently
released from prison, has somehow learned that Steve threw the case and got him
convicted. Instead of appealing or suing, Dr. Kreeger, a well-known
psychologist, decides to torture and kill Steve. Steve's law partner &
lover, Victoria Lord, is pressuring him to make a commitment, and worse than
that, he thinks he wants to. Steve's lovable-albeit-challenging nephew,
Bobby, is at full pubescent turmoil, compounded by Bobby's drug-addict mother
finding Jesus and trying to move back into his life. To round out this picture
of family dysfunction is Steve's father, who has also found religion - he's
become an Orthodox Jew and is driving Steve crazier than usual. But
despite all their faults, none of them really wants to see Steve get killed.
With a little help from friends and family, Steve & Victoria live to fight
another day. And to fans of this series, that is very good news indeed.
I love this series; it's become one of those that when I read the latest book -
a couple of weeks before the on-sale date, mind you - I'm immediately impatient
for the next. Hey, Levine, I know you're reading - can't you write any
faster??? 08/06 Stacy Alesi,
AKA The BookBitch
Visit the Author's Website:
Paul Levine
 THE
LAST SPYMASTER by Gayle Lynds
International spy thrillers are a
rare breed ever since the end of the Cold War (if it really ended...) and ones
with characters are rich as these, a storyline as plausible yet frightening as
this, are even more rare. Charles Jay Tice was the station chief in Berlin
for the CIA towards the end of the Cold War. In a shocking turn of events
he is convicted of treason and gets life imprisonment in a maximum security
prison - yet he manages to escape. Elaine Cunningham is one of the best
"hunters" that the CIA has and she is put on the case - and quietly. No
one wants word to get out that the world's most dangerous spy is on the loose.
But what she learns makes her question her assignment and her future - she
uncovers a much larger conspiracy than anyone ever suspected. Lynds sets a
new standard with her taut plotting, believable characters and terse, exciting
writing - this is a page turner of the highest magnitude. 06/06 Stacy Alesi,
AKA The BookBitch
Visit the Author's Website:
Gayle Lynds
 BOOK
OF FATE by
Brad Meltzer
A word of caution: don't
start this book unless you have time to finish it - you won't be able to put it
down. Wes Holloway is a young, cocky rising political star and aid to the
President of the United States, until an assassination attempt is made.
President Manning is unhurt, but his deputy chief of staff, Ron Boyle, is
killed, and Holloway takes a bullet to the face. He survives but is
permanently disfigured, both physically and emotionally. And that's just
the opener. Things become more complicated some years later when Holloway
surprises an intruder who appears to be none other than the dead Ron Boyle.
Throw in a psychotic murderer who believes the Freemasons have plotted to kill
his mother and some unsavory political types, if you can imagine such a thing,
and honey, the plot thickens. The Book of Fate is a fast paced,
suspenseful novel of political intrigue that will keep you on the edge of your
seat until you turn the last page. And don't forget to read the author's note at
the end, it's fascinating. Note for south Floridians - see if you
can find the reference to the popular morning radio show hosts,
Paul and Young
Ron. 09/06 Stacy
Alesi, AKA The BookBitch
Visit the Author's Website:
Brad Meltzer
 BEAUTIFUL
LIES by Lisa Unger
Ridley Jones is a freelance writer living in New
York City and gets her fifteen minutes of fame when she saves a toddler who
wandered out in front of a truck - and the incident is caught on film. Her
heroic deed gets her noticed by the Today Show and also by someone claiming to
be her father. Her parents deny and when new neighbor Jake saunters into her
life, he helps her figure out what is really going on - or does he? Twists and
turns and lots of action make this an exhilarating read centered around a "Safe
Haven" program where parents who don't want their babies can leave them with no
questions asked, like at hospitals or clinics. While being touted as a debut
novel, the careful plotting and well developed characters should tip off any
reader that this author has been around - and indeed she has, as Lisa Miscione.
04/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
Visit the Author's Website:
Lisa Unger
THE RULES:
To enter,
CLICK HERE or send an email to contest@gmail.com with "ITW DECEMBER 2006" as
the subject. You must include your snail mail address in your email. One (1) name will be drawn from all
qualified entries and notified via email. The winner will receive free
autographed copies of ESCAPE CLAUSE by James O. Born; THE JURY MASTER by Robert
Dugoni; KILLER INSTINCT by Joseph Finder; THE KING OF LIES by John Hart; KILL ALL THE LAWYERS by Paul Levine;
THE LAST SPYMASTER by Gayle Lynds; THE BOOK OF FATE by Brad Meltzer; BEAUTIFUL
LIES by Lisa Unger, courtesy of
International Thriller Writers, Inc. All
books will be sent directly from ITW. This contest is open to all adults over 18
years of age. There are no geographic restrictions. One entry per email
address, please. Your email address will not be shared or sold to anyone.
INTERNATIONAL THRILLER WRITERS
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