LATEST REVIEWSDEFENDING JACOB by William Landay: Andy Barber has been the top district attorney in his small, middle-class, Massachusetts town for 20 years. When a teenage boy is murdered, Andy focuses on a neighborhood pedophile as the chief suspect. There are concerns about a conflict of interest since Andy's teenage son, Jacob, attended the same school as the murdered boy and the investigation seems to be lagging. But after Jacob's best friend provides evidence against him, Jacob is arrested. Andy is taken off the case and suspended, but he is determined to prove his son's innocence. VERDICT: This brilliant novel by the author of The Strangler and the award-winning Mission Flats is equal parts legal thriller and dysfunctional family saga, culminating in a shocking ending. Skillful plotting and finely drawn characters result in a haunting story reminiscent of Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent. 2/12 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch KINDLE Copyright © 2012 Library Journal, a division of Media Source Inc. Reprinted with permission.
A GROWN-UP KIND OF PRETTY by Joshilyn Jackson: Jackson (Backseat
Saints) has written an unusual Southern family saga revolving around three
generations of lonely, hardscrabble Slocumb women. Grandmother Ginny is the glue
that holds them together when her ex-drug addict daughter, Liza, has a severe
stroke, leaving her voiceless except for a few vowel sounds. Fifteen-year-old
granddaughter Mosey is the same age her mother and grandmother were when they
had their daughters, but Mosey isn't like her forebears; she's scarcely been
kissed by a boy. When Ginny decides to pull out the old willow tree in the
backyard to make room for a pool to use in rehabilitating Liza, a shallow grave
is uncovered, revealing a small skeleton dressed in tattered baby clothes and
unleashing a series of events for which Liza seems to have an explanation—but
she can't tell. The story is told in the alternating voices of the women as the
mystery unfolds. VERDICT: Liza, as the unreliable narrator, is used to
perfection in this warm family story that teeters between emotional highs and
lows, laughter and tears. Book groups will eat this up.
2/12
Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch
KINDLE
LUNATICS by Dave Barry and Alan Zweibel: I have missed Dave
Barry, and his newest fiction attempt brought back all the laughs that I had
been missing. His co-author, Alan Zweibel, is new to me, but this book appears
seamless so kudos to both authors. This is the story of two suburban men,
Jeffrey Peckerman and Philip Horkman. Horkman is the good husband, neighbor and
soccer coach and Peckerman is a bit bigoted and quick to anger. They end up in
the most insane circumstances and go into a sort of Forrest Gump like existence,
moving from most wanted terrorists to heroes, keeping the laughs coming as fast
as you can turn the pages. If you want to escape from reality for a few hours,
this is your book. Caution: keep all food and beverages away while reading as
they could become choking hazards.
2/12
Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch KINDLE LOVE IN A NUTSHELL by Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly: I'm not sure why I finished this book. It is supposed to be romantic suspense but the romance was sort of tepid and the suspense was sort of boring. It starts off really good. We meet Kate Appleton, who has moved into her parents' dilapidated summer home in hopes of turning it into a bed & breakfast. Then she gets fired, and forces her way into a job with hunky Matt Culhane, owner of the town brewery/restaurant. Off to a winning start that quickly flounders as the story just meanders weakly along. This book needs some serious punching up. It looks like Evanovich is heading down the Patterson route of "writing" with co-authors but sorry to say I'm not sure it's going to work out as well for her. 2/12 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch KINDLE
SNOW ANGELS by James Thompson: Because of my medical condition my body temperature is below
normal and I am cold all the time. When then did I chose to read this mystery
set in northern Finland during kaamos, the country’s two weeks of complete
darkness, where temperatures of minus 40 Celsius are the norm. I am glad I did,
because this turned out to be an outstanding series debut. Inspector Vaara is
newly married and about to become a father, but his American wife finds northern
Finland depressing and lonely, especially after a young Somali movie star is
brutally murdered, and the case consumes Vaara’s days and nights. Then Vaara
finds out that his ex-wife might be involved and its gets even more interesting.
2/12 Jack Quick
KINDLE HARDCASE by Dan Simmons: Joe Kurtz is not one to mess with. So when a drug dealing thug that killed his girlfriend, the ex-PI returns the favor and gets 11 years in Attica. It's there that he meets "Little Skag" Farino, the son of an aging Buffalo, New York mob boss. In exchange for protecting the kid's manhood against any unwanted jailhouse affection, Kurtz gets an audience with Little Skag's father upon his release from prison. Byron Farino is still clinging to what dwindling power he holds on the New York organized crime scene. He enlists Kurtz's help to track down the Family's missing accountant--a man with too much knowledge of Family business to have on the loose. But someone doesn't want the accountant found. As the story twists and turns and the body count rises, Kurtz no longer knows who he can trust. Everyone seems to be after something, from the mob boss's sultry yet dangerous daughter, to a hit man named The Dane, an albino killer who is good with a knife, and a dwarf who is armed to the teeth and hell-bent on revenge. About as gritty as it gets. 2/12 Jack Quick
A GAME OF THRONES by George R. R. Martin THE STARLITE DRIVE-IN by Marjorie Reynolds: The summer of 1956 was a pivotal one for Callie Anne Benton. Her father managed and ran the Starlite Drive-In, a position that came with housing for himself and his family. Callie Anne’s mother doesn’t leave the house—she is trapped by her own fears and a husband who resents her for it. But a drifter named Charlie Memphis will change everything. Years later, bones are found on the grounds of the old Starlite and Callie Anne is transported back to that long ago summer. Originally released in 1997, The Starlite Drive-In is new out on shelves to be rediscovered by audiences. It’s a quick and easy read with a cast of characters that evoke all sorts of emotions. Callie Anne is easy to love, but readers may find it hard to truly love or hate some of the others involved. In showing the multiple sides of each of them, Reynolds creates a story that is simply entrancing. 2/12 Becky Lejeune
"The whole family is a bunch of dangerous freaks...Most are ex-cons or junkies or deranged from inbreeding. Five have died violently, three are back in prison, two have gone insane from untreated venereal disease, and one writes book reviews." ~ Triggerfish Twist by Tim Dorsey
LAST MONTH'S REVIEWS:Cold Glory is a very well done conspiracy novel - if the reader can look at the basic premise and read the book thinking that it is a possibility. In real life Generals Grant and Lee were alone together for several minutes at Appomattox court house prior to signing the surrender documents ending the civil war. There is no record of what they talked about, but Anderson has put together a very entertaining story about a secret document they both signed delineating a scenario for take over of the post war government in the event that it was not able to govern. The plot then sketches a clandestine group maintaining itself on the basis of that document from 1865 until present day and than deciding that the document now gives them the authority to overthrow the government.A professor of history teaching in the state of Oklahoma , Nick Journey becomes aware of the group and their aims. He communicates his discoveries to Meg Tolman, an analyst in a secret US government group that looks at various matters for it's parent partners such as Homeland Security and the FBI. Journey understands that the group, styling themselves as the Glory Warriors, are desperately seeking the original document signed by Grant and Lee in order to legitimize their planned overthrow of the government. Journey and Tolman begin working together in order to bring the Glory Warriors and their leadership to justice.
Anderson does an excellent job of fleshing out Journey and Tolman and they
come alive as individuals in the novel. Journey is a middle aged out of shape
father of an autistic child for whom he does a great job of taking care of in
the face of the disability, and Tolman, although not a great pianist is more
interested in piano recitals instead of the day to day work she does for her
agency. Both have had marital problems prior to the opening of the story. In
short they appear as real people in key situations when the events of the
ongoing plot against the government catch up to them.
Anderson is apparently making Cold Glory the first novel in a series
featuring the people involved in the book. If this is so I would expect him to
create the same very realistic scenarios as he did here and quickly bring in the
reader to become engrossed in the novel.
1/12 Paul Lane
KINDLE
DEATH ON A PLATTER by Elaine Viets
EVERNEATH by Brodi Ashton: After a hundred years in the Everneath, Nikki Beckett has been given a brief reprieve. In just six months, The Tunnels will come for her. That means she has just six months to say goodbye to her family and the boy who helped get her through a century as part of The Feed. Unless she can find a way out. Classic mythology bears a remarkable resemblance to the Everneath. Maybe if Nikki can unravel the truth behind Orpheus and Persephone’s tales, maybe she can save herself from the great nothing of The Tunnels. But time is quickly running out. Brodi Ashton’s debut is an interesting and unique twist on mythology. And with an ending like the one here, I’ll be anxious to see what’s in store for book two of the series. 1/12 Becky Lejeune KINDLE
THE JAGUAR by T. Jefferson Parker KILL SWITCH by Neal Baer and Jonathan Green: Claire Waters has worked hard to earn a fellowship in Rikers Island’s psychiatric facility and her first case will test all of her instincts and training. As a child, Todd Quimby witnessed his mother murdering his father. Claire knows that Todd’s issues and escalation in sexual misconduct are a direct result of this traumatic experience. But when Quimby seemingly confesses to murder, Claire has no choice but to turn him in. As the bodies pile up, Quimby eludes the authorities again and again and Claire may just be his ultimate target. I wanted to enjoy this debut from Baer and Green, but each turn of the novel seemed to become more and more unbelievable. Unfortunately, none of the twists were all that surprising and the characters didn’t stand out. 1/12 Becky Lejeune KINDLE
NEED YOU NOW by James Grippando
NEED YOU NOW by James Grippando Patrick Lloyd, a young financial advisor in the private accounts section of a huge Swiss bank's New York office, is recruited by an FBI agent to temporarily relocate to one of the bank's Asian offices to make contact with a young lady who is suspected of funneling the missing funds to private individuals. Why he was selected is an important part of the action in the book and revealed as a major part of the story. An interesting sidelight is that the FBI agent that recruits Patrick is Andie Henning, who is sent from her base in Miami to handle the case in New York. Andie appears in other Grippando novels as Jack Swyteck's girlfriend, a Miami lawyer who is a frequent protagonist in Grippando's books.
Patrick makes contact with Lilly and while investigating, they
fall in love. Lilly is fired by the Swiss bank and she and
Patrick meet again in New York. That is where the actual action for most of the
book takes place. Patrick and Lilly are threatened with death by two different
groups as they continue investigating the Ponzi scheme in order to absolve Lilly from unwarranted accusations of fraud.
Their investigation is also impaired by actions of the government that is
seemingly at odds with the idea of finding out where all the money went. Andie
Hemming is suddenly sent back to Miami at a crucial juncture in Patrick and
Lilly's investigations and the case "closed". The ending is a surprise, but upon retrospect is quite a logical
outcome of present day politics. Gripping and timely. 1/12 Paul Lane
KINDLE
PURGATORY CHASM by Steve Ulfelder: “Tander Phigg was an asshole, but he was also a Barnburner. Barnburners saved my life. I help them when I can. No exceptions.” The job seems simple. Conway Sax, a no-nonsense auto mechanic with a knack for solving difficult problems, has never liked obnoxious blowhard Tander Phigg. But a promise is a promise. Tander’s a Barnburner, a member of the unique Alcoholics Anonymous group that rescued Conway, and when a Barnburner has a problem, Conway takes care of it. This time the road is long and twisty and Conway learns new things about himself while re-discovering his father and helping Try Phigg, Tander's son, learn about his own family. 1/12 Jack Quick KINDLE
ROAD TO PARADISE by Max Allan Collins ROAD TO PERDITION by Max Allan Collins, illustrated by Richard Piers Rayner: Although an avid reader of 'comic books” as a kid, this is, as best as I can recall, my first adult graphic novel. Michael O'Sullivan, a veteran of the Great War, is still soldiering, only this time as chief enforcer for John Looney, the Irish ganglord of Rock Island, Illinois. A good father and quiet family man, life changes drastically for the “Angel of Death” when his son (narrator of the story) witnesses his father at work. A failed attempt at killing O'Sullivan cause him to rush home – too late to save the lives of his wife and younger son, but leaves him determined to seek revenge. Depression era Illinois, ruled by gangsters, where the bullets and booze flow freely, come to think of it not unlike today. A good read. 1/12 Jack Quick
ROAD TO PURGATORY by Max Allan Collins THE ROOK by Daniel O’Malley: When Myfanwy Thomas opens her eyes she is surrounded by a ring of bodies sporting latex gloves. She is bruised and sore and discovers two envelopes stuffed in her pockets. In the first is a letter that begins, "Dear You, The body you are wearing used to be mine." The letter leads her to a safe place and explains what the new Myfanwy Thomas must do next. She is given the choice to leave and begin a new life or take over the life Myfanwy Thomas has lived up to this point. After a surprise attack, she decides on the latter in hopes that she can discover who is after her—or the former her at least. As she reads through further notes from the old Myfanwy, she learns that Myfanwy Thomas is a Rook within the order of the Checquy, a secret government agency focused on investigating and covering up supernatural events. As a Rook, Myfanwy Thomas is rather high up in the food chain of the organization and the skills she possesses are the perfect tools for unraveling the mystery of her amnesia. The narrative alternates between the present Rook Thomas and the old Rook Thomas’s letters and notes to her new self, making the story an intriguing and amusingly quirky sci-fi thriller with two very different versions of a fantastic heroine. Without a doubt, The Rook is my first favorite of 2012. 1/12 Becky Lejeune KINDLE
THE SECRET SISTERHOOD OF HEARTBREAKERS by Lynn Weingarten
SHADOW OF BETRAYAL by Brett Battles
THE SILENCED by Brett Battles
THE SISTERS by Nancy Jensen:
Bertie and Mabel are the title sisters and they grow up during the depression in
rural Kentucky. Dysfunctional family angst leads to a tragic misunderstanding
that ultimately causes heartbreak and an irreparable rift between the sisters
that doesn't heal even as they have children and grandchildren of their own.
Events of World War II and Vietnam affect the families, but it is their personal
stories that are so compelling. This is a real page turner with warm, carefully
drawn out characters that are as real and complicated as we are. Based on the
author's own family mystery and born of intellectual and emotional curiosity,
this is a terrific first novel sure to have book groups buzzing.
1/12
Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch
KINDLE
SKATING OVER THE LINE by Joelle Charbonneau
THE SPY WHO JUMPED OFF THE SCREEN by Thomas Caplan: The premise
of the book should be an interesting one. Three nuclear weapons are stolen to be
delivered to a force that will use them against American interests. In
desperation the president of the United States calls upon Ty Hunter, an ex
covert operator who has retired from military service and has become the most
sought after actor in the world. Why he calls on Ty is more than a little
unknown, but it is apparently due to his personal good looks, his inherent
charisma and of course, his acting ability. Hunter accepts the mission since the
US president explains that Ty has coincidentally visited the thief due to a
chance meeting with that person's fiancée, Isabella Cavil, and an invitation by
her to visit a yacht owned by the scoundrel stealing the nuclear warheads and
has been invited to return. Ty returns to Europe and the Mediterranean to check
out the situation and recover the weapons, and naturally begins falling for the
lovely Isabella who reciprocates, finding out that she really doesn't love the
dastardly villain. Caplan has a tremendous command of the English language and
lavishes it on the reader with lengthy conversations and overlong descriptions
of various things and situations. The book is 400 pages in length and might be
more interesting cut down to about 300. The characters are all two dimensional
and inspired no interest on my part to revisit them in any further books on
their actions. The ending is abrupt without really satisfying any desire by the
reader to reach any conclusions about it's satisfaction. In summary too wordy,
too descriptive and not really interesting.
1/12 Paul Lane
KINDLE
SPYCATCHER by Matthew Dunn
TAKEN by Robert Crais: This latest entry in the Elvis Cole & Joe
Pike series features both protagonists on fairly equal footing. Cole is the
featured subject in a newspaper magazine spread which gets him a phone call from
a woman who is convinced her daughter has run off with her boyfriend. Cole
investigates and finds that they have been kidnapped as part of an illegal
immigrant mass gang kidnapping. Competing international gangs bring truckloads
of illegals into California, only to have them kidnapped by rival gangs. They
are held for small ransom amounts which are repeated on a weekly basis until the
ability to pay has been exhausted, then the victims are murdered. Cole ends up
held hostage as well, and Pike brings in fellow mercenary Joe Stone to help find
Cole. Crais delivers lots of action with only occasional touches of humor, but
that palpable tension is what really propels this terrific story.
1/12
Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch
KINDLE
VOICES OF THE DEAD by Peter Leonard: Peter Leonard is Elmore
Leonard's son, and an accomplished writer in his own behalf. Elmore Leonard
writes the introduction for the book but this does not take attention away from
Peter's skill. This is Peter's third book, and while I haven't had the
opportunity to read the first two I am certainly a fan of his now.
Peter's writing is almost stream of consciousness in its pace.
The reader is grabbed immediately and dragged full force into the continuous
action. It is a book that is almost impossible to put down before finishing it.
Some of the changing situations are a bit disjointed, but this in no way
detracts from the full force of the book. Harry and the German diplomat are
fully fleshed out and the back and forth descriptions of their thoughts and
actions are quite true to form. Read this one when you have an evening to devote
to it because you are not going to fall asleep without finishing it.
1/12 Paul Lane
KINDLE NONFICTION
COOK LIKE A ROCK STAR: 125 Recipes, Lessons, and Culinary Secrets
by Anne Burrell & Suzanne Lenzer: This may not be Burrell's year - she got
chopped on Chopped and beat the odds by not becoming the Next Iron Chef - but
this is a terrific cookbook. I've been a Burrell fan for years, since her sous
chef days with Mario Batali on Iron Chef America, and I watch her TV shows as well. I
think her real strength as a chef is her ability to teach others to cook like
one, which is amplified here in this book. The recipes are written in unique
Burrell style, and are very easy to follow for the inexperienced cook or the
pro. Instead of a list of ingredients, she starts every recipe with "mis en
place", the proper way to prepare all your ingredients before you start cooking.
I find her recipes tend to be a little salt heavy, in my house we cut back a
bit, but beyond that, her flavors are always spot on. If you have always wanted
to try your hand at "Risotto without a Recipe" or "Braised Veal Shanks (a
traditional Osso Buco) but were afraid, fear no more and buy this book. Done the
Burrell way, these dishes and the rest in this book become not only doable, but
delicious and surprisingly easy.
12/11
Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch KINDLE MY LAST SUPPER: The Next Course: 50 More Great Chefs and Their Final Meals: Portraits, Interviews, and Recipes by Melanie Dunea: This is a coffee table book and a really good conversation starter. Lots of famous chefs, some not so famous, and at least one who is not even a chef but rather a celebrity cook named Rachael Ray (and she is the first to admit that she is not a chef so please don't send me hate mail!) They all get a page for a great and often unique photograph, and another to talk about what they'd like for their last meal, where they want to have it, who they'd want to share it with and most interesting to me, who they'd like to prepare it. My non-scientific guess after perusing this book is that at least 85% of these chefs want to cook their own last meal. I think Bobby Flay put it best: "The one thing about my last supper is, I'm cooking it. I like cooking even more than I like eating." The layout makes it a really great book to just pick up and open to any page. This is actually a sequel to the 2007 My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals / Portraits, Interviews, and Recipes by Melanie Dunea. 1/12 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch
RUHLMAN'S TWENTY: 20 TECHNIQUES, 100 RECIPES, A COOK'S MANIFESTO by Michael Ruhlman
Additional lists include my lists of favorite books, along with brief reviews: 2010 Favorites, 2009 Favorites, 2008 Favorites, 2007 Favorites, 2006 Favorites, 2005 Favorites, 2004 Favorites, 2003 Favorites, 2002 Favorites, 2001 Favorites, 2000 Favorites, 1999 Favorites and 1998 Favorites. The visitors to this site have chosen their favorites for 2001 and 2002 as well. For information about reading group titles & events, including a list of favorite book group selections, see the Book Groups page. Back to Top
READERS' ADVISORY TRAINING MANUAL
|
: Epic fantasy fans have known for a
long time that George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series is one of the
best out there. After a critically acclaimed first season, the TV adaptation is
introducing more folks—like me—to the series as well. Rather than wait for
season two to air, I figured I needed to start with book one and actually read
them. As an aside, season one does follow book one almost to a T. In Game of
Thrones, we meet the Starks of Winterfell: Ned Stark, best friend of the
King and brother-in-law to the King’s Hand, his wife, Catelyn, his son Jon Snow
(who’s mother is a closely held secret), and the Stark children. Their lives at
Winterfell are thrown upside down when news regarding the death of the King’s
Hand reaches them. The King asks Ned to take the position and the Starks soon
find themselves in the midst of a plot that will have terrible consequences for
everyone. The King’s wife, Cersei Lannister, with the help of her twin brother
(and lover) is responsible for the death of the Hand and when Ned learns why, he
becomes their greatest enemy. Meanwhile, the last remaining descendants of an
overthrown king are plotting their own return. Game is a complex and
bulky read, but one that easily draws readers in. There are a lot of characters
to keep track of, but Martin does well in introducing them all and building
their histories in a way that doesn’t bog down the story. 
:
Josie Marcus, mystery shopper is back and this time she has to check out food
for a tour group company interested in doing a foodie tour of St. Louis. Josie
is a bit hesitant when she learns she'll have to eat some St. Louis gourmet
staples like a fried brains and barbecued pig snout and ears. But money is money
so she dives in, bringing along Ted, her veterinarian boyfriend, her best
friend, gourmet cook and housewife Alyce, and Jane, her mom. The first
restaurant featured another St. Louis specialty, "toasted ravioli", a breaded,
fried meat ravioli served with marinara sauce on the side. In this case, it also
features a drunk restaurant customer who is giving Tillie, the owner, a really
hard time. Turns out Tillie is Josie's mom Jane's lifelong friend. When the
drunk has to be rushed from restaurant in an ambulance, Tillie is arrested. Jane
demands that Josie clear her friend's name, but that's not going to be easy.
Another fun read from one of my favorite authors, and foodies will love it. An
added bonus are the shopping notes at the end about all the St. Louis food.
: 
:
While this not a Jack Swytek novel, this terrific standalone does feature
Jack's girlfriend, FBI agent Andie Henning. This novel is set in New York in the
aftermath of a Bernie Madoff type Ponzi scheme, this one perpetrated by the
fictional Abe Cushman, who does the overburdened courts a favor and kills
himself. Meanwhile sixty billion dollars is gone with no hopes of Cushman ever
revealing what he may have done with the money. Enter Patrick Lloyd, an employee
of a large multinational Swiss bank with offices in New York. Patrick has just
returned from a stint in Singapore, where he met and fell in love with co-worker
Lilly, who ends up under suspicion of helping funnel some of Cushman's missing
sixty billion dollars. This is a complicated story, yet in Grippando's hands it
is incredibly fast paced and believable. Some really great twists throughout and
a surprise ending that again, is believable, make this a must read for thriller
fans, and anyone with an interest in the international financial markets. I
loved it.
: In this followup to Road to
Perdition, Michael O'Sullivan Jr., is now in his early 20s. His father was the
“Angel of Death” a mobster hit man, who turned on the mob after his wife and
Michael's younger brother were killed. When he himself is killed, none other
than Eliot Ness, the leader of the “Untouchables” arranges for Michael to be
placed in a catholic orphanage. He eventually becomes Michael Satariano, the
adopted son of Sicilian restaurateurs in DeKalb, Illinois, a town not far from
the Windy City. Michael has enlisted and wins the first Congressional Medal of
Honor awarded during World war II while serving on Bataan. He loses his left
eye and is returned to the states where he finds it hard to settle back into his
previous life and settle down with high-school girlfriend Patty Ann O'Hara. So
when Eliot Ness, now heading a federal office charged with "safeguarding the
health and morale of the armed forces," asks him to take on an undercover
gig--infiltrating Capone's syndicate in order to curb its criminal
enterprises--Michael can't agree fast enough. However, as Michael worms his way
into the mob he discovers that ascribing blame and exacting justice aren't the
easy tasks he'd imagined. 
: For
anyone who’s ever felt head over heels in love and for anyone who’s ever felt
the true pain of losing their first love, there is The Secret Sisterhood of
Heartbreakers. Lucy’s sophomore year begins as an absolute nightmare. After
months away from her boyfriend, he returns to school to dump her on the very
first day. When Lucy is approached by three heartbreakers who tell her there is
a way to heal her shattered heart, she is understandably leery. But when she
sees the girls in action, she knows there is only one solution: learn their
magic and win back her ex for good. But there’s a catch, it has to be done in
just seven days and the sisterhood can’t know Lucy’s real plan. Lynn Weingarten
captures the craziness of teen adoration and obsessive love through her writing.
The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers is a light and breezy read for
teens. 
: Jonathan Quinn is a freelance operative and professional
“cleaner”. Three jobs, no questions. That was the deal Quinn had struck with his
client at the Office. Unfortunately for him, Ireland was just the first. Now
Quinn, along with his colleague and girlfriend--the lethal Orlando--has a new
assignment touched off by the killings in Ireland. Their quarry is a U.N. aide
worker named Marion Dupuis who has suddenly disappeared from her assignment in
war-torn Africa. When Quinn finally catches a glimpse of her, she quickly flees,
frantic and scared. For Quinn the assignment has now changed. Find Marion
Dupuis, and the child she is protecting, and keep them from harm. In the process
Quinn will unearth a horrifying plot and an act of terror more cunning, and more
insidious, than anyone can guess. 
: Jonathan Quinn specializes in disposing of dead
bodies and cleaning crime scenes so as to leave no evidence behind. When David
Wills, a client based in London, gives Quinn and his team a series of jobs that
requires them to clean up after assassinations, Quinn finds himself dealing with
not only the requisite bodies but also another team of unknown origin that's
bent on stopping the assassinations. Suddenly his remaining family is also put
into jeopardy. Maybe it is me, but the plot doesn't seem to hold up as well as
Battle's three previous outings, but it is good and I hope to see more of the
team of Quinn, Nate and Orlando in the future. 
: This is the second
in a lighthearted, humorous mystery series set in a small town. Please bear in
mind that this particular series really must be read in order, so start with
Skating Around the Law, then move to this one. I am really enjoying this
series that features Rebecca Robbins, who inherited her mother's roller skating
rink and is trying to sell it and move back to Chicago. Rebecca grew up at the
rink, literally - she and her mom lived in an apartment above the rink so there
are lots of memories there. But Rebecca has an independent streak which is
prompting her desire to move back to Chicago, except for the romance she finds
in Indian Falls with the hunky town veterinarian, and the tug of responsibility
for her Elvis impersonating grandfather. So far a dead body turning up at the
rink turned off the first potential buyer at the start of the series, and there
are further complications this time around. This is a charming, fun read and I'm
really enjoying this series, much in the way I loved the early Evanovich books.
I am not a big fan of cozy mysteries as a rule, but there are a few series that
have become must reads for me, and this is one of them. 
:
Initial outing from a former MI6 Intelligence officer. Fantastic plot and we
can only hope Mr. Dunn's overall writing skills can improve to the level of his
plotting. I enjoyed the book, but couldn't help comparing it some of le Carre's
best because of the plot, and with some better writing this would be right up
there. 
: This is a great teaching cookbook for pretty much anyone,
from beginners to real foodies, if open-minded. Anyone with an interest in
improving their cooking will find it invaluable. The twenty techniques start off
with thinking, which sounds ridiculously simple, yet isn't, and salt, which is
crucial to fine food and often ignored beyond a recipe's "1 tsp. salt." It ends
with frying and chilling, and covers all manners of cooking in between. There
are great recipes like Fish Tacos with Guacamole and Fresh Salsa, Sautéed
Chicken Breasts with Tarragon Butter Sauce, and Dutch Oven Bread. The recipes
included are straightforward and easy to follow, and the best ones have step by
step pictures included. This is a fantastic book and imperative to any cookbook
collection.
