1st To Die by James Patterson:  First of a brand new series, set in San Francisco with a woman cop as the main character.  Enough twists and turns, gristly murders and nasty sexual stuff to keep me riveted for a few hours until I reluctantly turned the last page.

2nd Chance by James Patterson & Andrew Gross:  Patterson's best book since, well, 1st To Die.  The Women's Murder Club is back and the bullets are flying.  This entertaining thriller is a fast, fun read.  Only complaint:  there is a new chapter every third page, which translates to two pages of text per chapter.  Seriously.  That's way too many chapters.  There must be some reason for this, but damned if I know what it is.

4TH OF JULY by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro: Detective Lindsay Boxer is in trouble and in danger. Her trouble comes from a shooting incident for which she is being sued. Lindsay tries to get away from it by going to her sister's home at Half Moon Bay which puts her in danger from following up on a ten year old unsolved murder from her rookie days. The setting is appropriate for what is almost a beach read, albeit an entertaining one. Interestingly the why of the various murders seems to jump out much sooner than the whodunit. While the mystery of who really writes these books remains unsolved, Lindsay does survive the other challenges. Recommended. 06/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

THE 6th TARGET by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro: The latest from Patterson, Inc. starts with a shooting on a San Francisco ferry. Four are killed and Women's Murder Club member and San Francisco Medical Examiner Clair Washburn is critically injured. Just as fellow Women’s Murder Clubber Lindsay Boxer and her new partner at SFPD get on the trail of the shooter, a news challenge erupts. Someone is kidnapping the children of the rich and their nannies – and they are not demanding ransom. And then there’s even more danger. Either you like these fast paced procedural/thriller/semi-mysteries or you don’t. I do, and I also like an occasional chocolate dipped soft ice cream cone. James Patterson is re-investing a lot in the industry, so grab a copy and be lightly entertained for an hour or so. 07/07 Jack Quick

7 DEADLY WONDERS by Matthew Reilly:  The race is on to find the seven pieces of the Golden Capstone that once sat atop the Great Pyramid at Giza.  Two millennia ago, Alexander the Great broke the Capstone into seven pieces and hid them in the seven ancient wonders of the world.  According to legend, whoever finds and replaces them during a rare solar event called "Tartarus Rotation" (predicted for March 20, 2006) could secure a thousand-year reign of absolute power.  Among the contenders are the United States, a coalition of European nations (and the Vatican), an Islamic terrorist group, and a team of smaller nations (including Canada, Ireland and New Zealand) led by Australian Jack West Jr. The Europeans and the U.S. want the Capstone for their own benefit, while West’s noble team believes it's too potent to belong to any one superpower.  Obviously, the date has come and gone, but maybe they didn’t have the right date after all.  In the event of stoppage of breathing oxygen masks will drop down.  Secure your mask before resuming reading. 07/06 Jack Quick 

7^th HEAVEN by James Patterson:  Remember when reading a James Patterson book was an experience.  You hoped for a long weekend so you could enjoy it.  Today the books bearing Patterson’s name are like the 100-calorie snack bags – tantalizing but hardly satisfying.  Two high profile cases occupy San Francisco homicide inspector Lindsay Boxer and partner Rich Conklin.  One involves the disappearance of the teenage son of a former California governor – think Jon Benet Ramsey without a corpse.  Also there is a serial arsonist at work responsible for the deaths of a string of wealthy couples.  The two cases twist and turn before reaching their appointed end in the required number of pages.  Maybe you will want to just catch this one on television – on a slow night. 07/08 Jack Quick 

12 DRUMMERS DRUMMING by Diane Deverell: e-book also available in hardcover. Kathryn Collins is a state Department Foreign Officer who, with lover Stefan, a former Polish agent who defected to the US, broke up a terrorist operation some years ago. Now Global Flight 500 explodes over Scotland in an eerie duplication of the Pan Am flight over Lockerbie. Kathryn is afraid Stefan was on the flight, but when she tries to check into it, the FBI becomes convinced she and possibly Stefan in fact were involved in the bombing. They threaten to subpoena her and have arranged for a suspension of her security clearance. She knows she must get out of the country if she has any hope of finding out what has happened to Stefan. Well written and action packed. 10/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

13 BULLETS by David Wellington: Jameson Arkeley thought he had essentially eliminated vampires when he fought Piter Byron Lares in 1983. He was wrong. Politics prevented him from killing the last vampire, a woman named Justinia Malvern. Due to the increased need for blood as they age, Malvern was unable to kill on her own. As a result, it was determined that killing her would actually be murder. The government has kept her alive all this time, studying her and feeding her. Unfortunately, they also unknowingly allowed her to create a new brood of vamps that are determined to free their master. Pennsylvania State Trooper Laura Caxton was working a routine DUI screening stop when a driver took flight. According to Caxton, this is a rather routine occurrence when a driver fears that they will not pass the sobriety test. What happened next, was not so routine. The trunk of the car was filled with the mutilated dead bodies of a hunter and his family. The driver ran on foot and left behind a still moving arm. Enter US Marshll Arekely, the vampire expert. Much to her dismay, Arekely enlists Caxton as his partner in the investigation. At first, she believes him when he says that this is because she has read up on his past. She soon discovers that Arkeley’s motives are much more self-serving. The vamps have a strange interest in Caxton and Arekely plans on using her as bait to draw them in. Like his zombie trilogy, Wellington’s tales are amped up versions of classic horror subjects. He has a real talent for making them new and refreshing for fans of the genre. It’s Dracula on steroids mixed with a bit of police procedural and enough blood and guts to please today’s horror fans. 06/07 Becky Lejeune

13 DAYS: THE PYTHAGORAS CONSPIRACY by L.A. Starks: Gasoline at $10 per gallon??? Lynn Dayton manages six vast complexes that transform oil into gasoline. Robert Guillard, a suave Parisian intellectual, directs the sabotage of US refineries, one by one. Robert schemes to coerce Lynn into collaborating as he pursues his outwardly humanitarian goal of building refineries in Third World countries. If she refuses, he will hold hostage her sister, Ceil Dayton, whom he has lured to Paris. An industrial accident at Lynn’s troubled Houston refinery arouses her suspicions. Government officials conclude routine negligence caused the accident, but her own investigation leads Lynn to suspect sabotage. Within a few days, explosions and fires at nearby refineries claim victims. The resulting fuel shortage affects the lives of everyone in North America. Then Lynn is kidnapped. She fights for her life on a catwalk above a storage tank of hot, sulfurous oil and escapes. Deciphering the full extent of Robert’s scheme, she flies to Paris. But will she be in time to derail Robert’s plans and save her sister? Kind of a reverse femjep. 10/06 Jack Quick

14 by J.T. Ellison:  Lieutenant Taylor Jackson is just days from walking down the aisle when she’s called to the scene of a gruesome murder. Strangely, the MO resembles that of a serial killer who struck Tennessee in the early 80’s. Dubbed the Snow White Killer thanks to his dark haired, pale skinned victims, and his penchant for smearing bright red lipstick across their faces, he left behind ten victims before apparently throwing in the towel; he was never caught. Has Snow White reemerged after such a long break or are they facing a copycat. Then new evidence is found to support the copycat theory and Jackson and her team are faced with uncovering both of the killers’ identities in order to solve the case. With just two titles released, J.T. Ellison has proven herself to be one of the best new thriller authors out there. Her characters are solid and her plots are refreshingly original - and what a great ending. The third title in the series, Judas Kiss, is due out next spring. 09/08 Becky Lejeune  

18 Seconds by George D. Shuman: The book is riveting. The web site is powerful. What more do you want? The web site was so intriguing, I picked up the book that day. This debut novel did not disappoint. Sherry Moore, an investigative consultant, is a blind woman who can “see” a dead person’s last 18 seconds of thought when she touches the corpse. None of her past cases are as troubling though as the one she takes as a favor for a detective friend. Why do her own nightmares intersect with the visions of a victim of a serial killer in a seaside community? Shuman’s descriptions are so vivid the reader can see and hear the book. This is a powerful debut of a new writer and a character I hope to see again. 04/06 Lesa Holstine

18 SECONDS by George D. Shuman: Blind and beautiful Sherry Moore has an epileptic type condition that gives her an extraordinary talent. Each of us has approximately 18 seconds of short term memory “present” in our brain at all times. At death, those “final” 18 seconds are stored in the brain. Moore, because of her condition, can “see” these final moments by touching the deceased corpse. This is not without pain, however, as she “relives” those moments in her own mind, a debilitating and terrifying experience. Earl Sykes was imprisoned thirty years ago but is now on the streets of Wildwood, New Jersey, abducting and killing young women. Police Lieutenant Kelly O’Shaughnessy is puzzled by the sudden disappearance of several young females from the boardwalk - crimes reminiscent of a series of unsolved disappearances in the seventies. Eventually she enlists the aid of Moore in a desperate attempt to end the bloodshed. Although a bit of “woo-woo,” I found the book to be well written and intriguing, but not for the faint of heart. Hopefully, there will be more from this ex-Washington, DC Metro Police veteran. 06/07 Jack Quick

20^TH CENTURY GHOSTS by Joe Hill: A great short story must accomplish in roughly twenty pages what a full-length novel takes time to develop. It’s not an easy task. Many authors refuse to even try their hands at short fiction. Some, however, have truly mastered the effort and Joe Hill falls into this category of talent. This award winning collection features a wide array of stories. Some are bloody and shocking while others are more sweet and sentimental. In “20^th Century Ghost” a haunted theater is celebrated by years of patrons who were touched by its ghostly visitor. In “The Cape” a child’s fantasy becomes a reality that haunts him into adulthood. And, in “Last Breath,” a macabre museum is more than meets the eye.  Each story is an absolute gem that proves Joe Hill is new talent to be reckoned with. Not only can he create chilling tales of horror like that of “Best New Horror” - a story that is more than a little reminiscent of the southern gothic trend - but he also brings together long separated lovers for one afternoon of what-ifs in “Bobby Conroy Comes Back From the Dead.” I highly recommend this collection to all readers. Not only is this a perfect introduction to an amazing author, read one at a time, these short tales provide an entertaining break in a busy day.  10/07 Becky Lejeune

47 RULES OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE BANK ROBBERS by Troy Cook: This debut novel about a father training his 9-year-old daughter in bank robbery is zany black comedy at its best.  Wyatt Evans is a brilliant psychopath who has made a career out of robbing banks.  Along the way, he killed his wife and taught his daughter the 47 rules of the family business.  But by the time Tara is 23, she is chafing under her father's rigid, psychotic thumb and wondering if it is time to move out on her own.  Then she meets Max, who empathizes with Tara as he has a nut of a father himself, although on the other side of the law - his father is the Sheriff.  Meanwhile Wyatt is heading the FBI's ten most wanted list, Tara & Max take off and Wyatt, the Sheriff and the FBI are all on the chase.  47 Rules is well written, original, clever and laugh out loud funny - don't miss it.  07/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

47 RULES OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE BANK ROBBERS by Troy Cook:  As they rehearse a bank robbery, nine year old Tara to her father Wyatt, “How come they don’t make a Bank Robber Barbie?”  Wyatt’s response, “It’s that damn Corporate America! They’re trying to warp your fragile little mind.”  Further advice from Wyatt Evans to his daughter, “You keep your gun pointed straight at him and say anything you want.  The crazier the better…The crazier you are, the more respect you get.  This is one of life’s lessons here, so remember it.”  With this for a beginning, it’s no wonder that Troy Cook’s debut has created a storm.  Tara grows up but doesn’t outgrow her raising, which makes for an interesting story of the two most unlikely bank robbers since Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.  You have to love it, even when Tara falls in love with the son of the local sheriff.  Like Wyatt says, “It’s always something.” 12/06 Jack Quick

47 RULES OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE BANK ROBBERS by Troy Cook: Of course any man who teaches his nine-year-old daughter to rob a bank is nuts. By the time Tara Evans is twenty-two, she’s a little tired of her father’s controlling ways. She’s also starting to be scared of the man who has started to enjoy killing people as they rob banks. She and her father, Wyatt, have managed to escape for thirteen years, but Wyatt’s starting to violate his own rules for robbing banks, and getting away with it. When Tara meets Max Williams, the son of a small-town sheriff, it’s love at first sight. Wyatt and Max’ father are not so happy with the new romance. The new young Bonnie and Clyde team are soon careening across the southwest, chased by Wyatt, Max’ father, the FBI and a couple of bumbling crooks. Cook’s debut novel is a fun romp, with romance, humor and danger, as Tara and Max come up with their own rules for life and survival. 12/06 Lesa Holstine

THE 47^TH SAMURAI by Stephen Hunter:  Retired Marine Corps sniper Bob Lee “The Nailer” Swagger, now in his sixties, returns in this thriller that began some sixty years ago on Iwo Jima when his father Earl won the Medal of Honor.  Philip Yato is the son of the Japanese officer who commanded the bunker, which was the basis of that skirmish.  He has come to America seeking the family sword taken into battle by his father and brought home by Swagger Senior.  It turns out there is more to the sword which leads to a series of terrible crimes with Swagger deeply involved.  Another first rate outing from Hunter who has so skillfully told the story of three generations of Swaggers.  07/08 Jack Quick

88 WAYS TO DIE by Johnnie Mitchell:  Interesting PI tale self-published by the author earlier this year.  Black PI Ellis Mason is a small businessman in Chicago in 1988 who gets caught up in a murder case when the girlfriend of his client is killed.  As he is pulled deeper and deeper into the matter he hooks up with Brad Royce, a big time agency owner who numbers among his clients a congressional candidate looking for dirt on a rival.  It is Chicago, after all, so, its not surprising that Mason and Royce are soon swimming upstream in a river of murder, greed, and political corruption.  As with many self- published efforts, this book could have benefited from some tighter editing, more street time and less “bed time.”  I hope Mr. Mitchell does well enough to produce some more, as Mason could potentially be Chicago’s answer to LA’s Eazy Rawlins. 10/07 Jack Quick

1225 MISTLETOE LANE by Lenny Castellaneta: Throw together one sarcastic, insensitive jerk and one angel, and you have a recipe for misunderstanding. Jim Carrelli loves his job as a teacher, but he’s miserable with the rest of his life until his strange neighbor Galen asks if he would unselfishly help his landlady. After he drinks too much, Carrelli agrees and suddenly finds himself in the same neighborhood in 1963. His landlady is younger, married, and Jim Carrelli doesn’t realize that by saving Molly, he just might save himself. There’s nothing new in the message in this book that “angels bring people into our lives and touch us in some way.”  12/05 ~This review contributed by Lesa Holstine.

7,000 CLAMS by Lee Irby: Frank Hearn was all set to go to Florida with the proceeds from his cache of smuggled Canadian scotch, when it gets taken away from him. There is little left for him to do but steal a $7,000 IOU from the one and only Babe Ruth and set out for Florida to cash in. Babe's IOU is actually a gambling debt owed to a underworld boss, and before it makes front-page news, everyone from crooked cops to rabid henchmen get involved. Throw in a botched kidnap attempt and a few gallons of bathtub gin and you have the roaring twenties down pat. A bit uneven, as most first novels are, but captures the spirit of the times quite nicely. Tighter editing should help his next work. 01/06 Jack Quick

THE ABDUCTION by Mark Gimenez:  Caution: don't start this book unless you have time to finish it - I could not put it down.  After his excellent debut, The Color of Law, Gimenez just knocks it out of the park with his sophomore effort.  The Brice family are a little more well-to-do than most; Elizabeth is a successful Dallas attorney, and her husband John is a computer nerd with a company that is about to go public and make him a billionaire.  Their ten-year-old daughter Gracie is a budding soccer star and it is at her game that things go awry - Gracie is kidnapped while Dad is on the phone about his IPO and Mom is late coming from court.  People may fear for their lives, but they really fear for their children's lives, and these characters are so well drawn that it becomes incredibly easy to suspend your disbelief and get completely caught up in the story.  I loved the tough-as-a-tiger mom, and the special bond between Gracie and her retired Green Beret grandfather was especially touching, all of which helped ratchet up the suspense even more.  The Abduction is one of the best thrillers of the year. 09/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

About the Author by John Colapinto: This brilliant thriller starts out with a simple case of plagiarism, but quickly twists and turns into a spellbinding story of deceit, lust, blackmail and murder.  It's rare to find a new angle in this genre, and I for one am most appreciative. Check out the nowCulture.com Interview with Colapinto

ABSENT FRIENDS by S. J. Rozan: I have enjoyed all of Rozan’s Lydia and Bill novels and eagerly picked up this one. Unfortunately, it did not meet my expectations. Basically New York City Fire Capt. James McCaffery died at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Exactly 22 years earlier, on September 11, 1979, Mark Keegan, a childhood friend of McCaffery’s killed a local Staten Island mob boss’s son. Keegan later was himself killed in prison and left behind a wife and young child. Ever since, the Keegan heirs have received financial support from McCaffery. Much to the dismay of McCaffery and Keegan’s friends, an enterprising news reporter is intrigued by the story and starts digging into it. The reporter then dies mysteriously. The smoke of the Twin Towers hangs heavy over all the narrative as Rozan attempts to weave a tapestry of some 40 interconnected lives over two and half decades. Maybe the next generation will deem this to be a classic, but for me, right now, it was too much, too soon, about a day that changed our world. 08/06 Jack Quick

ABUNDANCE by Sena Jeter Naslund: In 1770, at only 14 years of age, Marie Antoinette, Archduchess of Austria left her home to marry Louis August, the Dauphin of France – the man who would become Louis XVI. Four years later, she became Queen. In 1793, she was pronounced guilty of high treason and sentenced to a death by beheading. By using historical facts and biographies, Sena Jeter Naslund has created a vivid portrait of what Marie Antoinette’s life might have been like. Readers will get a feel for not only the excessive and opulent lifestyle the monarchy enjoyed, but also what it must have been like to grow and mature in the eyes of a country. Every part of her life, her image, and her family was under the scrutiny of the French public. No one can actually know Marie Antoinette’s thoughts and feelings but Naslund has added depth and flesh to the facts to produce a wholly believable story. This title will appeal not only to history buffs and those curious about Marie Antoinette, but to fans of literary fiction as well. 10/06 Becky LeJeune

ACCESSORY TO MURDER by Elaine Viets: This is the third book in the Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper series and quite enjoyable.  A supposedly random shooting at the mall leaves a young, upcoming scarf designer dead and Josie's friend Alyce's nerves shot.  Things like that aren't supposed to happen in an upscale suburb of St. Louis.  But then Alyce's husband is accused of the murder and she begs Josie to help.  As Josie delves into the murder and upscale suburban life, she finds no one is as they appear and nothing is as it seems.  Nice twisty little mystery with Viets' hallmark humor plus some great shopping tips at the end of the book.  11/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE ACCIDENT MAN by Tom Cain: An international assassin, Samuel Carver, is paid to take out bad guys who can't be touched by legal means while making the hits look like accidents, is the intriguing premise for this first novel.  Things get really tense when one of his targets is in a car full of people hurtling through a tunnel in Paris, and one of the passengers turns out to be Princess Diana.  Immediately after that hit, someone tries to take Carver out, and the game is on.  A beautiful Russian spy is one of the unlikely assassins, and Carver manages to turn her.  Together they explore the plot to kill Diana and find out who is masterminding the whole thing.  Conspiracy fans will love this. Cain is the pseudonym for a British investigative journalist, adding some heft to the conspiracy theory.  03/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE ACCIDENT MAN by Tom Cain:  British journalist Tom Cain has come up with a new twist on an old story.  It’s Paris, 1997 and hit man Samuel Carver is in a tunnel preparing to do a job.  The car wreck he creates causes a speeding black Mercedes to crash into a stone pillar, surely killing the car’s occupants.  Moments later, Carver finds himself the target of an apparent Russian killer.  Only later does he learn that the victim of his actions was, in fact, Princess Diana, and not the terrorist he was told would be occupying the car.  Since Carver only does bad guys, he vows revenge on the people who set him up.  This includes several spy organizations and various intermediaries.  Think James Bond without the government backing.  Nicely written and perhaps the basis for an on-going series featuring Carver and his Russian female accomplice.  Wilbur Smith calls this “This is the best first thriller I have read since The Day of the Jackal, and that was a long time ago.”  Not a bad recommendation. 05/08 Jack Quick 

ACCIDENTS WAITING TO HAPPEN by Simon Wood: It’s a good life for Josh Michaels - the California life, with nice house, loving wife, beautiful daughter, good job neat car. On the other hand, there is the attempt to kill him by running him off the road, the fact he is being blackmailed by a ex-lover and a secret that could land him in prison. Michaels survives the automobile accident but what about his other problems. Are they all inter-related? After a plane crash kills his flying partner instead of Michaels, he realizes the police aren’t going to be of much help. If he is to survive he must figure things out on his own.  09/07 Jack Quick 

ACTS OF NATURE by Jonathon King:  Max and Sherry on vacation at a friend’s remote fishing camp in the Everglades, a trio of housebreakers and general ne’er do wells and a pair of deadly security guards.  What ties them all seven together?  An unpredictable shift in the course of hurricane Simone has placed them all at risk.  Similar to but different from James Lee Burke’s Tin Roof Blow Down, King describes not only the awesome power of these storms but their effect on people, before, during, and after.  A top notch read.  09/07 Jack Quick 

Adios Muchachos by Daniel Chavarria:  Winner of the 2002 Edgar Award for Best Original Paperback.  A  delightful robbery/murder caper set in contemporary Havana where the characters do what they have to do to survive and do it with gusto, humor and Latin style.  The main character is a young woman who decides that her best asset is the way she sits on a bicycle. She then proceeds to peddle that asset all over town.  Some reviewers have described her as a "bicycle hooker," but I think that is a little harsh.  She likes men and she appreciates presents.  The mechanics of the transactions are hilarious and involve her mother cooking dinner for the chosen client.          They ultimately enmesh her in dealing with the worlds of high finance, high crime and treasure on the high seas.  Also, a phallic totem.  If you enjoy this book, I also recommend that you do a bookstore search for anything by Paco Ignacio Taibo II. ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

AFTER HOURS AT THE ALMOST HOME by Tara Yellen:  It’s Super Bowl Sunday and the Broncos are playing. It’s going to be the busiest day of the year for Denver’s Almost Home Bar and Grill which means that it’s the worst possible day for a new girl to start, and for one of the bar’s seasoned employees to disappear. Denny was leaving after his shift and is forced to work a double thanks to Marna’s untimely no-show. JJ has never waitressed before and everyone is giving her a hard time. Keith was supposed to leave with Marna but hasn’t heard a word from her. Marna also promised a special day with Colleen’s daughter Lily, neither of which have heard from her either. The staff makes it through the day, and closes up shop, but that’s when things get really interesting at the Almost Home. Everyone who’s ever had to work in the service industry can relate to Yellen’s tale. Anyone who has ever had doubts about what comes next in life, whether the decisions they make are the right ones and if everything will work out in the end, will connect with at least one of the characters in this book. It’s that combination of the quirky dysfunctional family situation that occurs in any workplace and the instances of self-doubt that everyone suffers that collide in this earnest literary debut. After creating such a resonating story in After Hours at the Almost Home, Yellen will surely be one to watch in literary circles for years to come.  04/08 Becky Lejeune  

AGAINST THEIR WILL by Nancy L. Livingstone: Matt Grayson is flying home to Houston after his first movie opens to great reviews. The plane crashes upon approach and Grayson’s life is changed forever. He thinks he has saved the life of his seatmate, Lynn McCane, but when he recovers consciousness in the hospital he is told he was the only survivor of the plane crash, and that all passengers and crew have been accounted for. Months later, Lynn shows up at Matt’s movie studio in Hollywood, with a new name and no memory of the plane crash. Matt gets her to go for coffee with him and tries to talk with her about the crash. Within hours they are atop the FBI’s Most Wanted List and are being pursued, it seems, by every government agency except Fish and Wildlife. Scary medical thriller from 2002, which brings new meaning to stem cell research and cloning.  e-book.  05/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

AGENTS OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS by Simon R. Green: John Taylor returns to the Nightside for another macabre, engrossing tale. The Unholy Grail is rumored to be in the Nightside. That’s the cup that Judas Iscariot drank from at the Last Supper, a cup that has extraordinary powers to magnify evil. Previous owners are supposed to have included Torquemada, Rasputin and Hitler. Taylor, who has a gift of finding anything, accepts a hefty commission to find the Grail and turn it over to an agent of the Vatican. However, in order to recover it, he must find it before the angels do. Angels from Above and Below have descended on the Nightside, and they are willing to destroy everything there in order to retrieve the Grail. Accompanied by Shotgun Suzie, Taylor accosts those who might know where the Grail is residing. Between Taylor and the angels, the Nightside is strewn with bodies left in a bloody trail of horror. Green’s stories are guaranteed to give you nightmares, but they are totally addicting. 03/07 Lesa Holstine

AGNES AND THE HITMAN by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer: The authors of Don’t Look Down topped that book with this comic suspense novel. Agnes, a food writer who writes under “Cranky Agnes,” has to hold her goddaughter’s wedding at her new home, Two Rivers Mansion, or lose the mansion to her goddaughter’s grandmother. Despite the woman’s schemes, Agnes is determined to host it and cater it with her fiancé. However, weddings can be murder. Before Agnes is even attacked by a nervous gunman, her friend Joey knows something is up. He calls on his nephew Shane, a hitman, to protect “Little Agnes.” Shane arrives just after Agnes has knocked the gunman into the basement with her frying pan. He also arrives before the police and Agnes’ wimpy boyfriend. What more do you want than a Southern-Italian wedding, dry humor, the mob, a nervous bride, a wicked grandmother, an unnamed government agency, and two hot hitmen. Shane and Carpenter will easily make you forget Ranger and Morelli. This latest novel by Cruise and Mayer is hot and wickedly funny. 08/07 Lesa Holstine

Alaska Twilight by Colleen Coble: Alaska is a wide-open state full of wonder, wildlife, tundra, and scenery, any one of which would open ones eyes as wide as most any other sight on earth.

    Colleen Coble takes you into this land of adventure with Haley Walsh. Haley travels to the wilds to attempt to find out what happened when her parents were killed in their cabin fire years before. Haley meets some long lost family members as she tries to unravel the mystery of her parents’ death in that fire. She meets up with a tough man, Tank Lassiter, who works as a bear biologist, especially with Miki, who Tank had raised from when he was a cub.

    The descriptions of the Alaska wilderness, the bears, the few towns in the vicinity, the many types of people, some nice and some defiantly not nice, and the living in this country will dominate your mind from cover to cover. During all this, Haley tries desperately to find God since she thinks he forsook her when her sister and her parents were killed years earlier.

    Alaska Twilight is hard to put down. Colleen Coble writes in a way that keeps you involved and makes you feel as though you were looking behind you for the bears. 05/06 Cy Hilterman

THE ALEXANDRIA LINK by Steve Berry: In Berry’s second thriller featuring Cotton Malone, the antiquarian bookseller and retired secret agent must set aside all differences with his ex-wife in order to save his son from nefarious kidnappers. While working with the Magellan Billet, a government organization much like the CIA, Malone was assigned to protect and help hide George Haddad. Haddad was a scholar focused on the Old Testament and his theories threatened to shake the very foundations of Judaism as well as Christianity. His studies also garnered attention from a group called the Guardians, the members of which are sworn to protect the lost library of Alexandria. The Guardians extended an invitation to Haddad and challenged him to find the library. His quest would lead him to the most famous cache of knowledge known man, but the Mossad had already tracked and killed the last three invitees. The Billet sent Malone in with no knowledge of Haddad’s background, and today, Malone is the only person who knows where to find Haddad. This knowledge makes both Malone and his family prime targets for the numerous groups who will stop at nothing to find Haddad. Anyone looking for a great action/adventure thriller in the vein of The Da Vinci Code will love Berry’s work. He’s tackled everything from Russia’s rumored amber room to the Knights Templar and now focuses his attentions on Alexander’s library, which should segue perfectly into his upcoming release, The Venetian Betrayal, and the search for Alexander’s grave. 12/07 Becky Lejeune

Ali & Nino by Kurban Said: Re-release of a book originally published in 1937, the author is thought to be a pseudonym for the couple whose romance the book is loosely based on.  Takes place at the turn of the 19th century, clash of cultures and religion.  Definitely worth a read.

THE ALIAS MAN by Bill Pronzini: Jessie, a slender blonde Pennsylvania widow, meets a dream lover in Santa Fe who immediately asks her to marry him. Sarah, a slender blonde Vancouver bookstore owner, had her husband disappear just over four years ago leaving her in debt. Morgan, a slender blonde California schoolteacher, suspects her husband of just under four years of cheating on her as well as losing her money in poor investments. When she confronts him, he responds by leaving her. Then she finds a safe deposit box key in his study and uses it to uncover the secret of The Alias Man. Using his list of victims and aliases, and the cash she finds in the safe deposit box, she enlists Jessie and Sarah to help her. Together they track down the chameleon who for the past two decades has been marrying every four years, stealing that wife’s money, and then moving on to the next victim. An unusual Pronzini, but excellent as always. 05/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

The Alibi Club by Francine Mathews: Mathews’ latest suspense novel was confusing and a disappointment. According to the book jacket, it was the story of four women whose story will change the course of history. As much as those women are involved in the story, it is really a story of lawyers and liars in 1940 Paris as the Germans roll toward France. Mathews does an excellent job in portraying the desperation, decadence and confusion in France during this time period, but she involves too many characters in the attempt to hide the information about the atomic bomb from the Nazis. None of the characters were well enough developed, and there were too many of them in this overcrowded novel. 09/06 Lesa Holstine

ALICE IN JEOPARDY by Ed McBain: Alice Glendenning oversleeps.  She is still grieving for her husband who disappeared off his boat 8 months ago.  Late to work at the real estate agency where she has yet to sell a house, she calls her lawyer and the insurance company still refuses to pay off, later she gets hit by a car and has her ankle broken.  When she gets home her children aren’t there.  They have been kidnapped and the ransom demand is for $250,000 : the exact amount due from her insurance.  Maybe she should have stayed in bed.  McBain proves once again that he can spin a tale without or without the help of the 8^th Precinct boys.  A good one. 11/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

All in One Piece by Cecelia Tishy: Reggie Cutter, a psychic in Boston, returns in the second mystery in Tishy’s new series. Like her deceased aunt, Reggie volunteers as a psychic with the Boston Homicide Division. However, this time, the murder strikes too close to home when Reggie’s upstairs tenant is killed, soon after she herself was almost run down by a hit-and-run driver. Following a messy divorce, Reggie is unsure of herself, but when she feels like a target, and the police seem uninterested in her clues, she determines to find the killer herself. Reggie has come a long way since her debut in Now You See Her. She’s more sure of her own abilities in this fascinating story that connects with local history of immigrants striking against the mills. Reggie’s psychic abilities and her connections with the past put an interesting spin on “cold cases.”  04/06 Lesa Holstine

All Mortal Flesh by Julia Spencer-Fleming: Spencer-Fleming won every mystery award in the book for her first mystery, In the Bleak Midwinter, and her fifth book in the series is even better. The Reverend Clare Fergusson, an Episcopalian priest, and Millers Kill Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne have fought against their feelings for each other. When Russ finally confesses to his wife that he’s in love with Clare, she kicks him out of the house. He’s living with his mother when his police force pick him up to tell him his wife’s butchered body has been found in their home. Suddenly Russ and Clare are the prime suspects in the murder, and the focus of the local gossip. As suspicion spreads, the state police are brought in to handle the investigation. Spencer-Fleming takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride of emotions and suspense in this fast-paced mystery. The climax of the book still leaves room for the author to throw two more curveballs at the reader. This is a powerful story, worthy of more awards for the author. 10/06 Lesa Holstine

ALL SHALL BE WELL by Deborah Crombie:  The second Superintendent Duncan Kincaid/Sergeant Gemma James mystery gives the reader glimpses into the personal lives of the series characters. When Kincaid finds his downstairs neighbor dead, he isn’t convinced it was suicide, even though she had cancer. His investigation leads to surprises about the mystery woman he thought he knew. While Kincaid struggles with his own feelings, James struggles with her life as a single mother trying to stay afloat. Kincaid and James are ordinary people, struggling with life, in a way that many British police detectives are not. This is a series to continue to watch. 07/08 Lesa Holstine

ALL THE FLOWERS ARE DYING by Lawrence Block: Scudder tries to help a fellow AA member who has attracted a mysterious boyfriend. Then his wife Elaine’s best friend is brutally murdered, with a letter opener purchased from Elaine. Is there a connection? Like Small Town, this book is set in New York City post 9/11 and seems darker and more brooding than previous Scudders. While AA is and should be the dominant force in the former practicing alcoholic’s life, sometimes this gets in the way of story flow, i.e., I don’t need the address and time of every AA meeting in New York. What would make a great series? TJ from Block and Tamara from Pronzini working together. Recommended. 05/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

ALL THE FLOWERS ARE DYING By Lawrence Block: Those of us that have read these books for over three decades know what's going. If nothing else..., Block has taken the careful aging of Scudder very seriously. From the ex-cop who made a mistake then a drunk, to the man he is now...LB has always allowed him to age, like we all are doing currently.  Scudder has battled his personal demons, as well as those he's been drawn into over the years.  Scudder's happy now, married to his love Elaine, and more or less status quo in his life. He's happy and steady. But that's all about to change...enter one of the great literary villains of all time, and one that Scudder has unknowingly encountered before.  He's already killed three kids (described in brutal detail in classic Block) and he has some unfinished business in NYC specifically with Scudder. Oh, by the way, the book opens by relating to you that this maniac got an innocent man in Virginia executed for what he did.  He witnessed the execution...with a hard-on.  That's what you can expect here/  Block is at the top of his game.  And, as a true fan of the series bonus, there's a scene late in the book where Scudder, mortally wounded, has a near death experience with all the characters from his previous Scudder books.  A priceless read for true fans of the series.  03/06 DOC

ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS by J. T. Ellison: A ruthless serial killer has been stalking young women in the southeast. Dubbed the Southern Strangler, he has left a grisly trail of dead coeds in his wake. Each girl has had her hands removed, one of which will be found at the following crime scene, and each subsequent victim goes missing the same day the previous victim is found. When the body of the third victim is discovered in Nashville, Lieutenant Taylor Jackson is called to the scene. Her involvement with FBI agent John Baldwin leaves her privy to certain details of the case, even after it leaves her jurisdiction, and leads to a disturbing discovery. The killer has been e-mailing clues to a well-known reporter in the Nashville area – clues that could finally lead to the discovery of his identity. Meanwhile, Jackson has other problems to deal with including a rapist who has recently attacked the lead investigator on the Rainman case. To make matters even worse, there appears to be a leak within the Bureau and there are whispers of corruption amongst Nashville’s finest. Ellison writes like a pro – her details are dead on, her plot is engrossing, and her characters are engaging. This masterful debut is sure to keep readers up all night in suspense. I highly recommend All the Pretty Girls (first in a new series with books two and three set for release in 2008).  11/07 Becky Lejeune

Almost Friends by Philip Gulley: Gulley takes his readers back to Harmony, Indiana, the site of his popular books about Pastor Sam Gardner and the Quaker community. In the latest effort, Sam takes a vacation to care for his ailing father. When the Friends hire a female minister, Sam doesn’t expect the community to fall for her. However, the unruly community is always ready to erupt into turmoil. Almost Friends is a little weaker than some of Gulley’s other books, but it’s still an enjoyable return to the small town. 08/06 Lesa Holstine

THE ALMOST MOON by Alice Sebold:  The Lovely Bones was brilliant, so it was with great expectation and some trepidation that I began Sebold's latest.  The opening is quite the grabber: "When all is said and done, killing my mother came easily." Another difficult subject for sure, but unfortunately, this story of matricide quickly becomes tedious.  Helen has difficult relationships in her life; besides her Alzheimer's afflicted mother, there is the ex-husband and her children.  The book spans the course of one day, a mere 24 hours, yet seems so much longer than that, perhaps because it is missing the emotional wallop promised with that opener.  10/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE ALMOST MOON by Alice Sebold: After reading Lovely Bones and Lucky, I was excited to read Almost Moon. My excitement didn’t last very long. Almost Moon is the tale of Helen Knightly, a divorced mother of two grown daughters. Her father having died decades earlier, it is up to Helen to take care of her emotionally abusive agoraphobic mother. Throughout the book the reader flashes back to episodes portraying the strained relationship she had with her mother. The first several chapters of the book were engaging. Helen can no longer take the strain and frustration of dealing with her mother, so she smothers her with a kitchen towel. The reader is then lead through Helen’s ritual of stripping and bathing her mother, then pulling her down the basement steps and putting her in the oversized freezer. A little out there, yes, but completely plausible. The remainder of the book goes downhill quickly and I completely lost interest. Almost Moon might be a good book for those readers that haven’t read any of Sebold’s other work, and therefore have nothing to compare it to. But a diehard Sebold fan will definitely be disappointed with this one, as I was. 05/08 Jennifer Lawrence

The Alpine Recluse by Mary Daheim: This latest mystery is the eighteenth in Daheim’s alphabetical series set in Alpine, Washington, a small community where Emma Lord is the owner and publisher of the weekly newspaper, The Alpine Advocate. Along with her House & Home Editor, Vida Runkel, Emma is not afraid to investigate any incidents in their town, in order to cover the news. When a young man is found murdered in the ashes of his house that was set on fire, local suspicion falls on Old Nick, a hermit seen recently around town. However, Emma suspects that the man’s death might have more to do with his wife and family. Local connections and stories are told as Emma and Vida snoop into the background of the family. Fans of this series have watched the changes in Emma and her relationships over the years. This is an enjoyable series for those of us who appreciate small town mysteries with the interlocked relationships and gossip.  04/06 Lesa Holstine

THE ALPINE SCANDAL by Mary Daheim: In the nineteenth book in the Alpine mystery series, newspaper owner Emma Lord receives the obituary of Elmer Nystrom in the mail, postmarked before the date of the death. Emma's House & Home editor, Vida Runkel informs her that Elmer is still alive, and it must be some sort of prank. When the two visit Nystrom residence, they discover the body of Elmer in his chicken coop. The investigation is stymied due to the sheriff's stints in the hospital, and the fact that everyone in town seems to have liked Elmer. No one, though, seems to have known the Nystrom family well.  This latest book seems to be stale, and the characters themselves seem tired of their roles. It might be time for Daheim to shake up the series. 04/07 Lesa Holstine

THE ALPINE TRAITOR by Mary Daheim: Despite the fact this is the twentieth in Daheim’s Alpine mystery series, it’s one of the strongest stories yet. Emma Lord is the middle-aged newspaper publisher in Alpine, Washington, who gets dragged into investigations because of her job. This time, it’s her newspaper itself, and her past, that drags her in. When there’s an offer to purchase the Advocate, Emma is shocked to discover the children of her late lover are behind the deal. She’s even more shocked when a man turns up dead, and she becomes a suspect. She discovers a complicated scheme behind the whole deal in a mystery that hinges on her past. Daheim’s mysteries haven’t grown stale. 04/08 Lesa Holstine

Altar Music by Christin Lore Weber:  A fascinating look at Catholicism and sex written by one who knows, an ex-nun.  The story follows three generations of women and how their religion affected their lives.  This book shows the darker side of the convent, as well as the personal damage that can be done in the name of God.

ALWAYS SAY GOODBYE by Stuart M. Kaminsky: Sarasota, Fla., process server and occasional PI Lew Fonesca finally feels up to begin tracking down the hit-and-run driver who killed his wife, Catherine, a prosecutor in Chicago four years earlier. Hardly has he landed at Midway airport when Lew finds himself between two warring assassins-for-hire who believe Catherine had compiled a file of evidence against them that Lew now has. Chicago is obviously colder and more dangerous than Sarasota but this is something Lew has to do to move forward with his life. The fifth in the series, each one is better than its predecessor. 12/06 Jack Quick

ALWAYS SAY GOODBYE by Stuart M. Kaminsky: After four years, and five books, process server Lou Fonesca decides it’s time to go home to Chicago, and look for the person who killed his wife, Catherine, in a hit-and-run incident. He no sooner arrives and is picked up by his brother-in-law, when he becomes the target of a killer. Someone wants to prevent the investigation into Catherine’s death. Is it related to her work as a prosecuting attorney? Is it related to the war between two hired assassins? Fonesca, a fascinating man, is a loner who is prone to depression. He left a few friends behind in Sarasota, FL, but found he still has attachments in Chicago. Fonesca’s search is an investigation into Catherine’s death, but it is also a search for the answers to his own life. Kaminsky’s latest mystery is as much an examination of a man’s soul as it is a search for a killer. Kaminsky could continue this series. Will he continue it, after Fonesca has found the answer to the main question in his life? 12/06 Lesa Holstine

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon:  This year's Pulitzer Prize winning novel is the beautifully written story of two men growing up together in New York.  With WW2 at their backs, this historical look at the 20th century captivates the reader by introducing us to the golden age of the comic book.  Their adventures in creating a comic book hero makes for a most compelling read.

The Amber Room by Steve Berry:  If you're looking for something after the Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown has a blurb on the cover,) this could be your book.  A fascinating blend of history and suspense involving the Amber Room, whose walls were made of the precious stone which was carved into artistic panels and was looted from Catherine's Palace in St. Petersburg by the Nazis during WWII.  A judge from Georgia inherits some cryptic letters from her father after his death, including the ominous warning that whatever she does, she shouldn't look for the Amber Room.  So of course she does, and her ex-husband ends up chasing after her to Germany.  A couple of assassins are leaving a trail of bodies, while this secret society of art collectors tries to zero in on the find of the century.  It was impossible to put down this fast paced treasure hunt.

AMERICAN SKIN by Ken Bruen: Only Bruen could take a fairly routine plot about bank robbers disagreeing over the disposition of the loot and take it into totally new territory. The key players are Stephen Blake who has the money, and whose girlfriend, Siobhan, knows how to launder it, John A. Stapleton, hit man for the IRA, who thinks 100% is a fair share and Dade, so psychotic he hits meth to enjoy movies and is obsessively devoted to the music of Tammy Wynette. Is this literature for the ages? Probably not, but what a helluva read. If you are a Bruen fan, go get it. If you are not a Bruen fan, still go get it. You will become one. 10/06 Jack Quick

AMMUNITION by Ken Bruen:  In this seventh Sergeant Brant outing, our hero is in a London pub brooding about the death of his idol, real-life author Ed McBain, when a gunman opens fire and then disappears. (Eats, shoots and leaves?)  Although hit a number of times, he survives and to the dismay of criminals and cops alike he is soon back on the job, crankier than ever, and vowing revenge. Concurrently, Sergeant Falls and constable McDonald, key players in the previous adventures are having their own problems – Falls with a psycho named Angie and McDonald with the powdered white lady.  It’s a train wreck in progress but somehow it all comes to a satisfactory end. 01/08 Jack Quick

AND ONLY TO DECEIVE by Tasha Alexander: In her debut novel, Tasha Alexander creates a world and character for fans of Georgette Heyer and Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody. Emily Ashton married her husband, Viscount Philip Ashton, to escape her mother, who was husband-hunting for her. Six months later, Emily was a wealthy widow in Victorian England. Her husband died in Africa, leaving her his villa on the Aegean, his Greek antiquities collection and an Impressionist art collection. Intrigued by the Greek antiquities, Emily’s research leads to troubling doubts about the husband she knew little about. Was he involved in the theft and forgery of valuable Greek treasures? Can she trust either of Philip’s close friends? One man courts Emily, and one warns her to cease her probing questions. As Emily grows as an independent widow, she reveals much about the role of women in Victorian England, and the expectations society placed on them. She’s forced to push past some of those expectations in order to find the secrets behind her husband’s life. Alexander has created a strong Victorian woman who might have a role in a future novel. 11/05 ~This review contributed by Lesa Holstine.

AND SHE WAS by Cindy Dyson: This is a fantastic debut set in the Aleutian Islands in the mid 1980's. When Brandy follows her boyfriend to this remote setting, she is left to her own devices as he ships off to sea on a fishing trawler. She manages to find work at one of the toughest bars in the world. Here, one of her favorite pastimes - collecting bathroom graffiti - causes her to get embroiled in a mystery of sorts that spans generations. Paralleling Brandy's tale is that of three women and their female ancestors. In the 1700's when explorers discover these remote islands, the men of the Aleutian society leave to protect their homes against the invaders. While the men are off fighting, the women and children are forced to fend for themselves. As hunting is a men's task and all the men are gone, food is becoming scarce. Three women are forced to take matters into their own hands and in doing so they leave themselves open to being banished from their society. This is a story of self discovery and growth as well as one that gives insight to cultural differences and taboos. And She Was is a truly amazing read that I cannot recommend highly enough. Dyson's writing is impeccable and the story will appeal to a very broad audience. 12/06 Becky LeJeune

ANGEL'S TIP by Alafair Burke: New York City rookie police detective Ellie Hatcher, first introduced in Dead Connection, is out doing her morning run when she runs into the dead body of a teenage girl who’d been strangled, stabbed and had her hair shorn.  The nineteen year old blonde was visiting the Big Apple with friends and hitting all the clubs while on break from college, which creates a whirlwind of bad publicity for the city.  NYPD breaks the case very quickly – or have they?  Turns out there are some weird similarities to some cold cases that Hatcher’s deceased partner had been checking out, and she is unconvinced they have the right perp. When another young woman is killed in a similar fashion, even the hunky district attorney has to admit there are some problems with the case, and Hatcher is getting a very uneasy feeling that somehow it’s personal.  Lots of suspense and plot twists galore keep the pages turning, but it’s the personal storylines about Hatcher, her boyfriend, her brother, and her partner that makes Angel’s Tip a winner.  8/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2008 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.  Reprinted with permission.

ANGEL'S TIP by Alafair Burke: The second book in Burke’s Det. Ellie Hatcher series brings back a stronger, more confident NYPD detective in an outstanding police procedural. When Ellie and her brother, Jess, find a body when jogging, she calls it in as first officer on the scene. Suddenly, she’s involved in a high-pressure case with an urgency in finding the killer of an attractive blonde from out of town. Everyone is happy when they quickly zero in on a suspect, but one phone call disturbs Ellie. The father of a girl who was killed said it reminded him of her murder. He didn’t even know both victims had their hair cut. Suddenly, Ellie’s looking for a killer who might have been working over a number of years. The killer’s motive is a little weak in this book, but, overall, it’s a strong effort from Burke. 08/08 Lesa Holstine

ANGEL’S TIP by Alafair Burke:  A first rate police procedural from the daughter of James Lee Burke.  In this second Elli Hatcher outing, the newly assigned NYPD homicide detective is first on the scene at the discovery of the mutilated body of a college student.  She and partner J.J. Rogan have an abundance is suspects that come into and then out of the picture as more evidence is unearthed that finally leads to a manhunt for a serial killer.  Very nicely done and suspenseful to the end; let’s hope we continue to see more of Ms. Hatcher in the months and years ahead.  Completely different from, but potentially as enduring as her dad’s Dave Robicheaux. 09/08 Jack Quick 

Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner: A  big, sprawling novel of incredible description and complex characters.  There are two stories going on here; the narrator of modern day writing a historical biography of his grandparents who helped settle the old West.  Based on the life of Mary Hallock Foote, a writer and artist of the late 1800's, Stegner combines her story with his imagination and comes up with a beautiful book.  Winner of the 1971 Pulitzer Prize.

Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik:  Five women, neighbors, meet in the early 1960's in Minnesota and form the Freesia Court Book Club, but that name evolves into the Angry Housewives from a snide remark of the husband of one of the members.  These women share their lives - their marriages, children, politics, and of course their love of reading, over the course of the next thirty-plus years.  The characters are an interesting mélange of suburban housewives - Audrey, an independently wealthy woman who doesn't leave home without baring her cleavage; Slip, the politically motivated feminist rebel; Faith, who has a past she'd rather forget; Kari, a slightly older widow who adopts a bi-racial baby; and Merit, the beauty who is married to the beast.  Each chapter is written in the voice of the host (not hostess - Slip feels that feminizing nouns is demeaning to women), which begins each chapter, along with the book they are reading - which ranges from Love Story (they hated it) to The Total Woman (they really hated it - or was that me?) to On the Road (loved it) to A Confederacy of Dunces (thought provoking), along with the reason chosen or food served or highlight of the meeting, bringing a varying perspective to everything going on their lives and a nostalgic (for me) look back on the past few decades.  This is obviously a book aimed at reading groups, yet it doesn't come off as a commercial attempt at such, but rather a creative and fascinating look at the role of women over the last part of the twentieth century - the books are just an added bonus. Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

Annie Freeman’s Fabulous Traveling Funeral by Kris Radish:  From the time I started this beautiful book, I laughed and cried. I laughed with Katherine Givens as she grieved over the loss of her favorite bra. I cried and laughed throughout the book as she and four other women celebrated the life and death of their friend Annie G. Freeman. When Katherine receives Annie’s ashes in her favorite red tennis shoes, she’s instructed to contact four other women and, on Annie’s money, travel to Santa Fe, Key West, New York City, Duluth and a small island off of Seattle to scatter the ashes. Any woman who has loved and lost someone they love will appreciate this book with its awareness of the value of female friendship. 02/06 Lesa Holstine

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST by Jennifer Rardin: The second book in the Jaz Parks series picks up mere months after Rardin’s debut, Once Bitten, Twice Shy, left off. After recovering from her battle with the Tor-al-degan, a being that would have brought about the end of humankind as we know it, Jaz and her team have been brought together again for a new mission. The powers that be at the CIA have sent the team to Corpus Christi, Texas, where they will be attending (and much to Jasmine’s chagrin, performing in) the town’s Winter Festival. An ancient Chinese vampire has stolen a top-secret weapon prototype and the team must recover it before it is too late. Chien-Lung, the vamp in question, has taken an experimental set of armor that bonds to its wearer making him or her nearly invincible. Chien’s plan is to amass an entire army outfitted with the stuff and set off the next world war. The team’s mission impossible becomes even more complicated when they discover that they are up against a new enemy known as reavers. The reavers have been sent by none other than the Raptor, the government official who was behind the events of their last mission. Then, to make matters even worse, Jaz has been suffering from some killer nightmares, literally. If you can imagine Buffy and her Scooby gang growing up to work for the CIA, you have some idea what is in store for you with this series. Rardin has picked up some serious speed with book two; the characters are interesting and the plots are exciting and original. This is definitely a series that has to be started from the beginning. 12/07 Becky Lejeune  

ANOTHER THING TO FALL by Laura Lippman: Baltimore is the temporary home of a big budget television series, which doesn’t please the locals as much as one would think. Tess Monaghan manages to ruin a day’s shooting while out rowing, and in the process finds herself the sought after security detail for Selene, the twenty-year-old star of the show. Strange things are happening on set, and Tess agrees to baby-sit providing the producers give Crow’s latest project, Lloyd, a job. The details are worked out, but when Tess is outsmarted by Selene, she is forced to bring in extra help. Then one of the production staff is murdered, and it seems like everyone on set is suspect, from the producers to the actors to the writers and the staff. The production of a television series is complicated business, and Lippman includes lots of Hollywood detail in this Charm City murder mystery. It’s an interesting story with a lot of characters, but unfortunately Tess is the only character that is fully fleshed out. Not Lippman’s best effort, but fans of the series will want to read it anyway. 04/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2008 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.  Reprinted with permission. 

ANTIQUES TO DIE FOR by Jane K. Cleland: The third Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery is the best in the series. Josie has become a successful businesswoman with Josie Prescott Antiques and Appraisal. When a friend dies, leaving behind a twelve-year-old sister, and a message about an unknown treasure that will make her rich, Josie is the logical person to help Paige find that treasure. When she becomes the target of a stalker, who had sent her dead friend flowers, she’s the logical person to become his next victim. With her various resources, she’s the right person to track a killer and a treasure. Antiques to Die For is a strong entry in the series. 04/08 Lesa Holstine

ANY WHICH WAY BUT DEAD by Kim Harrison: This third book of the Hollows series starts off with a bang and never lets up. It begins with Rachel trying to find a way to outsmart the demon Big Al while still upholding her end of the bargain made in The Good, The Bad and The Undead that would make her his familiar and slave. She is successful, for the moment, but her trouble doesn’t end there. Her boyfriend Nick has been more than just a little distant lately, but Rachel is still surprised when he leaves for parts unknown claiming that he will be back in just a few months. Afraid that this means the end of their relationship, Rachel finds herself giving in to her attraction to Kisten, that hunky vampire that she can’t seem to avoid lately. Then, a powerful new boss arrives on the scene in Cincinnati and Rachel must do everything in her power to prevent him from taking over. Add to that the fact that she has managed to royally pissed off her pixy partner Jenks and that she’s been hired to protect the one elf that she absolutely despises and you get an absolutely hilarious and bewitching read. This series just keeps getting better and better and I can’t get enough. Kim Harrison is one of the best and the brightest in the urban fantasy genre. This is a series that is not to be missed. 04/07 Becky Lejeune

ANYBODY ANY MINUTE by Julie Mars: Women have mid-life crises too, as amply illustrated in this occasionally amusing, occasionally tiresome look at one such crisis.  Ellen Kenny is a middle-aged hippie leftover from the sixties.  This book is set in the 1980's, primarily I think, to avoid the use of cell phones and to hammer home the point that Ellen was able to drive through a small town in upstate New York and buy a farm using the cash advance on her credit card.  Even with the price of real estate falling through the floor these days, that just would not be possible today, unless you have really good credit, I guess.  She moves to the ramshackle farm, and I'm being kind here, leaving her good looking, attorney husband alone in New York City while she tries to figure out what she is doing with her life.  She meets some local folk who at first, appear to be the odd sort one would generalize about small town people, but it turns out they are gifted in their own ways, and share their gifts with Ellen.  She ends up taking care of a neighbor's dog and her sister's baby, learning to take care of herself in the process.  An interesting premise but just a little too cliché for me.  7/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

Anybody Out There by Marian Keyes: The lovable Walsh family (Angels, Watermelon) is back in Keyes’ newest endeavor, this time with Anna at center stage when she suffers serious injuries in a taxi accident in Manhattan and ends up recuperating at home with her parents in Dublin. But Anna has more to worry about: the escapades of her sister Helen, a private eye working for Irish gangsters; her best friend and her sorry romances; her sister Rachel’s upcoming nuptials; and her mother’s obsession with a dog that is being trained to poop next to the mailbox. Her physical wounds slowly heal and she gets the itch to go back to NY and find her husband Aidan, who is not answering her emails and seems to have become a rather shadowy character. Anna not only desperately misses him, she also misses her incredible job in the cosmetics industry and her New York lifestyle. Anna goes back, gets involved with a psychic and life takes some shocking turns. Once again Keyes has penned an intelligently written novel that is as funny as her previous books, but is ultimately much more heart-breaking. 05/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch. Copyright © 2006 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.  Reprinted with permission. 

ANYBODY OUT THERE by Marian Keyes: After surviving a terrible car accident, Anna Walsh returns to her parents' home in Ireland to recuperate. While overseas, she places numerous calls to her beloved Aiden, wondering why he hasn't come to see her or help her through this tough time. Upon returning to her home and her job in New York, Anna comes to the horrible realization that Aiden did not survive that fatal accident. Throughout her painful recovery and her subsequent return to New York, Anna recounts her experiences up until the horrible accident that changed her life. Her heart wrenching, but in typical Keyes fashion, amusing recovery will touch readers to the core. Fans will remember sisters Rachel, Claire and Maggie who have each been featured in previous Keyes titles. Helen's part of the story significantly lightens things up as she plays private eye back in Ireland. This sweet and sad tale is surprisingly funny and has made a real Keyes fan out of me. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a light but touching read. 02/07 Becky Lejeune

Anyway the Wind Blows by E. Lynn Harris: Basil and Yancy are back and the shit is flying!  Fast and fun. Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen:  In this [not-so-great] sequel to The Surgeon [which was gristly and great!], Detective Jane Rizzoli is called to a crime scene out of her jurisdiction. The victim is a wealthy doctor, found with his throat slashed, sitting on the floor of his living room in his pajamas, with a teacup in his lap. His wife is missing, but her nightgown is found folded neatly on a chair in the bedroom. The similarities to the serial killer Warren Hoyt, nicknamed the Surgeon, are unmistakable, but he is in prison, which leads Rizzoli to think copycat killer. 

The killing spree continues, Hoyt escapes, and the F.B.I. is interested and not saying why. Meanwhile, Rizzoli has to deal with the emotional trauma she's neglected since Hoyt was put away, her growing attraction to Special Agent Dean, and the very real possibility that she will be the next victim. 

There is gore galore and plenty of techno-babble for DNA aficionados, but there were no real surprises here and the ending was not very satisfying. Still, fans of The Surgeon will want to read this sequel.  Available August 20, 2002. Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2002 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.  Reprinted with permission.

The Archivist by Martha Cooley: Intense, interesting, heart wrenching, excellent book and a must read for any T. S. Eliot aficionado. Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

The Art of Detection by Laurie R. King: San Francisco Police Inspector Kate Martinelli’s latest case connects her to the world of literary detection. Philip Gilbert, the victim of a murder, is one of the world’s leading experts on Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and it’s devotion to them that may have led to his death. Since Gilbert’s entire life revolved around Holmes, it’s only natural for Martinelli to investigate his acquaintances in a Holmes Dinner Club. Gilbert’s home was decorated appropriately, and at times he dressed as the great detective. Was it Gilbert’s obsession with an unknown manuscript that led to the murder? Martinelli finds the short manuscript itself compelling, and a possible clue. This homage can be read by fans of Holmes, or fans of Martinelli, as her personal life continues to evolve. However, King’s new book has an obsession with detail that may not be for all mystery fans. 06/06 Lesa Holstine

As Long as She Needs Me by Nicholas Weinstock:  Sweet, funny contemporary British love story along the lines of Bridget Jones Diary, except the protagonist is the flip side, i.e. the guy.  Very entertaining. Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

ASK THE PARROT by Richard Stark: By now everyone probably knows that Stark is AKA Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Donald Westlake. By any name, he always turns out great work and this is no exception. Parker is on the lam from the botched robbery in Nobody Runs Forever (2004) when he meets up with reclusive Tom Lindahl. Lindahl rescues Parker from a bad situation because he wants him to help rob a local racetrack. Parker sees it as a good deal and also feels he owes Lindahl. As usual everything falls apart and only Parker can put even some of the pieces back together. Parker is the cold blooded professional with little redeeming value that you end up rooting for in spite of who he is. Let’s hope that Stark/Westlake continues to see fit to give us periodic Parker updates. We need them. 11/06 Jack Quick

THE ASSASSIN by Rachel Butler: Selena spent her first twelve years as an abused child on the mean streets of Jamaica until a wealthy American drug lord, rescued her and raised her to take over his business. But Selena has other plans, and they don't include running drugs. Fourteen years later, she still feels sufficiently indebted to Davis (the drug lord) to submit to his demand that she kill a Tulsa cop who's getting too close to exposing Davis's operation. Selena's target is Detective Tony Ceola, godson to Tulsa's chief of police and her temporary next-door neighbor. Has all the makings of a great series and the second installment – Deep Cover - is already in print. 02/06 Jack Quick

THE ASSASSINS GALLERY by David L. Robbins:  It’s the waning days of World War II.  Professor Mikhal Lammeck, a specialist in the history and weaponry of assassins, is in England, involved in training agents to be sent behind enemy lines.  A former pupil, now a member of the United States Secret Service, arranges for Lammeck to come to the United States to look at a gruesome double murder on the beach near Newburyport, Massachusetts.  Based on the evidence and Lammeck’s own knowledge he concludes that someone wants one last shot at altering history.  An assassin is headed to Washington, D.C., to kill the most important soldier of them all - the U.S. commander in chief.  Lammeck and the killer at the top of her profession circle the streets of the capital - one attempting to kill FDR, the other attempting to save him.  Who will prevail?  A first rate thriller. 12/07 Jack Quick

AT THE CITY'S EDGE by Marcus Sakey:  The "city" of the title is Chicago, and it's "edge" is populated by gangs.  Jason Palmer is a soldier, newly returned home from Iraq, where he received an "other than honorable" discharge.  He is floating; disturbed and unsure what to do with his life.  His brother owns a bar in one of the gang-ridden neighborhoods, but he is also a crusader, working behind the scenes to clean up the streets.  He touches a nerve, because he is murdered in front of his 8 year old son, and his bar is burned down.  Jason is forced into parentage and responsibility, chief of which is determining why his brother's murderers are now trying to kill him and his nephew.  He also needs to find out why his brother was killed, and ultimately who the murderers were.  He is joined in this effort by Elena Cruz, a cop who works the gangs but has some murky history of her own. This is a haunting story, beautifully written with rich, evocative images and tension building on every page, until the shocking ending.  Sakey wrote an amazing debut with The Blade Itself, and with his sophomore effort has outdone himself. 01/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

AT THE CITY’S EDGE by Marcus Sakey:  In Sakey's second crime novel Jason Palmer, a veteran of the current Iraq war, is back in Chicago and at loose ends.  His older brother Michael runs a bar in their old South Side Chicago neighborhood and tries to raise his eight-year-old son, Billy, as a single parent.  But when Michael tries to disrupt the current of gang violence that tarnishes the area he becomes a target.  When Michael is murdered and Billy is threatened, Jason reverts to soldier mode and in the process rediscovers himself.  I liked this one much better than 2007’s THE BLADE ITSELF, and look forward to his next effort. 08/08 Jack Quick

ATLANTIS by David Gibbins: The secret of Atlantis is lost for centuries because of a common mugging. Now marine archeologist Jack Howard may have found the key to uncovering this legendary sunken city. A scrap of papyrus discovered in an Egyptian desert, which may contain a secondhand account of the lost city, sends Jack scrambling to assemble a team. Once prepped and in position in the Aegean Sea, Jack and company find themselves caught up with Kazakhstan terrorists and a multi-country fight over a missing Soviet nuclear submarine—and that's before they've uncovered the ancient secrets of the lost city. Think Clive Cussler with a hefty dose of science. The historical conspiracy angle is reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code book and unless you are a science fan, you might want to wait for the movie version. All in all a good story, but would have benefited from tighter editing. 03/07 Jack Quick

Atonement by Ian McEwan:  This incredible novel started off slowly for me but soon became totally engrossing.  Written in three parts, it encompasses love and war and betrayal and...atonement.  Or does it?  I didn't like the main character, Briony, a precocious little brat, so I had difficulty staying inside her head at the beginning.  But the way the author portrayed her, from the silliness and selfishness of that little girl, to her spiteful cruelty that changed the lives of so many, resonated throughout the novel. Once I got past the beginning, the searing heat between lovers Cecilia and Robbie made the book started clicking for me and I read the rest straight through.  I found it totally engrossing, from the insanity of the family dinner to the insightful descriptiveness of war to the sterility of the hospital where Cecilia worked (not to mention the sterility of the nurses!) to the ultimate conclusion, the atonement.  Simply put, it was beautifully written.  Shortlisted for the Booker. Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

AT RISK by Stella Rimington: Ms. Rimington was the first female director general of MI5, having worked in all the main fields of the service including counter-terrorism, counter-espionage and counter-subversion before her retirement with 30 years tenure. In this, her first novel, she presents a taut, believable portrait of life in the service, warts and all. British Intelligence is facing an “invisible” – a terrorist who is an ethnic native of the target country and who can therefore cross its borders and move around the country without attracting attention. Her characters, particularly Intelligence Officer Liz Carlyle, seem genuine and realistic as they pursue the bad guys both within and outside the various branches that have to coordinate their activities. The murder of a fisherman in Norfolk using an armor piercing bullet gets them on the chase fairly quickly but the who, where, when and how of the terrorist strike are more difficult to unravel. Like a kettle coming to boil the tension increases as the plot unfolds, knowing that Liz is not necessarily certain to succeed within the time available. A good “Brit” story, well told, and hopefully the beginning of a long relationship with Ms. Carlyle and company. Recommended. 04/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

AUGUST MOON by Jess Lourey:  Battle Lake, Minnesota is scorching hot and apparently potentially deadly year round in this, the fourth Mira James’ Murder-by-Month mystery (following May Day, June Bug, and Knee-High By The Fourth of July).. What is not hot is Mira’s love life, so she has decided to move down to Minneapolis and become a "cat-collecting, fist-shaking, asexual English professor.”  A murdered high school cheerleader changes her plans and soon she is investigating the Right Reverend pastor Meale who runs the evangelical New Millennium Bible Camp.  When the camp's Creation Science Fair only turns up as a disturbing "Stepford Wives meets Hee Haw" atmosphere, Mira begins to have second thoughts.  Peppered with sparkling dialogue like, “Can you drive?”  “Is the Pope Catholic?”  “I’m pretty sure he is. But can you drive? “Not in the eyes of the law, but that doesn’t stop me from where I’m going.”  All in all, it’s not bad as Mira sticks to her guns and survives to star in the upcoming September Mourn. 08/08 Jack Quick 

AUSTENLAND by Shannon Hale: Jane Hayes has relationship trouble.  She’s obsessed with Jane Austen’s Mr. Darcy - specifically Colin Firth’s version – and no other man can compare.  Her great aunt is well aware of this obsession and warns Jane that she needs to embrace life and stop this fantasy.  Jane does not listen.  A few months later, Jane gets a call regarding her inheritance.  It seems the great aunt that she barely knew has bequeathed her a vacation.  The trip is an all expense paid, all inclusive, three-week stay at Austenland, a top secret Jane Austen resort.  Vacationers “Experience” life as it was in 1816 – a Jane Austen life that is.  No cell phones, no jeans, no cars, no exceptions.  Ladies must adhere to the social norms of the time and dress appropriately.  Jane, ready to give up on men altogether, decides to go out with a bang and immerse herself in “the Experience.”  She hopes that this will finally allow her to get over Mr. Darcy.  Or will it?  Who could ask for a more sweet and enticing read?  This oh-so-predictable happy ending is just what a girl needs sometimes and I absolutely adored it. 05/07 Becky Lejeune 

AVALANCHE by Zane Grey:  Occasionally a break is needed, and for Western fiction there is no better than Zane Grey.  This is a classic tale of two men who grew up closer than brothers, absolutely inseparable in the wild western country until both fall in love with the same fickle woman.  It takes the raging fury of nature itself to mend the hate that had broken their friendship. 04/06 Jack Quick 

AVALANCHE by Patrick F. McManus: If you enjoyed the first Sheriff Bo Tully mystery, The Blight Way, you might be disappointed in the second one in the series. The Blight Way introduced Sheriff Tully and his eccentric father, Pap, the retired sheriff of Blight County, Idaho, as well as a cast of oddballs. It was humorous, with a light touch. In comparison, the characters seem cardboard and dry in this latest book. When the owner of a ski lodge goes missing in January, Bo gathers up his father and a tracker and heads up to investigate. Bo and Pap are trapped by an avalanche, just managing to rescue a young couple. They find themselves trapped on one side of the avalanche, investigating a missing man, while, on the other side, in town, Bo’s deputies investigate the murder of the man’s business partner. If you’re looking for a light, entertaining mystery with fun characters, check out the first one, The Blight Way. 03/07 Lesa Holstine

AWAKEN ME DARKLY by Gena Showalter: Mia Snow works for the Chicago Police Dept. as an Alien Investigation & Removal Agent. She hunts unwanted visitors to earth as a legalized killer of criminals. When dark-haired, dark-eyed men start disappearing, she and her team track a group of Arcadians, light-haired aliens who might be involved. Two of them are found at a local sex club where Mia and her team have to use violence even to talk to one. When one of her team is critically injured, Mia desperately needs the help of Kyrin en Arr, an Arcadian that strongly attracts her. Romantic suspense for those who like violence and graphic sex. 10/05 ~This review contributed by Lesa Holstine.

THE AWAKENED MAGE by Karen Miller: The stunning conclusion to Karen Miller’s Kingmaker Kingbreaker series is here. It picks up exactly where The Innocent Mage left off. The discovery of an ancient library led Durm, the master magician of the Kingdom of Lur, to make a grave mistake. His own curiosity opened a door that allowed the monster Morg – a magician turned evil through his own thirst for power – to enter the protected sanctum of Lur. Now, King Borne, his wife, and his daughter all lay dead as a result of Morg’s spell. As the only living member of the royal family, Prince Gar has been named king. Gar, the only Doranen ever to be born without the gift of magic, has also fallen prey to Morg’s scheming. Morg gifted the prince with a finite taste of magical abilities – the only thing that has allowed him to take the throne. Now that magic has left him and he fears the entire kingdom may fall into anarchy. Gar’s only salvation is his friend Asher. Neither knows that Asher will bring the coming of a new age. They will all soon discover that this Olken is the only one who can protect the kingdom from an ancient evil long thought dead. Miller’s series is absolutely entrancing. 10/07 Becky Lejeune

Azarel by Karoly Pap:  Very intense, very emotional novel about a boy's crisis of faith.  Set in rural Hungary at the turn of the twentieth century and never before translated into English,  Azarel chronicles the life of young Gyuri, a rebellious nine-year-old boy whose father is a rabbi and whose grandfather Jeremiah is an Orthodox fanatic.  Jeremiah thinks his son and his followers are going to "melt the Jewish people in the furnaces of exile" - prophetic and haunting language for a book first published in 1937.  Pap died in Bergen-Belsen. Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

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