THE FACE OF EVIL by John McPartland: first published in 1954, this pulp tale is now available as a free download e-book from www.blackmask.com. From the opening fight in a Newport Beach, California saloon to the final moments, it is exactly what you would expect from a good pulp read. Bill Oxford was a war correspondent in the Big War, then a LA Times journalist. Now he is a fixer – for those in and around Hollywood – of problems that others might not want to touch. After all the stench of those problems has begun to settle on Oxford and he is no longer as welcome as he was once was where the beautiful people play. Now he is just hired help. But still lethal.  11/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

FACE TIME by Hank Phillippi Ryan: Charlotte “Charlie” McNally returns in the sequel to Prime Time, another fast-paced mystery set in the world of investigative reporting. Eight months after her previous adventures, Charlie is still working for Channel 3 in Boston, once again facing a ratings sweep and a deadline for a dynamite story. She’s also coping with her mother, who is hospitalized following plastic surgery, while trying to get to know her boyfriend’s eight-year-old daughter, Penny. She’s a typical working woman in her forties, trying to juggle life. When the Constitutional Justice Project approaches Charlie, they want her to investigate a wrongful conviction. The biggest hurdle is that Dorinda Keeler Sweeney confessed to her husband’s murder, although there’s evidence she might not have actually done it. Dorinda refuses to cooperate, and the state attorney general’s office is throwing up roadblocks. Charlie can look at her own life, Dorinda, and the ambitious people in the attorney general’s office with the same question. “When it comes to ambition, politics, and love, how far would you go to get what you want?” It’s another successful story for Ryan, and her character, Charlie McNally. 10/07 Lesa Holstine

FADE TO BLONDE by Max Phillips: The second offering from Hard Case Crime (September 2004) shows they can still write ‘em like they used to. Ex-boxer/failed screenwriter Ray Corson is as tough talking as any classic gumshoe. Blonde bombshell Rebecca LaFontaine is a classic damsel in distress ("I’m really a good girl who was made to do bad things.") She hires Corson to protect her from murderous rejected suitor Lance Halliday, a Hollywood porn producer. Corson's investigation of Tinsel Town's tarnished underside uncovers drug dealing, gangland activity and evidence that LaFontaine just may not be exactly who she says she is. Classic pulp at its finest, typed out two fingered on a battered Remington with sheets of carbon paper separating the pages. Don’t need no stinkin’ word processor. 08/06 Jack Quick

THE FAITHFUL SPY by Alex Berenson: CIA agent John Wells, the first Western intelligence officer to penetrate the upper levels of al-Qaeda, is assigned a mission on American soil by bin Laden's chief deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Wells, now a devout Muslim (for real), finds his years spent in deep cover have left him conflicted. Has he been turned? The scrutiny intensifies when two bombs go off in L.A., killing 300. Although a bit clunky, the mounting suspense, a believable scenario and a final twist add up to a compelling tale of frightening possibilities. It's not for the squeamish, though: the torture sequences and bombing descriptions are graphic and chillingly real. 08/06 Jack Quick

FAITHLESS by Karin Slaughter (Bantam Dell 8/1) – The publicity blurb says Faithless will be (Slaughter’s) breakthrough hardcover bestseller.  It’s the same cast as Slaughter’s previous Grant County, Georgia novels with Coroner Sara Linton, ex-husband Sheriff Jeffrey Tolliver, and Detective Lena Adams.  Sara and Frank find the body of a young woman who had been buried alive in a wooden box with a breathing tube, but then poisoned with cyanide.  The autopsy reveals she is pregnant and, it turns outs she is part of the Church of Greater Good, associated with a soybean cooperative that uses Atlanta homeless people as workers. Each character is involved with no single focus, which makes for very interesting reading. With sentences like this one -“(Lena) wasn’t used to being around religious people unless they were down at the police station.” - I agree with the publicity blurb.  This is the best one yet. 07/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

FALL OF A COSMONAUT by Stuart Kaminsky:  It’s the thirteenth outing for Moscow’s version of Ed McBain’s Steve Carella.  The three cases that occupy Rostnikov this time provide a sad picture of a country thrashing about in search of an identity.  He and his son Iosef, now a fellow policeman are searching for a missing cosmonaut who happened to mention Rostnikov’s name on a tape recorded before the cosmonaut came down from the Mir space station and then disappeared.  Iosef's lover, Elena Timofeyeva, and her partner, Sasha, are involved with a nasty and pompous film producer, whose life is in danger and Emil Karpo heads the investigation into the murder of an unpopular scientist at the Center for the Study of Technical Parapsychology.  As usual a satisfying conclusion is reached for all three, and our heroes all appear ready for further adventures. 03/08 Jack Quick 

The Fall of Light by Niall Williams:  Romantic historical Irish family saga, a little slow but worthwhile.

THE FALL OF TROY by Peter Ackroyd: In 1868, Heinrich Schliemann took over the excavation site at Hisarlik, in Turkey. The site was believed to have been the ancient city of Troy. Schliemann, his expedition, and his eccentric nature all play out in Ackroyd’s latest novel. Upon receiving his proposal, and generous dowry, Sophia Chrysanthis’s parents gladly give their daughter’s hand in marriage to German archaeologist Heinrich Obermann. It is to be a prosperous marriage, one that will secure Sophia a comfortable place in society. Soon after the wedding, Obermann carts his new bride off to Turkey where he has been laboring diligently, or more appropriately, obsessively, to uncover the once famous city of Troy. Sophia leaves her home with some trepidation but soon comes to love the excitement of discovering the remains of this lost civilization. Before long, Sophia comes to realize that any evidence that would contradict her husband’s theories – those supported by the writings of Homer – soon disappears or is coincidentally destroyed. She also discovers that her new husband has neglected to reveal certain important facts in regards to his past. Obermann’s mania reaches a dangerous peak and Sophia is forced to decide just where her loyalties lie. This slim novel is interesting if a bit anticlimactic. The real Obermann (Schleimann) and his exploits are a fascinating bit of archaeological history that makes the story much more appealing. Unfortunately, the fact that this story is partially true is only briefly mentioned on the flap of the dust-jacket, and Schleimann’s name is not mentioned at all. 11/07 Becky Lejeune

THE FALLEN by T. Jefferson Parker: Homicide Detective Robbie Greenlaw has a gift from an unfortunate accident - he was thrown out a sixth floor window.  He survived, but suffers from a rare neurological disorder called synesthesia, which causes him to visualize different colored shapes coming out of a speaker's mouth, coordinating with the emotions of the speaker; lies are red, jealousy is green and so forth.  He doesn't tell anyone but his wife about it, fearing reprisal, but it turns out to be a somewhat useful tool for a detective to have a sort of built-in lie detector.  Greenlaw is assigned to case involving a former cop who is murdered.  Things get really complicated when he uncovers a prostitution ring with political and police connections and the story just flies.  Parker has achieved the Holy Trinity of starred reviews - Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Kirkus, and those stars are well deserved.  This is an extraordinary story, told by an extraordinary writer.  Don't miss it.  03/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

FALLS THE SHADOW by William Lashner: Defense attorney Victor Carl in his fifth outing as a “Philadelphia Lawyer”, which you soon learn is somewhat different from being an attorney elsewhere. Like voting in Chicago, Philadelphia lawyers are involved early and often in various political matters. In this one, Carl takes on the task of getting a retrial for a convicted murderer. His efforts uncover some strange connections, with the usual Philadelphia political overtones. Along the way he befriends a young client assigned by Child Services and unveils a different side of Carl. Without spoiling the plot, I will say for Lashner fans that Carl does survive the various attempts on his life, so he should be back for another case. Recommended. 05/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

FALSE FACES by Seth Margolis: Ostensibly, Linda Levinson had no enemies but she is murdered one balmy summer night in yuppie Seaside Harbor, N.Y. When Police Office Joe DiGregorio begins to dig into the case he learns that Linda is quite a character. To her roommate, Linda was a good though moody friend. To her latest one-night stand, Linda was a castrating bitch. To her boss, the dead woman was "quiet...sweet...didn't go out much." Digging further, Joe finds that Linda was running a stock market scam and her partner becomes the chief suspect in her slaying – but then he becomes a homicide statistic. Even Joe almost falls victim to the killer. When its all over, you may be left with a less than satisfactory taste in your mouth because of the shallowness and crass materialism of some of the characters, but still a darn good read. 10/06 Jack Quick

FALSE PROFITS by Patricia Smiley: L.A. management consultant Tucker Sinclair has been accused of helping a client obtain $11 million using a fraudulent business plan. When Sinclair begins to defend herself she finds the original files missing out of her office. So she goes to the office of the client neurologist, Milton Polk, and discovers not her elusive doctor but a policeman with a Polaroid of the dead Polk. From this point on, its up to Sinclair to save her reputation and livelihood by finding out who and why, and staying alive during the process. Sinclair is smarter than Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum but no match for Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Milhone in this, her first outing. It will be interesting to see how she develops in subsequent adventures. For now, not too tart, not too sweet, and an okay read. 11/06 Jack Quick

A False Sense of Well Being by Jeanne Braselton:  I loved this book about a woman having a mid-life crisis which manifests itself in fantasies of her husband dying in various ways.  Black comedy for sure, but so much more!  The characters are well defined and sympathetic, even in their neuroses.  This is a book that begs discussion.  And single-handedly, Ms. Braselton has opened my mind once again to Southern fiction.  A reading group guide, interview and preview chapter from Braselton's next book are available in the Ballantine Reader's Circle edition or online.   Click here for more info.

FALSE TESTIMONY by Rose Connors: Marty Nickerson & Harry Madigan are law partners and life partners.  In this fourth outing of the pair, they each have a client whose story doesn't hold water.  Nickerson is defending the Massachusetts senator whose aide has mysteriously disappeared, and Madigan is defending a very young parolee accused of murdering a priest - which he admits to doing, but claims it was in self defense against attempted sexual assault.  Connors brings home the stark winter of Cape Cod in this bisecting tale of truth or consequences amid great courtroom scenes with great style and great writing. 07/05

FALSE WITNESS by Randy Singer:  Bounty hunter Clarke Shealy gets an ominous phone call—a Chinese mafioso has taken Shealy's wife hostage, and if Shealy wants to see her again, he must track down a missing Chinese mathematician, who has discovered an extremely valuable algorithm that could change Internet technology forever.  That’s part one.  In part two, three students at a prestigious law school in Atlanta become involved with a couple in the witness protection program.  The students, an African-American ex-jock, a feisty liberated woman, and an endearing math nerd, are saved from being caricatures through the excellence of the writing.  At the end, all the loose ends are pulled together so nicely, one would hope to see a sequel to follow the story even further. 01/08 Jack Quick

FANGLAND by John Marks: As an associate producer for the television news program, The Hour it Is, Evangeline Harker's job to feel out a potential story and decide if it will make the cut and become an actual piece. Newly engaged, she grudgingly agrees to go to Romania to meet with someone who may have information regarding regional crime lord, Ion Torgu. Torgu has become a mythical figure whose existence is questionable. When Evangeline is late for her interview, she believes the whole story is blown. She's surprised though when Torgu himself shows up. From the set meeting place, he takes her to a remote hotel in the mountains where she discovers his grisly secret. Months pass with no word from Evangeline. Hours of almost blank footage arrive from Romania. Editors begin to suffer from a strange sort of viral depression and everyone at The Hour has reported hearing strange whispering throughout the halls. This modern adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula is cleverly modified for a post 9-11, media driven world. Marks twists the literary classic to make it his own.  02/07 Becky Lejeune

FAST LANE by Dave Zeltserman: As cold and unforgiving as an alleyway off East Colfax Avenue in January, Johnny Lane is Denver’s premier private eye. He stays that way by solving the difficult cases and then writing about them in a monthly column “Fast Lane” in the Denver Examiner. Not one to mince words in print or in public he responds as follows to a red head who questions his sad expression in a local watering hole. “I just found out that I won’t qualify for this year’s Miss America contest. I guess you must have been told the same thing years ago.” The redhead, Marge, becomes another chapter or chapters in the legend of Johnny Lane. As Zeltserman says in the forward, “Hope you like your crime fiction dark and disturbing.” Whatever happened to Mickey Spillane? Now we know. He changed his name and moved west. 08/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

Family Orchard by Nomi Eve: This is a fictionalized account of the author's family history that goes from her father's journal to what I believe to be her version of how events happened.  I found the two different voices distracting and unnecessary.  There was a snippet about each character but not enough depth about anyone until the end. The first six pages were the best. 

FAMILY SECRETS by Judith Henry Wall: Wall took a typical women’s novel, and threw a twist into it by adding a suspenseful element for the last quarter of the book, and it just didn’t work. Vanessa, Ellie and Georgianna Wentworth are women still grieving over their father’s death a year later, so it stuns them when their mother announces she’s moving to France. When she hands them a letter addressed to the aunt who raised their father, they realize they have one last chance to do something for him. They can find his birthmother and tell her what a wonderful son she gave away. Their trip to Montana could be ruined by the powerful, ambitious woman who doesn’t want her past discovered. Up until this point in the book, Wall’s premise is perfectly sound, but the outlandish twist provided by the story the Wentworth’s grandmother tells, and the resulting actions are beyond belief. Wall just went a little too far in the wrong direction in an attempt to keep Family Secrets. 07/07 Lesa Holstine

A Farewell to Legs by Jeffrey Cohen:  This is the second entry into the terrific Aaron Tucker/Hemingway series (Tucker is the protagonist, Hemingway supplies the titles.)  This time around Aaron goes to his high school reunion, and so does the girl everyone had the hots for, Stephanie Jacobs.  But while they are catching up, someone kills Stephanie's husband back in Washington D. C.  Louis "Crazy Legs" Gibson was a womanizing political right winger with lots of enemies and his wife is the number one suspect, but she has an ironclad alibi.  Using her political connections, she arranges for a magazine to hire Aaron to write a piece about the murder and hopefully solve the crime, and the fun and games begin.  It's the wonderfully written characters that really makes these books shine, but there are also lots of nice twists and a real surprise ending in this humorous whodunit.  12/03 Bookbitch

A FAREWELL TO LEGS by Jeffery Cohen: Called a combination James Bond and Bart Simpson, Aaron Tucker-is looking for the killer of a conservative politician who was once a classmate of Tucker’s, while also handling family matters and pursuing his ambition of becoming a successful screen writer.  Other words that come to mind are quirky, adorable, and downright funny.  Maybe he’s more of a Woody Allen, the master anti-sleuth. 12/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

Fat Ollie's Book by Ed McBain:  Long before Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue, Ed McBain was turning out what are almost universally conceded to be the best police procedurals of our time.  His close-knit team of characters in the 87th precinct know their jobs and they perform them well.
       But what characters!  From Meyer Meyer to Burt Kling to the protagonist Steve Carella himself, each is richly developed over the series and absorbing in his own right.
       In Fat Ollie's Book, McBain has elevated a peripheral comic character from earlier books to center stage and done so in a way that humanizes him without losing his humorous aspects.
       Detective First Class Oliver Wendell Weeks, aka Fat Ollie, is an officer from the adjoining 88th Precinct who in a previous book saved Carella's life twice.  Once by shooting a lion.  In this volume, Detective Weeks has written a book which he has entitled Report to the Commissioner.  Unfortunately, his manuscript is stolen from his police car while he is at the scene of the murder of a local politician.  Both investigations proceed simultaneously and manage to entwine.
       This story is yet further evidence of McBain's complete mastery of this field.  It is interesting, convincing and funny.  If you haven't read McBain, this would not be a bad place to start.  This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

A FATAL GRACE by Louise Penny: Penny won Dagger and Arthur Ellis awards for her first mystery, Still Life. Her second, A Fatal Grace, brings Inspector Armand Gamache back to the small Quebec town of Three Pines to investigate the murder of a dislikable woman. CC de Poitiers was electrocuted in the middle of a frozen lake, surrounded by townspeople watching a curling match. She left a husband and daughter behind, but no one, not even her photographer lover, seemed to mourn the loss of the woman who was universally cruel to people. Gamache knows that the story behind a murder usually started years ago, so he sets out on the trail of that story. Who was CC de Poitiers, and who hated her enough to kill her? Penny has written a thoughtful, beautiful traditional mystery. The setting is gorgeous. Once again, she has written a satisfying story, for any students of human nature. A Fatal Grace will be on my list for best books, not just mysteries, of 2007. 05/07 Lesa Holstine

FATAL LAWS by Jim Hansen:  Third in the Laws series (NIGHT LAWS and SHADOW LAWS), and hopefully there will be a lot more to come.  Beautiful women surround Denver homicide detective Bryson Coventry.  Unfortunately, some of them are dead.  Why are women disappearing and where are they between the time they disappear and when their bodies are found?  Since one of the victims is an attorney, lawyers are involved as well.  Another well written combination police procedural and “attorney book” that keeps ratcheting up the ante.  Definitely recommended.  06/07 Jack Quick

FATAL LEGACY by Elizabeth Corley:  By all accounts, Arthur Wainwright is not a likable fellow.  But did he deserve to be killed in a manner that suggested suicide?  Then comes the classic English “reading of the will.”  Not only was the Wainwright estate far larger than thought, the bulk of the estate, to the dismay of his other kin, was bequeathed to his nephew Alex, and Alex’s wife Sally.  So was the murder Alex’s doing or that one of the disgruntled heirs?  Sally starts to look into the matter when the financial controller for the Wainwright firm is brutally murdered.  Enter Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Fenwick and what starts out kind of cozy becomes a first rate police procedural.  If you enjoy Stephen Booth, Ian Rankin, Peter Robinson et.al, then add Ms. Corley to your reading list.  I have.  03/08 Jack Quick 

THE FAULT TREE by Louise Ure: Ure returns to Arizona with her second mystery, following the Shamus award-winning book, Forcing Amaryllis. This time, a blind auto mechanic, Cadence Moran, is the only witness to a murder, hearing the end of it as she walked home from work one night. She’s reluctant to get involved, because she still blames herself for the auto accident that killed her niece and blinded her eight years earlier. However, Detective Dupree thinks she might help identify the killers, with the few clues she has. Suddenly, Cadence is targeted by a killer, who doesn’t realize she’s blind, and doesn’t want to leave a witness. This powerful mystery is told from three viewpoints, that of Cadence, one of the killers, and the investigating officers. Each of these voices makes mistakes, and fumbles towards a riveting conclusion, that leaves the reader breathless. Ure has once again created a unique character, and a powerful, suspenseful mystery. 01/08 Lesa Holstine

THE FAULT TREE by Louise Ure:  While walking home from work one evening, Cadence Moran is witness to a horrible murder. Cadence has no idea what has occurred, though, because Cadence is blind. Wanda Prentice, creator of Wanda’s Story Hour, a show loved by a generation of young baby boomers, is murdered in her home when she interrupts two robbers. The two escape after killing Wanda and attempting to run down Cadence, the only witness to the event. Of course the killers have no idea that Cadence is blind and they will stop at nothing in an attempt to tie up this one loose end. Cadence is far from helpless, however. She has spent her time honing her skills as an auto mechanic. Her sightless world is full of sounds and smells that go unnoticed by many. She may not be the ideal witness for the police on the case, but her tenacity and plain stubbornness make her one witness these killers will wish they never messed with. My first introduction to Louise Ure’s writing was through her guest blog on Muderati.com. I look forward to reading her entries and was very excited to read her new release. She did not let me down. Cadence Moran is certainly one of the most original characters in modern mystery and Ure’s ability to “show” readers Cadence’s world through scent and sound is magnificent. This fantastic mystery is not to be missed. 01/08 Becky Lejeune

FEAR THE NIGHT by John Lutz: Although not one of Lutz' best, Fear The Night is still quite good. It's a cat-and-mouse game between retired NYPD Detective Vincent Repetto and the "Night Sniper", who only strikes after sunset. While the main characters are almost stereotypical, it is in the portrayal of the various victims that Lutz shines. Each victim from whatever situation is brought to life and becomes an individual that we feel we really know, when the Sniper takes them out. Maybe this is what Lutz intended, to show the true horror of such crime by making the victims real, even if the villain isn't quite in focus. Recommended. 08/06 Jack Quick

FEARLESS by Tim Lott:  Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this book is that it is marketed as being Lott’s first for younger readers.  Little Fearless is one of the inmates in City Community Faith School in a future world that is safe from terrorists, where the streets are clean, and girls labeled "juvies" or "mindcrips" have been hidden away.  Birth names have been replaced by a letter and number, and all work long hours with no prospect of future change.  Her faith and conviction spur Fearless to pursue a bold and unthinkable plan of escape that will either assure her freedom or her demise.  Think George Orwell’s 1984 for children.  I found it unremittingly bleak and not a book I would recommend for my grandchildren at all. 01/08 Jack Quick

FEET OF CLAY by Ruth Birmingham:  Atlanta private investigator Sunny Childs is helping her younger sister, Lee-Lee, make a documentary about a death row prisoner.  Convicted of the brutal sex murders of two local women, Dale Weedlaw is scheduled to be executed in a few days.  When Lee-Lee arrives in Pettigrew, the small Georgia town where the killings took place, looking for an interview she's arrested on false charges and thrown into jail.  With Sunny’s help it becomes clear that there are likelier suspects for the murders still at large.  Steel magnolia Sunny has to kick some butt before they get to the bottom of this one.  May I have another one of those mint juleps, please. 07/06 Jack Quick

Feint of Art by Hailey Lind: Enter the madcap world of art collecting and art forgery in the debut mystery by two sisters writing under the pseudonym of Hailey Lind. Annie Kincaid meant to go straight after being arrested at the age of 17 as a forger. She opened a studio called True/Faux specializing in faux finishes. Suddenly “Two fakes, two forgers, and one murder were adding up to one big boatload of trouble.” When Annie evaluates a painting at San Francisco’s Brock Museum, and identifies it as a fake, everything explodes. A security guard is murdered, a curator disappears, and Annie finds herself neglecting her business and her new landlord as she runs around town looking for drawings, a forger, and a murderer. This screwball mystery has an explosive ending that might remind movie buffs of “What’s Up, Doc?” or “Foul Play.” Feint of Art is a fun caper novel for art lovers. 01/06 Lesa Holstine

The Fencing Master by Arturo Perez-Reverte: Intriguing mystery set in the late 1800's in Spain against a backdrop of political upheaval and romance.  A fascinating look at fencing as well.

FIDDLERS by Ed McBain: You almost think that Ed McBain knew he was at the end of the 87th Precinct when he wrote this, the 55th and last one before his death. A killer is shooting his victims in the face at close range with the same 9mm Glock. Since the 87th caught the first one, they are also assigned the following ones. While the whole cast of the 87th is stretched thin trying to track down clues in geographically disparate killings McBain gets everyone involved in the chase – Fat Ollie, Steve Carella, Bert Kling, Meyer Meyer. Maybe not his strongest, but certainly a fitting finale. 12/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

FIELD OF BLOOD by Denise Mina: Memo to self. After 40 years in the media business, do not pick up any books featuring perky young reporters or kooky DJ’s solving world-class crimes while effortlessly going about their daily routines. The exception is Denise Mina whose Paddy Meehan, an aspiring journalist in Glasgow, Scotland, is really a natural detective but doesn’t realize it. Her first “case” involves clearing the name of an eleven- year old boy already “convicted” in the press for the murder of a three-year old child. Her family has “shunned” her because they think she is responsible for the news story that caused everyone to believe him guilty. Mix in the story of her namesake, a safecracker who may or may not have betrayed the British to the communists years earlier and its a double handful. Well written and recommended. Grab a half-pint and packet of crisps and settle in for a great read. (Release date 7/11/05). 06/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

FIELD OF DARKNESS by Cornelia Read: Madeline Dare can trace her roots back to the founding of America, but lives with her husband Dean in Syracuse, New York and works as a journalist on the small town newspaper.  She hears about a twenty-year old double murder dubbed the "Rose Girls" because their bodies were left with a crown of roses, one white, one red, in a bizarre tableau.  Dare's interest is piqued when she finds out her cousin, Lapthorne "Lappy" Townsend, may be a suspect - his dog tags were found at the site.  She decides to investigate and prove his innocence but twenty years later, her investigation is prompting more murders. Read  weaves a tale that is both complex and sinister, and certainly deserving of all the accolades this book has won.  07/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

A Field of Darkness by Cornelia Read: Read’s debut mystery is a dark story for those who like strong characterization. Madeline Dare is a reporter in Syracuse in 1988, a very unhappy reporter. Although Madeline isn’t wealthy, her family background includes wealth and breeding. Syracuse is lower class and dirty in Madeline’s opinion. Her opinion doesn’t change when she learns about the nineteen year old murder of two girls, but she’s shaken when she finds her favorite cousin’s dog tags were discovered at the murder scene. With her beloved husband working in Canada, and a family she can’t count on, Madeline is dependant on a network of friends to help her interpret the meager clues she uncovers in her attempt to prove her cousin innocent. Read makes a strong entry into the mystery field with Madeline, a lost character searching for answers and family. 05/06 Lesa Holstine

FIELD OF FIRE by James O. Born: Can you judge a book by its cover?  Not always, but in this case you can.  The cover is a large police shield and is very reminiscent of Joseph Wambaugh, and so is this book, a police procedural and a dark departure from the terrific Bill Tasker series (Walking Money; Shock Wave; Escape Clause).  Our hero is Alex Duarte, an ATF agent (Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) in south Florida.  Alex is Paraguayan (yet doesn't speak Spanish) and lives in an apartment that he shares with his lawyer/brother that's above his parents' garage.  He doesn't trust food that his ma hasn't cooked, and his hero is his father, a hard working, honorable man who expects the same from his boys.  When a car bombing kills a young boy, Alex is assigned the case because of his experience as a bomb expert in the military in Bosnia.  There is suspicion that the bombing may be linked to possible labor issues that have resulted in bombings in Seattle and California, and Department of Justice attorney Caren Larson is assigned to work with Duarte.  The intended victim of the bombing is Alberto Salez, a bad guy who thwarted the ever vigilant Duarte.  Lots of action and a high body count move the story along, but it is the enigmatic Duarte that offers the most intrigue.  Originally conceived as a stand-alone, I'm happy to say that a sequel is now in the works.  It's not a requirement that only cops write police procedurals, but as Born proves yet again, it sure does help. 02/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon: I loved this historical romance/fantasy series that starts out in England in the 1940's then transports us back a couple of hundred years and miles.  The chief complaint I read in the reviews of this long awaited fifth installment was that there was no time travel involved.  It didn't bother me a bit.  There were amusing references enough to be in keeping with the basic storyline.  FIERY CROSS reminded me most of OUTLANDER, the first book in the series, mostly due to the amount of violence and war involved.  It is a fascinating look at what life was like in America's infancy.  Each book in this series is excellent!  Read them in order: Outlander; Dragonfly in Amber; Voyager; Drums of Autumn; The Fiery Cross. 

THE FIFTH VIAL by Michael Palmer: The lives of three individuals converge in this pulse pounding, morally driven tale of medical suspense. Natalie Reyes trained as an Olympic hopeful until a devastating injury ended her running career. Now a med-student in her mid-thirties, she has been dealt a second potentially career ending blow when she is kicked out of her residency program and placed on academic probation for insubordination. When one of her mentors sends her to Brazil to attend a medical conference on his behalf, she is kidnapped and shot, left to die in an alley. She survives the ordeal but loses a lung in the process. Meanwhile, private detective Ben Callahan has been hired by Organ Guard International – an agency established to investigate potentially illegal activities in the organ trade. The body of a young, unidentified man was been discovered in Florida with marks that appear to be the result of a bone marrow donation. Similar markings had been previously discovered on woman in the northeast who claimed that a couple in a mobile home kidnapped her and held her prisoner. Callahan’s investigation leads to a shocking discovery. The third character, Dr. Joe Anson, has been working in Camaroon to develop a life saving drug he calls Sarah-9. Anson suffers from a life threatening debilitation that could prevent him from seeing his work through to completion. Palmer’s thrillers have always been tension driven, quick reads and The Fifth Vial is no exception. I did find, however, that the end left something to be desired since everything was wrapped up just a little too neatly and abruptly. 02/07 Becky Lejeune

Fifty Cents for Your Soul by Denise Dietz, published by Delphi Books: If you like hot sex with demons, Fifty Cents for Your Soul is your book!  If, however, you are interested in dialog, plot development, and some of the other characteristics that make a novel hang together maybe this isn't your book?  Thrill seekers will love the action and the fast pace of a horror flick filming plagued with suspicious problems.  The characters can be stereotypes but, they are the kind of stereotypes that really move the action along!  There is lots of suspense, and when our heroine reveals the mastermind murderer it is indeed a surprise.  The body count is high. The comedy is black.  The sex is varied.  PS:  Interesting note - - the author's sister played some of the demonic scenes in The Exorcist.  Many mysterious events plagued the filming of that movie. ~This review contributed by Ann Nappa

FIFTY-SEVEN HEAVEN by Lonnie Cruse: Will Ann Lloyd was a poisonous person, and everyone had been on the receiving end of her criticism, especially her family. That doesn’t mean they would have strangled her and stuffed her into the truck of Jack Bloodworth’s restored ’57 Chevy. Jack’s wife, Kitty, just knows it couldn’t have been a family member. At least she knows it, until she’s run off the road, spends the night, injured, in her car, and loses the last two weeks of memories. Now, Kitty has to start all over again, since she knows the Paducah, KY police have the wrong suspect. Cruse’s new mystery marks an enjoyable debut of a traditional series featuring Kitty and Jack Bloodworth, retirees trying to enjoy their golden years with their children, grandchildren, and their classic car. If someone lets them live long enough to enjoy them. 12/07 Lesa Holstine

A FINAL JUDGMENT by Michael A. Black: Private detective Ron Shade returns in the third book in this mystery series set in Chicago. Many other protagonists might be ex-cops turned private detective, but I don’t think any others are competing to become the International World Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion. Shade reluctantly takes on two cases for friends, while also trying to workout in preparation for a match in Las Vegas. He’s a little uneasy about both cases, one involving a wrongful death, and the other involving two young people. Shade knows there’s more to the wrongful death case. The previous detective committed suicide so Ron’s scrambling to pick up the pieces since the opposing counsel is pushing for a speedy resolution. He also thinks the girl involved in the other case is more involved with the young man than her father realizes. However, the parents are always impeding his progress. Even preparation for his kickboxing match leaves him uneasy. He’s lost two previous title matches, and he’s leery about the third one. A Final Judgment gives Shade one more chance, in more ways than one. It’s a compelling story, even if you never thought you’d enjoy kickboxing. Black moves the story along quickly as Shade works to unravel two mysteries.  11/06 Lesa Holstine

FINAL SECONDS by John Lutz: The eighteen year career of NYPD Bomb Squad member Will Harper ends with a bang – that costs him part of his right hand. Former FBI profiler Harold Addleman lost his FBI job in a bottle. While Harper is in Florida visiting his former partner, Jimmy Fahey, who works for a Tom Clancy^-like writer, a letter bomb arrives and the resulting explosion kills the writer and Fahey. Addleman thinks this is the first of a series of celebrity bombings and he and Harper are the only hope to stop the imminent death of one of the world’s most famous women. Well-written with tension ratcheting page by page as Harper and Addleman battle both uncooperative officials as well as the bomber, who seems to always be one step ahead of them. 08/06 Jack Quick

Final Verdict by Sheldon Siegel: This newest installment in the Mike Daley & Rosie Fernandez series is terrific and has to have one of the best opening chapters (“Assault with a Deadly Chicken”) of any legal thriller in recent memory.  A first chapter sets the mood of the book to come, giving the reader the impetus to keep reading, and this book will not disappoint.  It clips along briskly with Siegel's good natured humor shining through the murder and mayhem: while questioning a potential (and not very helpful) witness, we hear Mike thinking, "If he can spew clichés, I can spout bullshit."  Lines like that just make this a most compelling and enjoyable read.  

Former client Leon Walker got Mike & Rosie's fledgling legal firm more press than they ever dreamed of when they got him off a felony murder charge on a technicality - but it also broke up their marriage.  Ten years later he's been accused of murder and begs Mike to take the case.  He's dying and will never make trial, but wants his name cleared.  Rosie is none too happy with the situation, and the cops & District Attorney all have long memories about former defendants who they feel have gotten away with murder.  All the evidence points towards Walker, bringing those wonderful "Perry Mason moments" to the courtroom.  San Franciscans will love the local color and politics too.  Don't miss it.

Final Witness by Simon Tolkien: Legal fiction from the grandson of J. R. R. Tolkien with nary a hobbit in sight.  This Tolkien is a barrister, and his legal background is at the forefront of this debut novel cum dysfunctional family saga.  A young man witnesses his mother's murder, but is convinced that his father's new wife has masterminded the whole thing.  Daddy doesn't agree of course, and the story unfolds as the trial progresses.  The characters all speak for themselves as this book seemed to consist of mostly dialogue, which grew wearying after a couple of hundred pages.  But it's all neatly resolved just in the nick of time, making for a good page turner. 

FINDING FATHER CHRISTMAS by Robin Jones Gunn: On impulse, Miranda Carson went to England, looking for the father she never knew. She’d had a gypsy childhood, with a mother who was an actress, but she only came across her birth certificate when she was nine. After her mother and the woman who took her in both died, Miranda closed up, and found herself unable to trust. Her trip took her to a charming village, Carlton Heath, where she stumbled into a tea shop, and friendships. When she accidentally finds out the truth about her father, she’s leery about revealing it. Will all of her new friendships bet destroyed? This is an enchanting little book, with a very naïve young woman, who is only looking for her background, and finds much more. 12/07 Lesa Holstine

A Fine Dark Line by Joe R. Landsdale:  A Fine Dark Line is a change of pace from Mr. Lansdale's recent beat 'em up, blow 'em up, shoot 'em up adventure mysteries featuring Hap Collins and Leonard Pine.  It is a gentle coming of age story set in 1950's Texas.  It takes place during the summer when young Stanley Mitchell, Jr. not only learns that there is no Santa Claus, but more than he wants to know about sex and racism.  Fortunately, he is guarded and guided by his wise father, loving mother and equally curious older sister.
       At the heart of the story, there is a mystery, an old death and a haunted house.  Tutored in the ways of Sherlock Holmes by the Black Indian projectionist at the family drive-in, young Stanley gets to the bottom of the mystery and discovers the truth about old families and their twisted offspring.  He will have a heckuva paper to write about "how I spent my summer" when he goes back to school. 
       This is a nice change of pace for the jaded reader as well.  ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

A FINE NIGHT FOR DYING by Jack Higgins: This is a 2007 re-issue of a 1969 Higgins sequel to The Bormann Testament. In this tale Special Agent Paul Chavesse is investigating the murder of a gangland boss by going undercover as an Australian criminal attempting to get smuggled into England. In the process he finds an international conspiracy led by some very powerful men. They aren’t about to let Chavasse interfere with their plans. Don’t worry, however, you can sense there are more adventures coming, so Paul will make it. In fact, the book reads almost like “James Bond Light”, complete with “M”, “Moneypenny.”, and a beautiful woman in peril. With Higgins, you know what you’re getting, and I, for one, like it. 05/07 Jack Quick

A FINE RED RAIN by Stuart Kaminsky: This new tale finds Inspector Rostnikov trying to save a young circus aerialist from the killer of her two fellow performers. He himself is working without a net as he is the target of both a jealous supervisor and a serial killer. In addition he is trying to help his colleague Karpo, catch the knifer of eight prostitutes and foils a plot by a Soviet official threatening his young policeman friend, Tkach. It’s a thrill a minute under the Moscow Circus Big Top and another fine outing for Rostinikov. 12/05 Jack Quick

THE FINISHING SCHOOL by Michele Martinez: Manhattan federal prosecutor Melanie Vargas returns in this entertaining sequel to Martinez’s debut novel, Most Wanted.  This time out Melanie’s separation from her cheating husband has made juggling the demands of her job and her one-year-old daughter even more complicated.  Two Park Avenue prep school girls overdose on heroin and a third girl goes missing, prompting a middle-of-the-night page from Melanie’s difficult, politically scheming boss. Melanie’s assignment: get the dealer and get him jailed, pronto.  One of the girls is the daughter of a candidate for U.S. senator and things heat up even more when FBI hunk Dan O’Reilly gets assigned to the case.  But there is more to this story than fast times at Holbrooke High and the twists keep coming.  The romance is hot and the suspense is high in this absorbing, fast paced novel.  Highly recommended. Copyright © 2005 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.  Reprinted with permission. 

FIRE PRAYER by Deborah Turrell Atkinson: Atkinson brings the Hawaiian island of Molokai to life, with all of its beauty, and all of the ugliness due to conflicts over land, in this third mystery in the Storm Kayama series. Storm, an attorney, plans a vacation with her boyfriend, and her aunt and uncle. Ian Hamlin, her boyfriend, just has some business to look into the disappearance of the younger son of a wealthy client. Storm looks up the ex-wife of an old friend, so she’s shocked when the woman is murdered, the young son disappears from the hospital, despite his diabetes, and her friend also disappears. When Storm’s family finds a body, and it turns out to be the son of Hamlin’s client, the two cases seem to intersect. Somewhere in the past is the link. Ten years earlier, a group of men protested a land development, and the protest ended in a fire and a death. Lives and reputations were ruined at the time, and those actions seem to have repercussions in the present day. Storm’s own story is skillfully woven into the story of a small community, and the results of violence and greed. Fire Prayer is the strongest book yet in Atkinson’s series. 08/07 Lesa Holstine

FIRE SALE by Sara Paretsky: V.I. Warshawski gets talked into returning to her old high school to fill in as basketball coach.  She tries to obtain financial support for the team from William “Buffalo Bill” Bysen, the school’s most notable alum and founder of By-Smart, perhaps the only true competitor to Wal-Mart.  One thing leads to another including arson and murder.  Mix in some personal problems, and a headstrong grandson “Billy the Kid” Bysen and you have another strong performance by our favorite south Chicago ethnic female detective. 09/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

FIRECRACKER by Ray Shannon:  Raygene Price, a tight end out of Florida State and the next All-pro signs with the Dallas Cowboys for a chunk of change, much of which he promptly loses in various bad business ventures.  Raygene is equally careless about birth control as he's impregnated several women who have later made financial demands.  One of them also has the Super Bowl betting slip that Raygene ("Gene the Dream") bought in serious violation of league rules and gave to her as a seduction gambit.  Everything comes to a head in Las Vegas on Super Bowl Sunday, and there's loads of action and double-crossing.  Sounds too real to be fiction, doesn’t it? Well done, Mr. Haywood, eh, Shannon. Note: Shannon is a pseudonym for Gar Anthony Haywood. 04/06 Jack Quick 

FIREFLY LANE by Kristin Hannah:  Hannah, the author of On Mystic Lake, has a new novel meant for women who shared a friendship. Firefly Lane will resonate most if you grew up in the seventies or eighties. Her book is filled with the music and hairstyles of those decades. Tully Hart lives with her grandmother, but longs for the mother who deserted her when she was little. Cloud drifts in and out of her life, but, in the most important period, she moves her to Firefly Lane, where Tully befriends another lost teen, Kate Mularkey. Kate always seems to move in Tully’s shadow, even after Tully becomes part of the family. Kate follows Tully to college, and career. It’s only when Kate chooses to marry that she departs from Tully’s plans. Through over thirty years, love and heartbreak, Kate and Tully remain “best friends forever,” until Tully’s ambition drives a wedge between them. It takes tragedy to bring the two friends together in this enjoyable novel. 02/08 Lesa Holstine

FIRES RISING by Michael Laimo: The turn-of-the-century Church of St. Peter has finally been scheduled for demolition. The last holdout of its block will soon be transformed into yet another office complex and apartment building like every other in New York City. Then, demolition crews unearth something evil in the process of tearing down the church; something the church’s forefathers had hoped would stay hidden forever. A war between good an evil is about to be waged in the city and only one man, the sinless one, can stop it. Laimo’s somewhat disappointing read is amusing for an afternoon with nothing else to do. The apocalyptic storyline is interesting but unoriginal. In fact, the gore factor is the only great thing about this book. It was satisfyingly and gratuitously violent for a horror novel. Perhaps more back-story could have saved the whole thing. 03/08 Becky Lejeune 

The First Counsel by Brad Meltzer:  Go backstairs at the White House and find drugs, blackmail, backstabbing and ultimately murder.  This is Meltzer in top form.

THE FIRST CUT by Dianne Emley:  Nan Vining is a 34-year-old single mom and detective on the Pasadena, California police force.  A year ago, she was, for two minutes and twelve seconds, the force’s fifth ever officer killed in the line of duty.  Only this time, they saved her.  Now on her first case back, she is looking for who killed LAPD Vice Cop Frankie Lynde, a young blonde who got  “too close to her work.”  Nan now seems to have the ability to hear the dead.  Is this connected to her own near-death experience or a symptom of post-traumatic stress?  In any event it leads to cracking the Lynde case and provides a clue to her own unknown attacker, whom she and her 14-year-old daughter, Emily, have dubbed T.B. Mann or "The Bad Man."  An enjoyable read in spite of the touch of woo woo. 12/07 Jack Quick

First Degree by David Rosenfelt:  The Edgar Award nominee for his first novel, Open & Shut, has penned another winner.  Andy Carpenter, loveable lawyer (no, that's not an oxymoron,) is back and suffering from a severe case of "lawyer's block."  When you've inherited $22 million dollars, it takes away your incentive to represent any old criminal who walks through the door.  But things change when a cop of questionable ethics is killed.  The same cop, Alex Dorsey, that Andy's lover, PI Laurie Collins, turned in when she was on the police force.   Then a man strolls into Andy's office, confesses, and asks Andy to represent him.  Meanwhile the police have arrested someone else, someone Laurie is sure is innocent.  One suspect after another fizzles out until Laurie becomes the chief suspect.  Circumstantial evidence abounds, and Andy finally has a client he can get behind.  It's personal now and the stakes have never been higher as Andy has to find the real killer and exonerate Laurie.  Somehow the laughs keep coming as tension mounts and the bodies pile up, no easy feat but a sure testament to Rosenfelt's skill.  This fast, funny read will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you wanting more.

FIRST DROP by Zoe Sharp:  Charlie Fox is a no-nonsense, former British Army soldier (and survivor of a gruesome gang rape) who has joined the protection agency run by her ex-lover, Sean Meyer.  Her first assignment is guarding 15-year-old Trey Pelzner, son of Keith Pelzner, a computer whiz working for a small software company specializing in accounting and data manipulation.  After an attempt is made on Trey's life, Charlie discovers that not only has Keith has vanished, but Sean has disappeared as well.  Charlie is on her own to try to save Trey’s life and to find the missing men.  Its non-stop action and Charlie is one kick-ass broad. Can’t wait for the next one.  10/07 Jack Quick 

FIRST KILL by Michael Kronenwetter: A small Wisconsin town is the setting for this first novel and winner of the 2004 PWA/SMP Best Private Eye Novel [interesting note: there was no winner selected for 2005.]  Hank Berlin is a private investigator with a small practice that barely pays the bills.  He's divorced and has shared custody with his high-powered ex, so his son is living with him while his wife is in France on business.  He gets a surprise visit from his high school sweetheart Liz, who dumped him to marry his best friend Jack.  Jack's been murdered and Liz isn't happy with the police investigation, so Hank, who was never able to deny her anything, agrees to look into it.  Interesting characters keep this story believable even when stretched to the max, and there is enough suspense to keep the pages turning until the surprising ending.

From the truth is stranger than fiction file...King County Journal, Bellevue, Washington: A resident called 911 at 4:15 p.m. Oct. 20 to report seeing a handwritten note in a car window at the Safeway on Northwest Gilman Boulevard. The note read, "First Kill Michael Kronenwetter.'' An investigation revealed that "First Kill'' is the name of a novel by author Michael Kronenwetter.  03/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

FIRST PATIENT by Michael Palmer: President Andrew Stoddard is the fabulous fictional "first patient" except his doctor seems to have disappeared.  So he asks his old buddy, Dr. Gabe Singleton, to leave his ranch in Wyoming and come take care of him at the White House, but he neglects to mention that he is having some very mysterious health problems.  But Gabe is on it, and along the way he falls for Nurse Allison, tries to figure out what happened to his predecessor and what is wrong with the President.   Throw in a little high tech medicine and some Secret Service secrets, and you have one terrific thriller.  03/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

A FISTFUL OF CHARMS by Kim Harrison: Book four of the Hollows series picks up in the spring following the events of Every Which Way But Dead.  Jenks is still refusing to return to Vampyric Charms and Rachel is getting desperate until the pixy’s wife turns up one afternoon begging for her help.  It seems that Rachel’s ex-boyfriend Nick is a professional thief and he’s dragged Jenks’s oldest son Jax into the mess.  Rachel and Jenks set off to Mackinaw, Michigan to save Jax, but first they have to make the trip a bit easier for the pixy by making him big.  With his new height Jenks is able to make the trip and provide protection for Rachel as they infiltrate an island full of angry werewolves.  Rachel soon discovers that Nick has stolen a valuable Were artifact that has been hidden for centuries.  If the Were packs were to gain possession of the item, it would cause an all out war between werewolves and vampires.  With multiple packs of pissed off Weres now on their trail, the gang has to figure out how to clean up Nick’s mess before they can safely return home.  Kim Harrison is the Janet Evanovich of urban fantasy.  Each book is a combination of dark humor and steamy sex appeal.  A warning though, this series needs to be read in order. 04/07 Becky Lejeune

FIT TO DIE by J. B. Stanley:  I don’t do many “Cozies” but as a life-long dieter, I had to try this one, particularly since each chapter is titled with a food item.  The Flab Five diet group in Quincy's Gap, Virginia, is stuck between Chilly Willy’s Polar Pagoda, a new ice cream shop serving praline caramel kiss sundaes, and the Witness to Fitness weight loss center, run by the fanatical Veronica Levitt.  Maybe Veronica's "take-no-prisoners" approach can keep them out of the Pagoda.  In the meantime, when an arson investigation turns into a murder investigation, the Flab Five have a full plate they must tackle.  But enough of the food jokes.  Grab a bowl of celery sticks, hoist a can of diet soda and have at it.  Oh, didn’t someone say that chocolate consumed while reading has no countable calories, something about the energy consumed turning pages effectively negating the effect of the “soul food.”  If you need to lose a few more pounds, and have some leftover chocolate, this is the second in the Supper Club series, after Carbs and Cadavers. 05/07 Jack Quick 

FIVE DAYS IN SUMMER by Kate Pepper:  In this debut, Emily Parker, devoted wife and mother of three wants the end of her visit to her mother’s Cape Cod retreat to be special, but she disappears without a trace from the supermarket parking lot.  Her husband Will tries to get the local police to begin a search but 24 hours are lost before FBI profiler John Geary now retired and writing a book on serial killers who were never caught, identifies a connection between Emily's kidnapper and a killer who resurfaces every seven years.  The story takes off at this point and eventually reaches a satisfactory conclusion.  Apparently this works for Ms. Pepper because she has repeated the “disappears without a trace” theme in ONE COLD NIGHT and SEVEN MINUTES TO NOON.  Apparently the major thrust of each, other than the disappearance, is the frustration factor for those left behind.  All in all, above average, but not the best ever. 02/07 Jack Quick

FIVE LITTLE RICH GIRLS by Lawrence Block: "Five Little Rich Girls," is the third in a series of novels about Chip Harrison, teen-age assistant to the world famous detective, Leo Haig. (Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin??) Harrison answers an ad which reads "Resourceful youth wanted to assist detective. Low pay, long hours. Familiarity with tropical fish helpful but not absolutely necessary." Chip answered the ad because he was on the lookout for a job with a future. Chip believes the death of a girl from an overdose of heroin was murder. She was one of five rich girls (sisters), four of whom die in the novel. Were their deaths related? Were they all murders? Chip and Haig believe so. 05/06 Jack Quick

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom:  I've been wrestling with how to write this for more than a week. When I finished it, my first thought was it was good, but not as good as I was expecting - hoping - from the author of Tuesdays with Morrie, which I loved. But the more I think about it, and I do keep thinking about it, the more of an impact I realize it made. 
    The story is relatively simple.  Eddie is an 83 year old maintenance man at Ruby Pier, an amusement park at the shore. He's worked there all his life, like his father before him, and he dies there trying to save a little girl's life as a ride is about to drop on her. He arrives in heaven and is told there are five people he needs to meet, some he may know, some he may not, who will explain his life to him. Eddie thinks of himself as just an ordinary guy who's life hasn't made a difference, and he learns how one life interacts and entwines with another on this journey.
    Most reviews have been conjuring up images of Dicken's A Christmas Carol and another Christmas classic, "It's a Wonderful Life", and those comparisons are justified. The book is sweet and sentimental and I cried more than once while reading it, yet somehow it is never cloying. The Five People You Meet in Heaven is thought provoking, life affirming, and utterly charming.

FLAWED by Jo Bannister: In the seventh book of the series, Brodie Farrell finds herself in an inconvenient situation - she’s pregnant. She knows that she will be unable to care for a new child and still devote the time necessary to her business, Looking for Something?, so she decides to take on an employee. Fortunately, her best friend Daniel Hood volunteers for the task. On one of his first days alone in the shop, a young boy approaches him and asks for his advice. The child is the one and only son of well-known solicitor Adam Selkirk. Hood believes that Selkirk is physically abusing his son and vows to help the boy and his mother. Meanwhile, the Serious and Organized Crime Agency has launched an investigation against Terry Walsh, a self-made man whose business practices are rumored to be not so ethical. Walsh’s lawyer just happens to be none other than Selkirk himself, and the police plan to use Hood’s suspicions to force the man to turn evidence over on his client. This is a great series for readers who enjoy those fringe cozies – the ones that are barely on the edge of being a more serious and gritty mystery. Bannister’s style is smooth and easy to read and her characters are easy to identify with. I would recommend, however, starting with book one, Echoes of Lies. Readers would be doing themselves a great disservice diving into a series that is this well established. 09/07 Becky Lejeune

Flesh Tones by M. J. Rose:  Genny Haviland is on trial for the murder of her lover, famed artist Slade Gabriel.  Her defense is a tad unusual: assisted suicide.  Rose writes these terrific books that just defy categorizing.  This one is her best effort yet, a psychological/legal thriller based in the art world, with more passion than found in most romance novels, and enough twists along the way to make this a real joy-ride.  Don't miss it.

FLIRTING WITH FORTY by Jane Porter: Porter started out writing romance, switched to chick-lit (The Frog Prince) and now seems to have found her niche with women's fiction, that catch-all for other genre-defying books that are definitely aimed at the female reader.  Our heroine, Jackie Laurens,  is celebrating her fortieth birthday, not that she feels like she has much to celebrate.  Jackie is a divorced mom of two kids and a growing design business, yet she's lonely.  She wants to be paired up like all of her friends are.  Her friend Anne coaxes her into a birthday weekend in Hawaii, but at the last minute married Anne has to cancel so Jackie goes off by herself.  The pool is full of hopeful middle-agers, but it's a young surf instructor, Kai, who gets her attention.  Romance blooms but life intrudes, making it difficult for the single mom to juggle her life in Seattle with her romance on the big island.  This is the perfect book to read surfside or poolside, frozen drink in hand.  Enjoyable.  07/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

Flood by Andrew Vachss:  I've been wanting to read this book, the first in the Burke series, for a while now.  The timing was right and I ripped through it.  Dark and gritty enough to leave sand in your bed.  Or maybe I brought that home from the beach...

FLY PAPER by Max Allan Collins: “The mob couldn’t kill him, the cops couldn’t catch him, and even time can’t slow him down.”  “Him” could be Nolan or “him” could be Max Allan Collins, still churning them out today.  This classic from 1981 features bullet riddled bloody strongbox stealing action with one hundred fifty grand for the winner and certain death for whomever comes in second.  Can you believe it all started with a parking meter scam?  There’s no cellphones or Internet, just lots of old fashioned gun totin’ action.  I read it in one sitting which may have been all it took Collins to write it, but like an occasional extra slice of pie, it was still darned good. 07/06 Jack Quick

Flynn's World by Gregory McDonald: Speaking of Fletch, Gregory McDonald has just put out a new book about Fletch's fellow crime-solver, Boston "Inspector" Francis Xavier Flynn. As was the case in Skylar in Yankeeland, McDonald takes dead, but hilarious, aim at New England pretense. In Flynn's World, he zeroes in on Harvard University and what passes for "thinking" on a politically correct campus these days. Flynn is ably supported by his incredibly gifted and mischievous family, his retired police friend Cocky, and even the clueless Grover in responding to a request for help from the University President. This is simultaneously a good story and a broadly painted satire of academic life that will keep you laughing from start to finish. ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

THE FOLLOWER by Jason Starr: Katie Porter has been having trouble meeting the right man. All that is about to change though. Peter Wells knows he is perfect for Katie. He’s been planning for months, following her and getting to know her very well. Katie doesn’t know it yet, but she and Peter are going to be very happy together. All Peter has to do now is eliminate the competition. Nothing is going to get in his way. Starr’s chilling tale of a stalker and his prey is enough to keep any reader up all night checking their windows. 08/07 Becky Lejeune 

FOOLS RUSH IN by Sunny Frazier: The premise of this first mystery was a little off-putting. Why would an undercover narcotics cop involve his ex-girlfriend and a civilian police employee in a dangerous investigation of a meth distributor? Not only does James Wolfe, AKA Wolfman, ask Christy Bristol to cast the dealer’s horoscope, but he takes her along and has her put it in the dealer’s mailbox. Wolfe endangers her, and then she is abducted by men working for Lloyd Parr, the dealer. Christy is very lucky that Parr is so interested in his daily horoscope that he doesn’t allow his partners to kill her. Despite the initial problems with the storyline, the reader is soon caught up in Christy’s situation as she plays up to Parr, and tries to string out his need for her until help can arrive. Christy actually has psychic abilities, and she tries to use her knowledge to work on each of the members involved in Parr’s gang. Christy’s life is in danger from the time she is kidnapped. Frazier does an excellent job keeping the reader on the edge of the seat. If you can accept the initial premise, this is a page turner. 11/06 Lesa Holstine

FOOTBALL’S BEST SHORT STORIES, edited by Paul D. Staudohar: Can’t really add much to what the title says. Stories are by Grantland Rice, John Updike, Damon Runyan, Ellery Queen, Michael Chabon, Don DeLillo, among others, all revolving around the sport of “American football”. As a fan of the game I had been saving this one until this first week of the season as a way of getting into the mood, so “Yea, White, Yea, Blue, Go, Team, We For You” On to victory, strike up the band, hit ‘em high, hit ‘em low, stand up and yell…..Oh well, it’s a pretty good book. 09/06 Jack Quick

FOR EDGAR by Sheldon Rusch: For years, Illinois State Police Special Agent Elizabeth Taylor Hewitt has been haunted by the suicide of her college roommate. That death continues to bother her as she investigates the odd murders by a killer the press dubs The Raven. Each of The Raven’s victims is displayed to resemble a death in an Edgar Allan Poe story, as homage “for Edgar.” This story dragged along, lulling the reader into complacency. There was one section of the book that was thrilling, but by the time the ending came along, the killer was so obvious that this reader’s reaction was, well, of course that’s who the murderer is. This was a story with an intriguing premise that bogged down in intellectual discussion. 08/05 ~This review contributed by Lesa Holstine.

The Forgotten by Faye Kellerman:  The newest installment in the Peter Decker series touching on teenage angst and anti-Semitism amid the murder and mayhem.  Good read.

THE FORGOTTEN MAN by Robert Crais: The Forgotten Man is an unforgettable tale of intrigue and angst.  Crais really knows how to build a series, giving us more insight into his characters in each outing, and he continues the trend here.  Elvis Cole receives a middle-of-the-night phone call from Los Angeles Police Detective Kelly Diaz, saying that a man has been murdered, and his dying words were to find his son - Elvis Cole.  Elvis never knew his father so his response is immediate.  Working with the LAPD, Elvis and partner Joe Pike ferret out the truth in their own inimitable style and in the process, Elvis learns more about himself and his family.  Former bomb squad technician turned detective Carol Starkey (Demolition Angel) helps out too, mostly because she has a crush on Elvis but he’s too enmeshed in memories of Lucy Chenier (The Last Detective) to notice.  Quirky characters bring some dark humor to this finely written yarn of suspense, with creepy killers, praying prostitutes and enough surprises to keep the pages turning until the harrowing and extraordinary ending. 02/05 Copyright © 2005 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.  Reprinted with permission.

THE FORGOTTEN MAN by Robert Crais: If you are an Elvis Cole fan, buy this book. It’s the best yet. If you are not yet an Elvis Cole fan, rent or borrow this book while saving money to buy the other seven Elvis Cole books. A man dying from a gunshot wound in a Los Angeles alley tells police he is the father of Elvis Cole. Elvis never knew his father and sets forth to learn all he can. In the process we learn more about Elvis, but it gets curiouser and curiouser. Although the body count doesn’t mount until the end there is abundant action with cops and hookers, blackmail, and re-opening of old hurts. Thank goodness for friends like Joe Pike who saves Elvis’ life for adventure number nine. To say more is to spoil it. Definitely recommended. 05/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

For One More Day by Mitch Albom: If you were expecting something as magical as Albom’s bestsellers, Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven, you’ll be disappointed in his latest book. Albom tries, with this story of a man who has reached bottom, and tries to commit suicide, but the book fails to leave much of an impression. Chick Benetto was a failed baseball player who spent his life ignoring his mother’s love, and striving to please the father who left the family. He dropped out of college despite his mother’s pleas, in order to play professional baseball. When he was injured, he continued to bum around, trying to make the grade. He was a failure in his job, in his marriage, and, as he saw it, in his life. He even failed to be there when his mother died. When he tries to kill himself, he’s given one more chance to spend time with his mother. Chick is a dislikable person, and the reader doesn’t even care what happens to him, after the way he treated his mother. I found this book to be one of the biggest disappointments of the year. 10/06 Lesa Holstine

For Whom the Minivan Rolls by Jeffrey Cohen:  Another funny mystery writer, just in case you couldn't tell from the title of the book, and he's from New Jersey where this gentle suburban mystery is set.  I'm not sure what is in the water in Jersey these days, (actually, I don't think anyone is) but it's working for me, à la Harlan Coben, Janet Evanovich, Steve Lopez, David Rosenfelt, and now Jeffrey Cohen.

Aaron Tucker is a free lance writer, which means he works at home while his wife, who he has the perpetual hots for, works outside the home as an attorney.  Their two kids include a precocious little girl and an adolescent boy with Asperger Syndrome, which is handled with grace, dignity and apparent honesty.  When the town's most prominent citizen's wife goes missing, Aaron is hired to find her - but why, he doesn't know.  After trying mightily to get out of the assignment, power prevails and he finds himself investigating the disappearance.  It's a mystery indeed, but it's the characters that bring this story to life.  They are endearing people, the kind you want to spend time with.  And I'm glad I did.

FORESTS OF THE NIGHT by David Stuart Davies: Davies’ first Johnny Hawke mystery introduces a likeable new detective who works in World War II London. Hawke was just a young police officer went he joined the army, but a training accident left him blind in one eye, and at loose ends. With no way to earn a living, he started his own detective agency. Even then, he lived from hand to mouth until a couple asked him to find their twenty-seven-year-old daughter. He soon discovers the young woman led a double life, living under a different name, until she was murdered. Since he doesn’t believe the police suspect actually killed her, he continues his investigation, with an odd clue from a runaway boy. Hawke is a detective in the traditional vein, a loner with a heart of gold, and a tragic past. With its dark overtones, moments of humor, and likeable protagonist, the first Johnny Hawke novel makes a strong debut. 02/07 Lesa Holstine

FORESTS OF THE NIGHT by James W. Hall: Cherokee Indian Jacob Bright Sky Panther is number eight on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. It is no wonder that Coral Gables Police detective Charlotte Monroe is shocked to find him in conversation with her husband Parker and daughter Gracey. Before the SWAT team can respond, Panther hightails it with Gracey. It turns out Parker, who is a lawyer, is friends with Panther’s uncle. Charlotte must come to grips with aspects of her husband’s life that were previously unknown while also trying to rescue her daughter. The action ventures into the mountains and North Carolina and deep into the past of Parker, Panther and the entire Cherokee nation. It will take all of Charlotte’s skills including her uncanny ability to interpret facial expressions to accomplish her objectives. No Thorn, but still first rate Hall. 04/07 Jack Quick

Foul Matter by Martha Grimes: Ms. Grimes, normally the author of the solid Richard Jury mysteries, obviously has something to get off her chest about the business of publishing authors. And she does it with a vengeance (so to speak) in Foul Matter. Her new book can easily be thought of as The Bonfire of the Vanities of the publishing oligopoly which currently victimizes both authors and readers.
    After she gets done making sure that the reader fully appreciates what self-indulgent, amoral scum are running the book business these days, Ms. Grimes tells a funny tale reminiscent of Donald Westlake or Lawrence Block.
    The starting point of her story is an author who is guaranteed, on the strength of his name, to sell millions of copies of his next book, no matter what it says. But the author, Paul Giverney, wants more. He wants to secure the services of the editor who he feels will make his book be taken seriously. He agrees to sign for what is a huge advance, of course, only if the publisher can get rid of the author that the editor is currently working with. The publisher, and his minions take their marching orders to "get rid of" that author, Ned Isaly, who is a fine writer and innocent chap, all too seriously.
    And that it where the fun begins. The initial set of hired killers are very fussy about their victims. They want to get to know them first. They follow him. They read his books. Meanwhile, remorse is setting in at the publishing house and concern is rising in the author's friends. Killers, detectives and bodyguards begin to proliferate. This all culminates in a trip in Pittsburgh that is like the Marx brothers cramming people into a stateroom on an ocean-liner.
    This is a nice change of pace for Ms. Grimes and a lot of fun for readers who share her concern about the publishing industry.  ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

Four Blind Mice by James Patterson:  I didn't like Roses are Red, I hated Violets are Blue (I couldn't even read it, I just skimmed it) so this one is definitely the best Alex Cross book in years.  Unfortunately, that's not saying much.  The story revolves around Army vets being set up as murderers by a for-hire group of assassins leftover from the Vietnam War.  The weaknesses here are the writing and the plot; the suspense builds nicely and these are the characters we expect them to be after all these years.  I didn't enjoy it much - I've guess I've had enough of this series.  His next book, The Jester, (03.03) is a complete departure for Patterson - it's set during the Middle Ages. 

FOUL PLAY IN ACADEMIA by Geohn C. McAmby: This is what I would term a “commuter read.” It’s short, lively, and not so intense that one would miss their getting off spot. Professor McAmby of Nunnery College discovers the body of a colleague in the basement of the campus theatre resting on the platform that is used to raise and lower flats from the basement storage area. There is no indication she fell, suicide is unlikely without an accomplice, so is it murder? If so, what is the motive? This is a classic puzzle mystery and the third in this series. Kind of like half a candy bar – good, but not totally satisfying. 05/07 Jack Quick

FOUR QUEENS by Nancy Goldstone: Goldstone’s history of four sisters of the mid-thirteenth century is a fascinating examination of medieval Europe. Four sisters, daughters of the Count of Provence, had enough family connections and beauty to marry men who became rulers of western Europe. Marguerite, the oldest, married Louis IX of France. She accompanied him on Crusades, participated in the politics of the time, and helped to rule France. Eleanor married Henry III of England, schemed with her relatives, and played a key role in that country’s civil war. Sanchia, was a reluctant queen, the sister who married the man who became King of the Romans (Germany), perhaps the wealthiest man in Europe, but she didn’t live to enjoy it. And the youngest sister, Beatrice, inherited Provence, hungered for her older sisters’ power, but soon after being crowned Queen of Sicily, died. This is an intriguing look at four accomplished women, sisters who wielded power and influence throughout Europe during the middle ages. 06/07 Lesa Holstine

The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde: This is the second mystery in Fforde’s Nursery Crime series of books, featuring Jack Spratt, Inspector in the Nursery Crime Division of the Reading Police Department. Fforde’s mysteries are fascinating stories of politics, corruption and murder for readers who can suspend disbelief. If you can accept Jack Spratt and Mary Mary as police, then you can accept the Gingerbreadman as an escaped homicidal maniac, Goldilocks as an investigative journalist, and Punch and Judy as marriage counselors. Terry Pratchett fans might want to try Fforde’s fun police procedurals. 08/06 Lesa Holstine

The Fourth Hand by John Irving:  Irving is probably my favorite author, and this newest effort was certainly an enjoyable read.  The story is about a TV news anchor who has his hand chewed off by a lion, broadcast live all over the world.  Eventually he gets a hand transplant, and a romance.  The book felt incomplete to me, like it was missing something (no pun intended).  The depth of the characters that his books usually delve into was missing here.  On the other hand, it is my understanding that many people have been daunted by the sheer length of some of his previous novels, so perhaps this book of just a few hundred pages will inspire new readers to discover the magic of John Irving.

FRANNIE IN PIECES by Delia Ephron: Frannie’s parents were divorced, but at least she spent time with both of them. When she finds her father dead in his house, two weeks before her fifteenth birthday, she scared, worries about everything, isolates herself, and finds herself jumpy. It’s only natural for a teen who loved, and identified with her artistic father. When she finds a handmade jigsaw puzzle, in a box with her name on it, she believes her father was thinking of her when he made it. She absorbs herself in the puzzle, until her absorption becomes so complete, that she’s completely sucked into the picture itself. Frannie sees her father in that puzzle, and it’s one way of finding him. Ephron tackles the subject of death in an honest, beautiful way in her first teen novel. Frannie in Pieces is a thoughtful book, filled with love and longing. 11/07 Lesa Holstine

FRESH DISASTERS by Stuart Woods: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Woods' suave hero, attorney Stone Barrington tried to hire a photographer to take pictures for a potential divorce case. The photographer wasn’t available but persuaded Barrington to use the photog’s nephew, one bumbling Herbie Fisher, who fell through the apartment skylight over the bedroom occupied by the couple he was supposed to be photographing. Now attorney Herbert Q. Fisher is in hock to the mob and gets taken out of Elaine’s in front of Barrington and police pal Dino. Fortunately for Fisher, and unfortunately for Barrington, Dino stops the mayhem, before Fisher is killed over his gambling debts. Now Barrington, against his will and better judgment, has the unenviable task of representing Fisher in suing Mob boss Carmine Datilla, aka Datilla the Hun, for personal injury damages. No one will serve Datilla so Barrington has to do it himself. The response is his being thrown through the glass door of Datilla’s coffeehouse out on to the sidewalk, where only Dino saves him from Fisher’s would be fate. On the positive side, this episode leads Barrington to Celia, a tall and beautiful masseuse. All this in the first fifty pages of what another reviewer calls “light escapist fare.” I say ROFLMAO, if you know what I mean. 05/07 Jack Quick

FRINGE BENEFITS by F.M. Meredith:  If you are going to commit a murder, it can be helpful to be a cop.  Officer Cal Sylvester’s affair with Darcy Butler, wife of a fellow policeman, is going into the deep freeze.  Only money will rekindle the flame and Sylvester thinks he knows how to get it, by collecting his wife’s life insurance.  Of course, there is one little detail that needs to be taken care of.  Enter sixteen-year-old Adler “Patch” Costello, who runs away from home and right into trouble.  In the meantime there is a dangerous rapist on the loose who strikes every Wednesday.  The third of Meredith’s Rocky Bluff P. D. series.  Lets hope there are many more. 02/07 Jack Quick

THE FROG PRINCE by Jane Porter: Holly Bishop led a fairy tale life, married her Prince Charming and planned on living happily ever after. Except it turns out Prince Charming didn't love her and really didn't want to have sex with her, so she left.  We meet Holly as she  is going through what amounts to be a pretty damn amicable divorce, but she wallows in self pity while she whines about it, repetitively, through an annoying 300 pages.  The other 70 pages or so have your usual chick-lit stuff going on, like dieting, the blind dates from hell and the trendy new job with a bitch of a boss.  There is a terrific ending, but after a complete whine-fest of a book, who cares?  Porter has made a successful transition from traditional romance to chick-lit, but unfortunately, it just didn't work for me. 05/05

FROM BLACK ROOMS by Stephen Woodworth: Ten years ago, Natalie Lindstrom left the North American Afterlife Communications Corp (NAACC) for good. Her work, calling the dead forward to live out their own murders before the courts, became too much when Violets themselves became the target of a sadistic killer. A Violet is a person born with the ability to channel the dead. They are known by their violet eyes.  Today, the Corp has blacklisted her from any means of employment in hopes that they can force her to return and hand her daughter over for training as well. In Black Rooms Corps scientists have found a way to turn an average people into Violets. Unfortunately, there is a flaw in the experiment. Plagued by guilt, Dr. Bartholomew Wax tries to end it all by killing himself, but not before murdering each and every test subject. Now, Carl Pancrit has struck a bargain with the one man Natalie fears the most, the real Violet Killer – Evan Markham. Through Markham, Pancrit will try to force Dr. Wax to continue his work on the experiment. In exchange, Pancrit will give him Natalie. Woodworth’s supernatural thrillers are incredibly original and smart. I look forward to each new installment in this series with great anticipation and am never let me down. I can’t wait to see where he takes the series next.  11/06 Becky LeJeune

THE FRUMIOUS BANDERSNATCH by Ed McBain: Fat Ollie (aka Detective Oliver Wendell Weeks), Steve, Cotton, Kling, Hawes – they are all here in this funnier 87th precinct novel which includes in its cast of characters divas, dumb and dumber crooks, and cops who are legends in their own mind. Leave it to the 87th to bulldoze through the muck until everything so tangled or untangled that the mystery is solved. Despite its funky title, another good outing by McBain.  11/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

FULL MOON RISING by Keri Arthur: Riley Jensen and her twin brother Rhoan are something different. Having been banished from their pack, the half vampire and half werewolf twins struggle to keep their secret safe from the world. Brother and sister are both employees of the Directorate of Other Races, a group that polices others and protects humans. Rhoan is a guardian, or field agent, in the Directorate while Riley works in the actual Directorate office. Riley wants no part of the field action. Unfortunately, she’s about to be forced into it. First, a naked vampire with amnesia shows up on her doorstep looking for Rhoan. Then, someone tries to kill her with a silver bullet. Finally, when Rhoan does not return from one of his missions, Riley is forced into action. Keri Arthur’s action packed and sexually charged debut, is full of werewolves, vampires, secrets and conspiracies. Paranormal romance fans are in for a real treat. 03/07 Becky Lejeune

GALLOWS VIEW by Peter Robinson: This is the first of the Inspector Banks series for which Robinson has become justly famous. Former London policeman Alan Banks has relocated to small Yorkshire village of Eastvale seeking some small measure of peace, but crime and violence are not limited to large cities. . Soon he is dealing with a brazen Peeping Tom who spies on attractive, unsuspecting ladies as they prepare for bed. When an elderly woman is found brutally slain in her home, Chief Inspector Banks wonders if the voyeur has progressed to more violent crimes. I am looking forward to continuing the series. 09/06 Jack Quick

A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin:  Have you ever read fantasy? Have you ever tried? OK time to try. George RR Martin has created a series that will blow your mind. And good riddance to your mind I say! These books are so totally captivating that you will stay up long into the night to read them. You will gasp as you read, and smirk, and fill with tears, and tell all your friends the next morning. They are big and juicy and so clever! The first is A GAME OF THRONES where you'll meet all the key players. The second is A CLASH OF KINGS. The third is A STORM OF SWORDS. The fourth is hopefully due out next spring. I know you'll hope so if you begin #1. There is nothing to do but gush over how good these books are. The characters are terrific. The settings are perfect - - Kings and Queens and swords and wolves and lions and dragons and castles - - Ghosts and shadows and forts and battles. They are great for kids 11 and up too. But like all great books they are meant for everyone and every age. I could write another 3 pages about the fast pace, the intrigue, the jaw dropping scenes . . . but go ahead and read the first book and write to me! I can think of no better series to spend a summer with than this.  ~This review contributed by Ann Nappa

The Garden of Eden and Other Criminal Delights by Faye Kellerman:  As with any collection of short stories, some stories are much better than others. Kellerman’s fans will probably appreciate the four stories featuring Peter Decker or Rina Lazarus, her series characters. “Holy Water,” a story combining humor and religion is fun, with an appealing rabbi as the main character. It would be nice to see him in a continuing role in his own series. But, many of the stories were weak, particularly the ones co-written with Kellerman’s children. Kellerman shines as the thoughtful author of the meatier Decker/Lazaurs books, not as a writer of short stories. 08/06 Lesa Holstine

A Garden of Vipers by Jack Kerley: Kerley brings back police detectives Carson Ryder and Harry Nautilus in an absorbing thriller. Neither man realizes how personally involved they will become when the race two other detectives to a murder scene. How does that murder, the death of a prisoner, and a job promotion connect to a powerful Mobile, Alabama family? The detectives discover how much dirt money can hide in this intriguing story. 07/06 Lesa Holstine

A GARDEN OF VIPERS by Jack Kerley: Three dead women, each killed in a different way.  One is a friend of the girlfriend of Mobile, Alabama, detective Carson Ryder.  What Ryder and partner Harry Nautilus aren't sure is whether the three seemingly dissimilar cases are in fact related.  Then Ryder learns that Lucas Kincannon, son and scion of one of Mobile’s nouveau rich is after his television reporter girlfriend.  Coupled with some follow the money clues, this puts Ryder and Nautilus on a collision course with the city power structure.  This is Kerley’s third (after The Hundredth Man and The Death Collectors) and he is rapidly making Mobile the epicenter of new millennium crime detection.  The villains are flawed, as are the protagonists, and you are kept in suspense as to just who will overcome their own defects first.  While not yet a Burke or a Parker, Kerley is already on my “don’t miss” list. 07/06 Jack Quick

GARDEN SPELLS by Sarah Addison Allen: Bascom, North Carolina is a crazy place where legends are firmly believed about the local families. The Hopkins men marry older women. The Clark women have sexual charms. And then there’s the Waverley magic. Claire Waverley inherited the gift that comes from the garden, a knowledge of plants and the use of them to change moods. Her younger sister, Sydney, ran away to escape the Waverley stories, but turned to the shelter of home when she needed help for her daughter and herself. Garden Spells is the story of two sisters who never understood each other. As they both seek the safety of home, they’ll learn to appreciate each other, and the opportunities provided in Bascom. This is a magical, enchanting book. Alice Hoffman fans who appreciated Seventh Heaven will want to find this book. 09/07 Lesa Holstine

GATEKEEPER by Philip Shelby: Hollis Fremont, a functionary at the American embassy in Paris, is duped by her superior and boyfriend, Paul McGann, into accompanying a man she believes to be a small-fry criminal back to the States for country-club prison incarceration. In fact, the rumpled old man turns out to be "the Handyman," a freelance assassin on a mission. Think Le Carre and Forsyth updated for today. Perfect for anyone with international conspiracy paranoia, like me. 02/06 Jack Quick

G’DAY TO DIE by Maddy Hunter: Hunter’s latest “Passport to Peril” mystery brings back Emily Andrew, tour guide for a group of senior citizens from Iowa. This time the unconventional group is in Australia for a tour of the continent, accompanied by Emily’s suitors, retired Swiss police detective Etienne Miceli and tour director Duncan Lazarus. As the two compete for Emily’s hand, she’s preoccupied with the death of a fellow tour member. Her over-active imagination, fueled by discussions with her grandmother, convinces her that the woman was murdered, probably because of a rare fern photographed by Emily’s grandmother, Nana. Feuding members of the group are representatives of companies that sell anti-aging cures, people who might have killed for that fern. Hunter’s mystery is for those who want a light cozy with a little romance and an eccentric group of characters. The greatest strength of the “Passport to Peril” series lies in the descriptions of the various countries toured by Emily’s group. 11/06 Lesa Holstine

GENGHIS: BIRTH OF AN EMPIRE by Conn Iggulden: Born Temujin, son of Yesugei Khan of the Wolves, Genghis Khan was destined to be a leader. At twelve years of age, it became Temujin’s responsibility to protect and provide for his family after their own people betrayed them. Yesugei had been murdered and his second in command took over the role of Khan, denying Yesugei’s heirs their rightful position. In order to protect himself from factions within the tribe who disagreed with this decision, the man exiled the family, leaving them with only the clothes on their backs and hoping that they would die of starvation. The family survives, but Temujin is forced to kill his own brother after discovering that he has been stealing much needed food from the others. Years pass and the Wolves return to the area. The new Khan sends scouts to find out if the family has survived and Temujin’s chance for revenge is close at hand. Temujin begins uniting the wandering tribeless Mongols, creating and becoming Khan of his own tribe. In his latest work, Conn Iggulden brings this legendary figure to life, chronicling the start of his rise to power. Readers of historical fiction will appreciate this realistic and gripping look at a young Genghis Khan. 05/07 Becky Lejeune 

GENTLEMEN AND PLAYERS by Joanne Harris: No one suspects that the new student at St. Oswald’s is actually the porter’s kid in disguise. The student who calls himself Pinchbeck infiltrates the school, at first with only the intention of observing. Soon, Pinchbeck befriends another student at St. Oswald’s and the two wreak innocent havoc on campus. All the while, no one suspects that Pinchbeck does not belong at all. Then, Pinchbeck’s innocent prank results in a horrible accident and everything changes. Now, Pinchbeck is back and intent on revenge at St. Oswald’s. Of particular interest to Pinchbeck is Classics teacher Roy Straitley who he holds singularly responsible for that terrible accident that occurred so long ago. Harris is one of my absolute favorite authors. She is able to appeal to such a wide variety of readers thanks to her very diverse collection of work. Gentlemen and Players is more of a mystery than any of her previous work and is sure to delight new readers as well as old. 02/07 Becky Lejeune