S is for Silence by Sue Grafton: Grafton’s latest Kinsey Millhone mystery is one of her best. In 1935, Violet Sullivan and her new car disappeared. Was she murdered by her abusive husband? Did she run off with one of the men she ran around with? Few people in town care about the town floozy, but Daisy Sullivan, Violet’s daughter, continues to wonder what happened to her mother. Thirty-four years later, she asks Kinsey to spend five days looking into her mother’s disappearance. As the story slowly unravels, with flashbacks to the week of July 4, 1935, Kinsey ties together the stories people have hidden. The intriguing story builds up speed, careening to a satisfying ending in Grafton’s latest mystery. It’s a cold case worth digging up. 12/05 Lesa Holstine

THE SABOTEURS by W.E.B. Griffin:  Griffin and his son reactivate a series first published in the 1980’s in paperback under the pseudonym Alex Baldwin featuring the Office of Strategic Services; its fabled chief, Col. William J. "Wild Bill" Donovan; and OSS agent Maj. Richard M. Canidy.  Two primary plot lines drive this new adventure: the U.S. preparation for the invasion of Sicily and mainland Italy in 1943, and the tale of four German saboteurs who have landed in America.  The German saboteurs are eventually dealt with, but the behind-the-lines Sicilian operation led by Canidy is only hastily outlined after a long buildup, which makes it likely that the Sicilian story will appear in a future installment.  If you know Griffin, you know this is “formula” writing, but he probably does it better than anyone else today. 06/06 Jack Quick

SACRED by Dennis Lehane:  It starts with a kidnapping.  Boston sleuths Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro are grabbed and brought to the side of dying billionaire Trevor Stone.  He wants them to find his missing daughter Desire who, grief-stricken over the death of her mother, has disappeared.  The first investigator Stone hired, Patrick’s mentor, Jay Becker, has also disappeared.  Its “through the looking glass” for Patrick and Angie as they follow the trail to Florida after a brief encounter with a group of religious swindlers who may be involved with the disappearances.  The problem isn’t a lack of clues, its clues too many as every person they meet adds more confusion and conflicting information to the puzzling case. Some humor, some violence, some excitement and a pinch of romance.  Bake until done. 02/07 Jack Quick

SACRED COWS by Karen E. Olson: Police reporter Annie Seymour finds herself way over her head in Olson’s debut mystery. A phone call from her editor gets her out of bed at the beginning of the story, and Annie never seems to catch up. First, she’s sent to the scene where a young woman has died from a fall from an apartment building. Then she’s told to tone down the story when it’s discovered the girl was a Yale student, and she was murdered. She’s given information leading to the girl’s work at an escort service, only to be told not to use it. A city employee is not only linked to the Yale student, but also to an investigation involving Annie’s mother, and some of the most influential people in New Haven, including her boss, who pulls her off the story. Annie finds the links between the three stories, but she’s frustrated by the powerful forces shutting down her investigation. This book has multiple plotlines and characters that disappear in and out of the story. At times it’s difficult to remember which plot or character you’re following. Annie herself can be a frustrating character to deal with, since she tries to avoid relationships with her mother, her co-workers, her neighbors, and even her boyfriend. Sacred Cows seems to have too many storylines, although it did win the first Sara Ann Freed Memorial Award. 09/05 ~This review contributed by Lesa Holstine.

The Sacrifice of Tamar by Naomi Ragen: Also Sotah and Jephte's Daughter, all books about Orthodox Jewish women that I've heard about for years but they are all out of print.  I tracked them down at the library and loved them all.  Her newest one and the only one still in print is the Ghost of Hannah Mendez.  

The Saddlemaker’s Wife by Earlene Fowler: Readers of Fowler’s Benni Harper mysteries might be surprised at her mainstream novel, but the main character will make them feel at home. Ruby McGavin is also a sympathetic, likeable widow. Ruby only had six months with her husband when he died, and shocked her by leaving a will revealing he had lied to her. Ruby discovers she inherits a quarter of a ranch in California. He also had a family he had said had been killed. She intends to sell her share of the ranch, but she discovers her husband wasn’t the only one with secrets. His entire family has secrets that Ruby is desperate to uncover. If there’s a sequel to this book, readers will look forward to it. Fowler has written a satisfying book, in the tradition of Barbara Samuel. 05/06 Lesa Holstine

A SAFE PLACE FOR DYING by Jack Fredrickson: When Dek Elstrom saw a mansion in Crystal Waters blow up on television, he cheered. Following his divorce two years earlier, he had been politely escorted from the secure enclave. When representatives of the Chicago development show up with an extortion letter, he realizes his ex-wife and her house might be in danger. Despite the fact that he only runs an information service, he reluctantly agrees to investigate. Dek soon realizes the case is too big for him, and he begs the representatives to call in the feds. Dek is a reluctant, somewhat naïve, hero. He’s a rebellious character with quirky friends, and an understanding ex-wife. Fredrickson’s debut mystery is an engrossing story, with likeable characters. I’ll be watching for the return of Dek Elstrom. 01/07 Lesa Holstine

SAINT CITY SINNERS by Lilith Saintcrow:  Dante Valentine is finally coming home to Saint City and you’d better watch out. Danny has just learned that one of the four demons Lucifer has hired her to track down is none other than Eve, the end result of Santino’s evil scheme in Working for the Devil. The revelation has caused serious trust issues in her relationship with Japhrimel and has set the devil on her trail. Too late to back out of her deal with Lucifer, her only choice is to stall long enough for the contract to finally run out. Japh has been keeping secrets though and Danny has no idea what she is in for. Then she receives a message from a friend in Saint City. Gabe and her husband Eddie have both been murdered and Danny is pissed. She promises to avenge their deaths and not even Japh or the devil himself can stop her. Unfortunately, her return has not gone unnoticed and Danny becomes the prime suspect in the case. Things have changed in Saint City but Danny still has plenty of allies on her side. She’s going to need them with the number of enemies she has against her. With only one book left in the series, readers can only guess what will happen next.  01/08 Becky Lejeune

THE SALARYMAN’S WIFE by Sujata Massey:  Rei Shimura is a 27-year-old Japanese American English teacher.  Her tiny paycheck barely allows her to exist in Tokyo, the world’s most expensive city, but she is determined to not use the plane ticket home to California that her parents have offered.  She discovers the body of the wife of a wealthy businessman when she visits the ancient castle town of Shiroyama.  Her subsequent involvement (crashing a funeral and posing as a bargirl among other things) angers the conservative police and the local citizenry but she presses on.  Interesting character in a very different environment.  Although the plot sounds like an Evanovich caper, this is totally different. 07/06 Jack Quick 

THE SALON by Nick Bertozzi: I am not a graphic novel aficionado, and in fact I've only read half a dozen in the past several years.  The books I've been drawn to (no pun intended) are of a more serious nature; books like Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi or In the Shadow of No Towers by Art Spiegelman. Without the political punch of a memoir of growing up during the Islamic revolution, or the introspection of 9/11, there is an immediate disadvantage to a lightweight pseudo-mystery like The Salon.  The Salon refers to a group of Modernist writers and artists, notably Gertrude Stein, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and Alice B. Toklas, among others, and a murderer who has ripped the head off his victim.  There are some interesting references to the emergence of Cubism and Modernism, which I enjoyed, but I mostly found the storyline confusing. There is also drug use, in the form of a hallucinogenic "blue absinthe" that allows the artists to travel into their paintings, thus seeing them from an entirely different angle.  But it was the full frontal nudity and sex which has generated the most publicity for this book, although I didn't find it the least bit offensive or really even all that interesting. So the bottom line: is it worth the $20?  I don't think so.   05/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE SALT MAIDEN by Colleen Thompson:  Heiress Dana Vanover has recently suffered some great disappointments in life. After a hysterectomy to remove what was a benign tumor, her fiancé left her saying he had always wanted a family. Then, Dana’s mother pleads with her to find her sister. Angela Vanover is a wanderer addicted to many things. She doesn’t stay in touch with her family, and her monthly stipend from her inheritance is more than enough to support her habit. Angie had a daughter who was given up for adoption. That daughter is in desperate need of a bone-marrow transplant and Angie’s mother is determined to save her. Unfortunately, Angie appears to have gone missing, her last two checks uncashed. Dana drives out to the remote town of Devil’s Claw to discover that her sister had made many enemies. She was obsessed with a legend of someone called the Salt Woman and with saving the desert from a proposed waste-management contract – a contract that would have brought much needed funding to this dying town. Then, a body is discovered in the heart of the desert. Could it be Angie? Was someone angry enough to kill her? Dana is determined to find out what happened to her wayward sister and nothing, not even her burgeoning romance with newly elected chief of police, Jay Eversol, will stop her. A romantic suspense that is sure to please fans of authors such as Heather Graham and Iris Johansen. 11/07 Becky Lejeune

Sammy's Hill by Kristin Gore:  It should come as no surprise that Al and Tipper Gore's daughter has written a first novel with a political bent. Samantha Joyce is 26, single, and the most neurotic yet endearing character to come along since Bridget Jones. Her foibles include befriending telemarketers, unwittingly killing a steady stream of Japanese fighting fish, and having a penchant for pratfalls. But she's also unfailingly honest, principled, and passionate about her work in public service. Sammy is an assistant to the junior senator from Ohio, giving Gore plenty of opportunity to share her insider knowledge of how things really work in Washington and on the campaign trail (hint: don't leave home without your Blackberry). Smart writing, lots of laughs, and a captivating story line move what could have been a rather ordinary boy-meets-girl story well ahead of the pack. In addition, Gore tackles national healthcare, making this a timely debut. Expect lots of buzz. Strongly recommended for all public libraries. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

SAMMY'S HOUSE by Kristin Gore:  In this sequel to Sammy's Hill by former Vice President Al Gore'd middle daughter, Samantha Joyce is back, only this time she’s in the White House.  The senator she works for has been promoted to Vice President, and while she’s only the assistant to an assistant of the VP, she still gets to bend some pretty important ears with her vast knowledge of the health care industry.  Gore has some fun with her fictional President, a former alcoholic who’s been sober for twenty years; that is if you don’t count whiskey mixed with Diet Dr. Pepper at ten in the morning as drinking.  This time Sammy takes on the pharmaceutical industry, blogging, reality TV, Canada and India, pointing out some very sobering realities. Gore brings back a great character and creates an interesting storyline; the writing is crisp and funny, and although it does get a bit repetitive at times, it moves along briskly.  Anyone who delights in knowing what really goes on behind White House doors, even fictional doors, will recognize enough truth here to really enjoy this romp through D.C. 07/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2007 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.  Reprinted with permission. 

SAN FRANCISCO THRILLERS edited by John Miller:  If you love Herb Caen’s Baghdad by the Bay as I do, then you will love this eclectic collection of fact, fiction, and drama.  With writers like Bill Pronzini, Dashiell Hammett, Jim Thompson, Martin Cruz Smith, Joe Gores, and Marcia Muller, among others, how can you go wrong.  From the early days of the city to the 1995 print date of this volume, its one portrait after another of what Smith calls “that most elusive and feminine of American cities.  And to add to your enjoyment, there are stunning surrealist photographs from Francis Bruguiere to help place you into each setting.  So, sit down with an Irish coffee (first served in the US at the Buena Vista in San Francisco on November 10, 1952), a few fortune cookies (invented in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Japanese Tea Garden in 1909) and enjoy.  09/07 Jack Quick  

SANTA FE DEAD by Stuart Woods:  Santa Fe lawyer Ed Eagle, who escaped a murder-for-hire plot in Woods’ previous Santa Fe Rules is endangered again.  Wife Barbara has escaped from police custody, so Ed knows neither he, his new girlfriend, nor any unlucky rich man who might cross her path, will be safe until she is re-captured.  At the same time, Ed’s new client, Doc Wells, may or may not have murdered his own wife and son.  From Southern California to the New Mexico desert to Tijuana, Mexico, there is little in the way of domestic bliss, but even that little bit is better than being Santa Fe Dead.  Another good one if you are a Woods fan like me. 05/08 Jack Quick  

SATURDAY by Ian McEwan:  McEwan deals with the aftermath of 9/11 with an interesting premise - a day in the life of a British neurosurgeon.  However, this Saturday is not just any Saturday; it's set on February 15, 2003, the day of the great London anti-war march and indeed, a historic date that saw millions worldwide protest the imminent invasion of Iraq.  Brought down to a smaller, personal scale makes the impact that much more memorable. 

    Dr. Henry Perowne wakes early that morning to see what appears to be a plane crash.  He immediately wonders if it's terrorists, because that's what we do in this day and age.  His day off from brain surgery continues with a trip to the gym to meet a friend for their weekly squash game, but he is delayed by a detour because of the protest march.  That detour triggers a minor fender-bender which turns into something with much more sinister repercussions.  The other driver, Baxter, is of criminal ilk and attacks Henry, who manages to save himself by pointing out a health issue that Baxter is suffering.

    Henry had been looking forward to this day because he is hosting a small family reunion; his daughter, a newly published poet living in Paris, and his father-in-law, a famed eccentric poet, will be there in time for dinner.  But the day doesn't turn out as planned; he argues with his daughter about the war, Baxter shows up at Henry's home with calamitous results, and he eventually finishes his day off by returning to the hospital to work.

    McEwan was interviewed on PBS and he spoke about how he couldn't write fiction for a couple of years after 9/11.  He felt people needed to be informed, and in fact, he himself was hungry for information to help make sense of what happened.  His only published writings during that time were essays and letters to the newspaper.  But his métier has always been fiction.  McEwan obviously had something to say about the war in Iraq and chose this fine novel as his medium.  While I don't think he achieves the brilliance he reached with Atonement, my favorite of all the McEwan novels, perhaps it is his most personal and cathartic book, and certainly a very worthwhile read. 03/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

SATURDAY WIFE by Naomi Ragen: If you can imagine Emma Bovary as a contemporary, Orthodox Jew, you have the gist of this latest Jewish family saga from Ragen.  Delilah Goldgrab, whose name is completely symbolic of her personality: Delilah is a "bad girl," an Orthodox Yeshiva student who falls for & has sex with the son of a famous rabbi, who promptly dumps her.  Goldgrab is interested in only one thing: grabbing the gold, as in making a successful marriage to a man who can keep her in the style to which she would like to become accustomed.  Delilah is a beauty, which definitely helps ensnare rabbinical student Chaim Levi.  But no matter what he does for her, no matter what she has, it's never enough and never what she feels she deserves. It's a fascinating story and a mesmerizing one, rather like watching a train wreck; you know it can't possibly end well, but you can't stop reading.  08/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE SAUDI CONNECTION by Jack Anderson and Robert Westbrook: Well written but predictable thriller from the Pulitzer Prize winning and former syndicated muckraking journalist Jack Anderson about Pulitzer Prize winning and former syndicated muckraking journalist Ron Wright. The essence of the story is that the wife of the Saudi ambassador to the United States may have secretly given $20 million to an American white supremacist group, the White Brotherhood of Christian Patriots. When Anderson/Wright seeks to confirm the story to reclaim his professional status, people start dying. Not a bad read, but the U.S. supporting Saudi Arabia supporting Al Qaeda fighting the U.S. has been done so many times, it has almost become a cliché. 09/07 Jack Quick 

SAVAGE GARDEN by Denise Hamilton:  L.A. Times reporter Eve Diamond continues to be involved in more murders than most LAPD members.  This time the victim is diva and erratic actress Catarina Velosi, coincidentally a former lover of Eve’s boyfriend Silvio Aguilar.  Eve has an unwelcome sidekick, slick fast track African-American intern Felice Morgan.  Together they pursue the case, conducting interviews and unearthing side stories, which may or may not lead to further adventures.  An underlying theme throughout is the impact of Jason Blair, the New York Times African-American reporter who was found to be fabricating stories, on the entire journalism profession.  I don’t know if Ms. Hamilton is getting tired or if it’s my own burnout, but this one just didn’t have the sparkle of her previous efforts. 01/08 Jack Quick

Savage Run by C. J. Box: This is the sequel to Open Season, featuring Wyoming game warden and all around likeable guy, Joe Pickett.  An exploding cow, ecoterrorists and beautiful scenery just keep those pages turning.  Ignore the cover; it has little to do with the story.

SAVAGES by Bill Pronzini: Can you believe 32 episodes in the Nameless Detective series?  In this outing Nameless is working for a former client, Celeste Ogden.  Several years ago he had done a background check on her sister’s fiancée.  Now the sister is dead and Ogden is convinced her brother-in-law was responsible.  Meanwhile a routine subpoena service by Jake Runyan turns into an entirely different adventure when Runyan discovers a body, is himself knocked unconscious and pulled into the conflicts of a small California town. Tightly written and well crafted as always.  Let’s just hope that these keep on coming. 07/07 Jack Quick 

SAVANNAH BREEZE by Mary Kay Andrews:  This is a quasi-sequel to the very popular Savannah Blues; quasi because Andrews uses a device common to romance writers.  She takes a secondary character and puts them front and center in the next book.  The heroine of the first book, Weezie, has a much smaller, secondary role here to her best friend BeBe Loudermilk.  Bebe's been married & divorced three times and her taste in men doesn't seem to be improving when she hooks up with con man Ryan Edward "Reddy" Millbanks.  She falls fast and hard for him and he skips town even faster with almost everything she owns.  He leaves her with a ramshackle old motel and out of desperation she moves in and renovates, along with handyman/fisherman Harry, who was already ensconced and working on the motel.  Determined to get her money and pride back, Bebe does some private detecting to try and track Reddy down, learning she wasn't the first woman he'd scammed.  Count on a little mystery, a little romance, and some laughs from this author because she always delivers.  I zipped through this lovely bit of fluff in a few hours and enjoyed every minute.  04/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

SCAREDY CAT by Mark Billingham: Billingham's second thriller (after Sleepyhead) featuring London Detective Inspector Tom Thorne offers double the challenge as Thorne and his colleagues track a serial killer after two women are strangled on the same day. Slowly, as the evidence mounts, the team becomes convinced they have not one, but two serial killers, acting in concert. The pace picks up as the hunt intensifies. Thorne remains a morose and intense character, who thinks deeply about death and guilt. Another reviewer said this one has more red herrings than a fish and chips shop. While I didn’t find it quite that twisty, it did make me want to continue to read subsequent Thorne adventures.  10/06 Jack Quick

SCENARIOS: A “NAMELESS DETECTIVE” CASEBOOK: by Bill Pronzini – a 2003 collection of fourteen short stories tracking the evolution of the “Nameless Detective” from his first case in 1968 to the time of the writing of this book. Only a master could evolve a character over a thirty-five year period, without even giving him a name. A real treat for existing and going to be Nameless fans. These stories fill in some of the gaps between the twenty eight novels and include one adventure never before published in English, only Japanese.  Recommended. 05/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

THE SCENT OF SHADOWS by Vicki Pettersson: In all honesty, trying to describe this book and do it justice is extremely difficult. Vicki Pettersson’s supernatural fantasy debut is fresh and exciting. In a genre that is full of vampire hunters and witches, she has given us superheroes: Joanna Archer, the central character in this tale, is the daughter of an agent of the light – a member of Zodiac troop 175, paranormal division, Las Vegas. Joanna knows nothing of this thanks to the fact that her mother disappeared shortly after her sixteenth birthday. New initiates of the Zodiac are typically trained as children. Joanna’s own violent initiation as a member occurs on her twenty-fifth birthday. She soon discovers that she is also a descendant of the Shadows, the enemy of the Zodiac. She alone is said to be the one who can rebuild the Zodiac and bring balance to the war between good and evil. Fans of the Rachel Morgan series by Kim Harrison and Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series will absolutely love Vicki Pettersson’s Zodiac series. 02/07 Becky Lejeune

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd: Beautifully written story dealing with the meaning of family, set against a backdrop of racism, feminism and spirituality in small town South Carolina in the early 1960's.  Lily Owen lives on a peach farm with her abusive father, T. Ray, and her nanny Rosaleen.  She lost her mother in a tragic accident when she was four years old, and Rosaleen is as close to a mother, to a parent, that she knows.  When Rosaleen tries to register to vote, she ends up arrested, beaten and hospitalized,  fourteen-year-old Lily decides it's time to escape, and takes Rosaleen with her.  They end up at an apiary and the bees make a beautiful metaphor for this sweet, yet somehow not sticky, tale.

THE SECRET LIFE OF JOSEPHINE: NAPOLEAN’S BIRD OF PARADISE by Carolly Erickson: In 1763, Marie Josephe Rose Tascher de la Pagerie was born, the daughter of a plantation owner in Martinique. In 1779, she left the island for France where she married Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais. Following the French Revolution, both husband and wife were arrested and imprisoned. Alexandre was sentenced to death by guillotine. Rose was saved, however, and reentered society. In 1796, Rose managed to catch the attention of the already famous Napolean Bonaparte. The two were wed that same year. Eventually, Rose, now dubbed Josephine by her husband, would become Empress Josephine. Although Josephine already had two children from her previous marriage, she was unable to give Napolean an heir and eventually, the two divorced. It was said that Napolean’s final words were in regards to his Josephine. But what happened behind the scenes? What was Josephine really like? This fictional account of Josephine’s life provides readers with an interesting and highly imaginative version of history as seen through the Empress’s eyes. Carolly Erickson calls her novel “historical entertainment” and it is just that. Readers looking for an accurate account of the Empress’s life should refer to Erickson’s biography of Josephine. Readers looking for an absorbing read with a hint of historical truth will enjoy this tale. 09/07 Becky Lejeune

THE SECRET LIVES OF THE KUDZU DEBUTANTES by Cathy Holton: It’s been one year since Eadie, Nita, and Lavonne taught their cheating husbands a lesson they would never forget. Eadie and Trevor worked things out and have moved to New Orleans where Trevor has been working on his novels. Lavonne’s deli has become a burgeoning business and Nita is about to remarry. Unfortunately, the future is not so bright for these three ladies. Eadie has grown restless in the Crescent City and longs to return to Ithaca and Nita has doubts about her impending marriage. Meanwhile, Virginia Broadwell, Nita’s ex-mother-in-law is planning her own revenge and it involves making Nita’s life as miserable as possible. The ladies still have a few tricks up their sleeves though and their discoveries about Virginia’s well hidden past will prove to be the society maven’s downfall. The Kudzu Debutantes are a loveable trio and new readers need not have read the previous title to understand what’s going on, although I do highly recommend them both.  08/07 Becky Lejeune 

THE SECRET OF CRICKLEY HALL by James Herbert: It has been almost one year since young Cameron Caleigh went missing when his mother fell asleep in the park.  One year of hoping, beyond all hope, that he will be found alive.  Gabe Caliegh and his family have left their London home and taken up temporary residence in Crickley Hall, a home in the quiet village of Hollow Bay.  Here, they hope to recuperate and begin to recover from their loss.  Eve immediately dislikes the ugly and foreboding house and insists that they leave.  At the request of her husband though, the family decides to give the house a chance.  Strange noises from a hall closet and the sound of footsteps in the attic keep the family up all night and the family soon begins to suffer from violently real nightmares.  The Caleighs discover that the house has a terrible and tragic past.  In 1943, a great flood swept through the town of Hollow Bay killing sixty-three people.  Of these, eleven were orphans sent to Crickley Hall to be cared for during the war.  Their caretaker, Augustus Cribben, was a violent and demented man.  Now, heavy rains, similar to those that caused the flood of 1943 have started again and the spirits of Crickely Hall have awakened.  James Herbert is commonly known as the King of British horror.  The title is well deserved and although this particular book has yet to be officially released in the states, it is available in many specialty stores as well as online.  This is a great haunted house story that kept the cabin fever at bay during our most recent snowstorm.  01/07 Becky Lejeune

Secret Sanction by Brian Haig:  A military thriller with a pedigree from a West Point graduate & first time novelist.  If the name sounds vaguely familiar that is because he is Alexander Haig's son ... personally, I'm not holding that against him (grin).  This book is good!  Our protagonist is a lawyer from the Judge Advocate General's Corp investigating a possible massacre by the U.S. Army in Kosovo.  Despite the morbidity of that premise, there is lots of humor and I found myself laughing out loud more than once. 

THE SECRET SERVANT by Daniel Silva:  Art restorer Gabriel Allon is the secret servant of Israeli intelligence in this seventh novel in the Allon series.  Amsterdam professor Solomon Rossner, also a secret Israeli agent, is assassinated and Allon is sent in to clean out the dead professor’s files.  While in Amsterdam, Allon and his former partner Eli Lavon come across a terrorist plot that centers around the kidnapping of the daughter of the U.S. Ambassador in London.  Its up to the two of them to sideline some of Israel’s and the world’s most violent enemies.  This series just keeps getting better and better. 12/07 Jack Quick 

SEQUENCE by Lori Andrews: Lawyer and scientific advisor Lori Andrews’ fiction debut is the first in a very promising series. Genetics expert Dr. Alex Blake has just begun a two-year stint with the Armed Forces Institutes of Pathology, or AFIP. Her goal is to use the AFIP resources and facilities to map the genes of the 1918 flu and use that information to create a super vaccine to protect against bioterrorism. AFIP’s new director, Colonel Jack Wiatt, has other plans. Angered that he has been passed over as head of the FBI, Wiatt discovers that AFIP has long been handing over responsibility for various investigations to the Bureau. As part of his own personal grudge against the Feds, he begins pulling cases back under AFIP’s jurisdiction. One of these cases is that of a serial killer who has been strangling women and tattooing their left breasts. Alex is temporarily ordered off her own project and onto what has been dubbed the Tattoo Killer Case. When a link is discovered between this case and the high profile murder of a technology company’s CEO, even the President himself steps in and applies pressure to the Institute. With Wiatt’s own career under scrutiny and increased pressure to AFIP to solve the case as quickly as possible, everyone is at risk of losing not only their jobs, but also their credibility. This intriguing first novel is packed with engaging characters and interesting facts. With an author who is able to draw from such a vast amount of experience, you can be sure that this series will never become boring. 04/07 Becky Lejeune

SERPENT’S KISS by Mark Terry:  Derek Stillwater, Department of Homeland Security bioterrorism expert has his bags packed and is four hours away from a flight to Mexico and some much needed vacation, when his boss calls.  Fifty-two people are dead in a Detroit restaurant from a sarin gas attack.  Special Agent Jill Church is assigned by her by-the-book boss to keep Stillwater out of the loop, but while the FBI brass are playing politics with the press, the killer ups the ante.  Calling himself the Serpent, he demands three millions dollars or more people will die.  You can almost hear the Mission Impossible theme song playing in the background as Stillwater and Church fight both the bureaucracy and the killer.  It becomes even more personal when the life of Church’s son is at stake, along with some 21,000 other young people.  Hopefully, slightly unbelievable but a great thriller read anyway. 07/07 Jack Quick 

Seven Up by Janet Evanovich: Fabulous continuation of the wild, comic adventures of bounty hunter Stephanie Plum.  My only complaint was that it wasn't long enough.  I want more!  This is my favorite series by far.  If you haven't read them, do yourself a favor and start now.  One For the Money; Two For the Dough; Three to Get Deadly; Four to Score; High Five; Hot Six

THE SEVENTH SURVIVOR by Lori Lacefield:  Junior Leaguer socialite Palmer Reed is elected to the board of the prestigious Diamond Foundation in Knoxville, Tennessee, an organization which is dedicated to righting wrongs and providing relief for victims of various crimes. Palmer immediately enters the Foundation’s society of country clubs, fancy balls, and fundraisers. So far, sounds like your typical cozy, right? But what happens when Palmer is introduced to the Foundations secret method of fundraising and its complete agenda for obtaining justice? Is a charitable cause worth killing for? Well written with a twist. The Diamond Foundation honcho “the Vindicator” could have only been played by Mama Dearest, Joan Crawford. Recommended. 08/06 Jack Quick

THE SEX CLUB by L. J. Sellers:  I grew up in and currently live in Birmingham, Alabama where Eric Rudolph killed officer Robert Sanderson and critically injured nurse Emily Lyons in the bombing of an abortion clinic January 29, 1998.  Consequently, I feel a special empathy with Kera Kollmorgan, a registered nurse at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Eugene, Oregon, which suffers a similar encounter.  A pipe bomb goes off, damaging the building and causing severe injuries to one patient.  Things only get worse the next day when the dead body of a young girl who has visited the clinic is fond in a nearby dumpster.  Detective Wade Jackson is initially assigned to the bombing case and later to the homicide.  He is a single father of a fourteen- year old girl who was friends with the victim.  In addition to the personal implications, there are also political implications complicating the case.  I understand this is the first of a series featuring Detective Jackson. I hope so, and think it will do well. 05/08 Jack Quick 

THE SHADOW by Kristina Streetman-DiGiovanni: I picked up this book since it was the first effort of a local (to Birmingham, AL) author and it has a local setting. The Shadow is a stalker and the book does a credible job of portraying the escalating tension as incident after incident occurs without resolution. Although not written in the first person, it is obvious the author is the victim of the stalking which adds an interesting twist to the tale. 08/06 Jack Quick

SHADOW LAWS by Jim Michael Hansen: In this second of the “Laws” series, Denver homicide detective Bryson Coventry, and beautiful young attorney Taylor Sutton, are separately hunting vicious killers but for very different reasons. A lawyer friend of Sutton’s has a mysterious client, with whom he has only talked by phone, that he thinks is trying to kill him. He has tapes of their conversations that are not conclusive and wants Sutton’s advice as to whether he can ethically turn them over to the police. In the meantime Coventry is looking for a missing woman that he fears is dead. Soon they are in pursuit of a sicko who likes to play games with his victims, the police and attorneys. Eventually the paths of Coventry and Sutton cross and they close in on the truth. Another excellent outing. 11/06 Jack Quick

SHADOW MAN by Cody McFadyen: The protagonist, FBI agent Smoky Barrett, lost her husband and daughter in an attack by a serial killer. Still on the job, she and her team are now tracking a madman who apparently believes he is a descendent of Jack the Ripper. He kills women, mostly prostitutes, and sends videotapes of the killings to Barrett and her team. Well written with a punch, it is hopefully the start of a series. Barrett, while strong, is a deeply troubled person and it will be interesting to see how she evolves from the tragedies that have befallen her. 08/06 Jack Quick

SHADOW MEN by Jonathon King: Moody ex-Philadelphia cop Max Freeman, now a fully licensed PI in Florida, agrees to look into the disappearance of a father and two sons who signed on for three weeks of work on the Tamiami Trail 80 years earlier and never made it home. The Tamiami Trail runs across the Everglades and like so much of the area’s development, has a checkered history. The mysterious Nate Brown, who helped Max in The Blue Edge of Midnight, is back, along with Max’s cast of friends. The government still wants to evict him, friend/attorney Billy Manchester has once again come up with a case that interests him, and his love life remains as fragile as before. All in all the 3rd outing is just as good as the previous two. You can smell the swamp and feel the humidity of south Florida with every page. 05/07 Jack Quick

SHADOW OF POWER by Steve Martini:  Terrance Scarborough has become an overnight celebrity with his controversial book, Perpetual Slaves. In it, he reveals to the world how the words that bound an entire race to slavery for generations have been repealed but not struck from the U.S. Constitution. His work riles up the public, unearthing deep-set emotions in opposing factions, and creating a hostile and violent reaction. His overnight success ends abruptly, however, when he is murdered in his hotel room. The case seems open and shut when the police arrest young Carl Arnsberg, an employee at the hotel who is said to have been a member of the local white supremacy group. Carl swears his innocence but with so much damning evidence, defense attorney Paul Madriani has his work cut out for him. In the course of his investigation, Madriani learns that Scarborough bragged openly about possessing a copy of a letter rumored to have been written by Jefferson, a letter of such an explosive nature that he removed all reference to it from the book for fear of the possible repercussions. Any fears must have been long gone by the time he was murdered, though, because he was threatening to go public with it in order to boost sales. Since the murder, no one has been able to locate the document in question. As Madriani investigates further, all signs seem to point back to a member of the US Supreme Court and he begins to wonder just what was in this letter and who is actually behind the murder. Martini’s latest legal thriller has a fascinating plot and some of the most realistic portrayals of courtroom events that I have come across. It’s an exciting and dramatic installment to his popular Madriani “series.”  05/08 Becky Lejeune 

THE SHADOW YEAR by Jeffrey Ford:  Edgar winner Jeffrey Ford’s latest is the story of one strange year through a 12 year-old boy’s eyes. The story begins in the days leading up to the end of summer vacation, sometime in the 1960s. A boy from the narrator’s class has gone missing and there are reports of a peeping tom in the neighborhood. The boy and his older brother take it upon themselves to catch the perpetrator themselves and begin to collect evidence in the case. Then another classmate goes missing and the boys begin to notice a strange white car lurking on their street. Our narrator begins to write brief descriptions of all his neighbors in a notebook and relays these entries to his younger sister, Mary. At the same time, the boy’s older brother, Jim, keeps a model of the neighborhood in the basement complete with clay figures to represent each of the neighbors. They begin to notice something strange about Mary – she seems to be somehow moving the clay figures around the model in a way that suggests that she can “see” what any one person is doing at any given time. The brothers enlist her help in identifying the trespasser, believing that he must also be responsible for the missing children. Unfortunately their snooping has caught the wrong person’s attention and even the adults may not be able to protect them any longer. Although the children are dealing with some quite frightening events throughout the course of the story, Ford’s unique style and his use of a young narrator lends a playful innocence to the tale that makes the reading quite enjoyable. It was, for me, reminiscent of King’s story The Body.   03/08 Becky Lejeune

SHADOWS by Edna Buchanan: in the second outing for Buchanan’s Miami Cold Case Squad, a woman seeking to save Shadows, an historic area mansion, pleads with the police to stop the bulldozing of the house which was the scene of the 1961 murder of a former Miami mayor.  A search of the property unearths a cache of mummified human infants, which takes the case from cold to fiery hot.  Even the best don’t hit homeruns every time, but still an imminently readable effort from a pretty good writer.  In her own words, “Life would be simple if people told the truth.”  They don’t and that makes mysteries. 11/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

SHADOWS IN THE WHITE CITY by Robert W. Walker: "The Phantom of the Fair" is slaughtering innocents and taking away from the splendor of Chicago's magnificent "White City" in this summer of 1893.  It’s up to Inspector Alastair Ransom to solve the problem before it completely besmirches the reputation of the great Exposition.  To do so, Ransom must ignore the rules established by the police hierarchy and the ruling politicians.  He must become judge, jury and …executioner.  But will the price be too great.  An extremely well written historical mystery that captures the flavor and spirit of the times.  The dialogue in particular draws you into the story, and to quote the song you “end up in another place and time.”  First rate. 05/07 Jack Quick 

Shanghai Baby by Wei Hui:  Called the "Chinese Tropic of Cancer", this book was banned in China and many other countries.  Translated into sex, drugs & rock 'n roll in stilted English.  Interesting.

SHARP OBJECTS by Gillian Flynn: This Edgar-nominated debut has an unusual protagonist, Camille Preaker, a reporter with a history of mental instability and cutting who works for a kindly-but-gruff editor at a smallish Chicago newspaper.  When two little girls are murdered in her hometown an hour and a world away from Chicago, her editor sends her home to check it out.  There are a lot of clichés in this creepy, dysfunctional family saga, but some real surprises too.  The leisurely pacing builds the suspense but this mystery almost crosses genres and borders on horror.  I had a hard time getting through it for a variety of reasons, but it was ultimately worth the struggle.  02/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

SHARP OBJECTS by Gillian Flynn: When a little girl goes missing in Wind Gap, Missouri, townspeople can't help but be reminded of disappearance of another young girl just one year ago. The first girl was found strangled with all her teeth missing. Camille Preaker, reporter for the Chicago Daily Post is sent to cover the story. She's perfect for the job, seeing as how she grew up in Wind Gap. It's been eight years since Camille last returned home, and for good reason. On her second day, Camille herself discovers the body of the missing child, propped up against a building. Again, all the teeth have been removed. Camille is unwillingly thrown into the investigation when her editor requests that she follow the story through to its chilling conclusion. What she will discover will reveal even more troubling secrets about her own past and threaten her own sanity. This is a shocking and brutal mystery - like a train wreck that you just can't turn away from. I loved everything about it. Really a magnificent read.

11/06 Becky LeJeune

A Ship Made of Paper by Scott Spencer: Very interesting, beautifully written novel about relationships, infidelity, and race, yet so much more than that.  Daniel Emerson is a NY city lawyer who is threatened by a client whose case he lost. The client happens to be African American, and this triggers a black paranoia in Daniel until he feels he has to move out of the city. He returns to his small hometown with his live-in lover Kate and her daughter, Ruby.  Daniel is Ruby's primary caregiver, freeing Kate to write, but at preschool he meets and falls in love with Iris, the mother of Ruby's best friend who happens to be African American. And married. The couples' lives become more and more entangled until they are just spiraling way out of control.
    Spencer uses an unusual literary device in that he starts each chapter with a tiny excerpt of the pivotal finale, building a surreal tension, and contriving a feeling of deja vu when the reader finally gets there. He creates a tautness in story and mood that is truly exquisite, until the last page is turned and the realization hits that there is no more. And that is a sad moment indeed. 12/03

SHOOT HIM IF HE RUNS by Stuart Woods:  In a continuation of an earlier adventure Stone Barrington returns to St. Marks Island at the request of President William Lee to hunt ex-CIA-agent-turned rogue Teddy Fay.  Unlike his previous trip, Barrington is accompanied this time by Holly Barker, Dino Bacchetti, and Dino’s current squeeze.  In between frolicking in the waves and between the sheets (and perhaps hanging from the chandelier, who knows), Stone and Holly strike up an acquaintance with Irene Foster, also ex-CIA, who is thought to have had a previous relationship with Fay.  Soon they are caught up in the local corrupt regime and when the island’s chief of police is gunned down, they all realize this is more than just a fun in the sun caper.  Woods hasn’t run out of steam yet. 11/07 Jack Quick   

THE SHOOTERS by W.E.B. Griffin:  Once again W. E. B. Griffin has mined the quasi-military “band of brothers police thriller” genre that he helped create in an interesting outing.  Colonel Charley Castillo is in Argentina trying to tie up the ends of the UN oil-for-food scandal when a young American lieutenant and veteran of the Afghan war, arrives to throw a monkey wrench in the plans.  A key agent for the DEA whose family happens to be close to the Chicago power structure has been kidnapped.  Since Castillo has already proven the ability to do the impossible on several previous occasions, the President decides the rescue of “Junior” Timmons is doable for this band of marauding misfits, particularly since the President is busy dealing with Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.  Maybe the characters aren’t multi-dimensional and the action predictable, but if you make it past the first fifty pages, it’s doubtful you will stop before the end.  Another great outing.  02/08 Jack Quick

Shooting Gallery by Hailey Lind: This second mystery in Lind’s Art Lover’s Mystery series includes everything a fun caper novel should have, right down to a chase scene through the streets of San Francisco. Once again, Annie Kincaid, owner of a faux-finishing business, is caught up in murder and mayhem, through no fault of her own. Is it her fault that she’s the one who spots the body of a sculptor hanging from a tree at the art exhibit of his work? Is it her fault a museum has a painting stolen when one of her best friend’s is on a tour there? Is it her fault that a handsome, romantic art thief is leading the museum tour? Why should Annie take the blame when everyone she knows, from her mother to her landlord, seems to be involved in the latest crimes in the art world? Shooting Gallery fits in the entertainment world with the movie, Foul Play, and the television series, Moonlighting. There are fun characters and a great deal of sexual tension in this enjoyable mystery set in the art world.  10/06 Lesa Holstine

Shopgirl by Steve Martin:  Quirky novella, not as funny as one would expect from a well known comedian, but rather poignant instead. 

Shop Till You Drop: A Dead-End Job Mystery by Elaine Viets:  This is the first of a new series featuring Helen Hawthorne, former executive, now on the lam in South Florida.  Helen is trying to keep under the radar of her ex-husband after she took her frustrations out on his car, so she takes off out of St. Louis and lands a job in an exclusive Fort Lauderdale dress shop, off the books, where everyone has a past they are trying to hide.  Things aren't quite what they seem though; the dress shop manager may have a few unsavory side businesses going on and when she disappears, Helen is determined to find out what's been going on.  Lots of truths and lots of laughs in this well researched and fast moving story with memorable characters.  You have to love a mystery where a woman's body is identified by the serial number on her breast implants.  I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

A SHOT TO DIE FOR by Libby Fischer Hellmann: Single mom videographer Ellie Foreman is menaced in convincing fashion after she witnesses a sniper shooting. Daughter Rachel is now fifteen with all the challenges that entails and Ellie’s “love life” continues to be rocky, but she does make progress in addressing her fear of flying. Foreman is shooting a video at the former Playboy Club Resort on Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Is the sniper murder Ellie witnesses a random event or the result of an incident decades earlier at the resort? Hellmann paints an interesting picture of the generation that “no longer works” but instead focus on disposing of the millions earned by their forebears. The contrast between the very rich and the rest of us is handled nicely. This is another good outing for Ms. Foreman, excellently plotted and well written. Surprising but believable ending. 08/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

SHOTGUN OPERA by Victor Gischler:  Mike Foley is making wine in Oklahoma, and life is almost as good as it gets when you’ve been hiding out for forty years.  But Mike’s nephew Andrew has seen something he should not have and needs to disappear now.  Nikki Enders, the most lethal of a deadly sisterhood, is chasing him.  Can Uncle Mike stop her?  When the kill teams descend on Foley’s farm, he is ready, with shotguns blazing.  Remember, it ain’t over till the last bullet. 06/06 Jack Quick

Shrink Rap by Robert B. Parker:  Parker's latest involves his female Boston P.I. character, Sunny Randall.  In this book, Sunny is travelling with a best-selling female author to protect her from her manipulative and sadistic psychiatrist ex-husband.  The bookstore signing scenes ring true.  At the same time, Sunny is trying to think through her own relationship with her ex-husband.  She can't seem to live with him and she can't seem to live without him.  She consults a psychiatrist for advice on how to handle the stalker and learns a great deal in the process about her own relationships.
      Parker's writing is always spare and this book is full of short sentences and unspoken thoughts and conclusions.  I was not put off by it, although some might feel a little cheated.  The reason I was not put off was because I was so taken by Parker's never-ending effort to understand the man/woman relationship.  Sunny's relationship with her ex- is the mirror of Spenser's relationship with Susan and one has to believe of Parker's own relationship with his wife. 
      I didn't think that the lean dialogue suited a female character or the subject of relationships very well.  It didn't ring true.  But it had enough truth and enough personal pain in it to keep my attention. ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane:  This book had a bit of controversy surrounding it; people either love it or hate it, and frankly a lot of folks who loved Lehane's Mystic River and his Patrick Kenzie/Angela Gennaro series have hated this book.  I read it a week ago and can understand what is driving those passionate responses.  Lehane is a virtuoso of the mystery/thriller genre, and that talent shines on every page.  This is a fast paced thriller, the kind you can't put down, combined with a classic locked room mystery (a woman vanishes out of a locked room) and lots of twists, but it's the ending of the book that have put people at odds with it.  As soon as I finished the last page, I went right back to page one and started reading again, I needed to reassure myself that I hadn't missed anything, and I hadn't.  I believe it was the Washington Post's review that compared the style of this book to that of Edgar Allen Poe, and having read it, all I can say is that was right on the money - and that is high praise indeed.  This is a book - a genre book, a mystery - that is brilliantly plotted, splendidly written, deliciously confusing and infuriating and thought provoking, and totally transcends the genre. 12/03

SIGN OF THE CROSS by Ann Emery:  Location, location, location.  It’s true in real estate and also true in crime fiction.  Defense attorney Monty Collins is defending a secretive priest accused of murder.  In order to mount an effective defense Collins must first investigate his own client and then determine what to do with the information he uncovers.  Not that unusual a plot twist, but the fact that the action is occurring in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with lots of “local flavor” sets this one apart from many others of the same ilk.  All in all, a nicely done debut and I expect we will hear more from Mr. Collins in the near future. 12/07 Jack Quick

The Silence of the Rain & December Heat by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza: I happened to pick up The Silence of the Rain a couple of weeks ago. I hadn't heard anything about it and I like trying new stuff that is under the radar. It was a fortuitous choice. Silence charmed me. The plot involves the death of a corporate executive in a parking garage in Rio de Janeiro. The case is assigned to Inspector Espinosa who deduces that it was a murder because there is no weapon with the body. However, things are not as they appear. And that is the rule of this book. Every time I got comfortable with the plot, it took another delightful twist. Not a big jump, but just the disclosure of an additional fact that gave new meaning to the death and the characters around it.
    Espinosa is the Brazilian version of the cop who has seen it all. He has resisted the temptations of corruption and thus has secured for himself his own investigative niche, as well as insuring that he will never advance any further in the power structure. And just to sweeten the pot a little more, the good Inspector is a reader - haunting used bookstores and unable to control the stacks piling up in his apartment.
    As I was nearing the homestretch on Silence, a review of Garcia-Roza's new second book, December Heat, appeared in the Crime page of the NY Times Book Review. I added it to the stack. While the plot is not as tightly managed in Heat as it was in Silence, Espinosa is just as delightful the second time out. In Heat, he is investigating the murder of a hooker friend of a retired policeman who is a Brazilian Andy Sipowicz. If a contemporary United States author had written this book, it might have been titled The Case of the Three Hookers. The women are treated gently but fairly, without any judgments being made about them. They are what they are and they do what they do. And what would Rio be without heat and sex?
    If you are looking for a change of pace and an interesting pair of books, these should do the job and may well exceed your expectations. I am looking forward to the third book in this series.  ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin

SILENCED CRY by Marta Stephens:  Being a cop is a tough job.  Being a homicide detective is probably the toughest job for a cop.  Being a homicide detective working for the same force where your father was a homicide detective, working under some of the same people who worked with him, well, that’s about as tough as it gets.  Detective Sam Harper loses his narcotics partner in a shootout and ends up in homicide on cold cases.  Then he is called out on a decade-old child homicide.  His past--and the past of his friends, family, and nemeses quickly combine to turn this case into the biggest case Harper has ever known.  First in a planned series, lets hope those plans materialize.  Recommended. 08/07 Jack Quick 

THE SILENT ASSASSIN by Lori Andrews: In her second fiction release, Andrews returns to AFIP (the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology) and geneticist, Dr. Alex Blake. Recent events have lead to a request by Vietnamese officials that certain “trophy” items taken in the war be returned to the country. Unfortunately, these trophies – a mutilated collection of skulls brought back by American soldiers – are in no shape to be returned without causing an embarrassing media frenzy. It is Alex’s job to make them as presentable as possible for a quiet reparation ceremony. Suddenly the quiet ceremony has become a White House event and Alex is asked to try and identify the remains. She soon makes a startling discovery regarding one of the skulls that leads her to question her own father’s involvement in the war. Once again, Alex lands herself in trouble when her investigation catches the wrong attention. This is one of my favorite new series. If you like Kathy Reichs or Patricia Cornwell you’re guaranteed to enjoy Lori Andrews.  05/07 Becky Lejeune 

SILENT IN THE GRAVE by Deanne Raybourn: If you’re looking for intrigue, scandal, humor and a little romance, Silent in the Grave is the mystery for you. In 1886, in London, Lady Julia Grey meets Nicholas Brisbane for the first time, when he assists her when her husband collapses and dies at a dinner party. Brisbane, an inquiry agent, tells Lady Julia her husband hired him to look into some threatening letters, and Brisbane suspects murder. It takes almost a year for Lady Julia to agree, and then she teams up with Brisbane to investigate her husband’s death. As they delve into Lord Edward’s past, they also stumble across clues that may implicate someone in Lady Julia’s house. Suddenly, she has more to worry about than just a death in the past. Silent in the Grave, the first in a series, introduces fascinating characters, with a great deal of depth. Lady Julia changes from a meek, conforming member of society to a woman more in tune with the rest of her eccentric family, in the course of this book. Brisbane, a secretive man with a mysterious past, remains an elusive figure. Lord Hector March, Julia’s father, and her siblings are wonderful, three-dimensional characters in their own right. Silent in the Grave is an outstanding historical mystery, bringing the Victorian period to life. If you’re a fan of Elizabeth Peters, or you enjoyed Tasha Alexander’s And Only To Deceive, check out Deanna Raybourn’s work. 01/07 Lesa Holstine

SILENT IN THE SANCTUARY by Deanna Raybourn:  In the second mystery to feature Lady Julia Grey, our heroine and two of her brothers have been having a rather extended holiday in Italy following the events surrounding the death of Julia’s husband. Their vacation is cut short when the family patriarch summons them home for Christmas. Apparently, the elder March became quite angered upon learning that one of his sons had gotten married while on vacation. The three siblings, plus one new daughter-in-law and a second Italian guest, soon arrive home at the family abode – a converted abbey that is now overcome with visitors in preparation of the Christmas holiday. Amongst the guests are two of Julia’s cousins, one of who is to be married shortly in the abbey chapel. Also visiting is the nefarious and dashing Nicholas Brisbane, also with a fiancé in tow. Julia tries to act like this revelation is no concern of hers, but in truth, she is quite hurt by this news. Her own feelings are soon set aside when a body is discovered in the chapel and she and Brisbane are set in charge of the investigation. Once again, the two are working together to solve a mystery, this time in hopes of proving the innocence of one of Julia’s own family members. Raybourn’s remarkably addictive Victorian mysteries are a true delight. Julia and the rest of the Marches are charmingly quirky and the plots are both witty and fun. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a great cozy read. 01/08 Becky Lejeune

The Silver Anniversary Murder by Lee Harris: Christine Bennett is shocked to receive a phone call stating that a body will be found, and that Chris might be interested in the mystery. When she rushes to the police station, they trace the phone call to an empty apartment. The people who lived there had a couple names, and the appearance of their daughter does nothing to clear up the mystery. Instead, she hints at secrets that are twenty-five years old. Once again, Christine uses her intuition and knowledge of people to probe an intriguing puzzle. 08/06 Lesa Holstine

SINGER OF SOULS by Adam Stemple: Adam Stemple's background in music forms the basis of this fantasy adventure. It will help if you share that knowledge; readers of SINGER OF SOULS might have a hard slog if they don't know the legends of "the fey folk"; you don't need to know all of it, but a working knowledge will help make sense of things.

Douglas, who's fighting a heroin addiction, decides get as far away as he can from Minneapolis, so he heads to Edinburgh where his grandmother is based. She takes him in, encouraging his plans to work as a street musician; busking is a respected tradition in the UK, and when the Fringe Festival rolls around, there's lots of money to be made if you've got any talent. Dougie can read a person and excels in creating songs for strangers. One day, Aine appears and wants a song; her payment to Dougie is the ability to see the faery folk who live among the "real" people of Edinburgh. This isn't necessarily a gift.

While there are some things that don't always work here - wouldn't someone notice a priest as crazed as Father Croser? - the story moves quickly and you just have to accept some things. Douglas is a flawed but pretty tough guy. There's too much blood and gore for my comfort, and I'm not exactly sure I like how the story ends, but the ending is appropriate, so you'll have to judge for yourself. 08/05 ~This review contributed by Andi Shechter.

SISTER WIFE by Natalie Collins:  Kelsey Waite thinks she has left her past behind when she flees from Utah to California – the abuse and molestation from her father who had become enamored of a polygamous cult.  Ten years later, her daughter is stolen and a neighbor is killed.  Is this an attempt to fulfill the prophecy she thought she had escaped?  The focus is on the practice of polygamy, which the book makes clear is not a practice condoned by mainstream Mormons or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Cults are cults, no matter what they use as a basis to attract members.  Can Kelsey save her daughter and herself from this cult?  Interesting read.  08/07 Jack Quick 

Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot: Where does a teen pop star go when she’s a has-been? If you’re Heather Wells, now 28, with a lost recording contract, a mother who ran off with your money and your manager, and a boyfriend you caught in bed with a younger pop star, you become the assistant resident hall director at a New York City college. Heather is trying to make it through her six months probation so she can take college classes. Murder may come between Heather and her goal. When two freshman girls die in elevator accidents, Heather suspects murder. She tries to involve her landlord, a private investigator. But, Heather will ask questions and push her way to a solution even if she has to do it alone. The first Heather Wells mystery is too repetitive. It’s a cute story for the bubble gum crowd; one “giant gush” as Heather would say. 01/06 Lesa Holstine

SKELETON MAN By Tony Hillerman: Hillerman's southwest Indian country crime series has become an American staple.  In this entry, retired Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn opens by relating the story of this case to the rest of his bud's at The Navajo Inn. In doing so, phone calls are made, and help is enlisted, to aid the slow witted Billy Tuve, who's accused of robbery and murder.  Yet he tells a fantastic story of being given the diamond he's accused of stealing, while gathering ceremonial clay for paint for ancient Hopi rights at their Salt Shrine, at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.  Meanwhile, in 1956, two planes collided over the canyon killing everyone on board, leaving a crucial body part plus millions in diamonds scattered to the winds, waters, and walls of the gorge.

Enter Sgt. Chee, Cowboy Dashee (who's Billy's Hopi cousin) and Chee's soon to be wife, Bernie Maunelito. The story that Leaphorn and others tell collectively, leads them on a case that involves both the real and Indian spiritual world. Some white bad folks get involved here, but this story is really about how far you push your personal beliefs, and nature. And then there's Skeleton Man, who does his job in a modern way, effectively. Strong effort here.  PS: You'll notice I left the white interlopers out here. They are only incidental to the story, and all but one, become pawns.  02/06 DOC

THE SKELETON ROOM by Kate Ellis: Ellis brings back Detective Inspector Wesley Peterson in the seventh book in an intriguing series that combines history and mystery. Peterson, a policeman who once studied archaeology, keeps up with his past interest through his friend Neil Watson whose archaeological digs seem to link to Peterson’s current cases, and often inspire a solution to a modern crime. Chadleigh Cove and the story of the wreckers, villagers who preyed on ships, is the link to a murder. Peterson and his boss, Gerry Hefferman, believe they have an old crime when two workmen break through a wall and find a skeleton tied to a chair. However, when Neil’s crew brings up a body from a shipwreck, they realize they have a murder victim, a woman who went missing just days before. How does this murder link to a company with missing computers? Once again, Ellis skillfully weaves the past and the present together to bring history to life, and reveal that there is nothing new about crime. 05/07 Lesa Holstine

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham:  Very cute Christmas fable.  It made me laugh, made me cry, all the requisite Christmas emotions. Don't get me wrong, it's no Gift of the Magi, but if you find yourself wanting something new to read to get in the holiday spirit, there ya go.

SLAY RIDE by Chris Grabenstein:  This is a dark departure from Grabenstein's terrific Jersey shore series (Tilt-A-Whirl, Mad Mouse).  Slay Ride is a dark, dangerous journey with a nasty Russian limo driver, smuggling, torture and murder that takes a page from James Patterson; this book has 101 very short, page-turning chapters, some of which are only paragraphs long. 

    Scott Wilkinson is an up-and-coming advertising executive with a beautiful wife and baby on the way.  He's also a bit OCD, and when his limo arrives a few minutes late, he is incensed.  The driver drives like a lunatic, completely pushing him over the edge and he calls the limo company to complain.  FBI agent Chris Miller is riding a desk because his expertise and bravery in solving a kidnapping landed him on the front page of the newspaper, pushing his boss out of the limelight.  And an old Russian woman is robbed as she enters her Brooklyn apartment by two young men.  These seemingly unrelated storylines all start twisting together and spiraling out of control in this fast paced tale of Christmas terror.  11/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

SLEEPER by Gene Riehl:  In this second episode, FBI agent Puller Monk has to match wits with a sexy, dangerous, blonde assassin born Samantha Williamson but now named Sung Kim. She was stolen from America as a child and trained in North Korea in various martial and felonious arts.  In the midst of personal problems, Monk accepts a secret assignment to find a priceless stolen painting.  Riehl breaks no new ground with regard to international relations, but it is a. fast read with a nice twisty plot.  I’m ready for another. 06/06 Jack Quick

THE SLEEPING DOLL by Jeffery Deaver: California Bureau of Investigations agent Kathryn Dance was first introduced to readers in last year’s thriller The Cold Moon.  Now she’s back and featured in her own series.  Dance is an expert in reading body language, a study known as kinesics.  She is called in to interview former cult leader Daniel Pell regarding his possible participation in an unsolved murder.  Pell, also known as the Son of Manson, has been serving consecutive life sentences for the murder of a software programmer and his family almost a decade ago.  While in prison, Pell apparently appealed to a soon to be released cellmate, requesting that he remove incriminating evidence that could lead to the discovery of Pell’s involvement in this second murder.  Dance soon determines that Pell’s so-called confession to his cellmate was nothing more than a ploy to get him transferred to a less secure lock-up.  Her fear that Pell may be planning an escape is soon realized and Dance is placed in charge of the team responsible for bringing him back.  This is an exciting first installment to Deaver’s new series.  True to form, he delivers an intense page-turner that fans, new and old, will not be able to put down.  Never fear die-hard Rhyme fans, Deaver promises to alternate books in the series each year.  Next year’s title will return to Rhyme and his partner Amelia Sachs and Kathryn Dance’s story will return the following year. 06/07 Becky Lejeune

THE SLEEPING DOLL by Jeffery Deaver:  Move over Lincoln Rhyme.  Hello Special Agent Kathryn Dance, a brilliant interrogator and kinesics expert with the California Bureau of Investigation.  Daniel “Son of Manson” Pell is serving a life sentence for the brutal murder of the Croyton family in Carmel many years ago.  He is also a suspect in newly discovered crime and it is up to Dance to use all her skills as an interrogator and student of body language to get to the truth behind Daniel Pell.  Then Pell escapes, leaving behind a trail of dead and injured and Dance is now in charge of her first ever manhunt.  She must seek answers from the past to solve the problems of today.  To get them, she arranges a reunion of three women who were in Pell’s cult at the time of the killings.  How deep is the sickness that drives Pell and how can Dance use it to capture him?  Don’t read after dark, unless you want to end up double checking the doors and window latches every half hour as I did.  A good one. 12/07 Jack Quick

Sleepyhead by Mark Billingham:  Serial killer/medical thriller with a rather unique twist: the killer isn't actually trying to kill his victims, he's trying to induce strokes in them.  He is "successful" with one victim - Alison - and thus begins a fascinating look at "locked-in syndrome."  We get to share Alison's thoughts, as that is all she is capable of doing - thinking.  She is completely paralyzed but her brain is fully functional, and only after some time has passed and with great effort is she able to even blink her eyes in response to a question.  The detective in charge of the investigation, Tom Thorne, is a middle-aged slightly obsessive sort that is not too popular with his bosses.  Tom becomes involved with the doctor, Anne Coburn, who is treating Allison, adding yet another layer to this intriguing story.  Note: the most incredible book was written by a man with locked-in syndrome; he dictated it one letter at a time.  It's called The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death by Jean-Dominique Bauby and made my favorites list for 1998.  

SLICKY BOYS by Martin Limon:  U.S. Army criminal investigation division agents George Sueno and Ernie Bascom specialize in the bar and brothel district called Itaewon in Seoul, Korea.  A beautiful Korean woman asks them to deliver a message to a soldier who is found murdered the next night.  George and Ernie feel like they may have somehow been used in setting up the murder. Their investigation becomes a personal vendetta as they delve, literally, into the Korean underworld. Again Limon captures the time and place perfectly with descriptions like “The (UN Club) smelled like a toilet…the aroma of cigarette smoke…rotted lemons, stale booze, the reek of the urinals, all of it coalesced to create a blast to the nostrils that I’d never noticed before.” Or “Two weeks later he was back in boots.  Clean.  Quieting the aching need in his gut by filling it with liquor.  To the point of madness.  A fully acceptable pastime, as far as the army was concerned.  They even encourage drunkenness.  They considered it wholesome.” 02/06 Jack Quick

SLIDE by Ken Bruen & Jason Starr (Hardcase Crime Number 36):  Read Bruen and Starr’s 2006 Bust first to get the maximum effect of this violent, bloody, crude, funny, twisted, no-holds-barred tale that is noir at its best.  New York businessman Max Fisher was betrayed by his former mistress/assistant whom he tried to get to arrange the murder of his wife.  Afterwards he falls down, down, down, ending up in a drunken spree in Robertsdale, Alabama before climbing back up to become Wall Street’s premier crack dealer, the M.A.X.  Meanwhile Angela Petrakos has ended up with a new boyfriend, an Irish psychopath (Is that redundant? hmm) and she still has Max in her sights.  You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll wonder why…. Another excellent outing from Messrs Bruen and Starr and the Hardcase Imprint. 12/07 Jack Quick 

SLIP AND FALL by Nick Santora:  Robert Principe is the first lawyer in his working class Italian family.  He is an idealist, a man of ethics and principles, and is slowly starving to death.  He's three months behind on his mortgage, pays his secretary sporadically, and his wife is pregnant.  Desperate, he turns to his cousin Jackie, a Brooklyn mobster.  Robert proposes an insurance scam, and Jackie is in - and so's his boss; there's nothing the mob likes more than easy money.  Robert gets in way over his head and the pages fly by as the Robert's life starts spinning out of control.  But who better to write a terrific Mafia tale than Santora; this former lawyer got his writing chops writing for Prison Break, Law & Order, & The Sopranos.  08/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

SLIVER OF TRUTH by Lisa Unger:  This is the sequel to one of my favorite thrillers of 2006, Beautiful Lies and this is definitely a case of having to read the books in order.  I read Beautiful Lies more than a year ago, and I found the beginning of the sequel hard to follow.  Once more of the story started coming back to me, I started enjoying this one a lot more and I really couldn't put it down.  The story revolves around Ridley Jones, who in Beautiful Lies learns that she is adopted and that her beloved Uncle Max is really her father.  Max is gone, but things start happening that make Ridley wonder if he really is dead.  She starts learning more about her father, many things she wished she never knew, and the story takes off at lightening speed, with one jolt after another, creating a storm that won't soon be forgotten.   Written in the first person, but in a very conversational way, as if the author is having a conversation with her best friend, the reader, creating an intimacy that also makes it hard to put this book down.  A most worthy sequel.  02/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

SLIVER OF TRUTH by Lisa Unger: Since the events of last year's Beautiful Lies, Ridley Jones has been working to put her life back together and to reconcile the realities of her past with the memories of a life she no longer recognizes as her own. The revelations about Max Smiley and the truth that Project Rescue -- an organization that was meant to place unwanted children into loving homes -- was nothing more than a glorified kidnapping ring, were only the beginning. Now, the FBI seems to think that Max may still be alive and that he has been shadowing Ridley since the time of his supposed death. The feds aren't the only ones looking for Max, either. Ridley will soon discover that Project Rescue may have been the least of Max's sins and, once again, she will come to question everything and everyone in her life. Yet again, Lisa Unger has written a perfect thriller with a wholly engaging plot. A definite up all night read.  01/07 Becky Lejeune

SLOW MAN by J.M. Coetzee: Nobel Prize winner J.M. Coetzee has produced another fine novel which should stand the test of time. In Slow Man, he tells the story of the multi-faceted rehabilitation of a very solitary person who loses a leg when his bicycle is run down by an automobile. Coetzee uses this dramatic event as a basis for exploring not only the emotions of his characters and their reactions to a world not of their choosing, but also the tenuous relationships between what is real and what is imagined and between an author and his characters.
    The basic story is simple enough and clearly limned in the clean prose of an author who chooses his words with care and precision. Paul Rayment (the slow man) is minding his own business riding his bicycle in his Australian neighborhood when his serenity and his body are shattered by a careless young driver. He wakes to find himself in the clutches of his country's social welfare net. This system, while well-intentioned, seems to him to operate in an almost Kafka-esque fashion. It is designed to make him better whether he wants to be or not, in a rigidly prescribed fashion whether he likes it or not. Forced to receive home nursing, he is ultimately tended to by a remarkable Croatian immigrant woman for whom he develops strong feelings.
    This straight-forward story line is jolted, no less than Rayment was jolted by the errant vehicle, by the appearance of the central character from another of Mr. Coetzee's books, Elizabeth Costello, at Rayment's front door and her insistence on inserting herself into his life.
    The remainder of this story involves Rayment's efforts to achieve a more satisfying relationship with his nurse and expel the pesky author from his flat. To say more would be telling.
    This is a fine and challenging read and will be on my list of ten best books for 2005.  11/05 ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

Small Favor by Jim Butcher: The latest Dresden Files book starts out on the light note of a snowball fight, but, before he can enjoy it, Harry Dresden is caught up in a another war between the forces of Summer and Winter. Chicago’s only wizard has to bring in friends and family in order to take care of the small favor he owes to Mab, the Winter Queen. Harry and his friends face one horror after another as they try to rescue Gentleman Johnny Marcone, the lord of Chicago’s underworld. It’s even worse when a young girl is kidnapped, because Harry takes it personally. Small Favor is another strong entry in this outstanding series, a series with dark humor, magic and suspense. 05/08 Lesa Holstine

Small Town by Lawrence Block: I have very mixed feelings about this book.  A mid-list author is accused of murder which impels him into a multi-million dollar book deal, while an art gallery owner becomes obsessed with him.  It's set in New York City post September 11, and revolves around a serial killer who was deeply affected by the tragedy, which made me very uncomfortable.  There is enough well written kinky sex in here to qualify this book for the erotica section rather than the mystery section of any bookstore, but it seemed superfluous to the story.  Nonetheless, that, plus the historical bits about New York and the inside look at the publishing industry were the highlights for me.  The ending was simply a synopsis rather than prose, and a big turnoff.  It kept my interest and kept me turning pages, but it was unsettling.  

SNOW BLIND by P. J. Tracy:  Summer is so good.  Another of my favorite series, from the mother/daughter writing team known as P. J. Tracy, is back with their fourth Monkeewrench tale.  What could be a more perfect read for days of 90+ degree heat than the latest adventure in wintry, cold, snowy Minnesota?

    At the annual snowman building contest sponsored by the police department, all the fun comes to a halt when a young boy realizes that one of the snowmen contains a person - or rather, a dead body.  And so does another, and worse yet, the dead are cops.  Detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth are there for the contest and find themselves dealing with some sort of macabre cop killer. Then another body is found in a small town outside of Minneapolis, so Magozzi & Rolseth join up with the recently elected Sheriff on her first day of work. The trademark humor of this series is more muted this time, and the Monkeewrench crew has a much smaller role.  More than a story about a cop killer, this is a story about justice and what that really means, making this the most compelling and important story in this terrific series.  08/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The Boo