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Volume 4, Number 4 April 2005 Home | MBW Index

Table of Contents

Cynthia's Bookshelf Donovan's Bookshelf Klausner's Bookshelf

Laurel's Bookshelf Shelley's Bookshelf Shirley's Bookshelf

Cynthia's Bookshelf
Every Whispered Word
Karyn Monk
Bantam Dell Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, New York, New York, 10019
ISBN 0553584421 $6.99 416 pages

A fabulously entertaining Victorian.

In 1885, Lady Camelia Marshall returns to London following her father's death to secure investments that will allow her to continue her father's work. An archeologist in South Africa, Camelia believes that she is poised the brink of a major discovery. Others, however, doubt the value of her quest, and encourage her to give up her career to return to a more ordinary existence. Instead, Camelia seeks out an inventor whom she has thoroughly researched, believing he can create a steam engine capable of ridding her archeological site of water so she might continue her dig.

Inventor Simon Kent has little use for London society. His family periodically patents his inventions, but he is much more interested in discovering new things and allowing others to elaborate on the possibilities that might better society. Hard at work on a washing machine, he does not notice his interloper until she has been drenched with water. While he might be flattered by her interest in his work, Simon does not become willing to aid Camelia's quest until a mysterious fire guts his home. Then accompanied by a variety of guests, including Camelia's pet snake, bird and monkey, Simon embarks upon a life altering journey to South Africa.

Author Karyn Monk presents a light and amusing read in EVERY WHISPERED WORD. Days after finishing the novel, I could not help recalling especially vividly realized and humorous tidbits, which would once again have me giggling. Camelia's intelligence, determination, and career choice nicely compliment Simon's own unorthodox lifestyle. Startling original, marvelously humorous, and wonderfully told, EVERY WHISPERED WORD is a must read. EVERY WHISPERED WORD comes very highly recommended.

Cynthia Penn
Senior Reviewer

Donovan's Bookshelf
Barry Bonds
John Bloom
Greenwood Press
PO Box 61109, Denver, CO 80206
0313329559 $29.95 1-800-225-5800 www.greenwood.com

Baseball star Barry Bonds was one of the sport's greatest hitters, and John Bloom's biographical sketch BARRY BONDS joins others in the 'Greatest Hitters' series presenting a review of his life and talents. Chapters detail his statistical performance, his controversial public image, and the accusations of steroid use which cloud his reputation today. An intriguing coverage.

Encyclopedia of American Women In Business
Carol H. Krismann
Greenwood Press
88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
0313333831 $175.00 1-800-225-5800 www.greenwood.com

Specialized business collections or those seeking biographies of notable women will find Carol H. Krisman's two-volume reference invaluable: women have been active in American business since the 18th century, but overcoming great obstacles to success in the process. Entries discuss both their lives and careers, plus add topics central to American businesswomen's issues, from career planning and childcare to flexible work arrangements and even golf. The result's a substantial reference key to any in-depth understanding of the American business environment.

Popular Psychology
Luis A. Cordon
Greenwood Press
88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
0313324573 $75.00 1-800-225-5800 www.greenwood.com

Luis Cordon's reference is actually an encyclopedia, providing a basic guide for high school to college students who want to understand the foundations of serious psychology. There are over a hundred entries from acupuncture and alien abduction to brainwashing, chemical imbalance and more. Topics range from mood disorders to stress disorders, seasonal disorders and pop trends which aren't really true psychology.

Statistical Handbook on The Social Safety Net
Fernando F. Padro
Greenwood Press
88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
1573565164 $150.00 1-800-225-5800 www.greenwood.com

The 'social safety net' may be defined as public service programs such as social security, unemployment insurance and the welfare systems: social systems which address issues of the poor in society. Here's an array of 300 tables, graphics and charts which converts statistics into solid facts and references, provides source materials for further user reference, and includes a glossary of terms and chapters analyzing programs. Perfect for college-level reference collections, STATISTICAL HANDBOOK ON THE SOCIETY SAFETY NET is a reference not to be missed by any college collection with strong social issues courses.

Encyclopedia of American Regional Studies
Mark Busby, Editor
Greenwood Press
88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
0313332665 $699.95 1-800-225-5800 www.greenwood.com

College-level collections serious about their American cultural or history holdings would do well to consider the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN REGIONAL CULTURES despite its hefty price tag: it provides 8 volumes divided by U.S. region: THE SOUTHWEST, SOUTH, MIDWEST, NEW ENGLAND, PACIFIC REGION, GREAT PLAINS REGION, ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION and MID-ATLANTIC REGION. Each book is almost 500 pages in length and features research in the areas of ethnicity, fashion, food, language, literature, music and the arts, religion, folklore and more. An introductory essay provides the overview, with timelines, charts, a bibliography and more packing each book with all the appropriate material for reference and reports. While black and white photos pepper each, the meat of each book lies in its detailed reports and analysis of what makes each regional American culture unique. A highly recommended, indispensable 'must' for any college-level collection strong in American regional studies.

Greenwood Press
PO Box 5007, Westport, CT 06881-5007
1-800-225-5800 www.greenwood.com

History references are another one of Greenwood's great strengths, providing solid background coverage in references equally important and recommended for high school to college-level collections. Take the 2-volume encyclopedia edited by Katharina M. Wilson and Nadia Margolis, WOMEN IN THE MIDDLE AGES (0313330174): leading scholars across all disciplines contribute their expertise to over 300 alphabetically arranged entries blending biography with critical analysis, covering women from the third to the fifteenth centuries both well-known and obscure. Primary and secondary source bibliographies accompany listings which run a page and a half to several pages in length. Two coverages on major wars are also important library references: Lawrence Tritle's THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR (0313324999, $45.00) covers the early democracy created by Athens, which warred with its neighbors for decades in struggle to control the region. Tritle's history serves as a fine introduction to the event, packing in not just biographies and history, but annotated primary documents and a cultural and social overview of the war and the times. Cole C. Kingseed's THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR (0313316384, $45.00) also provides an essential overview to the important important event in American history, using a narrative format to present six topical chapters covering major issues during the war, from Lee's final battle to modern consequences of the war today. Again, primary documents serve as the foundation. More more of a focus on ancient cultures' daily living patterns, choose Kristen Wolf's DAILY LIFE OF THE VIKINGS (0313322694, $49.95), a survey which probes the realities of the greater Scandinavian community and its relationship to its Viking explorers. Chapters are organized into major life experiences, from religion and education to political and domestic life. Or perhaps it's a historical overview which is needed: Glenn E. Perry's HISTORY OF EGYPT (0313322643, $45.00) and Anne Baltz Rodrick's HISTORY OF GREAT BRITAIN (0313319685) each contributeto Greenwood's 'Histories of the Modern Nations' series, each emphasizing recent times and covering each country's development through different periods of modern times. Biographical sketches, timelines of events, and essays devoted to major political periods and news make it easy for researchers to understand the social and political history of the countries. Or try Robert Steven Bianchi's DAILY LFIE OF THE NUBIANS (0313325014, $49.95), reflecting recent archaeological discoveries which fill in many gaps in the history of ancient Nubian life. Any library with a history of Nubian culture will find this essential. Elspeth Whitney's MEDIEVAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (0313325197, $45.00) surveys major changes of the era, examining the nature and methods of medieval inquiry from astronomy to chemistry and geography, discussing how technological inventions of the times changed world history, and including biographical sketches of the achievements of 20 selected men and women who contributed vastly to the changes in Medieval scientific thinking. Randall Huff's REVOLUTIONARY WAR ERA (0313322627, $49.95) joins others in 'American Popular Culture Through History', re-creating the different paths American culture took during the course of the Revolutionary War. From how information and customs were transmitted and changed to marriage, public art, and religious debates, discussions are lively and analytical - but easily accessible by both high school and college-level students. Excellent choices, all.

Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
1-800-421-0351 www.prometheusbooks.com

What is radiation, what are its pros and cons, and how does it affect our lives? On the 100th year of Marie Curie's first Nobel Prize awarded for the discovery of radioactivity, Alan Waltar's Radiation And Modern Life: Fulfilling Marie Curie's Dream (1591022509, $28.00) provides an engrossing overview of radiation's many benefits and untapped potentials. As past president of the American Nuclear Society, Dr. Waltar is in the perfect position to clearly explain this energy source and uses plenty of examples and anecdotes to keep RADIATION AND MODERN LIFE accessible to non-scientist readers. Thomas G. West's Thinking Like Einstein: Returning To Our Visual Roots With The Emerging Revolution In Computer Information Visualization (1591022517, $28.00) views Einstein as a classic example of a visual thinker who tends to think in images but has problems with standard numerical symbols. An intriguing connection is made between such visually oriented folks as Einstein and learning disabilities such as dyslexia as West explores the idea of visual thinking enhanced by computer graphics, widening his discussion to maintain we're at the beginning of a transition from word/number based culture to images and pictures in which computer visualization technology will change how we all think.

NASCAR Now
Timothy Miller & Steve Milton
Firefly Books
4 Daybreak Lane, Westport, CT 06880
155297829X $19.95 1-800-387-5085 www.fireflybooks.com

For NASCAR race fans, Timothy Miller and Steve Milton collaborate to provide the definitive inside scoop on NASCAR drivers, cars and crew including past and present legendary drivers, to their teams, their sponsors, and more. Packed with color photos throughout, NASCAR NOW provides interviews, case histories, team statistics and much, much more for the avid NASCAR fan.

Firefly Books Ltd.
4 Daybreak Lane, Westport, CT 06880
1-800-387-5085 www.fireflybooks.com

Four astronomy guides are also recommended picks. Terence Dickinson's fourth expanded, revised edition of THE UNIVERSE AND BEYOND (1552979016, $29.95) includes the latest astronomy findings with new images from the Hubble Space telescope and latest space probes as it attends to a visually exciting, yet easy scientific expose with lay readers in mind. Weightier and more appropriate for the college-level reference library is Paul Murdin and Margaret Penston's ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ASTRONOMY (1552977978, $59.95), packing in over 1700 entries and 350 color photos with its comprehensive survey of stargazing. An encyclopedia format of listings lends to ongoing research use. Andrew K. Johnston's EARTH FROM SPACE (1552978206, $49.95) offers three hundred images of Earth from space from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, presenting a unique global view and including plenty of written description on geography and maps. Pam Spence's SUN OBSERVER'S GUIDE (1552979415, $14.95) tells how to view the sun through filters or projecting its image. Spence is an experienced astronomer, and explains all aspects of sun viewing; from safety to identifying sun qualities and keeping records of observations. Fun guides for amateur astronomers, all four are unique, outstanding additions to any astronomy reference collection.

Firefly Books Ltd.
4 Daybreak Lane, Westport, CT 06880
1-800-387-5085 www.fireflybooks.com

Mark Carwardine's SHARK (1552979482, $24.95) is a lively, inviting blend of natural history and color photos. The beautiful color photos throughout carry Carwardine's expert detailed information covering sharks; from origins and ancestors to distribution and natural history. A photographer, zoologist, and regular contributor to BBC wildlife Magazine, Cardwardine's background in marine biology makes him the perfect author for SHARK. Likewise, Stephen Mills' TIGER (1552979490, $24.95), written by a professional naturalist who has studied tigers in India and Nepal for over 20 years. Mills' background lends to an authoritative, exciting discussion while his camera skills capture rare tiger footage throughout. Both are fine coverages. Chris G. Earley's HAWKS & OWLS OF THE GREAT LAKES REGION & EASTERN NORTH AMERICA (1552978478, $16.95) uses almost two hundred color photos to outline the birds of prey from this region, depicting them in their natural environment and offering comparison pages of similar-looking birds for further reference. Add discussions of sex and breed differences, seasonal plumage changes and more and you have an exciting field guide. Phil Schappert's THE LAST MONARCH BUTTERFLY (1552979695, $19.95) presents a researcher's survey of the monarch, pairing over fifty color photos with details on how monarchs are endangered. Detailed observations and discussions of their extraordinary migration patterns supplement an exciting, colorful discussion. The revised edition of ORANGUTANS:WIZARDS OF THE RAINFOREST (1552979989, $24.95) presents Anne E. Russon's personal odyssey about her life with orangutans. Her furry friends have names and personalities: this newly revised publication includes new data on orangutan thoughts, rehabilitation processes, and more.

Diary of Samuel Pepys: Selected Passages
Richard Le Gallienne, Editor
Dover Publications
31 East 2nd Street, Mineola, NY 11501
0486436675 $9.95 1-800-223-3130 www.doverpublications.com

Dover's republication of PASSAGES FROM THE DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS returns a 1921 classic to print, providing select passages from Pepys' more extensive DIARY recounting the Great Fire of London and the Plague years. A vivid description of life in bygone England evolves, recommended for college-level courses in period English history.

My First Summer In the Sierra
John Muir
Dover Publications
31 East 2nd Street, Mineola, NY 11501
0486437353 $6.95 1-800-223-3130 www.doverpublications.com

In the summer of 1969 naturalist John Muir, then a young Scottish immigrant joined a crew of shepherds in California's Sierra Nevada mountains, keeping a diary while tending sheep and reflecting a newfound love for the area. MY FIRST SUMEMRI N THE SIERRA was first published in 1991 and blended his observations with his sketches: Dover reprints the experience for new audiences.

The King in Yellow And Other Horror Stories
Robert W. Chambers
Dover Publications
31 East 2nd Street, Mineola, NY 11501
0486437507 $14.95 1-800-223-3130 www.doverpublications.com

Robert Chamber's title story became one of the most important works in American supernatural fiction since those of Poe, representing one of the first attempts to establish the horror of the names: this reprints all the supernatural stories from THE KING IN YELLOW, presenting some of Chambers' best from a range of sources. A highly recommended pick for fans of horror and the supernatural.

Early Motorcycles
Victor W. Page
Dover Publications, Inc.
31 East 2nd Street, Mineola, NY 11501
0486436713 $29.95 1-800-223-3130 www.doverpublications.com

Early Motorcycles: Construction, Operation and Repair was first published in the 1920s, when thousands of motorcycles were already in use. Author Victor Page himself was an early transportation pioneer: his background lends to a lively survey of motorcycles, from engines, lubrication and materials to gear types and standard equipment. It's hard to believe EARLY MOTORCYCLES first appeared in 1924 - and that the instructions on operation and repair remain as relevant today as it did when it was first published.

Good Things to Eat
Rufus Estes
Dover Publications, Inc.
31 East 2nd Street, Mineola, NY 11501
0486437647 $8.95 1-800-223-3130 www.doverpublications.com

Dover Publications has reprinted Rufus Estes' Good Things to Eat: The First Cookbook by an African-American Chef, the first cookbook by an Afro-American chef, returning this time-lost 1911 culinary classic to print. It's refreshing to read a title from the past which doesn't skimp on the lard or the fats, and intriguing to read about Estes' Southern childhood and early years as a railway attendant, while the easy recipes for Baked Milk (an early form of custard), or Parsnip Fritters.

Dover Publications, Inc.
31 East 2nd Street, Mineola, NY 11501
1-800-223-3130 www.doverpublications.com

Garma C.C. Chang edited TEACHINGS OF TIBETAN YOGA in 1963, and here it comes again (in an affordable, unabridged republication to reach new audiences with its survey of Tantric Buddhism. Chang's Teachings and Practice Of Tibetan Tantra (0486437426 $8.95) remains more accessible than most, offering a step-by-step instructional on how to perform the purification exercises, rather than the usual spiritual overview of theory. Frederick Thomas Elworthy's THE EVIL EYE: THE CLASSIC ACCOUNT OF AN ANCIENT SUPERSTITION (0486434370, $17.95) reprints an 1895 classic treatise first published over a century ago, and holding importance for modern researchers. Early 200 illustrations of 'evil-preventing' charms from the author's personal collection accompany an in-depth history. David Bakan's SIGMUND FREUD AND THE JEWISH MYSTICAL TRADITION (0486437671, $16.95) republishes a 1965 treatise challenging the popular view of Freud as a secular intellectual. Bakan's treatment maintains Freud's psychoanalytic theory is rooted in Jewsih tradition - particularly the mysticism of the kabbala - and provides new interpretations based on this theory. Two new mythologies are inviting: W. Max Muller's EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY (0486436748, $14.95) reprints the Egyptian section of the weighty MYTHOLOGY OF ALL RACES, V. XII form 1918, culling out the scholarship surrounding the role of art in religious expression and revealing how Egyptian doctrine evolved. John Arnott MacCulloch's CELTIC MYTHOLOGY (048643656X, $12.95) does the same for the Celtic section of Volume III, recounting ancient stories of Ireland and Wales and including illustrations from rare source materials.

Diane C. Donovan
West Coast Editor

Klausner's Bookshelf
Bran Mak Morn: The Last King
Robert E. Howard
Del Rey
ISBN: 0345461541 $15.95, 384 pp.

Though Bran Mak Morn is the prime player of this collection, as he stars in three of the short stories and is a feature star of the Miscellanea Part two section, this compilation is more accurately described as a deep look at the author's "Lost Race": the Picts. The compilation is fabulously enhanced by the illustrations of Gary Gianni that bring even more to life Howard's blending of fantasy and history in this case, the ancient world of the Picts. Clearly the sword and sorcery crowd who like a more historical anchor will want to read this insightful look at Mr. Howard's Pict world. Especially those who enjoy Conan will cherish BRAN MAK MORN: THE LAST KING that will remind fans of THE BLOODY CROWN OF CONAN in format and style; containing short stories enhanced by Mr. Gianni's delightful illustrations and Miscellanea and Appendices segments that provide further insight into the author and his rendition of the Picts.

Holy Smoke
Tonino Benacquista
Bitter Lemon
ISBN: 190473801X $13.95

Dario Trengoni and his childhood pal Antonio Polsinelli meet for the first time in years and discuss what each is doing and what is happening with some of their mutual friends from growing up Italian in South Paris. Dario insists "Anto" speaks the real language, Italian better than he so he asks a favor. Anto reluctantly agrees to writes a love letter for Dario to Madame Raphaelle ironically in French. Not long after their encounter, someone shoots Dario in the head. Tonio as he known now is stunned to learn he inherited an Italian vineyard near Naples from Dario. He also finds out that his friend was a Taxi-boy earning his money as a gigolo. Tonio tries to locate Madame Raphaelle, but that proves a bit dangerous. So instead he travels to his new property only to find the wine stinks, the vines are worse, the locals already hate him, and a religious scam is in place. With the inheritance comes the Mafia and the Vatican, two of the toughest mobs in Europe, who expect Tonio to give each of them a 100 percent tithe. HOLY SMOKE! This tale is a terrific twisted look at crime from the perspective of a small timer who is being squeezed by organized groups who want the whole action. Tonio is fabulous as a minnow suddenly swimming with sharks. Fans will appreciate his distinction between the two outside "mobs". The story line satirizes criminal behavior (a crime is defined by the state) to include organized religion as a subcategory of crime. Tonino Benacquista provides a delightfully droll dark thriller.

Death Takes a Honeymoon
Deborah Donnelly
Dell
ISBN 0440241308 $5.99, 335 pp.

Wedding planner Carnegie Kincaid is going through a rough patch professionally and personally. Her Seattle based businesses "Made in Heaven Wedding Design" is not making much money and her relationship with her commitment phobic significant other Aaron Gold is strained. She decides to attend the wedding of her college friend Tracy West because of the business contacts she will make there as Tracy is a big Hollywood star and her parents know all the movers and shakes. When Carnegie learns her cousin died, she decides that the wedding is the perfect place to get some answers regarding his death. Although Carnegie wasn't close to her cousin Brian Theale, she wants to know if his death was an accident or murder. A professional who examined the body thinks he was murdered but the sheriff and the task force classified it an accident. Brian's fellow smoke jumpers who were with him shortly after he died will be at the wedding so Carnegie will have an easy time questioning the suspects. To her delight, Aaron comes up for the wedding and since he is a journalist with skills that are needed to question suspects, they team up to find out the truth behind Brian's death. The heroine becomes the de facto wedding planner for the West wedding which gives her easy access to the suspects and her determination to find out if the cousin she didn't like was murdered is laudable. Doing her job while trying to scope out a murderer leads to some very funny situations and the comic relief is needed because the tension throughout the storyline is as tight as a high wire. Deborah Donnelly is a very creative writer whose mystery series is refreshingly innovative and totally exciting.

Funeral Music
Morag Joss
Dell
ISBN: 044024241X $6.99

World class cellist Sara Selkirk remains stunned by the death of her lover, which led to her inability to perform at a recent Paris concert. She has come to Bath to play the Cello at a charity event although she still mourns her loss. Following the event in the Pump Room, Sara finds the host organizer Museum Director Matthew Sawyer floating in the Roman Baths' Sacred Spring, stabbed to death. Heading the investigation Detective Chief Investigator Andrew Poole has a vested interest that should probably disqualify him as he gets cello lessons from Sara and is attracted to her although he is unhappily married. The inquiries go nowhere as everyone detested the victim. Initially reluctant to talk with Sara about the suspects, Andrew realizes he needs her insight to reduce the list because so many seem to have motive and opportunity. She helps the DCI but rejects his romantic advances even when he swears he left his wife because he loves her. Sara's efforts help her overcome her grief, but also threaten her career as an angry female warns her that if she fails to back off she will lose her hands. This British police procedural tale hooks the audience due to the star Sara, who struggles with the death of a loved one, understands that the show must go on and rejects the romantic advances of the head investigator. The who-done-it is cleverly designed for an Agatha Christie like finish, but what makes the tale is the deep look at Bath and Sara especially her refreshing refusal to become Andrew's lover. Several secondary players seem add nothing to this well written allegro paced murder mystery that has a crescendo ending.

Dark Planet
Charles W. Sasser
Medallion
ISBN 1932815139 $6.99, 368 pp.

In the far distant future while earth is a wasteland populated by mutants, humanity colonized countless planets becoming the dominant power in the galaxy after they crushed the Indowy technology which made humans and Zentadons little more than slaves. Now under the Galaxia Republic, humans are the species with the most power and the Zentadon and the Indowy races have evolved into pacifists. There is a new alien species that is moving into Federation territory known as the Blobs and it is believed they are building a base on the Dark Planet Aldenia. Deep Reconnaissance Team 2113 is sent there undercover and one of the members is Kadar San, a half-breed human Zentadon with telepathic powers. They discover an old Indowy weapon that could decimate the galaxy and Kadar San wants it destroyed. However another member, of the team Blade who is influenced by the evil Presence wants to take the weapon off planet so it can be used as a weapon of mass destruction. There is a benign Presence who sides with Kadar San in his battle with Blade and the evil Presence and the stake of their encounter is the survival or destruction of the galaxy. Readers who like military science fiction within a space opera will love DARK PLANET. The alien seem very real as if the author traveled through time to the future and recorded the cultures of different sentient species. There is a lot of action in this novel but that doesn't mean the characters are stereotypes. The protagonists are well developed sometimes make mistakes but always fight to destroy evil. The romance between Kadar San and one of his teammates adds another dimension to a satisfying reading experience.

The Keeners
Maura D. Shaw
Medallion
ISBN: 1932815155 $25.95 279 pp.

In 1846 County Clare, Ireland, seventeen-year-old Margaret Meehan thinks the world is terrific as her family farm has always done well growing potatoes and she anticipates marrying Tom Riordan. Adding to her belief that all is right in her orbit is that she is also apprenticed to the elderly keener Nuala Lynch as they provide solace to those grieving the loss of a loved one. However, her idyllic life collapses as the potato famine begins with people dying throughout the devastated country. Unable to cope with so much death and demand on the keeners and with her spouse condemned as a criminal, Margaret and Tom flee to Troy, New York, where many Irish have immigrated to start anew. Here Margaret finds her expatriate countrymen in need of a Keener, but can she use her gift after watching her family, friends, and nation die? THE KEENERS is a superb historical tale that brings to life the blight of the Irish when the crops failed in 1846 and many fled to a new world to begin again. The key to Maura D. Shaw's tale is the historical perspective that comes across with depth whether Margaret struggles with the nightmare of Ireland or the new optimistic beginnings in Troy. Margaret is a terrific center holding the novel together as she never forgets her roots, but wonders if she can return to keening after being overwhelmed with so much death as she suffers from a form of battle fatigue syndrome yet knows she is needed. This is a fabulous mid nineteenth century story that historical fans will cherish.

Cain and Abel
Michelle Perry
Medallion
ISBN: 1932815031 $6.99, 308 pp.

In Tennessee, the woman in Polly's Restaurant panics when she notices the patron dining there. She flees even as he notices her escape. She is hit by a car and rushed to a hospital, but not before perplexed private investigator Alex Ramsey wonders who Emily Jackson is, why she fled, and why when he reached her did she mumble his twin's name Cole. Alex learns that Emily is actually his sister-in-law Jessica, who allegedly died five years ago. He also learns he has a nephew Joe. Deciding that Joe is in jeopardy from a crazed mother, Alex calls his estrange sibling to tell him his spouse lives, is crazy, and may prove harmful to the son that Cole never knew existed. However, Alex soon changes his mind when Jessica comments that Cole is going to kill her and spread her remains across the country; the same comment their father said to their mother when she fled with Alex while his sibling decided to stay behind. Alex realizes what he has done and vows to keep Jessica and his nephew safe from his brother. Though Alex is too easily persuaded that initially his in-law is wacko and then his brother is the maniac fans will appreciate this strong romantic suspense. The comparison between the siblings makes the strong case that nurturing is more important than naturing as the varying environments the twins were raised in make them so different. The guilt that attacks Alex's soul for first leaving his twin behind and then when he comprehends what he has done to Jessica and worse little Joe makes Michelle Perry's tale of brothers an exhilarating chiller.

The Baby Trail
Sinead Moriarty
Atria
ISBN: 0743496760 $23.00, 308 pp.

Married one year thirty-three years old make-up artist Emma Hamilton and her spouse rugby coach James decide to have a baby. Emma conducts research, develops an action plan with a detailed time line, and implements the process because she must be ready to celebrate next Christmas with her three month old child. However, month two in her plan called for pregnancy, which failed to happen in spite of constant sex. Now two months behind schedule, Emma decides to supplement the au natural plan that failed to perceive its objective. Months later and still not pregnant, fertility drugs, standing on her head, and James not allowed wasting one iota in case that one is the gold medal swimmer, Emma is stopped by a cop who has just adopted a Romanian child. Two years and no kid, even James is losing patience with Emma (can the readers be far behind?) so perhaps Bucharest is the perfect vacation spot that is after a stop at Lourdes hoping for divine intervention. This chick lit tale is more a series of vignettes that focus on contraception and fertility than a novel. Though the obsessed Emma is an interesting character, readers will become weary of her antics yet ironically root for her to achieve her goal and become pregnant. James is a saint (or the reincarnation of Job) for putting up with Emma's insanity. THE BABY TRAIL has amusing moments and overall is well written, but reads more like a short story collection with a central character worth perusing over several sittings.

Silverfin
Charlie Higson
Hyperion
ISBN: 0786838140 $16.95, 352 pp.

In the 1930s in the Scottish Highlands, fourteen year old Alphie Kelly sneaks under a fence that contain dead animals and other keep out trespassing notices to go fishing at Loch Silverfin. However, strange behaving eel attack the lad. At the same time that Alphie vanishes, James Bond enters Eton after spending the last couple of years living with his Aunt Charmian following the deaths of his parents in a mountain climbing incident. He runs into trouble from the start with an older student, American George Hellebore and the teen's father weapons tycoon Randolph. James heads to Keithly, Scotland to spend the Easter holidays with his beloved aunt and his ailing Uncle Max. On the train, he befriends Red Kelly who is heading to the same area to search for his missing cousin. In Keithly, James and Red breech the perimeter fence, trespassing on Randolph's property where he is conducting experiments on a super soldier that will eliminate the frailty of those he observed during the last Great War. SILVERFIN is a fine young James Bond tale in which the lad shows glimpses of the cool spy, but just as often displays young teen bravado to hide a lack of confidence. Thus the middle school audience that this novel targets can believe that this is indeed James during his school years. The investigation is intriguing and Randolph is a solid Bond villain. The Eton chapters set the tone for James and his allies vs. the father and son Hellebores. Fans will enjoy their altercation that makes up Part Two of the fine novel.

Cut and Run
Ridley Pearson
Hyperion
ISBN 0786867264 $23.95, 416 pp.

U.S. Marshall Roland Larson has guarded Hope Stevens for forty-one days waiting for her to be placed in the Witness Protection Program. She has information of the Romero crime family that can put them away for life. So far they have tried to kill her three times and although failed, they will keep on trying so it is imperative that she gets a new identity quickly so she can be alive to testify at their fraud and murder trials. Before she disappears, Hope asks Larson to go into the program so they can be together. The next day she is gone and nobody will tell Larson where she has been relocated to or the name she is now using. Six years later, Hope is out of the program and on her own with her five year old daughter Penny. The Romero family has gone underground and wants to locate her now because their brother Donny is due out of prison unless she comes forth to testify. They kidnap Penny to use as a bargaining chip but Larson has found Hope and he is determined to get Penny, no matter what the costs. Action, adventure, and romance are blended together to become one of the best books Ridley Pearson has ever written. The characters touch a chord in the readers' hearts especially Hope who wants daughter safe at all cost to herself. Larson wants Hope and Penny out of harm's way and with him while Penny has to be brave beyond her years to survive the kidnapping. The brilliant characterizations, the fast paced storyline and the romantic sizzle between two protagonists make CUT AND RUN a book to put on the keeper shelf.

Haunted Ground
Erin Hart
Scribner
ISBN: 0743272102 $12.00, 352 pp.

While working his land cutting up peat, farmer Brendan McGann uncovers the well preserved severed head of a red hair woman. Apparently the local peat conserved what later proves to be a three-century-old head. Since "Bog Bodies" are a popular pastime in Western Ireland, Archeology Professor Cormac Maguire is asked to look at the precious find. He quickly enlists anatomy expert Irish-American Nora Gavin to accompany him to evaluate the head. Near the McGann farm in Dunbeg, townsfolk discuss the disappearance two years ago of the wife and toddler of wealthy Hugh Osborne. The spousal vanishing reminds Nora of the murder of her sister, killed in her mind by her brother-in-law. As Nora and Cormac work together, their attraction for one another grows. While they explore the peat find, Detective Devaney continues to investigate the missing Osbornes over the objection of his superior who demands his inquiry ends as a cold case. Though the lead protagonists are more equals and begin falling in love, HAUNTED GROUND feels like a modern day rendition of the HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES with forensic science replacing Holmesian logic. The two professional visitors are a delightful pair trying to solve the peat mystery, but unable to resist involvement in the Osborne case especially Nora due to her sibling connection. The villagers with their suspicious nature of the outside invaders add a gothic atmosphere to a strong suspense thriller. Readers will appreciate this suspense tale that combines modern day forensic science with a three hundred-year-old murder and a current mystery that might be "buried" in the HAUNTED GROUND of the bogs.

Burned
Carol Higgins Clark
Scribner
ISBN 0743242750 $23.00, 288 pp.

Private investigation Regan Reilly is ready to leave California and spend the weekend in New York with her fiance Jack. She's also supposed to go over wedding plans with her mother, a bestselling author. A terrible blizzard closes down the airports in the East so when Megan's best friend Kit calls her from Hawaii to invite her to stay with her for a long weekend at the Waikiki Waters Playground and Resort she gladly accepts. When she arrives she learns that an employee of the hotel washed ashore; the police declared it an accidental drowning. What is strange about her death is she was wearing a priceless lei that belonged to Hawaii's last queen. The manager of the hotel Will Brown has doubts about the death and hires Regan to investigate. The lei is the twin to the one that is being auctioned off at the hotel on Saturday. The thief who originally stole the lei returns and takes both leis. What follows is comedy of errors as Regan and the police successfully find the leis. In the meantime, Regan is also involved is saving the lives of two people who just got engaged from two ruthless killers and investigating Kit's new boyfriend to make sure he's on the up and up. What starts out as a vacation for the heroine turns into a non stop workathon where she tries to juggle three cases at the same time without getting killed. Carol Higgins Clark has created a fantastic private investigator that is a cross between Kinsey Milhone and Irene Kelly. There is so much action that takes place readers will feel that they have taken a ride on the world's fastest roller coaster.

Just Murdered
Elaine Viets
Signet
ISBN 0451214927 $6.50, 288 pp.

When Helen Hawthorne saw her husband having sex with another woman, she became so mad she smashed his car to pieces. The judge ordered them to split to the income when they sell their house equally and ordered Helen to pay alimony because supposedly he supposedly supported her career by being a house husband. Rather than give him a dime, Helen runs down to Ft. Lauderdale, going from a six figure job to a series of dead end positions that she receives remittance for under the table. Her latest job is as a salesperson at the posh Millicent's Bridal Salon but Helen discovers that weddings bring out the worst in people. Kiki is a rich mother of the bride who is determined to out shine her daughter on her wedding day. Kiki makes enemies wherever she goes as she believes her money insulates her from taking responsibility for her actions. On the day of the wedding Kiki is found murdered in a closet and Helen has to find out who the killer is because she is the police's number one suspect. JUST MURDERED is a hilarious chick-lit mystery where the bride and groom get married despite the fact that Kiki fails to attend. When her body is discovered, there are a host of suspects who would have liked to kill Kiki from the chauffer who was used as a stud to the owner of the bridal store who hasn't been paid for the gowns, accessories and the daughter who despised her mother. Readers will find themselves laughing out loud when Helen subtly tries to question the suspects, all of whom look at her as the hired help.

Women of the Bible: Abigail's Story
Ann Burton
Signet
ISBN: 045121479X $5.99, 288 pp.

When her father Oren who taught her to believe in Adonai and to make pottery, no longer could walk to the market, Abigail took over those chores as her older brother Rivai who should have done so was too much the foolish dreamer. Still she dreams of marrying for love and raising children together while worshipping Adonai. Her hopes for the future are shattered when Rivai owes a gambling debt to Nabal that he cannot pay. Abigail offers Nabal her hand in marriage as remittance because a family pays every member's debts; Nabal accepts. Being the Fool that he is,Nabal sends his spouse away to work with sheep. Although she still hopes to be a good wife, Abigail enjoys the solitude and the people she meets. One of those is David, who takes a liking to the proud strong young woman. However, when her husband the Fool refuses to provide food and liquid to a requesting David for his soldiers and actually insults the warriors, war seems imminent. Abigail tries to bring peace between the two men. Abigail is an interesting biblical character whose story is a short segment of the Book of Samuel. Ann Burton brings more than just Abigail to life as she paints a vivid deep look at a biblical time when Saul is the king. Ms. Burton through the first person account of the title heroine provides an intriguing glimpse at family life of shepherds, warriors, and artisans and obligations like debts. A glossary provides helpful definitions to what is a terrific biblical biographical fiction, the genesis of a new series.

If Angels Burn
Lynn Viehl
Signet
ISBN: 0451214773 $6.99, 304 pp.

In Chicago, Dr. Alexandra Keller is a renowned reconstructive surgeon who works complex cases with a speed and accuracy that no else match. In New Orleans, M. Cyprian offers Alexandra an outrageous sum of money to work on his face; she refuses informing him to come to Chicago as she has other patients who need her. However, refusal is unacceptable; Michael's men abduct Alexandra and bring her to his home. She is stunned by the hole where his face is and he demonstrates how fast his body heals so that a normal surgeon would not have the time to operate. Alexandra reluctantly does repair his mutilated face. Afterward he sucks her blood in rapture, but she survives; the first human to do so in centuries. Feeling guilty Michael knows he must protect Alexandra from his fellow Darkyn and from their opposites the Vatican sponsored Brethan. He heads to Chicago where his loyal servant dumped the surgeon, not knowing that soon he will love this mortal. This exciting vampire romance is action packed from the moment that Alexandra is abducted and never slows down until the final altercation. The story line contains terrific characters that make the Darkyn seem like a real species especially the jealousy of a rival Lucan. Alexandra's brother Farther John adds depth to understanding the heroine. Lynn Viehl writes a fabulous paranormal tale that readers will appreciate each bite and look forward to sequels.

The Veil of Night
Lydia Joyce
Signet
ISBN: 0451214838 $6.99, 320 pp.

In 1864 Duke Byron Stratford hides in the darkness of his estate Raeburn Court. The recluse seeks vengeance from Jack Gifford for stealing the woman he planned to marry and has succeeded by buying up the man's markers. Jack's sister Lady Victoria Wakefield, a renowned spinster, asks the duke not to embarrass her family or destroy Jack. Byron responds by inviting her to spend time at his estate. To his shock she agrees. At Raeburn, Byron offers Victoria a deal in which he will call off the debt if she spends a week at his beck and call and have sex with him. She surprises him again by acquiescing to his demands. However, she is much more than a prim and proper spinster as Byron soon learns. They begin to fall in love, but he lives in the shadows of the night and she prefers horse back riding on a sunny day making a permanent relationship impossible. THE VEIL OF NIGHT is an intriguing Victorian romance that in many ways reads like a well written gothic. The story line grips the audience who want to know why Byron hides in the shadows (his coach sounds eerie). Victoria in certain ways is typical of the aristocratic female circa 1864, but much of her outlook was shaped by a common cold years ago. A better explanation is needed for how Byron was apparently part of the London glitter and then suddenly becomes a recluse hiding in the shadows (though the present is cleverly explained). Fans will appreciate this fine Victorian romance starring two interesting protagonists.

Dare Me
Cherry Adair, Jill Shalvis, & Julie Elizabeth Leto
Signet
ISBN: 0451214374 $6.99, 384 pp.

"Playing for Keeps" by Cherry Adair. The flight from San Cristobel to Miami was filled by the staff or family of President Pelacios when the plane crashed; flight attendant Danica Cross and the seven years old son of Pelacios miraculously survive. Her estranged husband Jon Raven pulls strings to see the woman he loves, but goes bonkers to learn she is back in San Cristobel. Not all the president's men or his personal physician can keep Dani safe; only Jon can and he will be tested to the max. "Nothing to Lose" by Jill Shalvis. DEA Agent Will Malone is unofficially chasing con artist Mario Alvarez who killed his sister Wendy. In Los Angeles Jade Barrett just broke off with Tomas only to find he looted her antiques store, her bank accounts, and her home. Will informs Jade that she was hustled by Mario and offers her a partnership to bring down this SOB; she accepts. "Dare to Desire" by Julie Elizabeth Leto. In New Orleans, T-45 Agent Macy Rush informs the realtor she will buy the house only to have Arm Agent Dante Burke tell her he already purchased the place. Macy hates Dante who betrayed her love nine years ago destroying her reputation and heart. Dante insists they team up as the count down to find the hidden code to avert terrorist use of an abandoned Russian missile in an unknown location has begun. These three romantic suspense thrillers grip the audience from the beginning and never let up until the climax. The lead couples are a delightful pairing and the action non-stopped as all three novellas are terrific tense tales.

Dating is Murder
Harley Jane Kozak
Doubleday
ISBN: 0385510349 $19.95

Because of her friends and the lack of income from her Good Golly Miss Wollies greeting card artistry, Wollstonecraft "Wollie" Shelley is a contestant on the new reality TV show Biological Clock. Her two pals entered her name and key stats, big chest, big legs, big bod and she was accepted as the perfect six foot contrast to the other female contestants. Wollie would trade in her fifteen minutes of Warhol fame for money so she agrees to the opportunity. Three women date three men with the audience deciding who should mate and produce the next generation. While dating on the air, Wollie's math tutor Annika vanishes. Unable to stay out of the situation, Wollie finds LAPD lacking interest in the case except for a cop wanting to take her out. So Wollie decides to look for the busy Annika, who besides teaching works as a production assistant and as an au pair for an Encino superwoman. As she makes some fumbling progress, a stalker warns Wollie to back off or else. Being Wollie and attracted to the stalker, she chooses or else. Chick lit meets amateur sleuth in Southern California. Wollie is as irreverent as ever though her dates seem a bit livelier than her previous appearance (see DATING DEAD MEN). The story line never takes itself seriously as it spoofs reality TV, chick lit novels, and amateur sleuth who-done-its. The cast starting with Wollie, but also her friends, her TV dates, the stalker, and the missing Annika come together to provide a humorous take on DATING IS MURDER.

Watch Your Back
Donald E. Westlake
Mysterious
ISBN 0892968028 $24.95, 310 pp

The family of New York fence Arnie Albright is so fed up with his obnoxious nasty personality that they stage an intervention and send him to the resort island of Club Med in the Caribbean to get a personality transplant. There he meets Preston Fareweather. The wealthy venture capitalist has been living on the island for three years to avoid being served the subpoenas, injunctions and other legal papers from his four ex-wives who have banded together to get even with Preston and take him for all he is worth. While on the island, he treats Arnie so terribly that when he returns to New York he decides to have his revenge on the man who made him feel worthless. He contacts Dortmunder and explains that Preston has a penthouse with exclusive art and antiques easy to rob because nobody lives there. Dortmunder and his crew accept the job but they get sidetracked when the mob takes over the O.J. Bar and Grill, their meeting place. While Dortmunder is fixing that problem, his ex-wives lure Preston off the island and he is heading to his penthouse at the same time Dortmunder and his crew plan to rob the place. Donald E. Westlake scores again with another deliciously ironic crime caper where criminals are trying to steal from one another. Preston, a white collar crook, is no different than his mob counterparts or Dortmunder and his misfits. The screw-ups outwit both the mob and the venture capitalist through some hilarious maneuvers. WATCH YOUR BACK is a crime thriller that will have readers chuckling out loud.

A Confidential Source
Jan Brogan
Mysterious
ISBN: 0892960078 $24.95, 326 pp.

She had an affair with an alleged murderer that she was profiling for the Boston Ledger. When she learns he was using her, reporter Hallie Ahern quits and relocates to Rhode Island where she takes a journalist position at a satellite bureau of the providence Morning-Chronicle. She fears working on any major story until the night she is in the back of the near deserted Mazurksy's market when someone shoots Barry the manager. Hallie writes the article and Leonard of Late Night radio offers her vital information for her story. Leonard tells Hallie that Barry had a gambling addiction that forced him to sell his stores, but though broke still played; he believes the mob sanctioned a hit. However Hallie notices how rabidly anti-gambling Leonard is as he challenges the mayor every chance he gets on the issue as His Honor wants to legalize the "vice" in Rhode Island. He offers her more information on political corruption at the highest state levels, but someone who has killed twice to keep the story out of the media will add Hallie to the list of the dead if she fails to drop her investigation. Fans who read A CONFIDENTIAL SOURCE will understand why many people oppose legalized gambling; Jan Brogan shows how the lure can cause a person to lose everything yet the addiction keeps them playing. Hallie learns this first hand when she begins playing at a casino and quickly is unable to pay her bills. Though one sided on the issue by ignoring the multi billion dollar illegal gambling industry, this novel is a well thought out thriller that is full of misdirection especially a believable unexpected u-turn that will surprise an elated audience.

More Than They Could Chew
Rob Roberge
Dark Alley (Harper Collins)
ISBN: 0060742801 $13.95, 306 pp.

In Long Beach, California Nick Ray works the first floor desk of the historic but not preserved Lincoln Hotel. On the graveyard shift, Nick seeks a way to communicate with his lover Tara without her lover knowing as he enjoys the sex but does not want a beating from her lesbian lover. To hide the affair, Nick buys a dinosaur age used computer. The relic turns out to be a former government machine in which the hard drive was not properly sanitized. It contains an interesting database that is apparently current: the names and present residences of whistle-blowers concealed by the government's witness-protection program. Seeing a chance to make a bundle by selling the information to mobsters seeking revenge or examples or to the recipient, Nick enlists two partners, Russian thug Sergei and disbarred lawyer Maggot Arm Joe. They beta test his new employment scheme with astonishing ease and success. However, the euphoric trio soon finds MORE THAN THEY COULD CHEW when someone will kill to possess the database. This is a zany thriller starring the ultimate loser who as his ex wife says would still find a way to come in second in a rigged race of one. Nick is the center of this madcap mania as he keeps the story line together though in a spiraling out of control way; yet he and the solid support cast make a strong case for genetic engineering of the next generation. Though the climax seems to gentle for such a wild dark yarn, readers will gladly bunker down appreciating the humorous look at anything has a price in the United Sales of America.

The Sugar Camp Quilt
Jennifer Chiaverini
Simon & Schuster
ISBN 0743260171 $22.00 306 pp.

In the years prior to the Civil War in Creek Crossing, Pennsylvania, the Grangers having lost their farm to a flood and have taken refuge with Uncle Jacob, a pious but harsh man. Robert and Lorena Granger hope that when Jacob dies, the farm will go to their son Jonathan who is apprenticing to a physician in Baltimore. Teenaged Dorothea is the dutiful niece going so far as to make a quilt for her uncle when he requests a specific pattern. When her uncle dies, she learns that Jacob was an abolitionist and his Sugar Camp was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Dorothea and her parents vow to continue Jacob's work knowing if they are caught, they could lose the farm and go to jail. Once her beau Cyrus Pearson learns that Dorothea didn't inherit anything from her uncle he drops her and becomes engaged to another woman. When slave catchers threaten Dorothea and the slaves she is helping to free, she turns to her nemesis Thomas Nelson for aid and learns that love can creep up on a person. Jennifer Chiaverini captures the ambience of Pennsylvania in the years prior to the Civil War. Readers learn the fears and anxiety of the conductors of the Underground Railroad feel as they try to outwit slave catchers and those who help them for bounty. Dorothea is a brave and realistic heroine who along with her family needs to star in future historicals.

Hyperlinkz Book 5: Hack Attack
Robert Elmer
Waterbrook
ISBN: 1578567513 $5.99, 128 pp.

In Normal, Illinois, siblings Austin and Ashley use his digital camera to actually visit Internet sites. Currently they are in Italy as Mt. Vesuvius is about to erupt. They get back from their adventure, but two things different occurred than from their previous web treks. For the first time they brought something back from the Internet dimension to their world: volcanic dust and Ashley insists she saw Austin playing when they needed to leave while he insists he was not fooling around. Someone wearing the identical clothing as Austin has on and looking like his twin is destroying the Dr. King exhibit with graffiti. Austin tries to stop the kid, but instead the janitor catches him. He is suspended. Ashley believes that someone else has that unique access to the Internet they have and is using it to get her brother in trouble. With the help of her Aunt Jessi, who is her age, and other friends, Ashley sets a trap to catch the real culprit. The Hyperlinkz novels are exciting and insightful tales that take pre-teens a on a wonderful journey of web sites while also providing tips for safe use by children on the Internet highway. The fifth book provides tours of Mt. St. Helen, the moon IO and Vesuvius amongst other fascinating stops, but all that is rolled into an action-packed preteen thriller. HACK ATTACK is fun, imaginative and entertaining.

Whence Came a Prince
Liz Curtis Higgs
Waterbrook
ISBN: 1578561280 $11.99

In 1790 Scotland Leana McBride is coming home to Auchengray although she knows her father will not welcome her, only dictate her behavior. Still she has no options. Jamie McKie who sired her son Ian is married to her sister Rose and together they are raising her child. Jamie also wants to return home to the Lowlands with his wife Rose, who is pregnant with their child. He loves his spouse but also cherishes her sister who he ruined. Jamie worries about Leana's reception and wonders if his brother still hates him enough to kill him. As the trio faces obstacles that would task Job, Leana turns to God for comfort and to learn how to forgive her sister and her former lover. While she begins to find solace in the Lord and turning the other cheek, her two compatriots struggle to follow in her example in spite of having each other. This inspirational Scottish historical tale works because the key cast seems genuine especially in their relationships with one another and with the Lord. Leana is heroic as she struggles to overcome her malice towards her sister for betraying her and other obstacles that would make a lesser soul give up. Rose is a much more complex person having obtained her desire yet feeling regret for having done so. Jamie is a terrific individual as he cares deeply for the siblings knowing he caused much of the conflicts within his family and the McBride's. Fans of deep motivating historical tales with a powerful religious message of finding God for comfort will appreciate Liz Curtis Higgs' strong novel.

Empire Rising
Thomas Kelly
FSG
ISBN: 0374147817 $25.00

On St. Patrick's Day 1930, construction is to begin on the Empire State Building in spite of the nation struggling with the Great Depression. As with anything in the city that matters, the world's planned for the highest structure, though not a brick has been laid yet, already has a history. Bribes, extortion and kickback to grease unions and industry cooperation and to obtain political acceptance as high as the mayor's office and some say Albany and DC has been the norm. Mayor Jimmy Walker understands best the importance of the construction of the Empire State Building as he is a magician able to turn a hand shake into "honest graft". Al Smith is in charge of the construction because a politician needs to be in charge. In this city where many starve, jobs count whether you are former IRA terrorist turned ironworker like Michael Briody, illegal bankdrop artist Grace Masterson, or the Deputy Commissioner of Buildings Johnny Farrell, the building means money and political careers can fall off the observation walk or vanish into a crater if one betrays the bosses who run the island. This is an interesting period piece that makes readers think about legal contributions that both parties receive today (who attended those inauguration balls anyway?) though the parallel is not totally fair as the 1930 payouts were illegal. The lead character is the Empire State Building, who even today though no longer the highest structure still holds a grip on people; though one must wonder if the previous champ the Chrysler Building did likewise for our grandparents? The prime story line centers on the building's construction fueled by a city of graft and bribery providing a fascinating look at the underbelly of the politico-capitalist complex.

Rosa
Jonathan Rabb
Crown
ISBN: 1400049210 $24.95

In the Berlin area in 1918 four homicides of middle-aged women with a signature design etched onto their backs have the criminal police baffled by what appears to be a German Ripper. Heading the investigation Detective Inspector Nikolai Hoffner sees the pattern, but as tells his trainee Hans Fichte, they have plenty of clues that go nowhere. In other words they have made no progress as the new year begins. In mid January a fifth victim is found in a subway station. At the morgue, Nikolai is shown the sixth woman, Rosa Luxemburg, the "Devil Jewess" Socialist Democrat who was involved in the recent failed revolution. However, Nikolai quickly sees the signature on Rosa's back differs slightly from the five other dead women. Before he can delve deeper into his theory that the serial killer is being used to cover the Rosa murder by someone else, the political police arrive to take over at least that element of the case. In spite of friends, family, and colleagues telling him to back away, Nikolai makes inquiries into his two cases, but especially Rosa who takes over his life. ROSA is an intriguing historical police procedural that at times does get bogged down in Nikolai's Laura-like obsession, but that also provides the motive for him to continue seeking the truth. Most interesting character is Rosa, a real person, whose attitudes, life and death provide a pre-Nazi look at the roots of anti-Semitism; this gives the fine police story a stronger historical perspective than most sub-genre novels contains. Readers will appreciate this deep look at post World War I Berlin mostly from the eyes of a caring honest cop.

Night Bites
Nina Bangs
Love Spell
ISBN: 050552614X $6.99

Whenever Cindy Harper felt stressed out, she turns to ice cream which helps sooth her especially with the strange requests of her guests who stay at her New Jersey Woo Woo Inn, the center of weirdness. However, the stress that Thrain Davis brings to her cannot be cured by a sweet cold treat. Thrain's best friend, Cindy's father; asked him to help his daughter believe that seven hundred years old like she is and having customers who are vampires, deities, and other paranormal ilk is real albeit abnormal. Even Thrain has a special bite to him, which frightens Cindy when she realizes he is a vampire. As Thrain falls in love with his host, she reciprocates, but fears his blood sucking nocturnal needs. Demonic feline visitors Sparkle Stardust and Ganymede "Mede" are guests at the inn doing what they do best, interfering with the natural order of things so that chaos reigns. As Thrain makes progress and Cindy starts to become comfortable with her beloved and with other revelations, the cosmic troublemaking duet strike. Nina Bangs is a master of blending ecstasy and humor within a romantic fantasy. The jocular story line is fast-paced as the way out cast makes for a delightful time for the audience. Thrain is a sensual sensitive vampire who feels guilt and a sense of betrayal by falling in love with the daughter of his best friend who he is supposed to help regain her footing. The inn is a terrific locale as the paranormal check in, check out, and sometimes in between. The bonus of the dynamic troublemaking duet of Sparkle and Mede add plenty of laughs. Fans will appreciate Ms. Bangs' lighthearted supernatural fantasy.

To Kiss a Frog
Elle James
Love Spell
ISBN 0505526204 $5.99

The Voodoo Queen warned playboy attorney Craig Thibodeaux not to play with the affections of her granddaughter or else she will curse him. When Craig rejected the granddaughter, the Voodoo Queen declared he did not know love so she hexed him. Craig will be a Frog during the day and a man at night, but if he fails to find his true love by the next full moon, he will turn into an amphibian permanently. Craig initially scoffed at the curse until he finds that flies are a delicacy. He realizes that the clock is short and needs to find someone to love him. His only hope is environmental research scientist Elaine Smith, who is in the Bayou studying pollution. Craig manages to get the job of her guide, but soon becomes her protector as someone wants the professor stopped before she learns who the prime source of the Bayou pollutants are. Craig has fallen in love, but the curse requires the woman to love him and what intelligent person would want a pond frond as a home. This fairy tale romance, the winner of a Golden Heart award, is a fine story that readers will enjoy because of the lead male's inadequacies as a hero. Craig is more frog than lion yet courageously will risk his life to keep Elaine safe; sort of mindful of the hero in My Demon Lover. Elle James provides a wonderful fantasy romantic suspense with two delightful lead protagonists, an intriguing Voodoo Queen, and some baddies to round out a fine novel.

Sympathy Between Humans
Jodi Compton
Delacorte
ISBN: 0385337140 $22.00

The victim was low life Royce Stewart who got away with the rape and murder of Kamareia, the daughter of a Hennepin County, Minnesota sheriff officer, on a technicality. Seven months later Royce was found murdered. The case was not solved although Detective Sarah Pribek knows who the killer is. Most suspect either Sarah did it for her former partner, Kamareia's mother or Sarah's former spouse ex Minneapolis detective Shiloh did it. Sarah knows if she admits the truth she can be held for obstruction of justice, but though there is heightened interest thanks to the media and a glory hound DA, Sarah heeds the plea of teenage Marlinchen Hennessy, daughter of a famous novelist, whose twin brother Aidan has been missing for five years, but ignored by police. Though not her case, the background information feels close to home so Sarah does some preliminary inquiries and quickly learns that Marlinchen has hidden much of what she knows about her sibling's disappearance. She soon finds herself into the middle of a dangerous dysfunctional family powder keg that she could end up being the igniting factor. SYMPATHY BETWEEN HUMANS is a strong police procedural that brings home the message that justice is neither simple nor blind. The story line works on two levels with questions about the Stewart murder lingering in the background while supporting the prime efforts of Sarah to learn what happened to Aidan. Sarah is a terrific heroine planning not to implicate anyone in Royce's death though her peers figure she provided the blue revenge. Jodi Compton writes a strong thriller that will send readers seeking Sarah's previous appearance (see 37th HOUR).

Simply Unforgettable
Mary Balogh
Delacorte
ISBN: 0385338228 $22.00, 352 pp.

Frances Allard travels from Miss Martin's School for Girls in Bath to spend the Christmas holidays with her beloved great-aunts in Mickledean. However a rare holiday snowstorm strikes; while her coach crawls, Viscount Lucius Marshall goes full speed cuasing a near accident. Her coach is stuck in the drifts and though she the tortoise and he the hare argue he takes her to a nearby inn. Shockingly they share an incredible night of passion. In the morning light, Frances knows he is way above her station and besides even if she was not her past makes her unsuitable for him; she must move on, but she will never forget the greatest night of her life. Lucius refuses to take no for an answer as he realizes that he has found his soulmate although she is far from the perfect wife, love makes her even better suited for him, but he must persuade her one kiss at a time. The opening of the "Simply" delightful Regency series is a reason to rejoice as the great Mary Balogh starts off with a terrific tale of two individuals who by Ton standards could never be together except as his mistress. The story line is character driven as the determined male protagonist knows what his perfect spouse should be, but his ideal wife will share one trait with him: love. Anything less is unacceptable. Frances is his wonderful counterpart who rejects him out of her love for him. The secondary cast adds depth and humor while also deftly introducing us fans to future lead characters. This is no slightly diverging novel as sub-genre readers will simply treasure this unforgettable romance.

Swing
Rupert Holmes
Random House
ISBN: 140006158X $24.95, 372 pp.

In 1940 Ray Sherwood is touring as a sax player with the Jack Donovan Orchestra, a big band group working the West Coast presently performing in Berkley. Composer Gail Prentice, a college student at Berkeley, invites Ray, a talented arranger, to discuss his orchestrating her work, Swing Around the Sun, which is to premier shortly at the Golden gate World Fare. As they talk on Treasure Island, Sherwood watches a Frenchwoman jump from the Tower of the Sun exposition to her death. Stunned by what he witnessed, Sherwood is shocked by the attraction he feels to the Berkeley coed although he knows his ex-wife works nearby serving as a cold reminder of happier times. Though he feels something is not right with Gail or with the suicide, Ray blindly continues the path he is on . He remaining unaware of the major link that turns recent incidents into one great composition; The Big Event, coming next year will explain all, but may be too late for him as he could be the next suicide victim. SWING is a more a historical musical tale than a pre World War II suspense thriller; the sinister mystery elements feel more like a coda to the deep look at 1940 America. The story line is a terrific look at San Francisco just prior to the war, but also insight into the music of the era; in fact part of the charm, some might say gimmick, is that award winning composer Rupert Homes has includes a CD that provides period piece music that enhances the tale. A different unique type of thriller, fans of the Big Band era will swing with Mr. Holmes' fine composition.

Cagebird
Karin Lowachee
Aspect (Warner)
ISBN 0446615080 $6.99, 448 pp.

When Yuri was four years old, the aliens who were at war with humanity, raided Plymouth Moon killing many colonists, and injuring a lot more. The survivors were relocated to the planet Grace, a half terraformed rock that was low on the basic things of life; food ,shelter and medicine. During the evacuation Yuri, his father and his siblings were separated from his mother and sister who were taken to another camp and it looked like the family would never be reunited. One day a visitor Bo-Sheng arrived on Grace and recruited Yuri to work on a merchant ship. When he signed up and was brought aboard, he learned he was on a pirate ship and he was Captain Falcone's new protegee. During his years on the ship he learned to be a geisha who spied on the competition, a killer and eventually a captain on his own ship. He was eventually captured by Black Ops and made a deal with them but when you deal with the devil, a heavy price is paid as Yuri learns to his cost. CAGEBIRD is not for the faint of heart. There are graphic scenes of violence and training to be a geisha, which includes explicit scenes of same sex and male-female sex. Making love is not a pleasure in this book but a tool that pirates use to disarm the enemy, get information and recruit young blood. Yuri never had a chance to be a child and when he is finally caught by the authorities, they want him to pimp for their cause. Karin Lowachee provides a thought provoking science fiction thriller that applies to the world today.

Mystic Quest
Tracy & Laura Hickman
Aspect
ISBN 0446531065 $24.95, 453 pp.

Three different dimensions, three different worlds all linked so that the fate of one is the fate of all. It is twenty-three years since the events of Mystic Warrior took place and the sons and daughters get out on their own adventures, hoping to find salvation and a place to call home. The dragons on the human world are not just killing the mystics but are after the priests who worship them and the peasants who have no say in what the leaders do. Galen's son and his priest half brother are moving south to the lost city of Calgandria if they can find it. The mystics will have a homeland free of persecution but the two brothers have opposing goals on the quest and once it is completed a choice that will mean life or death for humanity will be made. On the goblin world, King Mimic and the wizard Thux share a dream in which the wizard goes south to the ogre city to find out the relationships between the titans (robots) and the books that make them work. His wife is held hostage to control him, but when he finds a library full of books, he wants Mimic's plan to fail while the ogre king believe that his side will prevail. In the world of faery, the Kree are going to see if there is a chance they can return to their homeland after the catastrophe destroyed their city. A representative of each of the domains in fairy accompanies the Kree on their expedition. However, a traitor is among them with plans that do not include the Kree or faery; it is up to a deposed princess to stop the villain from carrying out his diabolical plan. Three different worlds, three heroes who all have dreams to go south and a magical artifact is the deciding factor on the success or failure of the missions that demonstrates that these worlds are definitely linked. Tracey and Laura Hickman have written an enthralling fantasy novel with plenty of action and fully developed characters. MYSTIC QUEST is fantasy at its very best.

The President's Assassin
Brian Haig
Warner
ISBN: 0446576670 $25.95

In exile to the CIA's Office of Special Projects, Army JAG Major Sean Drummond is escorted by FBI Agent Jennifer Margold to a Virginia crime scene where six corpses are located. Considering that the house is impenetrable with cameras and radar detectors outside and agents inside, no one knows how the killer breached the premises. That is no one until Sean explains the most likely method that led to the assassination of the White House Chief of Staff Terry Belknap, his wife, and their four secret service bodyguards. The message left behind is " the president will be history in the next two days". Though he wants out because he knows what will hit the bureaucratic fan, Sean wonders if the mass murders are linked to the $100 million bounty offered for killing the president? Soon a Supreme Court Justice and the Republican National Committee chairman are killed too. Drummond concludes that a mole inside the inner circle of security is giving away information. He must remove the mole before he can stop the killing machine, but has only one day left. In his fifth appearance, Drummond is at his wisecracking best because he has the perfect straight man (make that woman) the tight Margold as his sidekick. Sean is stupendous as he cannot sit idly quiet even when it is his in his best interests while working for the civilians. The story line is terrific, perhaps the best of a strong series as Brian Haig provides a fabulous political investigative thriller that grips the audience from the moment Sean opens his mouth in the affluent Virginia suburbs and never slows down until he gets the final word in.

Lords of Grass and Thunder
Curt Benjamin
Daw
ISBN 0756401976 $24.95, 464 pp.

After defeating the enemies of the Cloud Country, Count Mergen Khan and his heir Prince Tayyichiut head euphorically home. The Prince was a hero who played a major role in the triumph. His uncle is only waiting for his nephew to gain more experience before he turns the power over to him. Mergen's son Qutvla not officially reorganized as his child wants to be the khan instead of Prince Tayy. The snake demon who killed Tayy's parents weaves a spell over Qutula to kill Tayy and his father, and marry her so she can be the Khan's wife until she kills him and rules in her own right. Tayy's one hope is the shaman in training Eluneke who is learning how to use her power and is determined to save her beloved future husband (she saw that in a vision) from death from those he trusts. It will take a lot of power for an untried shaman to go against a demon and her consort but go against them she will in order to save her beloved prince. This novel takes place in the same universe as the SEVEN BROTHERS where Tayy was a hero. In LORDS OF GRASS AND THUNDER he comes home an idol but almost immediately he is trapped by court intrigue, serpent demons bent on conquest and the love of a shaman who has much to learn about the use of her powers. His cousin envies Prince Tayy; so out of jealously of his power and the love his father has for him, starts planning to bring him down Curt Benjamin has written an exciting and enthralling stand alone book that readers will enjoy immensely.

Guardian of the Freedom
Irene Radford
Daw
ISBN 075640178X $24.95, 544 pp.

Since the time of Merlin, the Pendragons have been charged with keeping Britain safe from her enemies. Drake Pendragon is the present head of the family and the society of magical practitioners; however King George III, unfamiliar with the British heritage, does not believe in the power of the Pendragon. Drake's sister Georgina, unwilling to stay a helpless female, runs away and hires herself as a mercenary to England's enemies. Her brother suffers from ill health and relies on his distant cousin Dr. Millen Marlowe who has the ear of the king. Marlowe wants to bring his eldest who was killed in the colonies back to life but to do that he must enter the archives that are heavily guarded by wards. Another son Barclay, a soldier in King George's army in the New World, has summoned a demon to cause chaos; when the time is right, he will grab he power his father covets. Georgina fights for the rights of the people who choke under English rule while across the sea; her cousin Emily does her best to keep Marlowe and his minions in check. A magical battle looms and if the forces of good lose, England will dissolve into chaos. The fifth book in Merlin's Descendants retains the freshness and excitement as the previous books contained. Georgina would be more at home in the twenty-first century with her ideas of women's rights but her love for the mortal Major Roderick Whythe keeps her grounded and happy and he is wise enough to give her the freedom she needs. Irene Radford uses actual historical events and intertwines then with the Pendragon magic to create a fascinating and riveting tale.

Mr. Lucky
James Swain
Ballantine
ISBN: 0345475445 $19.95

When a fire breaks out in the Riverboat Casino, small time gambler Ricky Smith jumps from his burning balcony into a pool. A few minutes later without a look back he enters the Mint. He borrows twenty bucks; Smith starts at blackjack, turns to roulette and dice before completing his incredible run by wiping out poker expert Tex Snyder. In a short period, Smith went from loser to millionaire never losing a hand at any of the games he played. The Vegas Nevada Gaming Control Board wants Tony Valentine, head of Grift Sense, to figure out how Smith accomplished this incredible run. Tony wants to refuse the assignment, but when the consortium adds the wiping out his wastrel son's debts, he agrees only for the sake of his daughter in-law and granddaughter. Smith is back in North Carolina, but the streak continues with a lottery win. Tony struggles to debunk MR. LUCKY as no pattern except the wins emerge. In his latest grift tale, James Swain provides a delightful wild gambling tale that also provides a cautionary waning to those hooked by the glitter of internet and televised poker. Tony is terrific as he cannot find how Smith can win at seemingly random events like a lottery. Wild and zany, MR. LUCKY is a terrific royal flush thriller.

The Alpine Quilt
Mary Daheim
Ballantine
ISBN 0345477200 $22.95, 314 pp.

Alpine, is a small semi-isolated Pacific Northwest hamlet located deep in the forest and perched on a mountainside. The owner and publisher of the local weekly newspaper, The Alpine Advocate is Emma Lord and the stories concern mostly the people and the special events in their lives. Emma plans special coverage for the returning prodigal Genevieve Bayard who hasn't been back to her hometown in decades. Gen is coming to see her son Buddy and his wife as well as her old girlfriends who belonged to a quilting circle. After a celebratory party, Gen goes to visit her best friend Annie Jean who works as a housekeeper at the local church. Annie Jean fixes a delicious meal but by the time it is finished Gen is dead and Annie Jean is in the hospital. Tests show both women were poisoned by an insulin product used by diabetics. It is a front page story but Emma's House and Home reporter Vida Runkel who usually gets involved in homicides keeps her distance and makes it plain that she doesn't care that Gen is dead. Emma comes to believe that if she knows why Vida hated Gen, she will discover who the murder is. THE ALPINE QUILT is an exciting and complicated who-done-it with the protagonist determined to find out who the poisoner is. During her investigation readers are treated to an insider's look at Vida's past, which is very fascinating because she has always been an important secondary character. Mary Daheim combines lots of action with great characterizations to create a fantastic regional mystery.

The Diva's Guide to Selling Your Soul
Kathleen O'Reilly
Downtown (Pocket)
ISBN: 0743499409 $13.00, 384 pp.

In Manhattan, V is struggling to make it as a designer until she meets New York Post gossip columnist Lucy. In exchange for her soul, Lucy, who happens to be the devil, offers fame and fortune, which V gladly accepts thinking what the hell is a soul - that's later in life, make that death. Soon V becomes a member of the Life Enrichment Program; this has led to a successful Fifth Avenue store that only the rich frequent as the prices are exorbitant though everything sells. However that is not where the fortune and good luck are; every soul she brings into the Life Enrichment Program means a cut of their action. The only commandment is no good deeds; if one does a good deed even inadvertently, one faces the worst punishments like an inch or more to the thighs while you were sleeping. Faust relocated into chick lit heaven (make that hell) as Kathleen O'Reilly writes a creative modern day take on the legendary sell your soul theme. Fans will appreciate the devil's clever pyramid scheme and enjoy the antics of the lead couple, the devil and Ms. V. The story line is amusing with a fine message of materialism is not enough in life, but late in the novel key characters behave out of synch. Still THE DIVA'S GUIDE TO SELLING YOUR SOUL is an intriguing modern day cautionary chick lit tale.

Irish Girls Are Back In Town
Anthology
Downtown
ISBN: 0743499263 $13.00, 384 pp.

The fourth edition of this annual anthology that raises money for charity is surprisingly different in tone than the previous "Girls in Town" collections as these contributions are much darker than the previous Irish, American and Scottish romps. The tales are for the most part well written though some chick lit quirky twists in a few stories seem out of place. Overall the contributions appear more realistic yet paradoxically in many cases the lead male comes across acrimoniously nasty hiding behind the veneer of keeping women safe from themselves. Not for everyone, generally IRISH GIRLS ARE BACK IN TOWN is a solid at times amusing but also at other moments cynically depressing look at relationships in which misery loves miserable company as seen by nineteen female Irish authors including strong entries by Patricia Scanlan, Cecilia Ahern and especially Clare Dowling.

Open Channel
Jill Morrow
Pocket
ISBN 0743486277 $7.50, 404 pp.

Once before Katerina Pirelli and her husband Stephen Carmichael fought the demon Asteroth and while they thought they were finished with him, he was not through with them. He tried to break them up so the prophesized Child of Light will not be born but Kat and Stephen now have two daughters Julia and Kent. Her parents don't know it yet but Julia is having dreams and visions of fourteenth century England. Kat's Aunt Francesca has come home from touring Europe and tells them Asteroth is back. He is in the fourteenth century using the dead body of a man named Hugh and he is trying to get Isabel of the nearby convent to pledge her fealty to him so he can use her as a conduit to return to the twenty-first century. Francesca travels to where Asteroth is as does Kat, Julia, and Stephen who hopes to bring them all home but Julia's doubts weaken the light;. Julia fear causes one of them to make the ultimate sacrifice. OPEN CHANNEL continues the story in ANGEL CAFE where good and evil fight on different sides for the child of light. Angels help the soul travelers but it is Francesca whose total belief and faith in her spirit gives her the confidence to strengthen her loved ones in the latest battle with the demon. Kat, the most pragmatic person of the group, finally sees with the spirit eyes and knows that she has the power to save her daughter because she now has a strong belief in the light. Jill Morrow has written a beautiful inspirational tale of good triumphing over evil because one is so much stronger than the other when you believe.

Pretty Woman
Fern Michaels
Pocket
ISBN: 0743457811 $24.00, 320 pp.

In Savannah, Georgia Vickie Williams warned her best friend and business partner Rosie Gardener not to marry the philandering Kent Bliss. Vickie accuses her size 6 friend of jealousy because a size 14 like her could have such a fiance. Rosie accepts a job as companion to elderly Adeline Summers and leaves for Europe. Three years later Rosie is miserable as Kent treats her like dirt except for short moments when she buys him expensive presents. She asks him to be home for their anniversary dinner, but he gives her a lame excuse. Rosie has had it with Kent. She takes his name off of everything and when he finally comes home she kicks him out. Rosie is beginning to regain her self esteem when she runs into Vickie, who is back in town following the death of Adeline. They hug and pick up the friendship as if nothing happened. Meanwhile Rosie obtains a physical fitness trainer widow Jack Silver and has won the three hundred plus million dollar lottery, but refuses to acknowledge her victory if Kent gets even a cent. Kent knows she won and plans to take it all. Though Rosie makes the weight loss seem too easy (the easy is putting it on), fans will enjoy her retaking control of her life with the help of friends. Rosie is the focus of the story line as she gains courage to finally confront her errors. Although Kent is unhinged when he blames her for his total fall from grace, contemporary fans will enjoy seeing him receive his comeuppance even if the story line seems too simplistic.

The Martian War: A Thrilling Eyewitness Account of the Recent Alien Invasion As Reported By Mr. H.G. Wells
Gabriel Mesta
Pocket
ISBN: 0743446399 $23.00, 272 pp.

In 1894 at London's Normal School of Science elderly biology Professor T.H. Huxley and his young protege H.G. Wells observe a meteor shower with plenty of enthusiasm. While watching the heavenly display they discuss life on other worlds specifically arid colder Mars leading Huxley to conclude with a "war of the worlds" comment. Huxley decides that Wells has the needed intelligence and imagination to accept that live Martians are on the red planet. He introduces his student and Wells wife Amy Catherine ("Jane") Robbins to the wonders of the Britain's Imperial Institute, where he meets Dr. Hawley Griffin working on invisibility, Dr. Moreau and astronomer Percival Lowell who have sent a message to Mars. However, Wells, Jane and Huxley are accidentally propelled into space where they meet the Martians and learn how the hive-mind Selenites were enslaved. On Mars, the three earthlings cause a Selenite revolt and unleash disease on the water system of the drying out fourth planet from the sun. Desperate for water, the Martians turn to that plentiful third rock for the War of the Worlds seem eminent. This is a terrific homage to H.G. Wells as well as the late Victorian scientific and technical community whose advances laid much of the foundation of the twentieth century. The story line cleverly blends real historical figures like Huxley, Wells, and Lowell with literary characters like Griffin and Moreau. The tale is fast-paced and action packed yet the key players feel three dimensional especially the Martian leader. Fans will enjoy this strong historical science fiction novel while concluding somehow Gabriel Mesta will contact Orson Welles to simulcast the story over the Internet.

One Way Out
Michele Albert
Pocket
ISBN: 0743485025 $6.99, 384 pp.

Their first clash occurred five years ago and every time they meet they argue. Paleontologist Professor Dr. Alex Martinelli detests commercial collector Cassie Ashton because she buys and sells fossils in the market place. He thinks of her as the E-Bay of the dinosaur crowd. Deep inside he envies her uncanny skills in somehow locating dinosaur bones, but he would never admit that to anyone. She enjoys their legendary confrontations in a perverse manner so she always makes them worse than they have to be. This time she has a find that she wants only Alex to know of and to confirm what she thinks may be an intact infant T-Rex. This would be the mother lode so Alex agrees to take a look. Alex and Cassie work out a deal; she takes him to the spot where he sees nirvana as he affirms the find. However, someone steals "Trixie" and the two partners initially suspect the other of a double cross, but quickly realize a third party is involved. As they conclude that their years of heated bickering were a courtship, the in love partners pursue the kidnapped Trixie. This exciting romantic suspense novel stars two scuffling dinosaur experts whose exchanges make for a fine tale. The story line is action-packed, but belongs to the battling bone hunters whose wars are as legendary as their finds (think of INDIANA JONES AND THE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK when Jones meets Marion Ravenwood in her remote bar). As the two near fortyish couple (she has a teenage son) tries for a cease fire, they soon are jumping each others bones. Michele Albert provides a fine exhilarating way out tale of love amongst the dinosaur remains.

The Point in the Market
Michael Pearce
Poisoned Pen
ISBN: 1590581377 $24.95, 212 pp.

The British presence in Egypt has in fact ruled the country, but not in name until now; with World War I raging on two continents, Egypt has become a protectorate of the British Empire. The Khedive has been ousted and replaced by a sultan who answers to the British. Captain Gareth Owen, the Mamur Zapt (head of the secret police) has enough work to keep a dozen people busy. One of his spies Sabri was murdered; the inquiry has led Gareth to believe the man had information to sell to him. Owen married his lover, the Pasha's daughter Zeinab, who is ostracized by her former friends for entangling herself with the Welsh expatriate. A number of fires in liquor houses have swept through the city and Owen learns that it is not the heat or the arid conditions that are the cause but a person and Owen wants to apprehend him before a tragedy engulfs the entire area. The Egyptians await an attack of the Turks so that they can align with the victors. With all this and more going on, Owen remains steadfast that justice will prevail for Sabri and comes up with an ingenious plan to achieve his goal. The fifteenth Mamur Zapt historical mystery retains the uniqueness, excitement and freshness that are the character traits of all the novels in this exciting series. Zeinab is a "modern" woman who demands freedom to make choices while Owen is a mother hen worried that his beloved might be hurt by those who scorn her marriage by an Englishman. They make quite a couple. The Egyptian culture during World War I is exquisitely detailed as if Michael Peace was there. All this wealth of information is adroitly used to enhance the who-done-it so that fans of historical novels and those of historical mysteries receive quite a treat.

Carnosaur Crimes
Christine Gentry
Poisoned Pen
ISBN: 1590581504 $24.95, 330 pp.

The stealing of fossils including dinosaur tracks is a lucrative business so there are as many poachers as paleontologists. Something went wrong for one poacher when an explosion killed him near the Big Toe Museum in Montana. DA panicked curator Dr. Cameron Dieselmore informs paleoartist Ansel Phoenix that her allosaurus replica killed someone as part of the victim resides as a burned husk dangling from the teeth of her model. Ansel arrives at the crime scene only to find law enforcement arguing jurisdiction between the Big Toe police, LaCrosse County sheriff, the state, the FBI and the Bureau of Land and mines. Not long afterward, FBI Agent Outerbridge asks Ansel for help in capturing poachers who devastated a major find because she being half-Indian might provide access that he cannot achieve. Reluctantly she agrees because she fears the BLM will shut the Big Toe Museum that is on federal land and move the find to a California think tank. Ansel may have reconsidered her acquiescing if she knew that the allosaurus victim was murdered and that Police Chief Flynn has been killed too. CARNOSAUR CRIMES, the sequel to the pleasant MESOZOIC MURDER, is a fine amateur sleuth tale with plenty of police procedural elements to make for a wonderful investigative tale. The story line hooks the audience from the moment that Dr. Dieselmore calls Ansel and never lets up until the final confrontation. Ansel is a terrific center keeping the plot moving while the deadly dinosaur hunting and the competition between the various law enforcement agencies makes the mystery realistic and much more entertaining.

Against the Tide
John Ringo
Baen
ISBN: 0743498844 $25.00, 402 pp.

In the distant future, the United Free States felt safe inside its paradise. The UFS avoided war for centuries but spent a fortune on a military deterrent leading to a collective national ego believing that the country had military superiority over everyone. Thus a terrible defeat at sea to the tyrannical enemy New Destiny is a major shock though it should not have been since the UFS was using untrained dragons with sportsmen on a lark against skilled Dragon Carriers. The New Destiny invading force contained more than just Dragon Carrier superiority; other legendary warriors out of myth attacked a shocked nation turning it from a place of waste and plenty to a place of starvation and waste. Desperate to stem a tide that seems heading to certain defeat, the UFS names military genius Edmund Talbot to head the Navy. Stomping on Naval egos (not that defeat to the enemy would ever do that), foot soldier Herzer Herrick is selected to command a critical Dragon Fleet consisting of inexperienced dragons, untrained pilots, and unqualified combat support to go up against a superior in number, highly skilled war tested military machine. This novel is a sequel to THERE WILL BE DRAGONS and EMERALD SEA. AGAINST THE TIDE is military science fiction tale (with fantasy elements) that is well written and the plot can stand alone or follow the previous well written tales. The strong story line hooks the audience with plenty of action (much more than described above), terrific characters including a neat romance, and a fascinating differing historical perspective on real events. John Ringo provides a fantastic tale that will elate sub-genre readers, but also fascinate historiographers with the thought provoking look at history.

Evil Intentions
Denise Osborne
Perseverance Press
ISBN: 1880284774 $13.95, 192 pp.

Salome Waterhouse is a Feng Shui practitioner with some of her clients being Georgetown's wealthiest and most powerful residents. June McGann hires Salome's friend Germaine Brilliante to follow her sister April for two weeks and report to her everything her sibling does. On the fourteenth day, April enters Black Friar's Books followed by Germaine, but once inside the latter realizes that her target is gone; the owner offers nothing. A few days later, the police raid the bookstore breaking up a gambling ring; however that does not interest June as she fears her sister is seeing Duncan Mah again. He brings illegal aliens into the country for an exorbitant fee and work off their entry price as indentured servants. An arsonist targets Salome's house and she fears that Mah is behind the incident since she forced him underground last year. Her ex-husband finds the murdered body of a Chinese worker who has a link to mah and therefore Salome as well. Salome knows the danger that stalks her while she investigates Mah's whereabouts. Denise Osborne has written a fast-paced character driven amateur sleuth mystery that will fascinate readers with its insightful look at Feng Shui. Salome is offbeat and charming who in spite of the danger goes after an evil man to bring him to justice. Her reconciliation with her former spouse adds flavoring to a finely crafted mystery.

Face Down Below the Banqueting House
Kelly Lynn Emerson
Perseverance Press
P.O. Box 2790, McKinleyville, CA 95519
ISBN: 1880284715 $13.95, 246 pp.

In Greenwich Castle in 1573, Lady Appleton's housekeeper Jennet Jeffries watches in horror as her sister-in-law Sarah takes a jewel from the pocket of her mistress Jeronyyme Hole. Sarah explains that Jeronyme steals things from members of the court that Sarah tries to quietly return. This jewel belongs to Elizabeth I and Sarah is stymied as to how stealthily to return it.Sarah dumps the jewel on Jennet and she gives it to the queen with an explantion. She ells her who she works for and shortly thereafter the queen decides to makes a summer pilgrimage and plans to stay at Susanna's manor as one of her stops. Susanna is less than thrilled with the regal visit as she must get her estate ready which entails plenty of hard work and incredible costs. She also hates working with Brian Tymber, who insures that the Queen is comfortable at any of her respites. Brian and his servant Miles threaten to reveal information that locals want kept secret. However, instead of extortion money, someone kills Miles though most people including Susanna's magistrate lover Nick says it is an accident. When Nick's servant dies, he and Susanna conclude murder and search for a killer. Although it has been way too long between Lady Appleton novels, this is one of the best of the long running enthralling Elizabethan mystery series. The audience obtains a first hand seat into a meticulously researched tale in which blackmail and murder occur, but who the killer is remains just out of sight until the climax. Kelly Lynn Emerson's historical descriptions surfaces throughout the tale, but especially when watching the manor prepare for a royal visit (reminds me of when my beloved late mother-in-law would be arriving to see her grandson). Amateur sleuth history fans will appreciate this fine tale.

Exile's Return
Raymond E. Feist
Eos
ISBN: 0380977109 $25.95, 384 pp.

Once the mighty Duke of Olasko, nomads have now captured the magically exiled Kaspar halfway around the world. The deposed evil aristocrat ultimately escapes his bondage and is obsessed with avenging his defeat and ignominious deportation. Eventually he meets traders who possess a suit of armor containing a malevolence that killed part of their group. Kaspar has no plans to travel with his hosts, but like them he touched the armor and no longer is free; the wickedness inside the armor controls Kaspar though he fights it with his every breath. Kaspar learns that the armor is a weapon of mass destruction from another plane that will ultimately devastate this world if not stopped. Feeling a need to defeat an essence even wickeder than he ever was; Kaspar puts aside his thirst for vengeance to return home to confer with the Conclave of Shadows' sorcerers who expelled his wickedness across the globe. Together, if they can learn to trust one another, they must find a way to stop the armor. This is an exciting Conclave fantasy in which the villain of the first two novels returns from exile having learned the hard way during his trek and his battle with a greater evil the wickedness of his former ways. The story line is action-packed, but it is the metamorphosis of Kaspar from avenging devil to world savior that makes the tale work though the audience and the Conclave sorcerers wait for him to revert. Raymond Feist provides an entertaining tale with a fine twist that his fans will appreciate.

Singing in a Strange Land: C. L. Franklin, the Black Church, and the Transformation of America
Nick Salvatore
Little, Brown
ISBN: 0316160377 $27.95, 448 pp.

This is a refreshing well written biography that stands as a reminder that a conservative theologian can support progressive social change. Unlike much of today's moral preaching that right is right and everyone else deserves to be burned if they commit heresy like defending gay marriage or claiming that the pro-life vs. women's rights is an economic war, the Reverend C. L. Franklin supported civil and individual rights as common decency for everyone. He used a voice that Motown would have wanted to have tospread the word of freedom to his followers in Detroit and others as a leader in the Civil Rights movements of the 1950s and 1960s. Nick Salvatore using public records, family information, and interviewing older members of Reverend Franklin's New Bethel Baptist Church puts together quite a full picture especially of the pulpit over three decades just after World War II until he was shot and fell into a coma ultimately dying. Readers get a feel for inner city Detroit politics and social upheaval as a backdrop to a deep look at one of the most influential civil rights spokespersons of the era.

Savannah Secrets
Fiona Hood-Stewart
Mira (Harlequin)
ISBN: 0778321533 $6.99, 448 pp.

In Savannah, ninety-three years old Rowena Carstairs dies regretting that she never believed her daughter Isabel when she insisted she was raped by a family friend as a teen. Isabel went to Europe to give up her baby. Years later, married with a preadolescent daughter Dallas, Isabel was unable to deal with her pain and nightmare and committed suicide pleading with her mom to see that she will be avenged. Attorney Meredith Hunter is stunned when the will announces that Rowena's unheard of grandson, corporate raider James Grant Gallagher, will inherit everything; if he refuses the $100 million plus estate will go literally to the dogs. Rowena's extended family is irate while Grant's half-sister Dallas does not care except for needing money to save her horse breeding ranch. As Meredith tries to persuade Grant to do the right thing with the bequest that he does not want, he finally accepts because he is attracted to the widow with two preadolescent sons. However, he also feels Rowena is manipulating him, but trying to figure out what she wants seems impossible. This character driven contemporary tale contains a diverse solid cast in which readers can easily distinguish the different players who bring plenty to the plot. The story line grips the audience from the moment that Grant rejects Meredith's plea and never lets up until a Senate confirmation hearing. Meredith is a terrific protagonist as she struggles with understanding Rowena's will and the reaction of the presumptive heir to learning who his biological family is. Fiona Hood-Stewart provides a fine novel in which a recently decreased matriarch manipulates everyone from the grave in a last ditch Hail Mary pass to see justice is done for her daughter.

Table for Five
Susan Wiggs
Mira
ISBN: 0778321673 $19.95

In Comfort, Oregon, Laurelhurst private school third grade teacher Lily Robinson enjoys her job, likes her students, and not having any permanent emotional attachments. She holds a conference with the divorced parents of student Charlie Holloway to discuss why the little girl cannot read and how to remedy this. This teacher-parent conference is tougher than usual because the mother is her best friend Crystal and the kids call her "Aunt". The meeting fails as neither Crystal nor her ex husband PGA star Derek can get past their personal needs. After the meeting, Derek gives Crystal a ride in bad weather when her car fails to start. They argue over his sibling being banned for cheating on the Asian Tour and his upcoming nuptials to Jane Coombs. As his anger rises, Derek loses control and crashes; both die leaving Charlie, her teenage sister Cameron and her younger sibling Ashley orphaned. Derek's brother Sean becomes the guardian of his nieces, but he feels inadequate and besides he has a chance to regain the promising golf career he blew. Lily helps, but also tries to keep the quartet out of her heart. She fails and Derek finds he needs Lily and his three wards; the youngsters need the love and stability provided by both adults. TABLE FOR FIVE is an intriguing family drama starring two adults who avoid emotional responsibility and three hurting children who were devastated before the deadly car accident. While Sean and Lily carry baggage that make them both feel inept at caring for the kids, the children have woes as manifested by Charlie's reading problems even before his parents die. Susan Wiggs provides a well written four tissue box tear jerker that showcases people in trouble.

The First Mistake
Merline Lovelace
Mira
ISBN: 0778321649 $6.99, 384 pp.

Ten years at Luke AFB USAF Office of Special Investigations Special Agent Captain Cleo North made inquiries into an alleged threat made by Staff Sergeant Thomas Mitchell to his girlfriend Sergeant Debra Smith. Although she had a hunch there was more to the case, her superior pulled her off it because she found nothing out of the ordinary. Not long afterward Mitchell and Smith were found dead together in what was ruled a murder suicide. North left the air force and opened up her own personal protection firm. A few years later, Cleo accidentally meets Debra's sister who believes the air force covered up the murder as her sister feared a Greek sounding name officer. Cleo learns of retired Colonel Alexander "the Greek" Sloan, but could not do anything further. However, the opportunity eventually arrives when her former commander General Barnes needs her help at the Santa Fe Film Festival to protect spoiled film star Marisa Connors, who Cleo knows as a pit-bull with nuts caught in an animal trap; Alex heads the gala which includes a North Korean communications expert that the military wants on their side. To keep Cleo in line, Barnes assigns her former lover Major Jack Donovan. Fans of romantic suspense thrillers will enjoy Merline Lovelace's latest terrific military tale as various key players including the heroine have agendas that collide with one another. Cleo is a wonderful protagonist who still ahs deep feelings for Jack, but will not allow him, the military or the FBI/CIA consortium stand in her way of proving Alex killed the two sergeants. A final twist adds a fantastic climax to another five star triumph.

Double Exposure
Bonnie Hearn Hill
Mira
ISBN: 0778321452 $6.99, 384 pp.

While the country mourns the death of former President Michael Remington, in San Francisco Reebie Mahoney works two jobs trying to a living. She works at a cosmetics counter of a department store and as a temp at a catering service. At a gala she set up for a newspaper, Reebie gets a strange call from a woman claiming to be Jeanette Sheldon, Michael's mistress who wants to meet with her. Reebie and her friend photographer Daphne Teng visits Nora McFarland as Jeannette told her to ask for that name at her Nob Hill apartment only to find her dead. She recognizes the corpse as a woman who spent a lot of time and money with her at the cosmetics counter. Based on input from the doorman, the victim had a picture of Reebie in her home, and she was at the scene, the cops believe Reebie killed the woman. Reporter Leo Kersikowski arrives to get her away from the cops. When she is involved with a second murder and attempts on her life, Leo tries to keep her safe, help her solve the murder, and figure out the connection between the president's mistress and the woman he loves. DOUBLE EXPOSURE is an entertaining political romantic suspense thriller that grips the audience from the moment that Reebie recognizes the first victim and never slows down until the audience gets the message that the historical legacy is everything. The story line is action-packed as Reebie with Leo and the readers try to figure out what is going on and why. Bonnie Hearn Hill provides a fast-paced tale that explains presidential libraries from a different perspective.

Bloodlines
Dinah McCall
Mira
ISBN: 0778321614 $7.50, 384 pp.

Twenty-five years ago someone kidnapped two year old Olivia Sealy after murdering the child's parents. Her grieving wealthy grandfather Marcus hears nothing after dropping off the ransom money. However, two months later, Olivia is found at a mall; the police arrest Foster Lawrence, who picked up the ransom money. He spent the next twenty-fives years behind bars, but has just been freed. In Lake Texoma, Texas retiree Marshall Baldwin works on renovating a cottage he just bought when he drops a sledge hammer on the floorboard, which leads him to a hidden suitcase. Inside is the remains of a two year child buried for twenty-five years and having the second thumb that is a genetic trademark of all Sealys. Dallas homicide detective Trey Bonney investigates the toddler murder although Olivia was his high school girlfriend who dumped him. Olivia, who had the two thumbs, turns to him to help her learn the truth as to whether she is the real granddaughter and if not who is she. Readers will ponder until the end whether Olivia or the corpse in the suitcase is Marcus' granddaughter and who the one is that is not as both have the genetic trademark though Olivia's residual thumb was surgically removed once the dominant digit was affirmed. Though the climax seems too pat, this story line combines a strong police procedural, a fine second chance romance, and an identity mystery into a powerful thriller that will garner Dinah McCall new readers.

Touching Midnight
Fiona Brand
Mira
ISBN: 0778321525 $6.99, 336 pp.

To project her from her father John Mallory and his aristocratic family, Victoria Quinton's Aunts Olivia and Hannah moved with her to a remote part of Peru as an infant following the death of their sister Rebecca. Victoria received a special education from her relatives who have advanced degrees from Oxford but they emphasized her psychic skills for medical healing as much as book learning. While her aunts run a local medical mission, Victoria enjoys archeology especially ancient writings. She dreams of the Temple of the Sun, which she believes is near. Five years later, an injured Jay Lomax comes to the medical center to heal. He feels he has known "Quin" all his life and more; she feels the same way. She heals him before he departs. Years later, he returns to her and what has always felt as home to protect the ruins of a recently discovered ancient temple city that worshiped the Sun God. At the same time Jay and Quin renew a love that began here a long time ago when the sanctity of the High Priestess and her retinue were destroyed by greed. However, an enemy is coming for them in the present to claim what could prove to be a temple of doom. TOUCHING MIDNIGHT is an exciting complex adventure romanced that runs on two prime plot lines enhanced by additional minor subplots. The story line is filled with action that never slows down past or present and a delightful courageous cast (in both eras) willing to die to do what they believe is the right thing for others. No question this romantic suspense thriller has the brand of a top author who keeps her audience riveted throughout the novel.

Single Kid Seeks Dad
Linda Randall Wisdom
Harlequin American
ISBN: 0373750633 $4.99

Thirteen-year-old Nick Donner hacks into his school's computer, which brings him in front of Judge Kincaid, who sentences the teen to community service at the animal clinic run by his son Logan. Nick deliberately caused trouble because he worries about his single overworked mom Lucy being alone except for him and feels that the veterinarian is perfect for her since he is so kind to animals. He will dowhat it takes including harmless mischief if necessary to bring this couple together. However, Nick does not understand the adults he is matching together. His mom fears allowing any male except her son inside her heart. His chosen dad rejects commitment. Still as Nick and the Judge partner, Lucy and Logan keep finding themselves together and their initial attraction is growing. Fans of sweet contemporary romances will appreciate this fine matchmaking tale starring two realistic protagonists who though attracted have doubts about relationships and a fine support cast, especially her son, his father, several animals, and out of the oven cookies. The returns of the Walkers from previous novels (see PREGNANCY COUNTDOWN) provide a sense of homecoming. However, this warm Americana relationship drama belongs to the Donner and Kincaid families.

The Prince Next Door
Sue Civil-Brown
HQN (Harlequin)
ISBN: 0373770766 $6.99

Dermatologist Serena Gregory is on vacation when he overhears the cavalier reaction of the hunk next door, Darius Maxwell whose mom has been kidnapped. Darius knows his widowed mother Maria Teresa is pulling a stunt to get him to take his rightful place as the Prince of Masolimian. He informs the abductor Pablo Minos of the Masolimian Consulate that he feels sorry for him having to deal with Maria while as for him he will deal with art. Maria Teresa is frustrated with her son who is impressed with how Serena saved the life of a lightning victim. They begin to see one another and soon Serena and Darius fall in love. Theatrics worthy of an Oscar, Maria Teresa sees the American as a pawn to manipulate her recalcitrant son to do his duty to his Duchy. However, neither mom nor her diplomatic drafted henchmen are prepared for the battling dermatologist. Maria Teresa's antics sort of like a royal Auntie Mame turn this contemporary tale into an amusing romantic farce. Serena is a wonderful heroine wondering how Darius can be so nonchalant over his mom's kidnapping; Darius is fun as the center of all the activity especially his mom using her loyal Masolimian supporters to try to get Darius to act princely. Fans will enjoy this humorous tale between the dermatologist and THE PRINCE NEXT DOOR.

Wicked
Shannon Drake
HQN
ISBN: 0373770332 $7.50

Her guardian Tristan Montgomery seems to always be in trouble, but his latest stunt frightens Camille. Tristan was caught trying to steal an artifact from the "Beast", Earl Brian Stirling who wears a mask to hide his scarred visage. Camille visits Brian to get Tristan released, but the Earl refuses. He becomes upset when he learns that Camille works at the British Museum Egypt Antiquities Wing as he blames them for the deaths of his parents. Brian begins escorting Camille around town especially the museum while keeping her guardian as his "guest". As they fall in love, he still plans to use her to identify which of the museum's workers killed his parents. If he knew the risk he placed his beloved Camille in, he would never have used her to get at a killer. WICKED is an entertaining Victorian romantic suspense thriller that grips the audience the moment that Camille confronts the beast in his lair. The lead couple is a delightful pairing as she brings him back into society; however it is the support cast that makes the tale work as they either provide insight into Camille or Brian like her guardian and servant or his housekeeper does or they serve as suspects in the murder mystery. Sub-genre fans will take pleasure in this fine historical tale.

Wild Horses
Bethany Campbell
Harlequin SuperRomance
ISBN: 0373712618 $5.50, 298 pp.

The letter informs Carolyn Trent that her Uncle Enoch Randolph died in his sleep. The executor Adam Duran also said in his impersonal note that he will be arriving to handle Enoch's final wishes involving the Texas properties including the Circle T that his niece leased from him for decades. Carolyn is angry that Adam never called her to tell her Enoch died though she and her uncle rarely communicated; his choice. Even before she meets him, Circle T ranch secretary Mickey Nightingale dislikes Adam for his cavalier treatment of her boss who is more like a mother to her. Health problems drag Carolyn away from the ranch leaving it to Mick to host the barracuda. However, instead of an ambulance chaser, Adam is good with the horses and kind to people. Mick is attracted to the outsider whose claim shakes the Trent family to its roots and Mick realizes if true in some ways it makes him more an insider than she is. WILD HORSES is more a Crystal Creek family drama than a romance as the love story between Mick and Adam comes late and in the Caribbean rather than the States where most of the plot occurred. Instead the tale centers on who Adam is and why Uncle Enoch sent him to Texas. Through Adam and to a lesser degree Carolyn, readers learn more about the previous generation of Trent brothers who left Texas and never looked back. Bethany Campbell has written a fine entry that long time fans of the series will want to read for its insight into Enoch and his brother Steven, Carolyn's father.

Into Thin Air
Elizabeth Ashlee
Harlequin SuperRomance
ISBN: 0373712642 $5.50, 298 pp.

The G3 Logistics officer Captain Kelsey O'Roarke is inside an isolated warehouse on Fort Belvoir when she hears strange noises from the machinery. She investigates only to find a soldier where he should not be. As she goes to help him down, a shot is fired; the soldier falls thirty feet to the ground; his blood is everywhere. Kelsey is knocked unconscious with a blow to the head. Later that evening a bewildered Kelsey explains to Criminal Investigation Division Major Julian Fordham what happened, but no corpse or other evidence is at the crime scene. Last year Kelsey and Julian dated; the kisses were incredible, but also carried a forever stipulation that scared the CID cop away. Kelsey knows she still trusts him with her heart and soul let alone her life, so he reluctantly agrees to investigate though he expects to find nothing out of the ordinary. Neither expected what they find which places their lives in danger from killers and their hearts from one another. INTO THIN AIR is an intriguing military police romantic mystery in which readers know Kelsey witnessed a murder, but Julian firmly believes she banged her head and imagined the whole thing. The story line is fast-paced when it concentrates on the present; when the plot looks back at last year's relationship fiasco it seems out of step because Julian who has all the doubts resolves them too easily. Still following the lead couple tries to solve the military murder mystery provides a fine R&R for readers.

A Mother's Vow
K.N. Casper
Harlequin SuperRomance
ISBN: 037371260X $5.50, 296 pp.

After Kelsey read the Houston Sentinel obit on William Summers, she informs her mother, Houston Police of Chief Catherine Tanner that he was murdered. He was the one who met her dad Jordon a year ago to discuss missing Yellowcake uranium from a warehouse because the newspaper's numbers were wrong. Kelsey's comment along with the cop who headed the investigation being corrupt make Catherine wonders if Jordon's death may have been murder. If she is right than she has no idea who to trust on her force because higher ups had to be involved with the uranium depletion. Knowing she cannot do this alone, but not sure who to trust on the force, Catherine turns to former officer Jeff Rowan for help though she expects him to say no. She fired him last year for evidence tampering while the media fried him as a racist. She offers him a chance to get even on the cop who ruined him. Wanting to say no Jeff accepts Catherine the civilian as a client. Neither is prepared to where the inquiries or their hearts will take them. A MOTHER'S VOW, the sixth Women in Blue police romance, is a fabulous tale that answers many of the questions surfaced by the earlier novels, especially the first few. The story line is action-packed, but more a private investigative story than a police procedural as Jeff follows the clues including to a surprising climax. Though why Jeff instead of her five friends is not clear, readers will appreciate this fine conclusion to a strong series written by six authors who kept the quality at the top throughout.

Slow Ride
Carrie Alexander
Harlequin Blaze
ISBN: 037379178X $4.75, 250 pp.

In California, bakery owner Aurora "Rory" Constable and Tucker Shultz meet at a party. The duo is attracted to one another immediately and during a dance, he admits to "foreplay", but flees once the music stopped. Though he wants her Tucker backs off because she smells of marriage and children, relationships he is not ready for. Rory donates bakery goods to the "Lock & Key charity event that she also is a willing participant along with two close friends, Michaela Corelli (see HARD TO HANDLE by Jamie Denton) and Lauren Massey (see ON THE LOOSE by Shannon Hollis). She and Tucker win a weekend together. While he wants just a two day fling, she knows he is her forever soulmate; now she has to persuade her beloved that he will never find another Rory. The third and final "Lock and Key" torrid contemporary romance is a fine story though in some ways feels too similar to the previous tales that just came out in the last two months. Rory and Tucker are a likable couple and her explanation about Woodstock and her first name hooks the audience from the onset. Fans of the mini- series will appreciate Carrie Alexander's fine finish to a fun trilogy.

Shockingly Sensual
Lori Wilde
Harlequin Blaze
ISBN: 0373791798 $4.75, 249 pp.

Luke Cardasian spent the last six years of his life in Limbasa and much of his life before that overseas, so the liberated American media is culture shock. He came home to help his brother with the family business following his father's recent heart attack, but the Midnight Ryder show discussing erection shocks his senses, especially since the host is female. The shock jock that has stunned Luke's sense and sensibilities by giving blazing sex advice at midnight is Callie Ryder. When Callie receives threats for writing a book on her adventures as a female shock jock, her agent becomes concerned. When she is to go on tour he wants her protected so he hires the Cardasian firm to travel with her for three weeks. Luke is the only one available so he is on the road with the queen of sex talk. Neither expected these opposites to fall in love. SHOCKINGLY SENSUAL is an amusing contemporary romance between two opposites who initially repel each other, but soon cannot resist one another. The relationship between the lead couple make the tale work as she matures yet pulls out every seductive trick she knows to entice Luke to come to what he originally perceived as the dark side. Sub-genre fans will enjoy this fine humorous tale.

Falling For You
Heather Macalister
Harlequin Temptation
ISBN: 0373692145 $4.50, 216 pp.

Police spokeswoman Megan Esterbrook has never been able to say no to any request by reporter Barry Sutton even if that means her job, her reputation, and her esteem. She vows to deny his next fiasco and comes up with her "Barry aversion therapy" concept; a series of index cards highlighting how he has abused her feelings for him. Barry feels bad about getting Megan in trouble, but needs her if he is to break out of his exile to the society pages. He also realizes charm will not persuade Megan to assist him on getting a hot story involving a Congressman. He needs to up the ante so he tries a kiss that leaves Megan breathless, senseless, and ready to break and enter the congressman's office just to get him a story that could cost her job and some time if caught. FALLING FOR YOU is an amusing satirical chick lit romance that pokes fun at excesses, but though realizing this, readers will still have a difficult time with Barry's manipulations and Megan's inability to say no even when it jeopardizes her. Readers will detest what he does to Megan although he feels bad for doing so and want to pound Megan for being a patsy. Still in spite of doubts about the lead couple, FALLING FOR YOU has a strong message on dominant-submissive relationships inside a humorous well written tale.

The Future Widows' Club
Rhonda Nelson
Signature Spotlight (Silhouette)
ISBN: 0373836465 $5.99

In Moon Valley, Jolie Marshal regrets marrying charming SOB Chris who embezzled money from their company leaving friends and her mother potentially in the lurch. When she can pay back her "creditors", she will divorce Chris, who she married when vulnerable following the death of her father and rejection by her boyfriend Jake, who was not ready for a wife. The Future Widows' Club invites Jolie to join their group. Finding solace, she agrees and begins following some of the rules like taking out life insurance on her spouse. However, someone was irate when they shot Chris in the heart and cut off his penis. Could it be Sheriff Dean who has pictures of his wife with Chris? Or Police Officer Jake who is livid that this worm hit Jolie, the woman he still loves and regrets he let down? Or perhaps the grieving widow who just took out insurance on the rat? THE FUTURE WIDOWS' CLUB is a strange dark humorous romance with police procedural elements to add excitement to the question of who killed Chris. The story line initially appears to be one of an abused spouse but switches gear once the merry widows invite Jolie to join. Rhonda Nelson writes a strong satirical dark look at society that accepts plenty of abusive "values" under the label of protecting the family.

A Real McCoy
Tori Carrington
Signature Select
ISBN 0373836473 $5.99

In the DC area, junior criminal defense attorney Kat Buckingham finds her fiance James Smith dead on the kitchen floor. Detective Leary immediately arrests Kat for murder. US Marshal Harry Kincaid has been undercover watching James who is actually the sleaze Darin Ichatious, protected under the Witness Protection Program. He keeps quiet though he realizes his stakeout substantiates no one else entered or left as he would have seen them. Sean McCoy visits Kat in jail and confesses that he is her biological father. He also tells his second wife and his five married law enforcement sons that their biological pregnant mother gave birth as she died; he gave the infant away in his grief. Harry whisks Kat from the cell to al

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