The Rock Star's Homecoming
Linda Gould
iUniverse
2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100, Lincoln, NE 68512
9780595462834, $16.95, www.iuniverse.com
Rock and Roll has never had a reputation of being completely respectful and kindly. "The Rock Star's Homecoming" is the story of a college town attempting to reclaim some of its own, who hit much fame after being expelled from their school so many years ago. Sara must convince her brother and their band to return, and her roommate wants to document it all. It doesn't help that her current significant other is one of her brother's band mates. A twisted swirl of conflict and rock and roll, "The Rock Star's Homecoming" is an utterly fascinating story.
Ashie: Lost In The Hurricane
Pamela June Cohen
PublishAmerica
PO Box 151, Frederick, MD 21705-0151
9781604749618, $19.95, www.amazon.com
In every hurricane or severe tropical storm, it is our canine companions, our feline friends, our pet fish, turtles, and other household pets that are among the most vulnerable. During a hurricane, the young dog Ashie is left alone in a bathtub. "Ashie: Lost In The Hurricane" by Pamela June Cohen is an account of the adventures and misadventures of Ashie; Maney, the manatee; and Peli, the pelican, who befriend him in his search for his family, home, and power and control over his own life. Nicely illustrated by Allison Lange, this charming and entertaining story has an added value for young readers in that its underlying message is one of inspiration for young readers about the values of friendship, mutual assistance, and striving against the adversities of life that are as inevitable as they are unexpected. "Ashie: Lost In The Hurricane" is highly recommended reading and an appropriate addition to family, school, and community library collections.
Lomork
Robyn L. Shaw
Publish America
P.O. Box 151, Frederick, MD 21705
160610196X, $19.95, www.publishamerica.com
Kingdoms don't have unlimited funds; their treasury is as subject to depletion as anyone else's financial resources. "Lomork: The Way of a King" tells of just one such kingdom and its king coping with his own financial crisis. The knowledge of his troubles become known to his enemies, and he is faced with treachery on all sides to deal with. Fast paced and intriguing, "Lomork" brings a fresh twist to the many fantasy elements its fans love.
Shanghai Shadows
Joy Hart
Xlibris
International Plaza II, Suite 410, Philadelphia, PA 19113-1513
9781436337946, $19.99, www.xlibris.com
Many Americans simply take the fact of knowing where their family is as something for granted. "Shanghai Shadows" is a story of a family torn apart across the globe. A Marine by the name of Alex is torn from Milla, his beloved. Internment camps drive a wedge between them, and it takes over sixty years for the family to finally have some sense of closure. A story of tragedy and keeping hope in sight, "Shanghai Shadows" is both depressing and optimistic at the same time.
Mary Cowper
Reviewer
Dunford's Bookshelf
Lies, Bribes, Peril
Ron Cruse
iUniverse
2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100, Lincoln, NE 68512
9780595406784, $17.95, www.iuniverse.com
In a perfect world, everyone would take the same currency and be happily willing to help people. The world's not perfect. "Lies, Bribes, and Peril: Lessons for the Real Challenges of International Business" is a combination of memoir and business manual as he deals with the strange characters that anyone would encounter when dealing with the strange world of international business. Hoping to educate readers by relaying his experiences in his own time expanding his business, "Lies, Bribes, and Peril" is solid and highly recommended reading for businessmen of the world.
Ecumensus
Clifford Lane Mark
iUniverse
1663 Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403
9780595462193, $19.95, www.iuniverse.com
What's after Jesus? "Ecumensus: The Next Vision" is a fictional imagining of what lies next for the spiritual world in a hypothetical situation when the current era ends and the next begins. Asking many questions and coming up with many ideas about what's next, and how the spiritual world will be for the next two millennia for mankind, he presents many ideas that prove to be much food for thought. "Ecumensus" is a must for any spirituality thinker.
Ghosts of Sackett Lake
Phil Sills
Xlibris
International Plaza II, Suite 410, Philadelphia, PA 19113-1513
9781436314862, $29.99, www.xlibris.com
Family vacations are suppose to be about togetherness, not running from the police. "Ghosts of Sackett Lake" tells the story of Max and his children. On a road trip through the Catskills, he finds a corpse in an abandoned care, accidentally incriminating himself. Now in order to keep his family together, he must piece together the mystery before he's locked away for the rest of his good years. "Ghosts of Sackett Lake" is entertaining and provides some nice twists on the mystery story.
Faust: Volumes 1 & 2
E. A. Bucchianeri
Author House
1663 Liberty Drive, Suite 200, Bloomington, IN 47403-5161
www.authorhouse.com, 1-800-280-7715
The Faust myth of a man who makes a pact with the Devil has been an enduringly popular subject from the days of Christopher Marlowe's play down to the present time. Now a two-volume study has been created by E. A. Bucchianeri with "Faust: My Sould Be Damned For The World". Volume I (9781434390608, $55.00) provides new insights into the life and times of the historical Dr. Faustus, an occultist and medieval charlatan who is said to have announced that the Devil was his brother-in-law. Also provided is a detailed study of the first Faust books and popular Faustian folktales; original discussions on Christopher Marlowe's drama (including a unique and controversial analysis of the A and B texts of the play); the Faust puppet plays; and Gotthold Ephraim Lessing's unfinished Faust drama. Volume II (9781434390615, $85.00) is composed of an in-depth account of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's literary masterpiece "Faust' parts one and two; a detailed examination of the early sketches of his classic drama, and informed and informative commentaries on Goethe's hidden symbolism in his texts, his interests in history and science, the occult, alchemy, Freemasonry, and his warnings to future generations. A seminal body of meticulous scholarship, research, and original commentary, "Faust: Volumes 1 & 2" is a critically significant and strongly recommended addition to personal and academic library Literary Studies reference collections in general, and Faustian Studies selected reading lists in particular.
Michael Dunford
Reviewer
Greenspan's Bookshelf
Last Tango with Marlon
Fletcher Rhoden
Trafford Publishing
1425152651, $12.00, www.trafford.com
What conversations does one of the most legendary Hollywood stars have with his best friend? "Last Tango with Marlon" is a novella version of Fletcher Rhoden's critically acclaimed two-act play following the relationship of an over-the-hill Marlon Brando and his best friend Wally Cox. A unique and entertaining story, "Last Trango with Marlon" is well worth the read.
There's Something About Cave Creek
Gene K. Garrison
Lulu
860 Aviation Parkway, Suite 300, Morrisville, NC 27560
9781430309826, $18.00, www.lulu.com
Metropolises are mega-cities which are commonly made by many smaller cities expanding. Cave Creek has resisted this movement. "There's Something About Cave Creek: It's the People" is the story of a small town in Arizona and the people who fill it. Telling the personal story of the people of this town, "There's Something About Cave Creek" is a look into a small American town that wants to stay that way. "There's Something About Cave Creek" is a solid choice for anyone looking to understand small town America.
Forty Years a Speculator
Fred Carach
Lulu
860 Aviation Parkway, Suite 300, Morrisville, NC 27560
Fred Carach & Associates (publicity)
112 Lake Emerald Drive, #207, Oakland Park, FL 33309
9781430316602, $18.48, www.lulu.com
There's a form of legalized gambling in this country. It's called the stock market. "Forty Years a Speculator" tells Fred Carach's story of rising up and becoming a stock investor who lived on the edge, likening himself to the riverboat gamblers of old. After forty years as a safe investor, he describes his revelation, and in "Forty Years a Speculator" he invites readers to make the same revelations about their own investing.
The Family Tree
Sandra Lee Churchill
Lulu
860 Aviation Parkway, Suite 300, Morrisville, NC 27560
9780615204642, $12.99, www.lulu.com
Pre-teen life is never simple, and it's not just the hormones. "The Family Tree" follows Cassidy Phillips and all of the hassles of her twelve year old life. Insane amounts of homework, her blooming interest in boys, friendship issues were enough, but her parents have news that isn't simply going to make her life any easier. "The Family Tree" is a vivid picture of pre-teen life, recommended.
Able Greenspan
Reviewer
Klausner's Bookshelf
Orphan's Alliance
Robert Buettner
Orbit
c/o Hachette Publishing Group
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017-0010
0316001740, $7.99, www.hbgusa.com
It has been over three decades since humans and Slugs (pseudocephalopods) have been at war while slowly earth is learning more about the universe and the blobs are located on the Outworlds; brought there many millennia ago by the slugs as slaves to mine Covite, which powers their C Drive ships. Mankind also has the technology, which has made the hostilities less one sided.
Lieutenant General Jason Wilder is on the Outworld Traessel where the two powers Traessens and Iridians exist and are the former is more advanced. The human militia gives them the weapons needed to defeat the Iridians. The Traessel want to use it to build up their Mouseport, a limp of rock that is only one jump point to any planet including earth. When Jason returns to Traesel, he finds the Iridians being treated like the Jews in Nazi Germany yet they build a Mouseport in hopes humanity will help them. Only the military miscalculated leaving Wilder fighting for his life in a scenario in which one mistake could destroy the Mouseport and kill all the humans inside.
Robert Buettner is a master writer of military science fiction in outer space as he demonstrates in ORPHAN'S ALLIANCE (and for that matter the entire Orphan saga). Jason is an orphan who has made the Army his family; he cares about the welfare of his troops and is less rigid and authoritarian than most officers. Readers will find his vulnerability and humanity in wartime fascinating as he fights for his world while knowing he sends some of his finest to their death.
Too Far Gone
Marliss Melton
Forever
c/o Hachette Publishing Group
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017-0010
0446509264, $6.99, www.hbgusa.com
Ten months ago in Virginia Beach, Navy SEAL sniper Sean Harlan allowed single mother Ellie Stuart and her three preadolescent boys to move into one of his rental properties. Since then he has come around a lot playing with the boys and bringing them presents. He hides his attraction to their mother as he is unsure if he should pursue his feelings or not. Just as confused is Ellie who knows the kids come first, but fears she is falling in love with her SEAL.
While driving home on a deserted back road with her three boys, a van in front of her stops. Two men come out of the vehicle and yank Ellie from her car. They grab the three boys and leave. Ellie calls the police who assume she is responsible for their disappearance and probably killed them. Sean rejects that theory and with Ellie at his side and with the help of his connections begins to investigate. Neither are aware that the Savannah based Centurions led by powerfully connected Owen Dulay is behind the abductions; nor do they know that the FBI undercover agent Drake Donavon is investigating Dulay.
This is a terrific romantic suspense thriller in which the local police are influenced by headlines of mothers killing babies as much as by other evidence that conveniently supports Ellie killing the kids. Ellie quickly learns the hard way how ruthless and amoral her unknown adversary truly is. As a desperate mother, she with Sean leading the way tries to rescue her kids before she is indicted for murder.
Wish You Were Here
Lani Diane Rich
Forever
044661825X, $6.99
Her father Richard, owner of Daly developers, wants the Deer Creek, Idaho campground property owned by single father Nate Brody, who refuses to sell. He sends his daughter Freya Daly to obtain the land although she has no idea why her dad covets this dilapidated campground in the middle of hell. Cincinnati restaurateur Nate explains to Freya he cannot sell because he made a death bed pledge to his late dad. He also says he will sell once he completes his vow to find an heirloom.
Freya's dad demands she increase the pressure as he needs that land now. She is confused by his attitude and soon learns there is more to her father's deal than he told her. As she falls in love with the father and his preadolescent daughter Piper, Freya has family issues to confront while Nate and Piper want her to return to Ohio with them as part of their family.
The charming contemporary romance between the lead couple is enhanced by several fascinating subplots that tie back to the prime story line including a unique rare condition in which Freya cries for no apparent reason. The relationship between father and daughter is a model of honesty; quite the opposite of that between Freya and her dad. Except for her dad's mayoral name, WISH YOU WERE HERE is a terrific sequel to CRAZY IN LOVE.
To Seduce a Sinner
Elizabeth Hoyt
Forever
0446406929, $6.99
In 1765 London, still recovering from being jilted at the altar by Miss Mary Templeton; Lord Jasper Renshaw is shocked further when Lady Melisande Flemming proposes to him. However, he quickly recovers and agrees as he figures at least he will do his title duty with an heir and a spare and he knows he has always liked Melisande.
Melisande is euphoric because her daring deed worked. She has always loved the world traveler, but hid her feelings form him. She also is the only one to notice the sadness in his eyes that she vows to reverse. Jasper finds his bride to be a willing excited participant in the boudoir and there for him when he suffers his nightmares about what happened at Spinner's Fall. However, before he can tell her he loves her, he must uncover the identity of the traitor who caused so much destruction when he served in the military in the colonies.
The second Legend of the Four Soldiers historical romance (see TO TASTE TEMPTATION) is a strong tale starring a flawed hero who struggles with what happened in the colonies to him and his unit and the woman who loves him. Melisande shows her courage when she proposes and when she remains at Jasper's side whether he suffers a nightmare or confronts a potential traitor. Fans of Georgian romances will relish this fine tale in which love helps a distraught man rise above the horror of the past.
The Scorpion
Warren Stockholm
Pop Pulp Books
KHP Industries
PO Box 588, Effort, PA18330
9780979988158, $9.99, www.amazon.com
In an alternate universe Nazi Germany defeated the Allies and occupied the losing nations including America for sixty years until the economy tanked causing a war in which America forced the oppressors to leave. Everything is being built up and growth is everywhere even in Steeltown. New rules allow crime to thrive with one dirty operation running a slave trade child porn ring. Women vanish with their abused bodies found in record numbers.
Watching over the city is The Scorpion who stalks and attacks evil men. He is a German super soldier created by the Third Reich but he escaped to the United States. He thinks of Steeltown as his town and plans to clean it up from criminals and predators. He uses his extraordinary skills to kill those malevolent humans harming others. Yet his past catches up to him when he realizes someone he once called brother is now a vile monster needing to be eradicated.
Readers who enjoy pulp fiction thrillers with an homage to Captain America will enjoy the entertaining THE SCORPION. The fast-paced story line vividly describes through a somewhat horrifying lens a small American town of the future five years after the Nazi occupiers have left. The hero is a tortured soul struggling to control his berserker tendency, a critical element of becoming a super soldier. No Bucky sidekick for him; he is alone even when surrounded by allies because he trusts no one, not even himself. Fans will appreciate the adventures of the Scorpion and look forward to more pulp escapades.
Keepers of the Dead
Bob Freeman
Black Death Books
KHP Industries
PO Box 588, Effort, PA18330
9780979988141, $12.99, www.amazon.com
The Circle of Nine Skulls, founded by Garrick Ward, and made up of Immortals, battle the Dark waiting for the final the end of times battle. Garrick believes his warriors and allies are ready, but the insidious Dark is working on defeating those groups before they can come to his aid.
Cairnwood Manor, the home of the Ash Lawn werewolf pack, is allies of the light. Michael has recently taken over as the leader, but everyone is surprised when another werewolf pack attacks them; he is the first casualty falling into a coma. The enemy has come to find the magical artifacts to bring to their master; they will succeed for sure if Michael fails to awaken. Even if he does, his side remains precariously near defeat as he will have to venture to the realm of his long time enemy Malcolm MacGregor the vampire who holds his beloved hostage.
Meanwhile the evil forces gather at Avebury where they use eldritch powers to call up the Old Gods and to raise an army of zombies. Two malevolent vampire hordes vie for supremacy as everyone from the Dark side to Garrick and his allies' heads for a showdown perhaps the final one at Rosslyn Chapel.
Bob Freeman has written an electrifying horror thriller that in some ways is a throwback to the classic Castle horror moves albeit faster paced (some might say frenzied) and bloodier as vampires are villains and werewolves are heroes. Reminiscent also of Stephen King's early works, readers will enjoy the supernatural war. Although the cast of seemingly zillions can become a bit overwhelming, several control the story line bringing focus to the hyper-speeding novel. Michael is the key; as he comes into his own as a leader and warrior but must return to the living if he is to be there for the last battle; without him all is lost while with him all still probably is lost. Vividly described, KEEPERS OF THE DEAD would make an exciting horror movie.
The Vampire Apocalypse: Descent into Chaos
Derek Gunn
Black Death
KHP Industries
PO Box 588, Effort, PA18330
9780979988134, $12.99, www.amazon.com
Two years ago with earth's nonrenewable energy sources all but depleted and civilizations declining, the vampire horde surfaced and attacked humans. The vampires won the war. As the lower species on the food chain, humans have become cattle; a serum given by the vamps to their food supply turns them docile.
Still there remain resistance groups including one warrior unit that killed Nero, the leader of the Cabal vampire territory. Peter Harris accomplished the impossible deed and pushes to go on the offensive since vampires are territorial creatures hiding inside their respective Cabal and the Master Vampires distrust one another. The Von Kruger Cabal in Indiana has great power but a low human population while the Wentworth Cabalp has no power but a large army. Using guerilla techniques and warfare, Peter manipulates the pride of each Master so that the Cabals go to war with one another. However a new danger surfaces as it is learned that the serum proves fatal to humans, thralls and vampires. Peter is determined to rescue the human cattle while the Von Kruger-Wentworth vampire civil war continues unabated.
Part two of The Vampire Apocalypse (see A WORLD TORN ASUNDER) gives readers insight into the thralls, humans who periodically exchange fluids with their master vampire, which turns them into super soldiers. Many volunteered to survive, but like the purebred humans they have schemes inside of plots to obtain more power. Derek Gunn is a master vampire writer who provides his fans with a graphic frightening world that hooks the audience as few military horror sagas do.
The Scorpion
Warren Stockholm
Pop Pulp Books
KHP Industries
PO Box 588, Effort, PA18330
9780979988158, $9.99, www.amazon.com
In an alternate universe Nazi Germany defeated the Allies and occupied the losing nations including America for sixty years until the economy tanked causing a war in which America forced the oppressors to leave. Everything is being built up and growth is everywhere even in Steeltown. New rules allow crime to thrive with one dirty operation running a slave trade child porn ring. Women vanish with their abused bodies found in record numbers.
Watching over the city is The Scorpion who stalks and attacks evil men. He is a German super soldier created by the Third Reich but he escaped to the United States. He thinks of Steeltown as his town and plans to clean it up from criminals and predators. He uses his extraordinary skills to kill those malevolent humans harming others. Yet his past catches up to him when he realizes someone he once called brother is now a vile monster needing to be eradicated.
Readers who enjoy pulp fiction thrillers with an homage to Captain America will enjoy the entertaining THE SCORPION. The fast-paced story line vividly describes through a somewhat horrifying lens a small American town of the future five years after the Nazi occupiers have left. The hero is a tortured soul struggling to control his berserker tendency, a critical element of becoming a super soldier. No Bucky sidekick for him; he is alone even when surrounded by allies because he trusts no one, not even himself. Fans will appreciate the adventures of the Scorpion and look forward to more pulp escapades.
Everything but a Wedding
Holly Jacobs
Avalon Books
160 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
0803499248, $23.95, http://avalonbooks.com
Elderly Hungarian matriarch Nana Vancy still regrets the "curse" she issued when she was young and in love with Bela Salo who failed to show up their wedding on time due to an accident. Now decades later her misgivings turn to fear as she worries about bad things happening at Salo family weddings since she angrily cursed big weddings, Bela and his relatives especially since she has proof with two of her grandchildren (see EVERYTHING BUT A BRIDE and EVERYTHING BUT A GROOM).
Her last hope to see the curse defeated in her lifetime resides with her last grandchild Pennsylvania developer Dori Salo. However, Dori shows no interest in men ever since her former boyfriend ended their relationship. Instead perhaps as a mental defense mechanism Dori puts all her energies on the Erie Hazard Hills housing development. Also on the project is architect Carter Hastings IV who pretends to be Bill the interior designer as he wants Dori to hire his cousin CeCe's firm to design the interior of the model homes. However as they fall in love he must admit his deception and she must challenge the curse.
Returning to Erie, site of her WLVH Radio Romance saga (see LAUGH LINES, NIGHT CALLS, LOVE HANDLES and PICKUP LINES) as well as the prime locale of the Everything But saga, Holly Jacobs provides a charming contemporary romance. The enjoyable story line is fun starting with the likable lead characters although he appears to have committed a professional ethics violation. They in turn are supported by a strong cast of returning characters and the "curse". Readers will enjoy Holly Jacobs' fine lighthearted tale that contains everything to warm the heart over the holidays.
Echoes in the Dark
Robin D. Owens
Luna
c/o Harlequin Books
225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada, M3B 3K9
9780373802937, $14.95, www.harlequin.ca
The world of Lladrana is under siege by an alien Dark force who lives in a volcano where it has made its nest. The malevolence has created monsters who stalk the countryside killing the people and draining the planet. To save their realm, the Marshalls summoned four women who are necessary to defeat the Dark. The fifth female Raine was summoned on the cheap by the Seamsters. For her first six months she was abused and overall abused so her confidence remained steadily negative. Her job is to build the boat that will take them to the island. Her ally Faucon, once dumped by an Exotique who returned to Earth helps her but tries to keep his distance because he is drawn to her but doesn't want to get hurt again
The final Exotique to be called is Jikata, a world known pop singer destined to become a superstar. She was summoned by Mirror Magic to the Singer to fulfill the prophecy so is kept isolated to prepare her to save the world when it is time for her to face the Dark. Raine builds a boat to get there on time while Jikata and her significant other Luthan the Singer begins their quest with the other Exotiques and their mates.
Readers learn why the Dark came to Lladrana and other questions left from the previous five exciting tales are answered. The story line is fast-paced from the onset as are all of Robin D. Owens fantasies in this saga and her Heart novels. The characters are fully developed including the Dark while romantic subplots and a trek to an exotic dimension enhance the countdown prime theme of good trying to save a world from a seemingly more powerful evil.
Your Roots Are Showing
Elise Chidley
5 Spot
c/o Grand Central Publishing
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
0446178144, $13.99, www.hbgusa.com, 1-800-759-0190
Lizzie and James Buckley seem to have the perfect life as they raise their three year old twins in love and affluence. However, though Lizzie loves her stay at home mommy role on their country estate, she also can use some time out with a box of chocolates. She suffers from postpartum depression that has only grown worse as James remains unsympathetic while she mopes and gains weight.
In a frustrated rage, she types an e-mail ripping her dear husband for his lack of understanding. However instead of her sister, she accidentally forwards it to James. He is livid upon reading her diatribe and angrily tells her he is filing for divorce before walking out on her. Stunned Lizzie takes their kids and leaves. Although she misses her beloved James, but not Mill House, Lizzie realizes she suffers from depression and starts running as a means of releasing her stress with the motive that James will come back for her.
Lizzie makes this deep English character study work as she struggles with being a mommy only. The support cast from her spouse to their "martinet" kids to the neighbors at Back Lane Cottage enhances the deep look at a woman suffering from postpartum depression that has gotten worse over the three plus years since she gave birth. Although limited action and a bit too tidy of a wrap-up, contemporary fiction fans will appreciate this fine tale of an individual whose self esteem went with the afterbirth.
At Close Range
Tara Taylor Quinn
Mira Books
c/o Harlequin
225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, ON, Canada, M3B 3K9
9780778925529, $6.99, www.mirabooks.com
Judge Hannah Montgomery presides over the murder trial of white supremacist Kenny Hill, a member of the Ivory Nation. However, she and her friends and family become victims of a rash of incidents including vandalism. She assumes allies of Hill probably belonging to Ivory nation, are trying to frighten her.
At the same Hannah worries about her safety and that of those close to her, the police investigate her friend Dr. Brian Hampton. Several babies under his care have recently died with the assumption being tragically SIDS. Although her adopted infant is one of the deceased, Hannah refuses to believe Brian is a murderer until shockingly a connection to Ivory Nation surfaces that makes her reconsider her opinion perhaps as previously being rose colored.
With strong believable twists enhancing a powerful thriller, romantic suspense fans will relish AT CLOSE RANGE. The story line is fast-paced from the opening courtroom scene and never slows down as increasingly the evidence condemns Brian and even Hannah, who believed in his innocence when everyone else was ready to lynch him, begins to judge him as a dangerous felon allied with the group threatening her life. Tara Taylor Quinn provides an exhilarating tale.
The Memorist
M.J. Rose
Mira Books
0778325849, $24.95
As a youngster, Meer Logan only drew pictures of what looked like a treasure chest. Her family obviously noticing the pattern asked her why she insisted on drawing only this object. Meer explained that she had seen it before although no one including her could figure out when; her parents assumed it was youthful imagination though they were somewhat concerned with her seemingly compulsive behavior disorder.
Now an adult, Meer's sixty-five year old dad Jeremy, known as the "Jewish Indiana Jones" and who works in a Vienna auction house found the box listed in an auction catalogue. Inside the box is a letter that leads Jeremy to conclude that the artifact once was owned by Beethoven's beloved. Meer heads to Austria where memories flood her mind starting with the same flute tune that makes her wonder if she was Beethoven's lover in a previous life. As father and daughter seek a mystical flute, a murder and the stealing of the box and its letter makers both of them fear someone has a different fate in store for them.
THE MEMORIST is much more complex than the exhilarating THE REINCARNATIONIST, as M.J. Rose provides a superb thriller. There are several subplots that converge on Meer who like her dad begins to believe in her previous life. Meer, her dad and several other support players are fully developed so that the audience believes in all the seemingly paranormal nuances. Set aside plenty of time as this is not a fast read, but worth the time as THE MEMORIST is memorable.
Drifting South
Charles Davis
Mira Books
9780778325420, $13.95
He spent two decades and one year behind bars for a crime he did not commit. Now finally in 1980 Ben Purdue leaves the Harrisburg Federal Penitentiary where he spent much of his time in protective custody after two inmates tried to kill him. He knows someone wants him dead; most likely tied back to the felony that led to his incarceration. Still in spite of the danger of going home where the source of his assassin probably resides, he needs to learn the fate of his mom and brothers following the shooting that led to his incarceration; which means going to the place he loathes more than prison, his hometown Shady Hollow, Virginia.
In Shady, Ben learns his family is all buried. Used to being alone due to his imprisonment, Ben mourns their death but easily deals with the solitude. He seeks to learn the truth about that fateful September day in 1959 that changed his world from a teen with hope to a bitter felon. Even more so he needs to know why his family resides in graves. The Shady "Keepers", people who he should have been able to trust from the girl he loved to the preacher to the law were involved, but someone wants him to join his family before the truth surfaces.
This is a terrific character driven suspense thriller that grips the audience from the moment Prison Officer Dollinger explains to Henry (Ben) that he is being released a few days early so whoever wants him dead will not kill him in the penitentiary. The story line never loses that level of intensity as Ben affirms that you can never go home as the memory never existed and besides what is accurate no longer lives at least in his case. The tension mounts with each revelation as an obsessed Ben needs to know as does fans who will relish Charles Davis's strong thriller in one concentrated sitting.
Deadly Gift
Heather Graham
Mira Books
9780778325277, $7.99
While visiting Ireland with his second wife, millionaire Sean O'Riley becomes ill. He recuperates enough to go home, but hires local Nurse Caer Cavannaugh to help him as he returns to States and heals at home.
Sean's alarmed daughter Kat believes the trophy wife wants her dad dead so she can insure her inheritance before Sean wisely cuts her off, but she lacks hard core proof. When Sean's partner Eddie Ray disappears, Kat asks her friend private investigator Zach Flynn to make inquiries. Zach finds no motives for either killing one partner or for the vanishing of the other. Caer assists him on his investigation, but as they fall in love, she hides from him a secret that impacts the case and will end their relationship.
The concluding Flynn brothers' "deadly" romantic suspense (see DEADLY NIGHT and DEADLY HARVEST) is a terrific finish to a strong trilogy. The story line is fast-paced from the moment Sean arrives in Ireland and never slows down as Zach with Caer's aid investigates the business partners' sudden problems. However, what makes the story line is the secret that puts quite a twist to a tense private investigative romance.
Die Before I Wake
Laurie Breton
Mira Books
9780778325901, $6.99
Julie Hanrahan goes on a cruise as a means of relaxing. On board she meets and falls in love with widower Dr. Thomas Larkin, father of two young children. He feels the same way and after a five day whirlwind courtship they marry.
Julie leaves California to live with her spouse in Maine where she struggles to adjust to the environs. However, the biggest shock is to learn that Tom's first wife Beth committed suicide and her two kids still grieve big time as they do not understand why their mommy died. Tom's mother, who lives with the, is outright nasty to Julie, who wonders if she should go home. As she considers fleeing to the West Coast, Beth's sister believes her sister was murdered probably by Tom, who displays a temper that he hid when they were in the Caribbean. Julie ponders whether her husband is a killer as accidents begin to befall on her.
Though the theme has been used before (for instance the classic Grant-Bergman movie Notorious) DIE BEFORE I WAKE is a tense contemporary gothic thriller with excellent spins. Laurie Breton keeps the reader off kilter guessing whether Tom is a dangerous menace ready to kill his second wife or a brooding hero unsure what to do to keep his beloved safe. The story line is fast-paced but it is Julie's account of the goings-on that makes the tale exciting and frightening as the audience knows the bumps in the night are real; at least in her mind. Ms. Breton provides a one sitting taut tale that keeps fans off balance with doubts between straight deadly suspense and romantic suspense.
Welcome to Serenity
Sherryl Woods
Mira Books
9780778325895, $7.99
In Serenity, South Carolina, Jeanette Brioche has mixed feelings about her new friends. On the one hand, she welcomes for the first time in her lonely life people who care for her. However, on the other hand although she feels good for her new friends, she envies the loving marriages of Maddie, Helen and Dana Sue as she has no man in her life, never has had one, and never will.
Town manager, Tom McDonald meets Jeannette and does not hide is interest in her. Maddie realizes this and signs up Jeannette as a volunteer on the Serenity's annual Christmas festival committee. Jeanette and Tom are teamed up with each attracted to one another. However, both have had losses in their lives; whereas Tom has moved on and wants to start again with Jeannette, she has not and fears relationships mean loss.
The return to Serenity for another Sweet magnolia contemporary romance FEELS LIKE FAMILY visiting as the audience finds out what is happening to the stars of previous tales (see STEALING HOME). The lead couple is a fine matching as Tom is a nice person and Jeannette is the last one standing alone although Sherryl Woods hopefully has a few more singles in Serenity. Although there is little action, fans will feel the warn holiday WELCOME TO SERENITY.
Eye to Eye
Grace Carol
Red Dress Ink
c/o Harlequin Books
225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada, M3B 3K9
9780373895823, $13.95, www.harlequin.ca
Ronnie and Doris are best friends who live on opposite sides of the continent. Ronnie, after a graduate school stint in Indiana, lives in Los Angeles with her boyfriend Earl and no money. Doris resides in Atlanta, but just ended a relationship.
Ronnie tutors sixteen years old Ian who runs his wealthy family like a dictator. Doris is under siege at the college she works by a royal academic pain in the butt. They remain best friends picking each other up mentally as their career paths collapse and their romances seem to crumble.
This is an intriguing tale starring two women who once shared their feelings in person, but geography has somewhat limited that support although they remain steadfast for one another. There is little action and much of that comes across as musings and doubts although the audience get inside the respective heads of the best friends to the point of understanding their wants and fears. These internal asides are all over the place making them realistic but difficult to follow. Still this is a fascinating lock at two people reflecting on their choices, past present and future.
The Melanin Apocalypse
Darrell Bain
Twilight Times Books
PO Box 3340, Kingsport, TN 37664
www.twilighttimesbooks.com
9781933353708, $16.95, 1-423-323-0183
The genetically altered virus surfaced in Africa killing anyone whose body cells contained a certain level of melanin. Dark skinned people were dying in biblical numbers. As Africa descends into deadly anarchy, the virus leaves the continent for other nations around the world. Globalization collapses drowning the global economy in its tsunami. In the United States, mob chaos begins to reign so Martial Law is invoked.
While everyone is reeling and rioting and looting is everywhere, and CDC scientists work around the clock for a cure, a second virus explodes on the world. This time the customized killer is Middle Eastern people. At about the same time, Church of Blacks militant members lay siege to the CDC. Former soldier Doug Craddock, a Caucasian, providing security to the scientists, tries to persuade the angry militants that this is their best bet for a cure; but no one seems interested in anything except stringing up a white man
The exciting THE MELANIN APOCALYPSE is perfect timing with the economy crashing and the Powell endorsement properly targeting the hate towards specific groups as the real anti-Americanism. The premise is built on genome research allows customizing medical cures can also do the opposite causing specified global holocausts. However, the key to this superb cautionary science fiction thriller is how people act and react to the customized deadly viruses.
The Focus Factory
Darrell Bain and Gerald Mills
Twilight Times
9781931201964, $18.95
Murray Blake is stunned as he feels his life has collapsed. First, his firm shuts down his project, ending his research into helping autistic idiot-savants when his work showed promise and is at a critical stage. Second illegal immigrants killed his family. Although he considers Alice's Red Queen is an optimist with her philosophy of perpetual running to remain in one place, he feels he fell down the rabbit hole. Still grieving, Murray ponders how pathetic the government is as it fumbles its reason for existing, deal with man-made or natural disasters.
With time on his hands, Murray decides to use his research to solve the illegal immigration issue that has caused him so much personal anguish. He tests his findings on himself. Soon afterward, the scientist becomes a key cog in a scheme to solve all of America's most vexing problems starting with illegal immigration.
THE FOCUS FACTORY is an engaging political satire that has science fiction roots. The story line lampoons the foibles of the industrial-government complex that share the common goal that the bottom line supersedes any real solutions to issues unless it feeds the bottom line. Extrapolating failures like Katrina and the Illegal Immigration responses (what happened to those two problems as they seem to have faded away during the current campaign); Darrell Bain and Gerald Mills provide a strong saga. Murray makes the tale work as a beaten down man refusing to allow the Queen of Hearts to direct her minion with "off with his head" without fighting back.
An Irish Country Christmas
Patrick Taylor
Forge
c/o Tor Books
1403 Flatiron Building, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
0765320703, $24.95, www.tor-forge.com
In the quaint Irish village of Ballybucklebo, Dr. Fingal O'Reilly and his partner Dr. Barry Laverty deal as always with the vast ailments of the townsfolk while also dealing with respective attractions to the opposite sex. Fingal has doubts about courting effervescent Kitty O'Halloran except when he is near her; than he has no rational thought. Barry is upset because his girlfriend Patricia Spence at Girton College informs him she may not make it in time for his first Christmas in the small Irish village.
However, all that pales compared to a new doctor in town who steals their patients with remedies that should have the man barred. To country doctors O'Reilly and Laverty, Dr. Fitzpatrick should be called Dr. Quack, but as ridiculous as his prescriptions are, he is gaining patients.
The third Irish County medical cozy (see AN IRISH COUNTRY DOCTOR and AN IRISH COUNTRY VILLAGE) is a fun tale as O'Reilly and Laverty continues to take care of the villagers by combining modern medical practices with homespun "cures" like dressing up as Santa. The story line is warm and uplifting even when Patricia looks like she will not make for the holidays and Fitzpatrick causes harm to the patients he steals. Readers who enjoyed the previous entries will especially want to read this one as the two physicians spend their first holiday season with fans.
Guinevere's Truth
Jennifer Roberson
Five Star Books
295 Kennedy Memorial Drive, Waterville, ME 04901
http://gale.cengage.com/fivestar/
9781594141508, $25.95, 1-800-223-1244
These are twenty well written feminist fantasy tales from an author renowned as one of best authors of the sub-genre. The entries contain six from the 1980s; nine from the 1990s (including the title story), and the remaining five from this decade. Most of the early contributions were published in Sword and Sorceress. The compilation runs much of the gamut of the genre with the emphasis obviously on heroines. Two of them "A Lesser Working" and "Guinevere's Truth" are intriguing Arthurian shorts and two others ("Of Honor and the Lion" and "Blood of Sorcery" have ties in the Chronicles of the Cheysuli realm. Although the tone is vast from humor to subtle irony to conflicting cultures; and the perspective can be from the heroine or a relative (female of course), fans of Jennifer Roberson will appreciate her short story compilation in which one overarching theme whether I be modern America, Cheysuli , or another realm is kick butt females.
Scent of Danger
Doranna Durgin
Five Star Books
9781594146756, $25.95
Former Buckeye, Dr. Dale Kinsall is still adjusting to life in West Winoza, just outside of Flagstaff, Arizona. He finds his staff at the Foothills Veterinary Clinic professional but eccentrically amusing except when they wear animal scrotums as earrings; that sort of feels painful. He also is half in love with another veterinarian Laura Nakai who he hoped would join his practice, but did not.
As the clinic is being renovated and Dale semi exiled due to asthma, he begins receiving weird warning notes written in rhyme, but placed in such away that someone with full clinic access was dropping them off. Laura becomes concerned when her young second cousin becomes deathly ill from hanta fever. As the notes keep coming, Dale and his sidekick Sully the mouse eating Beagle work on the case of the notes even as he saves Laura's life when she comes down with hanta fever.
Although the mystery is thin and comes late, fans will enjoy this fun Arizona cozy due to the eccentric cast. Fans will be fascinated that Dale is in the local police dog house for solving a recent case (see NOSE FOR TROUBLE) instead of them. The support cast adds to the character driven plot as Dale with Sully follow the SCENT OF DANGER.
When Danger Calls
Terry O'Dell
Five Star Books
159414723X, $25.95
Following his second failed black ops mission in which people died and he is injured, Blackthorne agent Ryan Harper is put on medical leave. He knows that everyone at the private security firm assumes he turned rogue, but he believes someone inside caused the two failures; they were set up and he plans to bring that person down as a little girl who died in the first fiasco haunts him. Thus Ryan retrieved the container he was sent to obtain, but tells his boss otherwise so he can learn why something allegedly minor caused deaths.
Ryan returns to his hometown of Broken Bow, Montana to stay with his Pop on the ranch. He meets Gladys a waitress at the Three Elks and is attracted to her. Ryan later learns she is an elementary school art teacher Frankie Castor, a single mom to precocious six year old Molly. Frankie worries about her mom who has suffered two injuries since starting a relationship with Bob Dwyer. As Ryan and Frankie fall in love, he comes to the rescue of her, Molly, and Molly's "friend" Mr. Snuggles even as someone wants what he possesses from his last mission; that person is willing to harm his loved ones something that is unacceptable to Ryan.
This is an exciting romantic suspense that grips readers from the onset when Ryan's cakewalk mission turns ugly and never slows down as his work arrives at Big Sky Country. The cast is very strong especially the lead couple and their immediate family. Although major coincidence twice involving land takes somewhat away from this fine thriller, fans will appreciate Ryan's reactions WHEN DANGER CALLS.
A Dead Bore
Sheri Cobb South
Five Star Books
9781594147111, $25.95
In London with the Ton titillating over the murder of her husband, widow Lady Julia Fieldhurst decides it is time to rusticate so she does not have to see the gleeful looks of her peers and hear their gossipy whispered innuendos. Thus to ignore the scandal of her spouse's homicide, Lady Julia travels to Yorkshire to stay with Sir Gerald and Lady Anne Hollingshead.
Her hosts at Hollingshead Place celebrate her arrival with a small dinner party in which guest Vicar Danvers provides the other diners with verbal extracts from a local history book he is almost finished writing. Soon after dinner, a fire at the vicarage kills Mr. Danvers. Julia sends a message to her London associate Bow Street runner John Pickett pleading with him to come to Yorkshire investigate what she believes was an arson murder related to the history book. Pickett, who because he is attracted to the out of his reach Lady, quickly arrives and masquerades as Julia's footman so that he can serendipitously investigate.
A DEAD BORE is a superb Regency mystery (see IN MILADY'S CHAMBER) that brings to life the aristocracy as well as the servants who reside under the stairs. The whodunit is cleverly set up so that the motive in general terms is obvious but specifically which passage is not; opportunity abound for many people who could have set the inferno. The subtle attraction between the lady and the runner enhances a strong early nineteenth century investigative tale.
Royal Escape
Susan Froetschel
Five Star Books
9781594147173, $25.95
The Princess of Wales Elena dreams of a different future far from her so-called fairy tale marriage to Edward that has turned into a choking nightmare. She wants to be free to help the less fortunate and she desires fun time for their two children the heir thirteen years old Richard and the spare ten years old Lawrence. Her divorce proceedings has stirred the media and the Royal family as that is unprecedented, but Edward's blatant cheating with his long time girlfriend finally pushed her to go the final mile with the help of kind solicitor Derrick Wilson.
After a royal gala, an angry upset Elena, who was supposed to have her kids for the weekend, but due to royal chicanery does not, leaves in a Rolls Royce. When she sees Lawrence running she has her driver Henry stop the car. She goes to her son just when the car explodes killing Henry and knocking her out. Lawrence tells the press his mom was a hero. At about the same time two thugs murder Derrick and steal Elena's journal. Other die as Elena with the help of American journalist Michael McLarrity tries to escape anti royalist terrorists, royal imprisonment under the guise of security and still spend quality time with her two offspring.
This obvious parallel to Princess Diana is an intriguing royal suspense thriller although Elena comes across as too perfect while the royals as so tight ass that a five pence coin could not slide out of their butts. Still the story line is exciting especially once the terrorists begin their campaign and provides insight into what it is like to be a Windsor abiding by choking nightmarish rules under the British media microscope.
The Parlor House Daughter
Joanne Sundell
Five Star Books
1594147221, $25.95
In 1863 in Nevada City, Colorado Territory, an assailant murders prostitute Ruby Rose. Her five years old daughter Rebecca moves into a brothel, Jenny Clayton's Palace, where she is raised by the ladies with tenderness and kindness. Madame Jenny even offers to send her east for schooling when she became a teen, but Becca is obsessed with one day finding out who killed her mom and why.
When Becca turns seventeen, customer Morgan Larkspur notices her and is willing to pay top dollar to have her; none of Madam Jenny's other girls would do. Becca accepts being Morgan's mistress as she feels that arrangement might help her make progress on her cold case investigation. However, as she begins to fall in love, a crisis threatens to overwhelm them. He must deal with a miner's strike and she with the unknown culprit trying to kill her. Besides which, Morgan is engaged to another woman.
This Reconstruction Era romance stars two solid lead characters and a strong cast, especially the prostitutes as the story line contains a deep look the plight of females. The plot is fast-paced even the opening scene in which Ruby is bleeding to death and never slows down as Becca forces her mother's killer to confront her and propels Morgan to confront his feelings and desires. Historical fans will enjoy this fine 1870s Americana tale.
Jury Rigged
Laurie Moore
Five Star Books
9781594147104, $25.95
In Fort Worth, Cezanne Martin left the police department to practice law. One morning, she wakes up to find Darlene Driskoll holding a gun to her face. Driskoll forces Martin into her car, but the attorney manages to escape. Knowing this is not over, Martin turns to FWPD star detective, Wolfgang "Slash" Vaughn for help from the crazed killer who escaped from her incarceration.
Soon after her traumatic experience, Martin learns her long missing dad Bob died and that her elderly Aunt Velda lives in poverty inside a mansion. Finally her brother, Henri Matisse Martin, arrives demanding his share of the estate. Between family to include her teenage ward Deuteronomy "Duty" Devilrow and a killer, Martin decides the latter is safer.
The third humorous Martin investigative thriller (see LADY GODIVA MURDER and THE WILD ORCHID SOCIETY) is a hoot from the hood as Duty provides enlightening commentary on the big show. The story line is fast-paced especially with deadly deranged Driskoll stalking. Between Duty's asides and in your face comments and Cezanne's struggles to survive her family, Slash, Duty and Driskoll, Fort Worth will never be the same.
Webdancers
Brian Herbert
Five Star Books
15941542181, $25.95
The Timeweb that links time and space in the galaxy is rapidly deteriorating. If this cosmic transportation infrastructure should disintegrate as the trends currently seem, the galaxy could collapse into something not much removed from the Stone Age; that is if it survives as nobody knows what the devastation will be.
While galactic ecologist Noah Watanabe tries to prevent the cosmic eco disaster, his interactions with the Timeweb has changed him from human to something else. At the same time Noah heroically works on saving the Timeweb, war is imminent between the Hib-Adu Coalition and the newly formed allies the Merchant Prince Alliance humans and the Mutati Kingdom shape-shifters, who were enemies before their mutual cooperation to stop their common foe. Time is running out on all fronts as Noah struggles to keep the web from destruction which would release unknown energy forces across the galaxy leaving behind nothing but dust.
The third and final Timeweb Chronicles outer space adventure (see TIMEWEB and THE WEB AND THE STARS) is an exciting tale that never slows down as the two major subplots begin to merge into what looks like a cataclysmic end to the galaxy. The fast-paced story line is diminished somewhat by having two significant threats in which either could turn the galaxy into dust; the parts overwhelm the sum so that neither comes across as cosmic as intended. Still Brian Herbert finishes the Timeweb Chronicles with a doomsday scenario with the only hope to avoid the Big Crunch being Noah.
Running from the Puppet Master
D-L Nelson
Five Star Books
9781594147081, $25.95
In 1962 in affluent Stonebridge, Massachusetts, her wealthy New England family demands Leah Stockbridge attend one of the prominent liberal art colleges for wealthy females aligned with the Ivy League or Tufts in or order to meet a proper husband. Leah refuses as she finds those courses boring and rejects her mom's objective . Instead she registers at the Massachusetts College of Art with dreams of painting on the Left Banke in the City of Lights..
A few years later Leah plans to marry Michael, cosidered an unacceptable "foreigner" by her parents. He ends up being killed by a streetcar. Following the horrific tragedy, Leah leaves the States for Paris where she plans to become a painter. She meets Swiss banker Jean-Luc Perroset, who charms her and soon they marry. Leah no longer paints as her time is spent as a wife and mother running Jean-Luc's vast estate. She thought they were happy together, but suddenly strange dangerous things begin to happen to Leah while Jean-Luc is non-supportive.
This exciting suspense thriller anchors in 1994, but uses numerous flashbacks to mostly the 1960s, but also the other decades all the way back to 1945. The story line starts off more as a character study of a young woman seeking her independence but once the tragedy sends her to Europe followed by her marriage, the plot veers into a woman in trouble tale. Although the moving around through the second half of the twentieth century can become confusing, it also adds depth to what is happening and why to the heroine. Fans will enjoy this tense tale of an American expatriate RUNNING FROM THE PUPPET MASTER.
Dead Ringer
Michael A. Black and Julie Hyzy
Five Star Books
9781594147135, $25.95
In Chicago World's Heavyweight Kickboxing champion and private investigator Ron Shade accepts an assignment from "Big" Dick Mackenzie of Midwestern Olympia Insurance company. Dick claims they paid out, $12 million to the widow of deceased Robert Bayless and the dead man's company when he died in a downstate car accident; however, based on Robert's distinctive laugh, Dick insists he is alive in Vegas.
At the same time her boss assigns TV investigative reporter Alex St. James to go undercover amidst the homeless. The case is dangerous so she conceals an illegal Taser. However, her inquiry spins into insurance fraud and murder as Alex's investigation ties in with that of Ron.
These two Chicago based mystery series are strong sagas in their own right, but merging them proves a winner as for the most part the two sleuths rotate leads. The subplots are exciting until they merge proving the whole is greater than the sum of the parts even when the parts work quite well as separate subplots. With a hint of an attraction between the two stars, fans will insist Michael A. Black and Julie Hyzy provide more collaborative novels like this one.
High Spirits
Alice Duncan
Five Star Books
9781594146954 , $25.95
In February 1921 in Pasadena, California Daisy Gumm Majesty makes a living for her and her disabled WWI veteran husband Billy by pretending to be a spiritualist. Her otherworldly control Rolly, who she invented when she was ten years old, enables her to put bread on the table as Billy is unable to work though he despises how she makes money.
Her best client Mrs. Kincaid begs Daisy to do a reading at a speakeasy; she says no hiding behind Rolly not stepping inside a den of iniquity. However, eventually she reluctantly agrees though not for her client's daughter Stacy who calls herself Flossie Mosser who frequents the joint run by mobster Vicenzo Maggiori. With Mrs. Kincaid's kind son Harold escorting her Daisy enters the speakeasy while Billy's best friend homicide detective Sam Rotondo worries about her especially when the cops raid the joint.
More a satirical historical lampooning the Prohibition stereotypes than a mystery, fans of Alice Duncan's spirited post WWI thriller will relish this fine entry as Daisy gets into one troubling incident after another. Although the plot is thin, the insight into 1920s California is deep and vivid while the cast is strong especially Billy struggling mentally due to his war related physical disabilities. Fans will enjoy Mrs. Majesty's latest reading.
A Murder Too Close
Penny Mickelbury
Five Star Books
9781594147128, $25.95
Once the melting pot that welcomed new immigrants, many residents of New York City East Side neighborhoods near the Ground Zero crater distrust newcomers especially those with Asian garb since the Twin Towers disaster. Hearing rumors of private investigator Phil Rodriquez's gutting someone's male anatomy, former school mate chum Sam Epstein, co-owner of a cleaning store, asks him to rough Hindu teenage Frankie who he wants to stay away from his fourteen years old niece Sasha Heller whose mom died in the WTC on 9/11, Phil refuses.
Phil decides to eat at the Indian restaurant owned by Frankie's parents to insure the teen is not a punk. However, by the time he arrives the restaurant is an inferno; Phil assumes Uncle Sammy committed the hate crime. He later learns a delivery man died in the blaze. Homeland Security agents go after the victims of the fire because of their heritage though they are legal and the insurance company refuses to pay insisting an investigation is underway to insure this was not self inflicted arson. Other "Thems" are hurt too either by assaults or by complaints to HSD about their behavior that sends agents on these Thems. Phil and his business partner Yolanda Aguierre get involved as the feds and the cops seem to target the legal immigrants only, not the arsonist or the xenophobic stalkers.
Phil's investigation is exciting as he runs through roadblocks from HSD, local hate advocates, and perhaps the Russian Mafia. However, what makes A MURDER TO CLOSE excellent is Penny Mickelbury who provides a strong case that helpless outrage has led to the loss of liberty for some; which extrapolates to all. The story line looks closely at people who lost loved ones on 9/11 and how they have reacted since while also providing a deep glimpse into the lives of Muslims, Hindu and Sikh residents trying to make it in an atmosphere of hate. Phil, Yolanda, Sasha's grandfather, and others welcome the newcomers while HSD, insurance firms, and some locals harass the Thems.
Deadly Bones
Boris Riskin
Five Star Books
9781594147159, $25.95
Former Shakespearean teacher Jake Wanderman knows he is lucky to have survived his recent encounter with the Russian Mafia (see SCRAMBLED EGGS). However, when his beloved late wife's friend TV star Toby Welch, asks Jake to investigate the brutal murder of her father, art dealer Cormac Blather, Jake agrees.
Homicide Detective Sienna Nolan does not want Jake on the case, but knows she cannot prevent him from sleuthing. Thus she teams up with him finding clues that tie Cormac's homicide and that of an art forger Chase McCleod to billionaire art collector Bryson Mergenthaler. Hints of fraud involving a missing biblical ossuary emulate from Jerusalem. Sienna is unable to go so encouraged by his rabbi Jake travels to Israel not quite prepared that some people want to send him home in a coffin while Israeli police detective Liat strongly suggests he return to the states.
DEADLY BONES is an interesting investigative tale starring a depressed hero still grieving his wife's death although the two female cops who enter his life give him an emotional lift. The story line is fast-paced with a lot of knife play from an unknown adversary leaving a growing death toll behind. Jake is at his best in Jerusalem where he does what all former Shakespearean teachers do alienate the cops (same as he does in the States). Although overwhelmed at times by the Bard, fans will enjoy this fine mostly amateur sleuth with the additional insight into the Jewish mitzvah of davening with Tefillin.
One of the Wicked
Harry Shannon
Five Star Books
1594147035, $25.95
In Los Angeles Bud "Bone" Stone visits his friend psychologist and radio talk-show host Mick Callahan to ask a big favor though they have not seen one another in years. Bone explains he owes money to a Vegas mobster who might harm his former girlfriend due to failed payments. He wants Mick to keep Brandi DeLillo safe while he finds a few hundred thousand to pay off dangerous Big Paul Pesci. Although he knows he needs to avoid trouble and is losing his radio spot to a right wing extremist with an IQ in negative numbers, Mick agrees because he owes Bone for saving his life during their Navy SEAL days.
Mick gets some of his friends to help him watch the woman. However, the case takes two nasty spins. Big Paul summons Mick to a chit chat in his casino in the Valley of Fire where he is told what to do or else he and compatriots will lose joints, limbs, and lives to his henchman Nikolaou Argetoianu. Also apparently Stone also stole money from a neighborhood dealer and Big Paul needs to send a loud message to wannabes even if that means killing Mick if he cannot immediately find Stone.
The third Callahan thriller (see EYE OF THE BURNING MAN and MEMORIAL DAY) ONE OF THE WICKED is an exhilarating tale that grips readers from the moment that Stone visits Mick and never slows down as the hero and his team try to protect Brandi and find Stone. The story line is fast-paced as a sober Mick begins to learn how deep in sh*t his friend really is. Even though the key cast (except somewhat AA alumni Mick) is never fully developed beyond one superficial trait each, the action is everything in this one sitting thriller.
Phenomenal Girl 5
A.J. Menden
Dorchester Shomi
c/o Dorchester Publishing Company
200 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
0505527863, $6.99, www.dorchesterpub.com, 1-800-481-9191
Lainey Livingston is a do-gooder superhero who cares more about doing the right thing than about her image. She is particularly excited about being accepted by the Elite Hands of Justice (EHJ), the top guns of superherodom. However, before she is deployed by the EHJ, Lainey must serve a two year apprenticeship under the guidance of reincarnist Robert Elliot.
Lainey figures two years will go fast and besides she figures she will learn about super tactics from the world's smartest person. However, she also knows he is the toughest task master of pupils; having kicked out those he felt were not up to the job. However, as Laney accepts all that Robert hand grenades at her, she falls in love with her teacher. She tries to hide her feelings as superheroes don't do love and besides he will outlive her by a zillion new lives.
This is a lighthearted fun superhero action-packed romance starring three (read the novel for an explanation) "individuals" struggling with love. The story line is faster than a speeding bullet and more powerful than a locomotive as Lainey's heart leaps over tall buildings in a single beat. Fans who relish something different will want to read this engaging science fiction romance as the teacher and the pupil must first save Megolopolis before their hearts.
Blood Island
Terrell H. Griffin
Oceanview Publishing
2817 West End Ave, Suite 126-274, Nashville, TN 327203
193351521X, $24.95, www.amazon.com
In Longboat Key, Florida retired lawyer Matt Royal does pro bono only with his prime stipulations being shorts and no tie. Matt is taken aback when his ex-wife, Laura arrives at the Key pleading with him to help her. Her stepdaughter Peggy went to Sarasota on spring break, but she never came back; instead she just vanished last seen in Longboat Key.
Matt agrees to investigate her disappearance. He follows several leads only to have Laura vanish too. Since her trail is fresher, Matt begins to track Laura, which leads him the Heaven Can't Wait Spa in Key West. From there he begins to find a connection to lunatic Reverend Robert William Simmermon who holds religious court on nearby BLOOD ISLAND. This is a place Matt knows he will not just be unwelcome; he will be shark food.
This fast-paced Florida Keys mystery is filled with suspense and a great hero whose sardonic (including self flagellation) humor, makes for an entertaining suspenseful tale and has him fit in the zany Sunshine State investigators' pantheon. Matt is terrific as he hops the Keys but with each leap he gets into deeper trouble. Fans will relish his third retirement escapade (see LONGBOAT BLUES and MURDER KEY; neither read by me) as nothing seems to go right.
Running Hot
Jayne Ann Krentz
G. P. Putnam's Sons
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780399155215, $24.95, www.penguin.com, 1-800-847-5515
The psychic investigative firm Jones & Jones sends Arcane Society member Grace Renquist, who can envision the evil in a person's aura to Hawaii to uncover the identity of a serial killer. To protect the librarian who will be out in the cold for the first time, they hire former cop currently tending bar Luther Malone as her bodyguard, who can abort a person's evil thoughts before they can perform an odious deed.
Luther and Grace are attracted to one another from their first meeting. However, in Hawaii they know to table their passion and focus on the killer. They quickly learn that others seek the psychopath too; from the drug stimulated malevolent Nightshades to psychic hunter opera diva La Sirene, whose voice kills.
Although obviously over the top of Mauna Kea, RUNNING HOT is a fast-paced exhilarating romantic suspense that grips the audience from the moment the lead couple meets and never takes a breather until the concluding implication that sequels will follow. Ms. Krentz's fans will enjoy this serial murder mystery investigation that turns into much more dangerous and evil than a psychopath on the loose.
Dead or Alive
Michael McGarrity
Dutton
c/o Penguin Putnam
375 Hudson Street, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10014-3657
9780525950813, $25.95, www.penguinputnam.com 1-800-847-5515
Escaped psychopathic convict Craig Larson goes on a killing rampage murdering everyone it seems in his path. Among the victims is Riley Burke, business partner to former Santa Fe police chief Kevin Kerney.
Outraged by the Burke death and just back from London where his spouse works in the American embassy, Kerney vows to bring the maniac to justice. However that pledge is easier said than done, as Larson leaves corpses in several southwest states. Working as a temporary New Mexico State Police special investigator, Kerney and his son Lincoln County Sheriff's Department Lieutenant Clayton Istee lead a state wide manhunt.
The keys to this wild manhunt are the relationship between the father and son law enforcement pair who only recently learned of their DNA connection and the deep look at multi-jurisdiction police investigations. The story line is fast-paced and filled with much more blood than the usual Kerney whodunit (see NOTHING BUT TROUBLE) and a strong sense of locale that would have pleased the late Tony Hillerman. In some macabre ways Larson steals the show as he makes the plot with his murderous spree that turns what looks like a blue state red.
Daemon
Daniel Suarez
Dutton
9780525951117, $25.95
At thirty four years of age, Matthew Sobol, the genius behind successful CyberStorm Entertainment dies from brain cancer. However, the brilliant game maestro would not allow something as petty as death preventing him from causing global havoc from the grave. He somehow kicked off a war from cyberpsace against mankind.
Concerned authorities enter Sobol's mansion in Thousand Oaks, California only to find themselves under attack in spite of the fact that no human is inside or on the grounds; the police suffer several deaths as they retreat. Sobol has left behind the greatest weapon of mass destruction ever created; his daemon computer processor has taken control of most of the world's major computer systems and has signed up brilliant quisling humans as foot soldiers to carry out the plan for world domination.
DAEMON is a fabulous futuristic AI technology thriller as the twisted but brilliant late computer game creator Sobol sets in motion a doomsday machine after he dies. The story line is fast-paced from the onset even with complex vernacular as Daniel Suarez assumes his audience can do more than breath and chew gum refusing to dumb down his tale. Readers will relish this superb science fiction book with a great finish that sets up AI part two.
Paper Towns
John Green
Dutton
9780525478188, $17.99
In Orlando they have been next door neighbors for a decade and even saw a corpse together when they were nine years old. However, as they get ready to graduate from high school, Quentin Jacobsen still loves his childhood best friend, Margo Roth Spiegelman, but she moved on to spend time with the cool dudes and he settled for other girls. She became the centerfold for the bad girl and him the nerdy smart guy.
One night she suddenly appears at his bedroom window like she used to do when they were preadolescents. He sneaks out so he does not have to explain to his therapist parents what he is doing and they spend the night on her capers.
The next day Q learns Margo vanished from his life again, but this time she is not even in the neighborhood. Fearing for her going so far as considering she committed suicide, he needs to know if she is okay. With his best friend Radar as his sidekick they follow the clues starting with Margo's copy of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass.
This is a deep teenage relationship drama with several incredible twists to the connection between the lead couple. Q and Radar's inquiry is fun to follow as the hero begins to understand the murkiness of love which ironically means not to understand. Along with their sidekick Ben of bleeding masturbation infamy, they make an awesome geek trio while Margo is the fascinating polar opposite as the glamorous bad girl. Fans will enjoy this fine teen mystery as any moment this reviewer expected Alvy Singer to crash across the fourth wall from Annie Hall bringing Marshall McLuhan with him to resolve the amusing psychobabble.
Sinner
Ted Dekker
Thomas Nelson Publishers
PO Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214
97815955540089, $24.95, www.thomasnelson.com 1-800-251-4000
In 2034 in most of the world, tolerance is the byword in regard to religion. It is frowned up to discuss sectarianism, ethno slurs, or public preaching. Billy Rediger, the product of the failed Project Showdown, is a lawyer who has never forgotten that what he wrote in The Books of History is made flesh in the real world.
Marsuvees Black is the personification of evil still out in the world causing trouble. He is behind the lynching and race riots that are polarizing America. Billy connects with Darcy Lange who also let evil into her life when she abetted Billy in writing that infamous tome. They discover Billy can hear the thoughts of everyone as long as he looks into their eyes and her voice can compel people to do what she asks. When a cabal of Washington powerbrokers brings them out from the cold, they agree to make the undecided power brokers pass a constitutional amendment that would make racial bigotry and religious freedom crimes. The amendment passes but in Paradise, Colorado Johnny Drake who fought against evil and won refuses to deny his religious beliefs.
Ted Dekker has written a fabulous supernatural thriller that brings to a close his terrific Paradise trilogy (see SHOWDOWN and SAINT). There is a lot of symbolism in this saga. Black can be considered Lucifer and Johnny is John the Baptist risking his life for his belief. There is plenty of action as the future United States is a place of no freedom as the Bill of Rights has been burned at the stakes. Readers will enjoy SINNER as it is a crime to openly worship God.
O Little Town
Don Reid
David C. Cook
c/o Cook Communications
4050 Lee Vance View, Colorado Springs, CO 80918
9781434799302, $16.99, www.cookministries.com
In 1958 in Mt Jefferson, Macalbee's Five & Dime manager Milton Sandridge is informed that fifteen year old Millie Franklin has been caught shoplifting. Milton would prefer to ignore the crime as the culprit is the daughter of Reverend Paul Franklin, pastor of the Methodist Church, but there are too many witnesses. He calls Police Lieutenant Buddy Briggs who comes over to talk with Millie before taking her home. Millie is upset and angry, but refuses to say anything further. Her father and her mother Dove ask her why.
Widower Walter Selmon, Milton's father-in-law, is rushed to the hospital where his other son-in-law Camp Sterrett is a doctor. The medical tests conclude he is dying, upsetting his two adult daughters, Milton's wife Colleen and Camp's spouse Doris. Doris' oldest of two sons, seventeen years old Louis informs his parents he impregnated sixteen year old Shirley Ann Briggs; who informs her dad the sheriff and her mom Amanda.
The key to this engaging historical fiction is the fully developed small-town cast who each has flaws, makes mistakes, and has issues. The subplot involving a teenage Walter and an actress in 1904 is well written but can distract from the prime 1958 drama. Still O LITTLE TOWN is a delightful inspirational tale with the theme of forgiveness running through both tracks accentuated years later with the tradition of the roses emphasizing all is forgiven.
Life After Genius
M. Ann Jacoby
Grand Central Publishing
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
0446199710, $24.99, www.hbgusa.com, 1-800-759-0190
Theodore Mead Fegley grew up in High Grove, Illinois under the thumb of a martinet mom and an indifferent dad who was too busy running a funeral parlor and furniture store. Being a genius, Mead faced bullies and unfair physical comparisons to his older athletically gifted cousin as if brawn supersedes brain every time although Perry is his only friend. At fifteen he accepts a scholarship to attend Chicago University on a three year track.
At school, he focuses on solving Riemann Hypothesis while flourishing under the mentoring of Dr. Alexander. However, as he succeeds at math, he fails at personal relationships. Now on the verge of graduating at eighteen, Mead must give his presentation even as his long time college rival and enemy math major Herman Weinstein tries to destroy his research; instead feeling emotionally deceased he flees for home.
Though the key characters seem to come out of typecasting 101 boy genius, contemporary readers will enjoy this well written character study that looks at the down side of being the brain. Mead is an interesting protagonist whose intelligence without an emotional anchor leads to his shutting down his brain. Readers will appreciate his struggles to belong as LIFE AFTER GENIUS can prove disconcerting.
Divine Justice
David Baldacci
Grand Central Publishing
0446195502, $27.99
Joe Knox scans two homicide scenes in which he concludes a professional sniper took out DC super VIPs, Intel Chief Carter Gray and US Senator from Alabama Roger Simpson. At the same time Joe concludes the same sniper did both murders and that the Intel community was hiding something, former CIA assassin Oliver Stone takes the Amtrak train from Union Station heading to New Orleans after killing the two government superheavyweights who murdered his wife and for all intent and purposes buried his real identity John Carr with her.
Unable to mind his business, Stone intercedes in a fight on the train, but when the Amtrak conductor asks for a picture identification, he knows he must disembark ASAP because he will be exposed as a fake with minimal examination. He ends up in the mining town of Divine, Virginia where once again his tendency to get involved in a David vs. Goliath good cause gets him in trouble with high level corruption and a widow in peril.
The latest Camel Club thriller (see THE COLLECTORS , STONE COLD and THE CAMEL CLUB) is an exciting tale that fans of the series will relish as Stone's code of justice makes him act when he should remain passively in the background. He cannot help himself when he took out the VIPS, on the train or in Divine. Although somewhat formulaic in the mining town reminiscent of Spencer Tracey in Bad Day At Black Rock and Steven Seagal in Fire Down Below, readers will enjoy Stone's latest escapades.
A Dead Man in Barcelona
Michael Pearce
Soho Press
853 Broadway , New York, NY 10003
9781569475379, $25.00, www.sohopress.com publicity@sohopress.com
In 1910 riots broke out in Barcelona when reservist units refused to be deployed in Spanish Morocco. During the deadly confrontation that left many dead and more in jail, someone murders English businessman Sam Lockhart while he was locked in a prison.
Two years later Scotland Yard sends Special Branch Detective Sandor Seymour to Spain to investigate the homicide of the English citizen during "Tragic Week". The background information is sketchy at best starting with why the Gibraltar based business man was in Barcelona and the lack of a motive makes it even more difficult. Still not understanding the terrain especially the local populace who have deep qualms about strangers and police, and needing to move around freely, Seymour hooks up with his girlfriend Chantale de Lissac, who is half-Arab and half-French. As they investigate, the case takes strange twists through a city still living in fear.
The latest "Dead Man in" pre-WWI thriller (see A DEAD MAN IN ISTANBUL, A DEAD MAN IN ATHENS and A DEAD MAN IN TANGIER) once again provides the audience a deep look at a new location, this time Barcelona just after riots devastated the city. The story line is action-packed and never slows down as Sandor conducts his investigation into the cold case homicide of the English citizen. Although the whodunit is clever and well written, as is the case in all of Michael Pearce's tales (see also the Mamur Zapt Egyptian historical saga), the sense of time and place is outstanding.
Deep Night
Caroline Petit
Soho Press
9781569475300, $24.00
In 1937 in Hong Kong Jonathan Hawatyne and his fiancee antiques dealer Leah Kolbe attend a movie when the second Sino-Japanese War begins. They are separated as the Japanese easily take the city. However, Leah flees the dangerous occupation by boat to Macau where she fortunately finds work and some safety at the British Consulate.
She is worried about Jonathan who seems to have disappeared, but she is happy to be alive. Benjamin Eldersen meets Leah and tries to persuade her to help him in his quest to abduct the son of a key Japanese ammunition and steel manufacturer. She agrees to assist him as a successful snatch could disrupt Japanese war plans.
This enjoyable 1930s romantic espionage thriller provides readers with a fascinating tour of Hong Kong and Macau as the Japanese invade China. The story line focuses on survival in an occupation zone that will hook readers. Although Leah's torment for her lost lover is right, she never pulls off the deep poignancy as she comes across shallow and hollow. Still Caroline Petit provides a deep look at two Chinese cities during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Year of the Dog
Henry Chang
Soho Press
1569475156, $24.00
In Lower Manhattan in a condominium in a luxurious high rise, four Chinese-Americans are dead due to eight times the normal level of CO in the apartment; two of the deceased are young elementary school age children. NYPD Detective Jack Yu is shook though he hides it as a family wiped out. He concludes a triple murder-suicide occurred with the motive being saving face; something he understands as being an extremely powerful driver amidst the Chinese even third generation American.
Jack is concerned with his friends' connections to Hong King mobsters. He understands no good can come of that in the long run, but he vows to be there for them as best he can. His childhood pal Tat "Lucky" Louie now runs the local mob while a rookie Koo Jai tries to foolishly pull a stunt on the gang leader. Bookie Sai Go knows he is dying, but his only request is to die with self-respect and not with someone else changing his diapers. To Jack this is his Chinatown.
Not really a police procedural although there are some elements of that sub-genre in the plot, YEAR OF THE DOG is more a culture study of the Manhattan Chinese-American lifestyle. The story line goes extremely deep into the "DNA: of the NYC Chinese-American especially the "save face" driver that has led to murder and suicide. Although the ending is a let down, fans will enjoy Jack's CHINATOWN BEAT as Henry Chang provides an appealing tale.
Brimstone Kiss
Carole Nelson Douglas
Juno Books
c/o Wildside Press
9710 Traville Gateway Drive, #234, Rockville, MD 20850
9780809573042, $7.99, www.juno-books.com
Abandoned as a baby, Delilah Street grew up in a group home that became her surrogate family. As an adult she saw a TV show in which a doctor performed an autopsy on a live woman who looked exactly like her.. Needing to know if it is a real person, a doppelganger or a clone, Delilah goes to Las Vegas where the show was filmed. Of course being it 2013 Post Millennium Revelation she meets the species of myths and legends wile humans are coping with a brand new world.
Now a paranormal investigator seeking her twin Lilith, she takes on other jobs in order to eat. Her lover and partner former -FBI agent Ric Montoya a dowser of the dead found two dead bodies never meant to see the light of day. The female is the daughter of the werewolf mob boss who owns Vegas, Mr. Cicereau. Nobody knows who her vampire lover is. Several people ask Delilah to find out who the dead vampire is including vampire Howard Hughes and Snow a supernatural being no one can classify. Her investigation leads Delilah to the conclusion that the vampires on planning a comeback which must be prevented at all costs because these vampires are imported evil. She takes Snow's BRIMSTONE KISS, which leads to a life and death choice re Ric.
Carole Nelson Douglas has written a wonderful second Street urban fantasy (see DANCING WITH WEREWOLVES) in which readers know the players and their roles. Delilah discovers a new power which enables her to walk through mirrors into other realms where she interacts with the inhabitants. Readers will remain drawn to her even as she still is an enigma. Fans will hope she and her cronies to include normal vampires (duh- I cannot believe I used the word normal) can defeat the enemy. BRIMSTONE KISS is a magical mystery fantasy tour.
Nights of Sin
Matthew Cook
Juno Books
9780809572823, $6.99
Kirin and Lia are traveling to the Imperial City, which is protected by the thick wall known as the Armitage. They risk their lives to get there because they are needed to fight the Mor, who have the city under siege. The Mor are monsters who live underground; they loathe the people who crossed the sea to settle in this pleasant land. Lia is an aeromancer who can summons lightning; Kirin is a necromancer who can "create" something from the bodies of the dead. However Kirin vows to never use her blood magic again as it cost the life of her unborn son while her creations are mindless atrocities that obey only her will.
Everyone fears necromancers; even her captain whose life she saves shows no gratitude towards Kirin. Instead he expels her from the Imperial Army. Although Kirin refuses to use her talent, someone is applying necromancy to eradicate the Mor. The problem with that approach is that a person would have to die to make an undead army and this necromancer has no restraints unlike Kirin.
NIGHTS OF SIN, the sequel to THE BLOOD MAGIC, is a fantastic fantasy that will appeal to sword and sorcery lovers. Matthew Cook is a talented author who creates complex flawed characters like Kirin, who struggle with doing the right thing which is not always obvious. She is especially tormented over using her blood magic that could provide the greater good but at what cost to whom; as someone pays the piper; Kirin no longer wants to decide who. Besides the syllable connection, the Mor will remind readers of the Morlock as they dwell underground and communicate in a weird way; their goal is to eradicate the humans. There are great characterizations and a strong sense of "realism" which makes for a fascinating tale as Lia fears Kirin is turning to the dark side of the magical force.
Blood Bargain
Maria Lima
Juno Books
9780809573059, $7.99
Rio Seco, Texas is a small town that is becoming yuppie-fied, but Keira Kelly still calls it home. Even though she keeps an apartment in town, Keira lives with the vampire tribal head Adam Walker on his Wild Moon ranch. She is also a supernatural being and is beginning the Change that will eventually turn her into a shapeshifter like her six half brothers, a healer or a necromancer witch. Watching over her as she Changes is her twelve century old sibling Tucker who is the lover of Adam's second in command Niko.
Things are not going well in town. Four teens have vanished and an illegal alien working on a nearby ranch also disappeared a few months ago. Keira hears whispers and her visions are becoming stronger. Her troubles don't end there because something is wrong with Adam as he sleeps from dawn to dusk. After a six hour nap he rejects sex with her. He lapses into a coma from not drinking blood. Keira is determined to find out what happened to the missing people and help Adam return to his senses even at the forfeit of her life as she would rather die than be without him.
Urban fantasy fans are going to love this romantic fantasy especially the Kelly clan, an extended family of supernaturals living within human society. Each of the major characters is fascinating and readers will particularly appreciate Tucker who was a Viking warrior who can shift into wolf. The mysteries and the town enhance BLOOD BARGAIN, a strong tale that fans of Kelly Armstrong and Kim Harrison will want to read.
The Love Song of Monkey
Michael S.A. Graziano
Leapfrog Press
PO Box 2110, Teaticket, MA 02536
978098154802, $13.95 www.leapfrogpress.com
Twentyish Jonathan is dying from AIDS. He has given up on life, but heeds his wife Kitty's pleading to try one last desperate gambit. He agrees to see Dr. Kack inventor of the top secret Kwark King cure to see if his life can be saved.
Dr. Kack admits his device is still experimental as the intense pain on human subjects has led them to give up and the tests on animals have all ended in their death. Jonathan is willing to try and becomes the first subject to make it through all the stages of the radical molecular modification that makes his body "unbreakable" in accordance with Kack. However, he never fully comes awake and acts like he is some sort of living dead. As such Kack and Kitty dump his semi comatose body into the ocean where Jonathan's love for Kitty sustains him while he begins the trek back to human civilization starting with his soul.
Mindful of Spielberg's A.I., this is a fascinating dreamlike character study that insists the power of love enable people to do extraordinary deeds; as Jonathan did. His goal throughout is to return to his beloved Kitty that sustains him through the medical procedure and his incredible travel to the beyond and back. A whimsical parable that focuses on the strengths and weakens of humanity with the message of "To err is human; to forgive is divine." by Alexander Pope running throughout the deep story line.
The Messenger
Jan Burke
Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 14th fl., New York, NY 10020
9780743273879, $25.00, www.simonandschuster.com 1-800-223-2336
At the Battle of Waterloo, twenty something British officer Tyler Hawthorne is severely wounded. While still on the battlefield, Lord Lucien Adrian deVille gives his probably dying brother in arms a ring with stipulations. The ring brings immortality to the bearer but the individual must spend eternity comforting those near death. He also is given a companion to protect him, Shade the cemetery dog.
Almost two centuries later, a Caribbean salvage diver working a vessel sunk in 1815 finds Adrian's remains. Upon returning to the surface Adrian revives and propels his rescuer to help him find Tyler. He succeeds and Adrian travels to Los Angeles to see how his crony is doing. Tyler still tends to his work this time assisting a leukemia patient. However, the still twentyish looking Tyler is in love for the first time in his over two hundred year existence. His cares for heiress Amanda Clarke, who survived a horrific accident that wiped out her family but enabled her to see ghosts; she struggles with survivor guilt, but is attracted to Tyler. Adrian a "messenger" of evil is coming to cause problems for the couple and his dog Shade.
This is a terrific paranormal thriller that grips the audience from the moment that Adrian arrives at Tyler's side on the battlefield and never slows down once the time and place switch from the Napoleonic Wars through the deep sea rescue to modern day America. The story line is fast-paced with the key trio plus the canine seeming genuine even with their supernatural abilities. Jan Burke provides a strong horror tale that fans will appreciate.
One Silent Night
Sherrilyn Kenyon
St. Martin's Press
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
0312947062, $6.99, www.stmartins.com
Daimon Stryker, leader of the vile army of demons and vampires, is obsessed with one thing; destroying Acheron and Nick Gautier and the Dark-Hunters for their killing his sister. He loathes his two enemies so much Stryker vows to do whatever it takes to kill them. However, even his supporters fear the deranged Stryker has gone too far when he makes a Faustian deal with the Titan god War. He will free the imprisoned War in exchange for the God killing Acheron and Nick.
Artemis, realizing the potential danger to Ash, "frees" Stryker's supposedly dead ex-wife, Zephyra, who has an agenda of vengeance also against her former husband who deserted her and their daughter Medea. Stryker is stunned to learn he has a warrior daughter while War begins the assault on Ash and Nick. The stake is a world as strange bedfellows line up on both sides for what appears to be the final battle.
Throughout the Dark-Hunters saga, vile villain Stryker has been in some ways the most interesting character; sort of like a Darth Vader who mostly displays evil but once in a while shockingly seems to care. This is his tale, which means 98% fantasy thriller. Fans of the great mythos will not be disappointed as Stryker gets a taste of vengeance from the untamable shrew. He celebrated her death when he thought she was out of his life. This is a great entry in one of the best epic fantasies of the past decade.
A Deadly Silver Sea
Bob Morris
St. Martin's Press
9780312377250, $24.95
In Florida, former NFL player and ex con Zack Chasteen is contented to run a palm tree nursery, as long as his beloved travel magazine owner Barbara Pickering is with him. He especially looks forward to the birth of their first child in about a month.
Zack, Barbara and many affluent people are sailing on the luxurious cruise ship Royal Star on its maiden voyage; his invitation comes from being classy Barbara's escort, which serves a reminder of how far he has come. Soon after the Royal Star embarks from Miami, gunmen kill most of the crew and take control of the vessel. After the passengers are separated by gender, Zack tries to get the men to join him on a blitzkrieg, but he end up in the drink while Barbara goes into premature labor.
The latest Zack Casteen thriller (see BERMUDA SCHWARTZ, BAHAMARAMA and JAMAICA ME DEAD) is as fast-paced as its predecessors, but lacks the originality of the previous tales with Cussler's Pitt novels and movies like Under Siege. Zack's usual amusing cynical asides also seem out of place in a scenario in which his about to give birth beloved is in deep peril. Still he is an interesting mix as a sarcastic moralistic antihero struggling to rally the civilians at sea against deadly pirates making his current under siege escapade fun for his fans.
Quick Study
Maggie Barbieri
St. Martin's Press
0312376758, $24.95
When St. Thomas University English Lit Professor Alison Bergeron is not teaching, dating her NYPD boyfriend Bobby Crawford, or going to Manhattan to visit Rangerland in MSG wearing a Messier sweatshirt, she performs sixty hours of community service. It is at a soup kitchen that she met illegal Ecuadorian immigrant Hernan Escalante and his extended family. She hires Hernan to paint her dining room. Hernan and his nephew Jose Tomasso arrive while Alison still recuperates from two large beers last night watching hockey at the Garden.
Soon afterward Hose vanishes only to be found floating in the Hudson, near the Bronx's luxurious Riviera Pointe condominiums. Although she knows better after her last whodunit got her in trouble with State Troopers, Alison, believing the death of an illegal will be swept into the river, investigates the homicide. A second murder occurs at Riviera Pointe while Hernan vanishes. Fearing for her new friend's life though rationally she assumes he ran because of his status or lack thereof, Alison and her friends with the help of former sweetheart Jack McManus, whose other plus is he works for the New York Rangers, continue their inquiry even as her current boyfriend Bobby insists she cease and desist.
The hat trick Murder 101 cozy (see EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES and MURDER 101) is an enjoyable whodunit starring a wonderful lead activist who knows she shouldn't but can't help but getting involved. Maggie makes the tale with her amusing asides for example her observation that she is tall but not big yet Bobby must see her as gigantic because he always buys her extra large clothing like the Messier t-shirt. The mystery is fun to follow as amateur sleuthing spins out of control. Except for Boston Bruins fans, readers will enjoy the antics of the number one New York Ranger fan.
Snake Dreams
James D. Doss
St. Martin's Press
9780312364601, $24.95
Ute Shaman Daisy Perika is shopping at the supermarket when someone taps her shoulder to get her attention. Unperturbed by the interruption Daisy greets Chiquita Yazzi, who tells her she is very worried about her sixteen years old daughter, Nancy because the teen is left alone with her abusive stepfather, Hermann Wetzel ever since Chiquita was murdered. Daisy tells the spirit she will do something to try to keep the girl safe.
At the same time, Nancy and her boyfriend plan to rob her house and run away. However, instead someone murders Hermann and the missing boyfriend is the suspect. While this is going on Daisy's nephew Charlie Moon plans to propose to FBI agent Lila Mae McTeague and sets up a sweet sixteen birthday bash for his Aunt's ward Sarah Frank. His musings and the party are disturbed when a distraught Nancy arrives at the ranch where she steals Sarah's gift and goes on a berserker attack while Granite Creek, Colorado police investigate the Hermann homicide one step behind Daisy and her elderly sidekick.
Loaded with humor, satire, and amusing commentary, the thirteenth Moon investigation is one of the best in a consistently strong series. The cast is zany yet realistic even when Daisy and the late Chiquita have a heart to heart while Charlie is ready to open his heart. Fans of the Moon mysteries and anyone who enjoys an entertaining investigative thriller that effortlessly blends paranormal, amateur sleuth and professional elements will want to read James D. Doss' exciting story.
Teaser
Jan Brogan
St. Martin's Press
9780312359980, $24.95
Providence Chronicle reporter Hallie Ahern surfs the chat rooms when she comes across a teaser video clip of two teenage girls sexually posing. Excited by the prospects of a story though she is concerned and disgusted by what she saw, Hallie persuades her editors at the newspaper to support an expose story on the social chat rooms, "Online Dangers: Your teenager is prey".
As Hallie begins to investigate finding high school age girls who explain the chat rooms and the web-camcorders, one of her contacts suddenly dies. Her boyfriend Rhode Island Assistant Attorney General Matt Cavanaugh demands she ends her inquiry as that interferes with the official one and her newspaper bosses abruptly tell her to cease. Refusing to do so as she feels some guilt over the girl's death and knows first hand one moves on if they lose a newspaper job due to your convictions (see A CONFIDENTIAL SOURCE), Allie continues her inqury though it may cost her job, boyfriend and life not in that order.
This terrific Rhode Island journalistic investigation (see YESTERDAY'S FATAL) is a superb cautionary tale; although the warning has been sounded many times, it never hurts to hear it again as Jan Brogan counsels parents about predators on the net inside a strong tale. The story line is fast-paced but driven by the courageous Hallie who rejects the notion of quitting even as she is the recipient of incredible pressure to do so. Instead she turns the novel into a strong whodunit that hooks readers from the moment she receives the TEASER.
Veil of Lies
Jeri Westerson
St. Martin's Press
0312379773, $24.95
In 1384 disgraced former knight Crispin Guest lost his rank after evidence arose that he was part of a plot to dethrone King Richard II. Guest makes a living as a tracker of lost items or people.
In London, believing his spouse is cuckolding him, affluent cloth merchant Nicholas Walcote hires Guest to look into the affairs of his much younger beautiful wife, Philippa. Guest begins his inquiries only to learn he no longer has a client; someone stabbed Walcote leaving him dead in a locked room. However to his shock, the widow hires Guest to investigate her husband's murder. She believes a magical artifact her spouse owned that propelled people to always tell the truth was the reason for the homicide. As Guest gets closer to the truth, someone wants him stopped by any mean necessary.
VEIL OF LIES is an intriguing medieval Noir starring a disgraced former knight who has become a private investigator. The story line is fast-paced but totally owned by Guest who as a warrior is used to hand to hand combat; he takes that in your face methodology to his new occupation. The whodunit is fun to follow, but it is the kick butt Guest who brings late fourteenth century London to life.
Dark Magic
Cheyenne McCray
St. Martin's Press
0312949596, $6.99
Although accepted as an equal by the D'Anu witches and treated as a sister, Cassia has hidden her royal Elvin blood from everyone. However, her time of hiding is over as she must return to her elf realm as the daughter of the Great Guardian must become a Guardian. She understands her duty, but feels strongly she must help her friends in their upcoming battle against the new "God" warlock Darkwolf and knows she will miss the human MacGregor with all her heart.
San Francisco Police Department chief of Paranormal Special Forces Jake Macgregor is a bit taken aback that Cassia, whom he is attracted to, is not human, but he does not care though he knows anything between them is short lived. If his dice wins against the overwhelming odds, she must leave to fulfill her regal role as a Guardian; if they lose he does not want to think of the hell they will all be in. Still Darkwolf comes before their hearts.
This is excellent on two levels. Besides a fabulous finish to a great urban fantasy that sub-genre fans will relish as one of the best series over the past few years; the romance is the one, readers have been waiting to see how it plays out since almost the beginning. Master magician Cheyenne McCray brings it all together in a superb ending to her stupendous saga.
Anchors Aweigh
Kathleen Bacus
Love Spell
c/o Dorchester Publishing Company
200 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
978050527660, $6.99, www.dorchesterpub.com
Grandville Iowa Tressa "Calamity" Jayne Turner still remains in shell shock with the marriage of her grandmother (see CALAMITY JAYNE HEADS WEST). She can handle the geriatrics saying I do, but she has problems picturing mom in the boudoir so grandma is a vivid nightmare. Still Tressa looks forward to the week long post wedding gala as the family will celebrate granny's nuptials on a cruise ship. Tressa, who believes in show me the beef so she can dine on it, expects great food and perhaps a bit of romance on board and at the port call beach stops.
Except for hunk Ranger Rick Townsend nothing goes right. First this is a health food cruise; pass the broccoli with no butter or salt. Second, her cheating fiance and his aunt are on board making more waves than the Bermuda Triangle makes. Finally someone is plotting a murder. All this occurs inside of the Bermuda love triangle, in which Tressa understands the meaning of calamity.
The latest Calamity Jane tale is an amusing ocean voyage in which the heroine seems to find trouble everywhere she goes, as usual. The story line is a lighthearted frolic in which Jayne deals with two beaus, a potential murder, and her family while trying to find something worth eating. Although the heroine's antics have not changed starting with her self-deprecating asides and her ability to land in trouble, series fans will enjoy her latest escapades.
Divorced, Desperate and Dating
Christie Craig
Love Spell
9780505527325, $6.99
The kiss was everything but proved to be nothing. Houston Detective Jason Dodd kissed writer Sue Finley leaving her wanting more from him and wasted for anyone else. Thus when he fails to follow up, Sue is heartbroken calling him a jerk for never calling her and plotting murder with poison.
Jason grew up as a foster child so does not trust relationships even if his heart pleads with him to take a chance on Sue. He feels safer to keep his distance. However, when he learns someone is stalking Sue, he can no longer run from his feelings. Still in spite of protecting her Jason keeps his heart hidden even as Sue wants to know why because she can see by his looks he wants her too.
This is an entertaining character driven romantic suspense sequel to DIVORCED, DESPERATE AND DELICIOUS. The stalking subplot serves as a matchmaker of sorts as Sue does not hide her desire from Jason whom obviously wants her too, but flees even when next to her somewhere inside his mind. Jason makes the tale with his fear that relationships end rapidly and poorly so as a psychological defense mechanism he avoids them as if they are the plague. Fans will enjoy Christie Craig's charming lighthearted frolic as the author refuses to accept no thanks even if their relationship proves to be a bridge to nowhere.
Slippery When Wet
Kimberly Raye
Love Spell
9780505527738, $7.99
Race Chicks Inc. driver Jaycee Anderson has stunned the previously all male dominated NASCAR Sprint Cup by finishing fourth in the final standings. Her objective for the new season is to move up at least one notch with her bodacious goal being cup champion. To obtain third place means holding off all that testosterone that placed behind her and move past Rory Canyon, whom she has known much of her twenty six years of life.
Rory has never forgotten when the teen tomboy kissed him as he ran from her and still is running. However, he knows in his soul how much he wants her even when she hides her curves with driving garb. She never forgave him for ending their friendship a decade ago, but also knows her impetuous kiss affirmed how much she needed him. Each use their rivalry on the track to keep them apart off the track as Daytona looms.
Readers will enjoy this "NASCAR Holiday" while rooting for the heroine to beat the pants off her rival on the track and elsewhere as Kimberly Raye leaves the "dead" romantic fantasy crowd for a spin on the NASCAR circuit. The story line is fast-paced especially when the lead couple competes with each other; the support cast seems two dimensional at times causing a detour to the pleasant prime plot of lady start your engine.
Between Light and Dark
Elissa Wilds
Love Spell
9780505527912, $6.99
The Gray God Axiom desperately wants to join the Divine Council of the Light Realm. To achieve his ambition, he readily accepts the Council's terms; he must impregnate Laurell Pittman, who is oblivious to her heritage or that she is a witch. The Council knows their offspring will become the Earth Balancer god.
Axiom arrives on earth and immediately uses his most powerful weapon in his arsenal, "the yearning". Laurell is outraged with what the outsider has tried to do to her especially since she is attracted to him without his using his godly power. However in spite of her desire she does not trust the male claiming they are destined to mate in order to conceive a special child.
This is a fascinating romantic fantasy in which the paranormal elements supersede the love subplot. The story line is at its best when it focuses on the fantasy subplots even with a pantheon of characters. The romance never quite comes together as fans will find it difficult to accept the ambitious Gray God falling in love. Still this is an entertaining tale as sub-genre fans will enjoy stepping into Wilds' world where a basic axiom of the Gods is to be a member of the Divine Council of the Light Realm; in the hero's case at all cost to others.
Immortals: The Haunting
Robin T. Popp
Love Spell
0505527669, $7.99
Wood nymph reporter Mai Groves suffers from PTSD following her participation in a battle against a demon. However, the mental scars will heal as she well knows. What disturbs her more is the man she has fallen in love with whom she met on the spirit plane; the problem is she assumes he does not exist and just her imagination running wild with a dream lover.
Spirit walker Nick Blackhawk wonders who his lover he met on the spirit plane is on the mortal realm as he needs her in all aspects of his life. He is unaware that a reporter who insistently demands an interview is his beloved. Her editor warns her to watch herself when her therapist Dr. Barbour is murdered; she, as one of his thirty patients, is a suspect. When trouble arises in her apartment building with the disappearance of another tenant, Nick, aware now of who Mai is, vows to keep his soul mate safe.
This is a superb entry in the excellent Immortals romantic urban fantasy saga written by three authors (Robin T. Popp, Joy Nash and Jennifer Ashley). Mai is fabulous as an intrepid journalist still mentally healing while her world continues to collapse until her dream lover proves real on the mortal plane. The threat to her from unknown seemingly paranormal forces seems real as Ms. Popp returns to the Immortals (see IMMORTALS: THE DARKENING) with a wonderful addition.
Devil May Ride
Wendy Roberts
Obsidian Mystery
c/o The Penguin Publishing Group
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
0451225651, $6.99, www.penguingroup.com
Sadie Novak has a very special gift as she sees and is seen by the dead who can't move on; she helps them make the transition to a higher plane. She owns Scene-2-Clean, a service that cleans locations where death occurred. Her co-worker Zach helps her and is even used to her seeing the dead.
The pair go on a job at a place where a meth lab used to be. Sadie hears a noise like a baby crying. They enter the shed and find a dead eviscerated goat with a baby sticking between it and the wall. An evil female ghost says she was a willing victim who died for her Master who needs her unborn child.
They have another job at the clubhouse where a fierce drug using biker gang used to reside. When they get there, Sadie talks with the dead biker who tells her enough for her to conclude that the woman' ghost, and her now born child, were his child and significant other. As they clean Sadie finds packed into the wall hundreds of thousands dollars. The bikers assume she took the loot and make plans to regain it after they kill her. Instead of waiting for them to kill her and since she does not have the blood money to return to them, Sadie goes on the offensive while also insuring her pregnant sister remains safe.
This delightful supernatural mystery has an edgy feel to the story line that gives it a sense of being different from the usual whimsical paranormal cozy. Sadie is a strong individual who copes with her paranormal skills while believing her mission is to help the ghosts she meets move on. It is the living evil that she fears more though she will not back down or walk away when they threaten her. Wendy Roberts has a unique writing style as her heroine is hardboiled in her way when it comes to the breathing creeps, but soft boiled when it comes to the ghosts still left behind.
Mr. Monk Is Miserable
Lee Goldberg
Obsidian Mystery
0451225155, $21.95
Mr. Monk stalks his psychiatrist by following him to Germany so they can continue their sessions; he also solves homicide cases that almost killed him and his assistant Natalie. Both Natalie and his shrink are unhappy with Monk for ruining their vacations. Using the guilt card, Natalie blackmails Monk into spending a few days in France on a real vacation. On the plane from Germany, a passenger dies; Monk determines who the killer is in a few minutes.
In France, Monk feels traumatized as he is out of his environment, but Natalie has no sympathy as she plans to enjoy her vacation. Monk decides to visit the famous Paris sewerage system because he wants to pay homage to the cleanliness of the city. In the catacombs below the streets, he finds a tomb filled with old skulls except one that looks quite recent. DNA testing proves this is San Francisco con artist Nathan Chalmers assumed dead for a decade. In a darkened restaurant a woman tells Monk she knows something about the deceased, but before she can explain further she is killed. The compulsive Monk is cleaning the Paris streets while putting the puzzle pieces in order.
No one does novelizations of TV shows better than Lee Goldberg consistently does. The author is able to catch the essence of Monk's personality while also providing an entertaining whodunit. Readers see a different side of Paris with its underground catacombs and sewers (unless you happen to be the Honeymooners' Ed Norton) where people live. Natalie will have to wait for her needed foreign vacation while series fans will relish following the idiosyncrasies of the hero as he cleans the streets of Paris.
Prisoner of the Flames
Dawn MacTavish
Leisure Books
c/o Dorchester Publishing Company
200 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
9780843959826, $6.99, www.dorchesterpub.com
When he was a baby, Robert Mack survived a fire though he would take exception with the word survive. The left side of his face was left scarred from the flames. Anyone who sees his visage either shows pity or horror. Robert loathes both so he wears a helm to hide his severely marked face.
Unable to cope any longer with the reactions, in 1562 as the Laird of Berwickshire, Robert travels to Paris to persuade renowned healer Nostradamus to mend his face so he can go out in public or even in his home without wearing a mask. However France is a divided country on the verge of a religious civil war in which the teenage King Francis II seems to weak to prevent. In that milieu, Robert saves the life of blind flower girl Violette Cherier, which leaves him with powerful enemies who want the foreign Good Samaritan dead.
This is a superb historical romance starring two wonderful protagonist who have physical problems that threaten as much as the French Religious War to keep them apart. The action-packed story line uses real persona and a period of dangerous unrest as a backdrop to the excellent love story. Robert and Violette are fully developed with each used to coping with their handicap, but neither knows what to do about their attraction. However, even with a top rate romance that moves the Phantom of the Opera to the sixteenth century, it is the history and the protagonists who make PRISONER OF THE FLAME one of the sub-genres top novels of the year.
The Magic Bullet
Andrew Neiderman
Leisure Books
9780843961898, $7.99
In Palm Springs, California eight years old Jodi Walker is dying from leukemia. Dr. Carver knows the child has only a few weeks at best and wants to at least rid her of infections that add pain. Jodie's first cousin fifteen years old Taylor Peterson donates his O negative platelets and white blood cells. A few hours later, Jodi is cured, hungry and wanting to go home as a miracle has occurred.
An elated stunned Carver calls his friend Dr. Allan Parker with the news. Since his mom died from cancer, Allan has been obsessed with finding THE MAGIC BULLET that cures all cancer. He drives to Palm Springs to obtain the most likely reason for the cure, Taylor's blood that apparently duplicated experiments he conducted with mice. Taylor refuses to donate blood and his mom widow Demi supports his decision while her live in lover Warren wants the cash. Allan hangs around praying he can persuade mother and son while Warren seeks to make money. Soon fifty years old gangster Frankie Vico, dying from cancer, learns of the teen and offers cash to Warren.
This is an exhilarating thriller that grips the audience with the concept of THE MAGIC BULLET elixir. Even when the story line turns from a medical thriller into a more conventional thriller the pace remains hyper. The key cast members are fully developed except for Warren; whose nasty behavior makes one wonder why an intelligent lovely woman would stay with this Joe twelve pack (by half time) especially since her son disdains him. Starting with Jodi's parents making their death row walk in the hospital, Andrew Neiderman provides a terrific thriller.
In the ninth century, Wulfric the Ruthless has no time to grieve the loss of his wife and their unborn child; killed during a Danish raid on his farm. His heart and head are filled with one thought, revenge.
The Norsemen abduct beautiful Reyna, who vows vengeance on the Viking Warrior who kidnapped her. She is beyond anger when she is dumped as a slave to Wulfric, whom initially she thought was the ruthless man who stole her from her home, but quickly realized she was wrong though the Viking she hates looks similar to her master. Wulfric does not want her on his farm. However, as they begin to know one another, they begin to fall in love. He must open his heart to love while she must trust her heart to love if they are to overcome their respective pasts.
VIKING WARRIOR is an enjoyable Dark Ages Northern European romance. The lead couple is an intriguing pairing as both have strong issues with the kin of the other so that their desire, need, and ultimately love seems doomed to failure. Sub-genre fans will enjoy the historical romance between the Dane healer and the Viking Warrior.
Pale Moon Stalker
Shirl Henke
Leisure Books
0843961120, $7.99
In 1884 before he died her spouse made Sky Eyes Brewster promised him she would not kill his murderer. Instead, she works around her pledge by hiring bounty hunter Max "The Limey" Stanhope to kill him.
Max needs a wife to insure his odious cousin does not inherit the estate he left behind in England. He believes his potential new employer would be perfect as his spouse although convincing her might prove impossible. The Limey offers her a deal; he will kill her spouse's murderer in exchange for her marrying him. Reluctantly she accepts. As they travel together in search of her late husband's killer, her adversary and another unknown enemy want them dead.
Shirl Henke's latest cross-Atlantic historical romance is a terrific tale filled with plenty of action from the onset and never slows down as the lead couple lands in one predicament after another. Whereas the Limey and the Indian widow insist they're not in love, ironically Cheyenne medicine man True Dreamer and the audience amusingly know otherwise. Readers will enjoy this fine western romance as the coupling makes it less safe for both of them with each bringing a deadly foe into their relationship.
The Reach
Nate Kenyon
Leisure Books
9780843960211, $7.99
She was born with an out of control psychokinetic skill of a fire bringer who burned down the hospital when she left the womb. Her grandparents raised Sarah Voorsanger until their fear of her ability following a few haunting incidents made them dump her on the state. They believe she is the Antichrist.
In Boston the state has locked away the ten years old Sarah so she can harm no one. Helix Pharmaceuticals conduct experiments on her using drugs that stimulate psychic skills. Psychology graduate student Jess Chambers is shocked by the treatment the preadolescent child receives. She vows to somehow rescue Sarah, especially when she realizes the lack of restraint the child has in keeping her talent in check while Helix is trying to amplify what is already dangerous.
This nod to King's Firestarter, THE REACH is a superb thriller as the "evil" private sector gigantic pharmaceutical wants to use the girl (instead of the government). The story line is simple and kept that way throughout, which just enhances the tension of a twenty something heroine all alone battling a Goliath in order to save a child that in the belief of the would be rescuer subsequently many more people too if Sarah is pushed beyond what her mind can accept as rational.
Pawsitively Guilty
Cindy Keen Reynders
Medallion Press, Inc.
1020 Cedar Lane, No. 2N, St. Charles, IL 60174
9781933836607, $7.95, www.medallionpress.com
Owners of the Saucy Lucy Cafe, Lexie Lightfoot and her sister Lucy, who is married to the county sheriff, live in Moose Creek Junction, Wyoming. Crime, especially violent crime, is rare in the small-town. However, when the occasional murder occurs, somehow Lexie is in the middle. Of everything; Lucy goes along with her in order to keep her sibling out of trouble - an impossible task.
At the cafe, wealthy reclusive Eleni Andros uses the Heimlich Maneuver to save the life of Lexie choking on a carrot. Lexie is grateful to the heroine and Eleni begins to work at the cafe. However, one day dependable Eleni fails to show up or answer her phone. This is out of character for the reliable woman so the sisters go over to insure she is okay. No one greets them but Lexie's dog leads them to a body buried in the rose garden. With the best detective on vacation and the cop assigned to investigate vanishing, Lexie takes over inquiring into who would kill a friend of hers.
The second Lexie-Lucy amateur sleuth (see THE SAUCY LUCY MURDERS) is a charming regional whodunit with plenty of humors and winks. Since Eleni was rich, Lexie begins with the greedy inheritance motive, but the horde of family members prove overwhelming to sort through while Lucy tries to persuade her to let the cops do their job. Lurch the dog provides comic relief with his flatulence emissions as Cindy Keen Reynders provides an enjoyable down home mystery inside a warm family drama.
A Lost Touch of Magic
Amy Tolnitch
Medallion Press
9781934755518, $7.95
Padruig MacCoinneach left his heritage and his Highland home vowing never to come back to Castle MacCoinneach. However, when his late sister's ghost demands he go home to protect their sibling and their clan, he does so by becoming the chieftain a role he disdained. Padruig also learns that he must marry Aimili de Grantham, who has placed him on a pedestal since childhood, if he wants an ally; she is the price.
Aimili prefers horses to people as she can communicate better with steeds using her psychic skills. Sad that he crumbled from his place of adulation in her heart, Aimili still loves the brute, who shows not one iota of interest in her. She plans to seduce her spouse even as they must team up to prevent evil creeping through the walls of Castle MacCoinneach.
Medieval paranormal romance fans will appreciate the fourth "Touch of …" thriller due to the behavior of the prime player Padruig who rightfully feels overwhelmed and should be as he stars in two co-equal plots involving women he loves in peril. In some ways the audience will feel as overwhelmed as the hero as the story line constantly switches back and forth between Padruig's concerns for his sister and his concerns for his wife. Neither truly takes charge nor do they fully merge into one cohesive main plot. Still fans will enjoy Amy Tolnitch's intriguing historical due to Padruig's travails.
Angel Unaware
Elizabeth Sinclair
Medallion Press
9781933836317, $7.95
Dora de Angelo struggles to fit in amidst the angels. She knows she came here differently than most everyone else as her soul went straight to heaven rather than a stop as a mortal. Perhaps that explains her lack of angelic skills.
After some more bungling, her boss grants her wish to become a mortal with the stipulation she returns to heaven once Christmas occurs, three weeks form now. Dora poses as a nanny to six-year-old orphan Penny while showing the child how to be a kid again, and to help Penny's cynical guardian Uncle Tony to learn the meaning of love, which he has forgotten.
This amusing lighthearted angelic romance is fun to read as the nanny from the Celestial Maintenance Department learns human housekeeping chores while helping young Penny regain her smile and Uncle Tony find his heart. The breezy story line is ideal for the Christmas holidays with its uplifting message and with a great final twist reminiscent of the classic Gift of the Magi spin. Fans will enjoy Elizabeth Sinclair's fine version of Tavares' "Heaven Must be Missing an Angel".
Broken Wing
Judith James
Medallion Press
9781933836447, $7.95
Lady Sarah "The Gypsy Countess" Munroe accompanied by her half brother Ross an Earl cross the Channel to Paris hoping to find their missing much younger brother Jamie and bring him home. Both fear that Jamie was severely injured perhaps killed during the excesses of the recent Revolution though Ross' hired agents claim the lad is well living at Madame Etienne's Brothel.
The agents prove correct when the siblings find Jamie in excellent mental and physical health. His benefactor male prostitute Gabriel St. Croix kept Jamie safe inside Maison de Joie for five years. Jamie persuades his friend a catamite to accompany them back to England and Sarah, grateful to the brothel owner's tender caring of her sibling, agrees. On the journey, Gabriel and Sarah share a strong fondness for astronomy that evolves into a friendship a
