Nothing To Lose by Lee Child - They threw Jack Reacher out of town. Bad move, very bad move. Not as good as the others, a bit preachy, a bit slow. I still enjoyed it.

The First Patient by Michael Palmer - The president's personal physician has disappeared, so he asks a longtime friend to fill in for a while. Gabe Singleton finds out that the president appears to be having episodes of incoherence, possibly signifying mental illness. But is real? or a manufactured illness? And if so, how?  Farfetched, but Palmer knows how to sell it.

Blood Trail by C. J. Box - Joe Pickett is asked by the governor to assist in the investigation of a murdered hunter. Two other deaths have occurred, but were deemed accidents, but this time the hunter was gutted and laid out like a dead elk. Joe finds a clue that points to a serial killer, but his hunch is dismissed by others - until a fourth man is murdered, along with a friend.  The governor suspends all hunting in the state and Joe must seek help from old friends - and enemies - to find the killer. Box presents both sides of the hunting issue well and his love for the Wyoming wilderness shines through. Tight mystery, great protagonist and a great twist. Love this series!

(all: 100 books)

The 6 Sacred Stones by Matthew Reilly - sequel to 7 Deadly Wonders. Nonstop "save the world" action that ends on a huge cliffhanger. Throw away reality and hold on the roller coaster! (100 books)

Blue Heaven by C. J. Box - Two kids (older sister, younger brother) witness a murder - and the murderers, a group of ex-cops who've retired to a small town in Idaho that has the nickname of Blue Heaven due to all the retirees, see them. The kids end up hiding out with local rancher Jesse Rawlins, who cautiously heads to town only to find out that the ex-cops have "volunteered" to coordinate the town's search for the missing children. Not as good as his Joe Pickett series - too many characters to keep track of, but still a good thriller.

The Sacred Bones by Michael Byrnes - for fans of The DaVinci Code and similar books. Two plot lines - one in Jerusalem investigating the theft of an ossuary(an ancient stone burial box) from a hidden room beneath the Temple Mount - the other in Vatican City as an American geneticist and an anthropologist examine the bones from the stolen ossuary (they don't know about the theft) while under covert observation by ruthless mercenary working for the Vatican. Plus some Templar Knight history. The scientific stuff was very interesting, the rest of the plot was more typical, but well written.

Perdition House by Kathryn R. Wall -  The oddness of family relations permeates this mystery about Bay Tanner, a widowed former accountant turned quasi-investigator. She bails a 'half fifth cousin' out of jail and steps into a mystery that has its roots in the Civil War. Set in low country South Carolina, with side trips to Georgia, Bay tracks her cousin's path and finds out some unknown family history. Very good sense of place, good story. (SRC)

Santa Fe Dead by Stuart Woods - Ed Eagle's ex-wife escapes from the courthouse during her trial - but she was acquited so it ended up not mattering. But her subsequent whirlwind marriage to a very rich man causes him to write to the man to warn him. But the man dies in a huge traffic accident and his lawyer is determined to protect the man's estate from the greedy murderous woman. She's pissed and decides to get the lawyer and Ed. Meanwhile Ed is representing a man who's wife and son were brutally murdered while he was out of the country, but Ed's not completely sure of the man's innocence. Convoluted coincidence connects the two cases. Fairly unbelievable, but entertaining.

Night Echoes by Holly Lisle -   A haunted house/past lives thriller. Artist Emma Beck leaves her Wisconsin home and heads to Benina, SC - where her biological mother is from. She buys a house - one she's seen in her mind/artwork ever since she was a child. She also clicks with the handyman - their attraction is hot, immediate, and scarily familiar. Creepy sounds and a phantom cat are almost nothing, though, when she tries to find out about her mother. Two women are murdered. And the feelings of familiarity and possession are growing. I enjoyed this,  even though I'm not a big paranormal fan. I read this for the Southern Reading Challenge (and because I like Holly LIsle), but other than the Civil War stuff in the past lives, I didn't really get a huge Southern feel - more of just a small town, 'everyone knows everybody's business' kind of feel (and I'm from SC :>  )

Charley's Web by Joy Fielding - another good one from Joy Fielding. Charlotte "Charley" Webb, a columnist who writes a kind of shallow 'slice of life' column gets a letter from a female convicted murderer, who wants Charley to write a book about the murders. Charley, a single mom of two, is conflicted about the offer and about the killer, who is alternately sweet  and shy and hardnosed and petty. Her life is further complicated by threatening emails, problems with her neighbors, and a severely dysfunctional family that she's trying to save. Enjoyed this, but didn't actually like Charley all that much.


both:100 books

all authors I've read before - all good, but none their best.

Delusion by Peter Abrahams - Nell Jarreau's world gets turned upside down when Alvin Dupree is set free. Her eyewitness testimony is what sent him to prison, but in the aftermath of a recent hurricane, a videotape was found in a police locker that proved he couldn't have been the man who murdered her then-boyfriend Johnny. Nell is now married to the Chief of Police, who had been the lead detective on the case. And the tape was found in his deceased partner's locker. Nell must figure out who she can trust - and what exactly she saw - to save her life and that of her & Johnny's daughter.  Kind of a faux post-Katrina New Orleans setting, with some interesting looks at hurricane aftermath, but not a huge part of the story. As one reviewer noted "entertaining but not much suspense".  Dupree, though innocent of this crime, is unlikeable. And Nell is just too good to be true. Not as good as his other books, but since it was a library book...

South of Shiloh by Chuck Logan - billed as a thriller, it's a bit more of a mystery. But not a whodunit - you know who did it. More of a "why exactly and will they catch him and what the hell are all these other people doing?" A Civil War re-enacter gets killed by a real bullet. But when his widow finds out that the bullet was meant for the man next to him, a local cop combining re-enacting with working security at the event, she gets her former lover, a danger junkie photographer/journalist, to investigate. Set in a small fictional town with a fictional Civil War battle - has a great sense of place and the difference in views between northerners and southerners, lots of Civil War & gun lore, and photography info, plus some local info on Buford Pusser. Probably a little much for one book :)  but I enjoyed it.

Dirty Money by Richard Stark - newest Parker book.  A follow-up to 2 books ago - Nobody Runs Forever, where Parker & company robbed an armored car and hid the money in an abandoned church. They only escaped by leaving almost all of the money and still one man was captured after spending some of the money he took - it was marked. Now that guy has escaped after killing a U.S. Marshal. Parker and the other guy involved, along with the bounty hunter who got involved, are curious to find out if the money is still there and safe. Parker's not quite as violent in this one - maybe since there are so many cops around, but the caper part is still crisp and concise. Now if Westlake would only write another Dortmunder...

all books: 100 books

Night Work by Steve Hamilton - Joe Trumbull is going on a blind date - his first in two years since his fiancee was murdered. Within hours after the date is over, the woman is found strangled. Two more women he has contact with are killed also. With the state police after him, Joe's best hope is going back through his past as a probation officer  and seeing if he can find the killer there. Not as good as his Alex McKnight series,  cliched in a few spots, but still a good read.

Guilty by Karen Robards - ADA Kate White's troubled childhood as a foster child in a bad neighborhood catches up with her when an attempted breakout from the cells in the court house bring her face to face with her past - con Mario, who killed an off-duty cop when they were teenagers - a crime never solved that she witnessed. I enjoyed it, but ... It didn't grab me as much as her books usually do - I found it very easy to put down.

Notorious by Michele Martinez - About to try a notorious rap star,  prosecuter Melanie Vargas has just received some shocking information from his attorney, who is killed by a car bomb moments later. Vargas, who shared an attraction with the deceased, is determined to find his killer. Great opening, lackluster follow-up. Vargas is interesting as she becomes slightly obsessed with the dead man, but some very cliched characters (a transparently evil attorney, an easily seduced intern) mar the rest of the story.

Dark of the Moon by John Sandford - Introduced in Sandford's Prey series, Virgil Flowers goes solo this time when he's sent to Bluestem, a small Minnesota town where several old timers have been killed, including a rich recluse hated by most of the town. Virgil likes to stir things up and see what happens, which sort of backfires when he and his new lady become targets.  Still like the Prey series and the Kidd series better, but I'd like definitely like to see more of that f*cking Flowers.


All books: 100 books

with a run of mystery/thrillers :)

The Pub Challenge (see sidebar to the right) rules were to read 8 books published in 2008.  Duma Key and Sizzle and Burn were my first two and I read the last six this month :)  The first 4 of them were the new entries into great series,  the 5th is an author I've read a lot, and the 6th was an ARC I got from LibraryThing.

Stranger in Paradise by Robert B. Parker - Jesse Stone finds himself helping an old foe save a young girl from her gangster father and a gangbanger boyfriend. Reminds you of April Kyle & Paul Giacomin in the Spenser series. Not his best, but a nice familiar kind of read.

Nightshade by Susan Wittig Albert - Albert shakes up the usual China Bayles storyline by alternating characters this time between China and her PI husband as they delve into the recent murder of her newfound half-brother and the decades old death of her father. Finishes up a story arc began a couple of books ago. A cozy, with lots of interesting tidbits about herbs.

Small Favor by Jim Butcher - the new Dresden File! Weee!  The Winter Queen, Mab, is calling in one of her favors - she wants Harry to rescue someone. And that someone is Gentleman Johnny Marcone, who's been taken by unknown magical forces. But the Summer Queen is opposed and sends opponents after Harry.  Thoroughly enjoyable.

Winter Study by Nevada Barr - Park Ranger Anna Pigeon returns to an old post for a winter wolf study, as her current Rocky Mountain post may get its own pack of wolves soon. But soon after her arrival, the packs start acting strangely - as do several of the study group members. After one woman is killed - apparently by a pack - Anna's investigation places her directly in the line of fire and the question nearly becomes which one will kill her - the wolves, the cold, or one of the group.  Kind of a 'locked door' mystery. Excellent entry into an excellent series.

Where Are You Now? by Mary Higgins Clark - 10 years ago, Carolyn's older brother Mack left his college dorm - and was never seen again. But he called every year on Mother's Day just to say he was okay. This year Carolyn's anger gets the best of her and she decides to find Mack. But someone close to her doesn't want Mack found. Good premise, kinda dull presentation. Clark's last couple of books have felt tedious to me - it's still readable, but ultimately I didn't really care.

The Last Oracle by James Rollins -  not really any info at the amazon.com page - the book doesn't come out until July. I snagged an Early Reviewer's copy from LibraryThing :)  A think tank of world scientists have been experimenting for years on ways to manipulate and enhance the abilities of autistic children with savant talents.  But a rogue group within have different experiments going - with the plan of  creating a world prophet for the new millennium, which will rise out of a manufactured disaster. SIGMA Force commander Gray Pierce races to stop the disaster and save the children, but to do that he must first solve a mystery that dates back centuries to the Greek Oracle of Delphi. I hadn't read any of the other SIGMA Force books, but will look them up.  Reads in the manner of Clive Cussler, Matthew Reilly, and Dan Brown. Nonstop action. The afterword where Rollins points out his research is very interesting. (A to Z)

All books: 100 books

A Homecoming For Murder by John Armistead - Sheriff Bramlett is looking forward to spending some quality time with his grandson, but work interferes. The body of a male school teacher is found murdered in a graveyard - and it turns out the deceased wasn't the nicest guy, which makes for lots of suspects. Bramlett is especially concerned as his grandson may have seen and been seen by the murderer leaving the scene. More of a procedural than a thriller, lots of homey small town touches, and several side plots make a nice solid read. (A to Z)

Mission Canyon by Meg Gardiner - I got this one and the first Evan Delany based on a rave review by Stephen King. Not sure I like them quite as much, but they are good. Evan's lover Jesse was paralysed below the waist in the same hit and run that killed his best friend several years ago. Now it looks like the driver, who fled the country, is back. But his return stirs up more than Jesse and Evan - a computer company, a Russian mobster, and the Feds are all putting pressure on Evan and Jesse to make them stop hunting the driver or else. (888)

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult - School shooting aftermath. I liked it - and I didn't. Some of the characters were very well done - a good look into the effect bullying can have. Some of the characters were just caricatures (and were meant to be) and were irritating in a way that made it easy to put the book down. And it felt tedious. Lionel Shriver's We Need To Talk About Kevin was better.

all books: 100 books

Dead Hunt by Beverly Connor - Forensic scientist and museum curator Diane Fallon finds herself under attack on both fronts when a museum purchase is accused of being stolen property and an escaped prisoner's blood shows up in her house. Both cases come together when Diane and crew figure out a criminal mastermind (and black widow) is out for revenge.

Nameless Night by G.M. Ford - I really liked this - the main character has no memories of who he is, except for a name. And when that name is sought out on the web for information, the government shows up and comes down hard on whoever was looking. It's a fairly standard conspiracy thriller, but I like Ford's work. (A to Z)

The Murderer's Club by P.D. Martin - The psychic part was a bit annoying, but it was nice that the character wasn't thrilled with her abilities and was reluctant to use them. The murderer's club idea I really liked. Need to find the first book in the series, but not having read it wasn't a problem - some references, but fairly well standalone. 

Double Cross by James Patterson - Another good Alex Cross book - I like these so much more than his collaborations. Not as tight a story as some of the earlier ones, but still a page-turner.

all books: 100 books

Gods In Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson - lots of fun - combination of a coming-home story and chicklit, but much better than that. Arlene made a deal with God - she'd leave Alabama and stop lying and fucking if God would make sure Jim Beverly's body was never found. Nine years later, it looks like God may have broken his part of the deal, so Arlene's heading home, planning her lies, and deciding to go ahead and have sex with her African-American boyfried before she introduces him to her lily-white family.

You've Been Warned by James Patterson & Howard Roughan - it's weird - I find the Alex Cross books *so* much better than any of the books Patterson cowrites (I have the new one to post about). This one, while readable, is time I'll never get back. 

both: 100 books, A to Z

End of Feb: 36 books, Authors needed: ABDEQRTUXYZ, Titles needed: BCEHJKNOQUVWXZ

Duma Key by Stephen King - Oh, man, this was good. Starts off  with a slightly supernatural bent and heads out into horror land. King writes great characters and tells an excellent story. It's large, but not bloated - it pulls you along at warp speed (except when your hands get too tired)
I wouldn't call it his 'best', but it's definitely one of his better ones.  (The Pub challenge)

The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz - A golden retriever is rescued from an abusive owner by Amy Redwing and her architect boyfriend Brian McCarthy. Nickie becomes a key figure in a twisted duo's plan of sadistic revenge. I enjoyed it, but didn't think it was his best (actually one of his bests includes a dog too - Watchers).

A Wicked Snow by Gregg Olsen - Nice and twisty procedural thriller. Hannah's present as a crime scene investigator comes into conflict with her past as a survivor of a female/male serial killer team - the female leader was her mother. Now it looks like her mother may not be dead, so Hannah reopens the case. I can't believe such a thing would be allowed, but, hey, it's fiction - and good. (A to Z)

The Intruders by Michael Marshall - Go read the summary at Amazon - it's too complicated :)  Kinda X-Files, kinda twisty thriller - requires a fair suspension of disbelief, but good writing and characters. (A to Z)

all books: 100 books

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer - I enjoyed this (not surprised as I usually like Pfeffer's work) - a meteor hits the moon and knocks it closer to Earth, resulting in catastrophic climate changes.  Told journal-style, teenager Miranda tells of life after the strike - the fear, the hoarding of supplies, and dealing with life and family in the face of possible death.  (YAC challenge, A to Z)

Strays by Ron Koertge - was good. 16 year old Ted is placed in foster care after the death of his parents.  Ted is used to spending most of his time with animals - his dad owned a pet store and they had lots of pets. Now he's at a new inner-city school, dealing with all new people and trying to deal with his parents' deaths. Nice side element of Ted talking with animals and how his new life affects that.  (A to Z)

Long May She Reign by Ellen Emerson White - Oh, man, I was so jazzed to find out this book had come out - I love the President's Daughter series. Meg is close to the edge after her kidnapping ordeal and the follow-up medical ordeals to fix her hand and knee. Feeling trapped at the White House, she decides to go ahead and go off to college, where she finds things aren't much easier - the Secret Service invasion hasn't endeared her to her dorm mates and the papparazzi annoy them all; her health issues continue; plus there's getting to know new people and the whole college experience.  Meg is a great character and White tells a great story.  (YAC challenge, A to Z)

Dark Congress (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) by Christopher Golden - An ancient goddess is released and the Dark Congress convenes to determine whether demons will continue to live in the shadows or come out into the open to prey upon humans. Old grudges will be brought to the table and the demons will need an arbiter. And they have chosen - Buffy Summers. Fun.

Genesis Alpha by Rune Michaels - Josh was a designer baby - born so his stem cells could be used to save his older brother Max, who was dying of cancer. Now Max is in jail, charged with murder. Is Max guilty? And if he is, is it Josh's fault? Something in his genes?  The dead girl's sister seems to think so.  Good thriller - interesting look at genetic engineering, also gaming (title refers to a game all four kids play)

Prom Anonymous by Blake Nelson - meh. Readable, but kind of predictable. Maybe because I didn't go to my prom? (and don't feel I missed out on much)  It's fun fluff, with some more mature issues (sex and drugs). It might pair well with the movie Pretty In Pink - man, James Spader was so delightfully nasty :) (A to Z, YAC)

all books: 100 books

edited 2/28/08 to add last book

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld - Second in the Uglies trilogy. Tally has become a pretty and has forgotten much of her time in the Smoke. But a party crasher leads her to a hidden stash: 2 pills and a letter from herself, written while still ugly. She and new boyfriend Zane each take a pill and then try to get the other pretties in their group to remember and to challenge the status quo. Definitely have to read in order, but a very good follow-up - now I have to get Specials and Extras. (challenge: YAC)

Sizzle and Burn by Jayne Ann Krentz - Paranormal romantic thriller. Raine is settling her late aunt Vella's estate when psychic sensibilites lead her to find a bound, kidnapped young woman in a padlocked room in the basement. Entering her life immediately after is P.I. Zack Jones, also a sensitive, who asks for her assistance. They have an immediate connection, but there is a huge complication - he works for the Arcane Society, the group she blames for her father's death. And his offer of letting her have copies of her father's case file are enhanced by the idea of working with someone who understands and shares her abilities. I love Krentz (and her alter ego Amanda Quick) - zippy dialogue, quick action, speedy plots - she'd fall into the guilty pleasures category, except that I don't feel guilty about reading :)   (challenge: Pub)

Heartsick by Chelsea Cain - With shades of Silence of the Lambs, Cain's detective Archie Sheridan is in charge of a regrouped task force charged with finding the killer of several local teen girls. His investigation is complicated by the addition of a reporter and  his weekly visits to Gretchen Lowell, an incarcerated serial killer with whom he has an intense personal connection - he was to be one of her victims, but instead she let him live and torments him with the prospect of more bodies. Cool :)  Archie is a great protagonist and Lowell is one serious deranged individual.

The 47th Samurai by Stephen Hunter - Bob Lee Swagger finds himself in Japan, delivering a sword taken as a prize of war during WWII, to the son of the man his father fought during battle. Bob Lee really likes Philip Yano and his family and is stunned to find out that they've all (except the youngest girl) been slaughtered soon after he left. Bob Lee immerses himself into the world of the samurai, determined to  avenge the Yano family. I agree with reviews that Bob Lee's swordsmanship requires total destruction of believeability, but I thought the passion of the man believeable and the samurai and sword lore was excellent.

(challenges all books: 100 books, A to Z)

Last Known Victim by Erica Spindler -  Set in post-Katrina New Orleans, the police discover a refrigerator stocked with severed right hands.
A shallow grave might be one of the victims - but it's what's found with the victim that really stirs up the police - a badge belonging to a detective who was murdered in the aftermath of the hurricane.  The hunt for the killer(s) leads to a strip bar and a dancer who's not always truthful, but Captain Patti O'Shay, the detective's widow, bends the rules to find her husband's killer. Really stretches the credibility limits, but the post-Katrina setting is an interesting look at a damaged and struggling city.

Third Degree by Greg Iles - It's a bad day in the Shields household - husband Warren's medical practice is being audited by the IRS, and wife Laurel just got a positive on a EPT - and she's not sure if the child is her husband's or her ex-lover's.  Laurel heads off to her job of teaching handicapped kids and has a confrontation with the ex, the dad of one of her students - and goes home early with a migraine. When she gets home, Warren's still there, not having gone to work. Laurel finds herself being held at gunpoint, while her husband tries to crack her email password to find out who the lover is, while at work, his business partner and office manager conspire to frame him for insurance fraud.  And when the whole thing explodes, bringing in the police and the Feds, the only person Warren trusts to talk to is his former flight instructor - a former military pilot named Danny McDavitt - who is also Laurel's ex-lover. Not as compelling as Iles' usual fare, but still a fast, gripping read.

Power Play by Joseph Finder -  One of the Amazon.com reviews called this "Die Hard at a Corporate Off-site" - a fairly good basic description. Regular guy Jake Landry  must substitute for his boss at a aeronautics company's retreat - an already tense event because of the new CEO - a woman facing lots of hostility from the male department heads. The retreat turns even worse, when, at the first dinner, the group is taken hostage by what seems to be a group of redneck hunters, looking for quick money. But things aren't quite what they seem - and Landry, the good-guy-with-a-past, must save them all. Action packed.

Darkness Falls by Kyle Mills -  Beamon's back - yeah! More of a secondary character in this book though.  Erin Neal, an environmentalist turned recluse, gets pulled back into the world when a engineered bacteria starts eating away at the Saudi oil fields. Neal, formerly known for preventing oil field disasters, is coerced by Beamon, now head of energy security for Homeland Security, into looking into the bacteria. Turns out it's a mutant version of a bacteria Neal created, but never told anyone about - except a deceased former girlfriend. Mills does the doomsday thriller well.

Last Call by James Grippando - Attorney Jack Swyteck's friend and former client Theo is in danger. A convict from Theo's childhood neighborhood escapes from prison - and when his promised help doesn't materialize, he goes to Theo.  Former gang members together, he offers Theo an exchange - help him and he'll tell Theo who murdered his mother twenty-something years ago.  Completely unrealistic, but eminently readable. Others in the series much better.

Third Strike by Philip R. Craig & William G. Tapply -  Craig's JW Jackson (ex-cop now living with his family on Martha's Vineyard) and Tapply's Boston lawyer Brady Coyne get together for the third time when a strike paralyzes the ferries from the Vineyard to the mainland. A striker's death involves Jackson - was the man killed while planting a bomb or was it murder? And a reclusive client of Coyne's calls him to the island to tell him about mysterious men with guns unloading crates in the middle of the night  - a client who is soon murdered. JW and Brady team up to find out the truth. Sadly there will be no more collaborations as Craig died recently, but I'll continue to look forward to new Tapplys. 

(challenges for all above books: 100 books, A to Z)

The Alexandria Link by Steve Berry - Former government agent Cotton Malone finds his frantic ex-wife on his doorstep - their son has been kidnapped. Moments later, his bookstore is attacked. Malone is the only person who knows the location of the Alexandria Link - a man who may have knowledge of how to locate the supposedly destroyed Library of Alexandria. In the Library, an ancient  Biblical document could throw the Middle East into chaos and pit Jews, Muslims and Christians against each other in open warfare. Overblown, but entertaining.
(challenges: 100 books, A to Z, TBR)

The rest of December's books!

The Wheel of Darkness by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child - Pendergast goes on a cruise :)

Hand of Evil by J. A. Jance - Ali blogs - people die :>

Quantico by Greg Bear - near future setting - good writing, but I just didn't connect with it.

The Chase by Clive Cussler -  Circa 1900's PI hunts for a bank robber/murderer - kinda... eh.

Shadow Man by Cody McFayden -  kickass start of series starring FBI agent Smoky Barrett, who lost her husband and child to a serial killer,  goes after another one who's convinced he's a descendant of Jack the Ripper.

The Face of Death by Cody McFayden - Second in the series - Smoky & her team head out after another killer who has been targeting one victim all her life - by killing the people she cares about.

::imagine that said in an Inigo Montoya voice::    ::mmm..... Inigo.... mmmm....::

Promise Not To Tell by Jennifer McMahon - part mystery, part ghost story, all good.

Dead Heat by Dick & Felix Francis - formulaic and less horse-y than usual, but still enjoyable. Always happy when a new Francis comes out :)

Down River by John Hart - oh, lovely, just lovely. Great characters, great plot, very Southern Gothic and fresh.  Set in Salisbury, NC - I used to live near there and went there for library workshops/meetings several times. Lovely place.

Bloodline by F. Paul. Wilson - Repairman Jack's life gets weirder - mine gets better :)

Blasphemy by Douglas Preston - Got an ARC(advanced reading copy) :)  Another thrill ride from Preston  - science vs God. Who will win? And which side is more extreme?

Second Shot by Zoe Sharp - 2nd Charlie Fox - bodyguard gets her ass kicked and wants to find out why - good.

Transgressions edited by Ed McBain - novellas from some of the best mystery & thriller writers, including McBain, Donald Westlake, & Stephen King.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn - dark psychological thriller about family disfunction and small towns - very good & disturbing  :)


Ah, I loves me some psycho killers :)

The Crime Writer by Gregg Hurwitz  -  Good.

First Drop by Zoe Sharp  -  new author for me - kickass female lead - will be looking for the next one in the series.

Play Dirty by Sandra Brown  -  not her best, glad it was a library book and not a purchase.

One of which counts for this year's Alphabet Challenge! Woo! (I'm down to 3 letters - well, 2 now!)

Busted by Phil Bidner   -  Four different stories intertwine during one year at a high school, showing that  getting busted can happen to anyone: the athlete, the honors student, the bored or the bully.  Good.


Armageddon Summer by Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville  -  My Y author book. I've actually read this one before - it's excellent., which, considering the authors, isn't that much of a surprise :)   Rev. Beelson is predicting that July 27, 2000 will be Armageddon and he's making sure that the 144 souls that will survive are all together on a mountain top.  Two teens, Jed and Marina, view the events of the summer through vastly differing eyes - Marina is a Believer (or, at least, is trying to be); Jed, on the other hand, is a complete skeptic, only there because of his dad.

Shoot Him If He Runs by Stuart Woods - newest Stone Barrington & Holly Barker

 I always enjoy these - good mind-candy.

Legend: An Event Group Thriller by David Lynn Golemon

The cover blurb compares this to the early works of Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, both of whom I read both together and in their solo works. The comparison is fairly apt, I think - take something from history; mix in a little supernatural; throw in some good guys, bad guys, and questionable guys; and cut them off from help. Stir well and, voilà, Michael Jackson! Umm... thriller! For this one, also add military :)  For the record, I like P&C better - this one got a bit draggy a couple of times. Probably not something I'd reread, but I'll look at the next one and see what it looks like.

Series entries:
Play Dead by David Rosenfelt  -  gorgeous Golden Retriever on the cover - a dog is facing death and his owner is in prison for life. Our hero takes the case. Wasn't familiar with this series, but  will definitely look into it.

Justice Denied by J. A. Jance - newest J.P. Beaumont
The Ever-Running Man by Marcia Muller - good addition to the Sharon McCone series
Free Fire by C. J. Box - great new entry into the  Joe Pickett series
Dexter In the Dark by Jeff Lindsay - newest in series
Merciless by Richard Montanari - newest in Byrne & Balzano series
China Lake by Meg Gardiner - first in the Evan Delaney seies
Last Breath by George Shuman - second in the Sherry Moore series

Standalones (at least for now):

The Cleaner by Brett Battles - Quinn "cleans" up after shadowy government operation,s so that none of the locals know anything happened. Usually, it's easy and much less dangerous than being a part of the operation. Until the assassin shows up...

Killer Weekend by Ridley Pearson
The Book of Names by Jill Gregory & Karen Tintori
High Noon by Nora Roberts
The Blue Zone by Andrew Gross
Falling by Christopher Pike