Burn
Linda Howard
Ballantine, Jul 2009, $26.00
ISBN: 9780345486561
Seven years ago Jenner Redwine dumped her mooching boyfriend just before she won the lottery. She thought her luck had changed for the good, but soon learned otherwise as her father steals from her and her friends demand she pay for their comfort. She soon has no family or friends; as everyone wants a piece of the action. She makes one new buddy who is uninterested in her buying her things, but offers her advice on money management as only a caring heiress could. Sydney Hazlett and Jenner Redwine become “sisters”.
Sydney persuades reluctant Jenner to join her on a charity voyage of the luxurious Silver Mist. However, instead of the Love Boat as she anticipated, Jenner finds herself starring in Under Siege when Sydney is abducted. At the same time, security expert Cael Traylor tries to learn what stunt the liner’s owner Frank Larkin is scamming. He persuades a frightened but outraged Jenner to let him use her cabin to learn more about Frank’s scheme that involved Syd, Jen and other wealthy people. Jenner is also angry at herself for her attraction to the undercover agent who wants her but saving Syd, keeping Jen safe, and taking down Larkin comes before his needs.
This is an amusing romantic suspense thriller filled with plenty of high seas action. The story line is fast-paced from the moment that Cael takes over Jenner’s cabin and never slows down as the mouse that roars becomes more than just a formidable partner as she takes over his heart. Fans will enjoy the spins and twists of who kidnaps who as Linda Howard is at her best with this enjoyable jocular thriller.
Harriet Klausner
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Cornered-Brandon Massey
Cornered
Brandon Massey
Pinnacle, Aug 4 2009, $6.99
ISBN 9780786020850
In Atlanta Corey Webb is the poster boy for living the American dream as he runs a successful business has a beautiful caring wife Simone and an adoring precocious nine years old daughter Jada. His perfect world collapses when he runs into his childhood friend from Detroit Leon Sharpe who is maliciously staring at Jada.
On the run from the FBI, Sharpe demands Webb pays for his silence or he will reveal their past associations in Motown. Already on the Ten Most Wanted List, he also threatens Webb’s family. Willing to pay the blackmail fee, but not at the cost of his beloved wife and daughter, Webb knows he must find a way to extract his family from Sharpe’s deadly entanglement.
That initial encounter on the Atlanta streets is a terrific opening to a fast-paced thriller as Webb’s roots come back to entangle him in a deadly scenario. Character driven mostly by the lead pair but nicely supported by Webb’s family and others, fans will be excited by the hero’s compelling ordeal as the code of the street was DON’T EVER TELL. Exciting and fun in spite of the unlikely circumstances and happenstance making plausibility slight, fans will enjoy this fine family crime caper.
Harriet Klausner
Brandon Massey
Pinnacle, Aug 4 2009, $6.99
ISBN 9780786020850
In Atlanta Corey Webb is the poster boy for living the American dream as he runs a successful business has a beautiful caring wife Simone and an adoring precocious nine years old daughter Jada. His perfect world collapses when he runs into his childhood friend from Detroit Leon Sharpe who is maliciously staring at Jada.
On the run from the FBI, Sharpe demands Webb pays for his silence or he will reveal their past associations in Motown. Already on the Ten Most Wanted List, he also threatens Webb’s family. Willing to pay the blackmail fee, but not at the cost of his beloved wife and daughter, Webb knows he must find a way to extract his family from Sharpe’s deadly entanglement.
That initial encounter on the Atlanta streets is a terrific opening to a fast-paced thriller as Webb’s roots come back to entangle him in a deadly scenario. Character driven mostly by the lead pair but nicely supported by Webb’s family and others, fans will be excited by the hero’s compelling ordeal as the code of the street was DON’T EVER TELL. Exciting and fun in spite of the unlikely circumstances and happenstance making plausibility slight, fans will enjoy this fine family crime caper.
Harriet Klausner
Dust To Dust-Beverly Connor
Dust To Dust
Beverly Connor
Obsidian, Aug 4 2009, $7.99
ISBN: 9780451227683
The RiverTrail Museum of Natural History consulting archaeologist, Barnum University Adjunct Professor Dr. Marcella Payden is shaken up when she is attacked. The museum’s director and the head of the Rosewood Crime Lab Diane Fallon and her unit work the assault scene along with Detective Hanks and a uniform when bullets are fired at them. When the dust settles, and the perpetrators are gone for the second time with paintings and pottery stolen whatever is gone is not worth the risk of the second assault.
Former FBI profiler Ross Kingsley visits Diane to ask a favor. He tells her he no longer believes in profiling after the BTK case and a serial rape case he worked. Instead he works for Florida based Darley, Dunn and Upsahw as a private investigator; currently doing a pro bono action. Nine years ago Ryan Dance was given a life sentence for murdering fifteen year old Ellie Rose Carruthers. His younger sister Stephanie believed he was innocent and tried to prove it. Last week the obstinate twenty-three year old was found dead; the cops claim autoerotic asphyxiation as the case. Her father believes she found the proof and was murdered for it. Ross shows Diane a photo of the death scene and the forensic expert begins to make a case that murder occurred.
The latest Diane Fallon investigation (see SCATTERED GRAVES) is a super entry with two strong diverse cases; most fascinating is the refreshing knot forensics spin that shows when readers think they’ve read or seen everything, something new surfaces. Diane is at her best as she uncovers secrets buried in the dust that those who concealed them thought would be blown away by the wind. This is a great forensics investigative thriller due to a strong cast working complex cases, but especially the super look at criminal science will have the audience profiling Beverly Connor as one of the top mystery writers.
Harriet Klausner
Beverly Connor
Obsidian, Aug 4 2009, $7.99
ISBN: 9780451227683
The RiverTrail Museum of Natural History consulting archaeologist, Barnum University Adjunct Professor Dr. Marcella Payden is shaken up when she is attacked. The museum’s director and the head of the Rosewood Crime Lab Diane Fallon and her unit work the assault scene along with Detective Hanks and a uniform when bullets are fired at them. When the dust settles, and the perpetrators are gone for the second time with paintings and pottery stolen whatever is gone is not worth the risk of the second assault.
Former FBI profiler Ross Kingsley visits Diane to ask a favor. He tells her he no longer believes in profiling after the BTK case and a serial rape case he worked. Instead he works for Florida based Darley, Dunn and Upsahw as a private investigator; currently doing a pro bono action. Nine years ago Ryan Dance was given a life sentence for murdering fifteen year old Ellie Rose Carruthers. His younger sister Stephanie believed he was innocent and tried to prove it. Last week the obstinate twenty-three year old was found dead; the cops claim autoerotic asphyxiation as the case. Her father believes she found the proof and was murdered for it. Ross shows Diane a photo of the death scene and the forensic expert begins to make a case that murder occurred.
The latest Diane Fallon investigation (see SCATTERED GRAVES) is a super entry with two strong diverse cases; most fascinating is the refreshing knot forensics spin that shows when readers think they’ve read or seen everything, something new surfaces. Diane is at her best as she uncovers secrets buried in the dust that those who concealed them thought would be blown away by the wind. This is a great forensics investigative thriller due to a strong cast working complex cases, but especially the super look at criminal science will have the audience profiling Beverly Connor as one of the top mystery writers.
Harriet Klausner
Working Stiff-Annelise Ryan
Working Stiff
Annelise Ryan
Kensington, Aug 25 2009, $22.00
ISBN: 075823452X
She thought she had the perfect marriage and perfect job working at the same hospital as her husband Dr. David Winston as he was a surgeon and she is a surgeon’s nurse. However Mattie Winston’s world collapsed when she caught him with another nurse Karen Owenby. Without a word, she rushes home, packs her bags, and visits her best friend medical examiner Izzy, who gives her a home in his guest cottage and hires her; training her to be a deputy coroner.
When Mattie learns that Karen is at the home she once shared with David, she cannot stop herself from peaking through a window. What she observes horrifies her as the pair argues heatedly until David throttles her. Later that same night, Izzy and Mattie are called to a homicide scene where a female corpse has two bullets in her head. The victim is Karen. Suspicion falls rightfully on David, but though she is angry and acrimonious with him and knows what she saw at their house, Mattie refuses to believe he would kill anyone. A second murder implicates David further as Detective Steve Hurley finds evidence hanging Mattie's soon to be ex at a time the cop and the trainee are attracted to one another and he realizes she should be a prime suspect as a betrayed wife.
The story line is fast-paced from the moment that Mattie realizes her spouse is a womanizing cheat, but not a killer and never slows down as the heroine risks her life (to the chagrin of her boss and the detective) to catch the culprit. Fascinatingly though she is a WORKING STIFF as an apprentice deputy coroner, the enjoyable story line reads in may ways like an amateur sleuth as she has little experience on homicide investigations. Fans will enjoy Annelise Ryan’s fun investigative tale, the opening act of a new series.
Harriet Klausner
Annelise Ryan
Kensington, Aug 25 2009, $22.00
ISBN: 075823452X
She thought she had the perfect marriage and perfect job working at the same hospital as her husband Dr. David Winston as he was a surgeon and she is a surgeon’s nurse. However Mattie Winston’s world collapsed when she caught him with another nurse Karen Owenby. Without a word, she rushes home, packs her bags, and visits her best friend medical examiner Izzy, who gives her a home in his guest cottage and hires her; training her to be a deputy coroner.
When Mattie learns that Karen is at the home she once shared with David, she cannot stop herself from peaking through a window. What she observes horrifies her as the pair argues heatedly until David throttles her. Later that same night, Izzy and Mattie are called to a homicide scene where a female corpse has two bullets in her head. The victim is Karen. Suspicion falls rightfully on David, but though she is angry and acrimonious with him and knows what she saw at their house, Mattie refuses to believe he would kill anyone. A second murder implicates David further as Detective Steve Hurley finds evidence hanging Mattie's soon to be ex at a time the cop and the trainee are attracted to one another and he realizes she should be a prime suspect as a betrayed wife.
The story line is fast-paced from the moment that Mattie realizes her spouse is a womanizing cheat, but not a killer and never slows down as the heroine risks her life (to the chagrin of her boss and the detective) to catch the culprit. Fascinatingly though she is a WORKING STIFF as an apprentice deputy coroner, the enjoyable story line reads in may ways like an amateur sleuth as she has little experience on homicide investigations. Fans will enjoy Annelise Ryan’s fun investigative tale, the opening act of a new series.
Harriet Klausner
Friday, July 10, 2009
Pitch Black-Leslie Parrish
Pitch Black
Leslie Parrish
Signet, Aug 20009, $6.99
ISBN: 9780451227713
FBI profiler Alec Lambert nearly died during the Professor serial killer undercover operation that turned deadly. She was exiled for the lethal failure as someone has to take the hit within the bureau and she agreed with the assessment that her unit has failed to catch this serial killer for years.
However, instead of her career dying with the blotched Professor case, Wyatt Blackstone brings Alec onto his BLACK Cats FBI cyber crime unit. Her first assignment on her new squad: the Professor serial killer who has stayed current on technology and now uses the Internet to find and lure his victims into his deadly web. Alec’s partner is reclusive scam expert Samantha Dalton who is the agency’s best bet to identify the Professor. As Alec pursues the killer and his partner, the Professor pursues Alec’s partner targeting Sam as a victim while Sam struggles with her attraction to her partner and her fascination with the Professor who has fisted on making her his next valedictorian.
The sequel to FADE TO BLACK is a terrific FBI police procedural romantic suspense starring two broken winged heroes and a brilliant diabolical villain with a heart that’s cold The story line is fast-paced from the onset with its failed operation until the finish as the killer seems to constantly trump the Feds. Although serial killers have become a staple (see Untraceable) fans will enjoy the second Black CATs thriller.
Harriet Klausner
Leslie Parrish
Signet, Aug 20009, $6.99
ISBN: 9780451227713
FBI profiler Alec Lambert nearly died during the Professor serial killer undercover operation that turned deadly. She was exiled for the lethal failure as someone has to take the hit within the bureau and she agreed with the assessment that her unit has failed to catch this serial killer for years.
However, instead of her career dying with the blotched Professor case, Wyatt Blackstone brings Alec onto his BLACK Cats FBI cyber crime unit. Her first assignment on her new squad: the Professor serial killer who has stayed current on technology and now uses the Internet to find and lure his victims into his deadly web. Alec’s partner is reclusive scam expert Samantha Dalton who is the agency’s best bet to identify the Professor. As Alec pursues the killer and his partner, the Professor pursues Alec’s partner targeting Sam as a victim while Sam struggles with her attraction to her partner and her fascination with the Professor who has fisted on making her his next valedictorian.
The sequel to FADE TO BLACK is a terrific FBI police procedural romantic suspense starring two broken winged heroes and a brilliant diabolical villain with a heart that’s cold The story line is fast-paced from the onset with its failed operation until the finish as the killer seems to constantly trump the Feds. Although serial killers have become a staple (see Untraceable) fans will enjoy the second Black CATs thriller.
Harriet Klausner
Pitch Black-Leslie Parrish
Pitch Black
Leslie Parrish
Signet, Aug 20009, $6.99
ISBN: 9780451227713
FBI profiler Alec Lambert nearly died during the Professor serial killer undercover operation that turned deadly. She was exiled for the lethal failure as someone has to take the hit within the bureau and she agreed with the assessment that her unit has failed to catch this serial killer for years.
However, instead of her career dying with the blotched Professor case, Wyatt Blackstone brings Alec onto his BLACK Cats FBI cyber crime unit. Her first assignment on her new squad: the Professor serial killer who has stayed current on technology and now uses the Internet to find and lure his victims into his deadly web. Alec’s partner is reclusive scam expert Samantha Dalton who is the agency’s best bet to identify the Professor. As Alec pursues the killer and his partner, the Professor pursues Alec’s partner targeting Sam as a victim while Sam struggles with her attraction to her partner and her fascination with the Professor who has fisted on making her his next valedictorian.
The sequel to FADE TO BLACK is a terrific FBI police procedural romantic suspense starring two broken winged heroes and a brilliant diabolical villain with a heart that’s cold The story line is fast-paced from the onset with its failed operation until the finish as the killer seems to constantly trump the Feds. Although serial killers have become a staple (see Untraceable) fans will enjoy the second Black CATs thriller.
Harriet Klausner
Leslie Parrish
Signet, Aug 20009, $6.99
ISBN: 9780451227713
FBI profiler Alec Lambert nearly died during the Professor serial killer undercover operation that turned deadly. She was exiled for the lethal failure as someone has to take the hit within the bureau and she agreed with the assessment that her unit has failed to catch this serial killer for years.
However, instead of her career dying with the blotched Professor case, Wyatt Blackstone brings Alec onto his BLACK Cats FBI cyber crime unit. Her first assignment on her new squad: the Professor serial killer who has stayed current on technology and now uses the Internet to find and lure his victims into his deadly web. Alec’s partner is reclusive scam expert Samantha Dalton who is the agency’s best bet to identify the Professor. As Alec pursues the killer and his partner, the Professor pursues Alec’s partner targeting Sam as a victim while Sam struggles with her attraction to her partner and her fascination with the Professor who has fisted on making her his next valedictorian.
The sequel to FADE TO BLACK is a terrific FBI police procedural romantic suspense starring two broken winged heroes and a brilliant diabolical villain with a heart that’s cold The story line is fast-paced from the onset with its failed operation until the finish as the killer seems to constantly trump the Feds. Although serial killers have become a staple (see Untraceable) fans will enjoy the second Black CATs thriller.
Harriet Klausner
Criminal Karma-Steven M. Thomas
Criminal Karma
Steven M. Thomas
Ballantine, Jul 28 2009, $25.00
ISBN: 9780345497833
In Southern California, two bit crook Robert Rivers wants the diamond necklace valued at $250,000; he does not plan to pay for it, but instead plans to steal it from its owner socialite Evelyn Evermore. However, his perfect gamut is nuked by a competitor wanting to claim the same prize and somewhat by his all brawn no brains partner Reggie England; the cops home in on Rivers and England.
Rivers like his surname flows to another scheme. He knows the lightweight Evermore is a New Age freak and in fact is a disciple of popular guru Baba Raba. Rivers figures how hard can be to infiltrate the base of a charlatan in Venice. However, as he begins to learn more about Evermore Rivers he begins to like her as she is not the dimwit socialite he thought , but has substance; and for that matter so does the guru. As typical of his capers, all hell breaks loose as he and his sidekick are protecting their targets from a diabolical crime ring.
This is a zany satirical crime caper that hooks the audience from the first failed plan to the last. The story line is brisk and amusing as Rivers figures his crime karma is so negative, his time is due to balance his cosmic scales. Instead he finds himself deeper in the cosmic ooze as once again (see CRIMINAL PARADISE) the best laid plans of mice and licentious souls go astray.
Harriet Klausner
Steven M. Thomas
Ballantine, Jul 28 2009, $25.00
ISBN: 9780345497833
In Southern California, two bit crook Robert Rivers wants the diamond necklace valued at $250,000; he does not plan to pay for it, but instead plans to steal it from its owner socialite Evelyn Evermore. However, his perfect gamut is nuked by a competitor wanting to claim the same prize and somewhat by his all brawn no brains partner Reggie England; the cops home in on Rivers and England.
Rivers like his surname flows to another scheme. He knows the lightweight Evermore is a New Age freak and in fact is a disciple of popular guru Baba Raba. Rivers figures how hard can be to infiltrate the base of a charlatan in Venice. However, as he begins to learn more about Evermore Rivers he begins to like her as she is not the dimwit socialite he thought , but has substance; and for that matter so does the guru. As typical of his capers, all hell breaks loose as he and his sidekick are protecting their targets from a diabolical crime ring.
This is a zany satirical crime caper that hooks the audience from the first failed plan to the last. The story line is brisk and amusing as Rivers figures his crime karma is so negative, his time is due to balance his cosmic scales. Instead he finds himself deeper in the cosmic ooze as once again (see CRIMINAL PARADISE) the best laid plans of mice and licentious souls go astray.
Harriet Klausner
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