Sunday, July 29, 2007

An Ice Cold Grave-Charlaine Harris

An Ice Cold Grave
Charlaine Harris
Berkley, Oct 2007, $23.95
ISBN 9780425217290

The residents of Doraville, North Carolina fear the worst as the number of runaway boys seems improbable. The townsfolk believe a serial killer is living amidst them murdering their male offspring. Against the opinion of Sheriff Sandra Rockwell, psychic detective Harper Connelly and her manager stepbrother Tolliver Lang come to the town to find the missing boys. To the horror of both women and Tolliver, Harper earns her fee when she uncovers eight corpses.

Not long afterward, someone assaults an already weary Harper. Worn out to her bone marrow and fearful of further attacks, Harper wants to go home to heal from her injuries; not all being physical. However, a less skeptical Sandra pleads with her and the North Carolina Bureau of Investigation demands she continue to work on the case. The media, learning of the deadly find and psychic link, turns the inquiry into a circus while Harper’s psychic friends try to assist her as they begin to find more horrific remains.

The third grave Connelly psychic mystery (see GRAVE SIGHT and GRAVE SURPRISE) is a tense thriller that grips the audience from the moment the heroine finds the grisly remains of eight bodies and never slows down until the final confrontation. The cast enhances the tale either by bringing local flavor to the plot or assistance/deterrence to Harper. Although there is a binge of serial killers in literature of late, the fast-paced story line deftly uses the paranormal to make it seem normal as the heroine confronts an abnormal psychopathic killer in an entertaining regional whodunit.

Harriet Klausner

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

The Betrayed-Lisa T. Bergren

The Betrayed
Lisa T. Bergren
Berkley, Sept 22007, $23.95, 416 pp.
ISBN: 9750425217085

In the year 1340, the Gifted, those chosen by God to spread Christ’s word among the masses and endowed with divine powers, are in Venice looking for clues to where the Lord wants them to go next. The group consists of the healer Lady Daria d’Angelo; Sir Gianni whose gift is faith; Hasani has visions; and Father Piero known for his wisdom and Tessa who has discernment and knows who is good and who is evil.


They are pursued by Lord Abramo Amidei who worships the forces of darkness and sacrifices children on the altar of his god. He intends to capture and convert the Gifted or destroy them; his plan is to separate them so that they do not have each other to rely on when he tortures them into doubting their beliefs. While the Gifted search for a glass map, a piece of which is hidden in the seven churches of Venice, Cardinal Boreli observes them as he hopes to use them to bring the papacy back to full power when he becomes the pope. Daria is captured and taken to Abramo’s prison where he tortures her: hoping to break her spirit. The rest of the Gifted mount a rescue, but it will take a miracle from God to free her from that darkness.

By books end, the Gifted knows where they are needed next, a place that is anathema to them yet their faith is so strong they don’t doubt God’s will and obey him even though they are heading into more troubles. The Gifted are good and honorable but circumstances sometimes causes them to have doubts. Abramo is a fully developed villain who is the sworn enemy of the Gifted and will do whatever is necessary to convert or kill them. Lisa T. Bergren has written an exciting thriller that is full of surprises and confrontations between good and evil.

Harriet Klausner

Crusade-Robyn Young

Crusade
Robyn Young
Dutton, Aug 2007, $25.95
ISBN: 9780525950165

By 1274, the years of war that has devastated much of the Middle East especially the Holy Land appears over. A shaky peace has finally come to weary people mostly because of the Herculean efforts of the Brethren. However, one of the Brethren Will Campbell fears their cause has been betrayed from within and that hostilities will break out unless the traitor Prince Edward is stopped from meeting his pledge to the Pope that the Cross will soon control Jerusalem. However, Will remains unaware that European war profiteers have found their profits gone since peace has descended on the land; so to stir up business they plan a scheme to use Edward as a foolish tool to erupt the Muslin world into a Jihad against the European infidels.

In Egypt, Sultan Baybars’ heir Baraka has turned a deaf ear towards his fathe; who left him with his mother until he was old enough to train as a warrior and then left him with a tutor. Now he ignores his offspring even more since his closest friend died saving his life. Instead Baraka heeds the guidance of soothsayer Khadir who tells him his dad is going to leave him a destroyed kingdom unless he acts. Baybars believes he must fight the powerful Mongol horde while Khadir insists that is not only suicide, but it is the Christians who are the real enemy. A new wave of crusades seems imminent with Will and some of his Brethren peers the only hope to prevent another region wide conflation that could easily spread across the Mediterranean.

The middle book of this superior historical fiction trilogy (see BRETHREN) is a terrific entry as the late thirteenth century Middle East seems on the verge of another Crusade unless Will and his peers can pull off several miracles. The fast-paced story line effortlessly moves back and forth between the subplots and the key cast members are fully developed so that the audience obtains a taste of the medieval age especially in Jerusalem and Cairo in AD 1276.

Harriet Klausner

Friday, July 20, 2007

Deadly Ex-Harley Jane Kozak

Deadly Ex
Harley Jane Kozak
Doubleday, Aug 2007, $21.95
ISBN: 9780385518024

On December 26 someone lacked the Yuletide spirit when they shot and killed soap opera producer of the fittingly titled At the End of the Day David Zetrakis. Although she knows she should stay out of it, SoapDirt talk show reporter Wollie Shelley wonders who killed David, a man at the top of her Mr. Wrong date list; considering most of Southern California is on Wollie’s list means David was dead wrong to be at the top.

LAPD and the media agree as rare as that seems, the former End of the Day actress Joey Rafferty is the prime suspect; like Wollie she dated David, who ended their turbulent relationship by firing her off his show several years ago. Shockingly she is named in his will as are others, but the priceless Klimt painting keeps her high on the suspect list. Wollie investigates to prove her pal’s innocence but when Joey's husband dies in a surfing accident and she disappears, even Wollie begins to believe.

The third Wollie wacky adventure (see DATING IS MURDER and DATING DEAD MEN) combines a terrific amateur sleuth investigation with a deep insightful look at the world of soap operas and much more. The whodunit is intelligently designed so that the audience will agree with Wollie that there are plenty of suspects until the second death and the disappearance. Readers will enjoy this wonderful lighthearted romp starring a charming reformed serial dater.

Harriet Klausner

The Burnt House-Faye Kellerman

The Burnt House
Faye Kellerman
Morrow, Aug 2007, $25.95
ISBN: 9780061227325

During the morning rush hours, a commuter plane leaving Burbank Airport crashes into a Granada Hills apartment building; all forty-seven passengers die. The country is stunned with most people assuming the World Trade center scenario on a smaller scale.

LAPD Police Lieutenant Peter Decker leads the investigation while the media and public demand instant answers. He and his wife Rina Lazarus dig deep to determine who and what caused the crash; why more corpses are in the rubble than on the passenger list; and finally what happened to flight attendant twenty-eight-year-old Roseanne Dresden, whose husband Ivan says she was on the tragic flight and her name is on the manifesto, but her body is not.

The latest Decker-Lazarus police procedural is an exhilarating fast-paced thriller that starts off with the horrific crash and never slows down until the final twists. The action keeps coming throughout as the lead couple struggles with all three interrelated mysteries while the country fears further incidents; the media and the government keep the pressure high to resolve the case. Although plausibility and critical coincidence is higher than the federal debt, fans of the series will enjoy the return of the pair as they work a complex convoluted case.

Harriet Klausner

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Dead Heat-Dick Francis and Felix Francis

Dead Heat
Dick Frances and Felix Francis
Putnam, Sept 2007, $25.95, 352 pp.
ISBN: 9780399154768

Business is booming at the Newmarket restaurant in Newmarket, England; and the proprietor Max Moreton is hired by the racetrack to be the guest chef of a dinner. The meal is a success but most of the people came down with a bad case of food poisoning including Max. The next day he has to drag himself out of bed to perform as the guest chef in the sponser’s box. A bomb goes off killing many and injuring even more including Max’s staff. The cause of the food poisoning is caused by undercooked kidney beans. Max knows nothing in the dinner called for kidney beans.

He believes somebody deliberately poisoned his meal so that they would have an excuse not to go to the sponsor’s gala. Two couples who were supposed to attend the sponsor’s gala never showed up; one couple is one of Max’s best customers and the other is Peter, an importer of polo ponies and his wife. While he is investigating he is almost killed when the brakes on his car go out and his house with him in it is set afire. When Max and his lover go to the states, he gets a broken arm just for asking about a certain person and showing a metal ball to the security guard. Even with his life in danger, Max refuses to give up his quest to find out who tainted the meal that left so many ill and he has a number of unexpected allies willing to back him up.

This father and son writing team changes the dynamic of a book written by Dick Frances. There is more humor in the storyline and readers get even closer to the characters because Max is an everyman the audience can identify with even with his outrageous risks to clear his name. The mystery itself is clearly set up so that through the use of misdirection, readers aren’t sure who the villains of this tale are.

Harriet Klausner

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Sweet Revenge-Diane Mott Davidson

Sweet Revenge
Diane Mott Davidson
Morrow, Sept 2007, $25.95, 368 pp.
ISBN 9780060527334

Goldy Schulz’s catering business is booming as she has twenty– five events between December first and Christmas. On the way to the MacArthur’s house to finalize theevent she is catering, Goldy sees someone she believed has been dead for six months; the woman who killed her abusive ex-husband the Jerk. Sandee Brisbane had cause because he raped her when she was a teenager but everyone believed she perished in the blaze. When she tells her husband, a police officer he believers she saw someone who looked like Sandee because nobody could have gotten out of that fire even though her bones were never found.

At a library event she is catering she thinks she sees Sandee again but loses sight of her when the head librarian finds the body of ex-D.A. Drew Wellington who tried to cover up his DUI and his being in the car with a nubile minor.. One of Drew’s business acquaintances is also found dead with his head bludgeoned. Goldie thinks the two murders are connected and she starts investigating and uncovers some very ugly secrets people hide in their closets.

Diane Mott Davidson is one of the premier writers of culinary mysterious of this decade and after readers finish one of her books, they come away hungry for food and the next tale. Goldy needs to know the truth about the alleged rebirth of Sandee and the murders. Once the motive becomes clear, readers will feel no sympathy for the victims. SWEET REVENGE is a satisfying and tasty treat.

Harriet Klausner

Monday, July 16, 2007

Silent Counsel-Ken Isaacson

Silent Counsel
Ken Isaacson
Windermere Press, Sept 2007, $24.95, 332 pp.
ISBN 978097886224

Just having gotten the BMW, Vince Saldano is seeing how fast he can get from 0 to sixty miles per hour when he hears a thump and sees a child in the street motionless. Scared, he runs away from the scene of the accident; six year old Ben Altman is dead and Vince is having pangs of conscience. A man calls attorney Scott Heller and tells him about what he did and wants him to try and negotiate a good plea bargain with the prosecution without giving him his name. Scott researches it and realizes the name is privileged but the ADA won’t bargain without a name.

Scott invokes privilege when he talks to the police. The victim’s mother Stacy Altman a hires a lawyer and hopes that a judge will make Scott reveal the name of the hit and run driver. The judge upholds his position on privilege. Stacy is determined to find out who her son’s killer is and she starts stalking Scott’s wife and daughter. The ironic part of the whole affair is that his client gave him a phony name; his phone and pager are disconnected and his e-mail address is no longer valid. Stacy refuses to let go of her obsession and she does the one thing that will force Scott to try to find out who his client is in order to avert a tragedy.

It is hard to believe that this is Ken Isaacson’s first legal thriller as the tale is on a par with the works of John Grisham. This is a very action oriented legal thriller that starts off at light speed and just keeps accelerating. Yet the characters are so well developed especially Scott, his family, and Stacy readers will feel as if they know them as people they meet in their everyday lives. This book will make the audience feel a myriad of emotions.

Harriet Klausner

Act Normal-William Manchester

Act Normal
William Manchester
Top Publications, Sep 2007, $14.95
ISBN: 9781929976409

Overcrowding on a planet caused some of the inhabitants to colonize two orbs, Earth and Tarizon. A terrible ecological disaster on Tarizon forced the people to erect and live inside domed cities while women had a difficult time becoming pregnant. The governments of Tarizon and that of the earth’s United States signed a treaty allowing a citizen of the former to marry an earthling, have children with them, and after a few years on earth return to their Tarizon with the children leaving behind an abandoned bewildered spouse to explain to her family what happened.

Lawyer Stan Turner’s son is on Tarizon as a means of controlling the former and having him do what his CIA handlers demand. At present they want Stan to get an acquittal for Charlotte Wenzel whose husband and sons disappeared. Their father was from Tarizon and there is no hard evidence. That changes when the policefind the body of one of her children. When the beam bringing him to the ship failed, he fell back to earth. Besides that case, Stan is also working to make sure his friend Ben Stover isn’t convicted for money laundering due to the manifestations of a vindictive son-in-law who embezzled from their firm. At the same time Stan’s partner Paula is trying to get an innocent man cleared of the murder of Chester Brown and his family.

This is a fascinating science fiction legal thriller in which the government trades children for advanced technologies. The story is told throughout the book in bbeween believable legal strategy amidst the three cases. The CIA and the American government come across as avaricous turncoats as they manipulate people for personal gain. William Manchester goes into incredible depth with the trials and the missing alien and his half-breed children so that the audience is immersed in a legal procedural in a world somewhat similar to ours, but with a radical ET difference. ACT NORMAL will appeal to science fiction and mystery fans; obviously especially those who appreciate the joining of the two genres.

Harriet Klausner

Sunday, July 15, 2007

The Hades Project-Lynn Sholes & Joe Moore

The Hades ProjectLynn Sholes & Joe Moore
Midnight Ink, Sep 2007, $14.95
ISBN: 9780738709307

Reporter Cotton Stone is a Nephilim, the daughter of a fallen angel and a mortal; but unlike the rest of her species, she is on the side of good as one of God’s warriors. Her father repented his sin and he had two daughters; one took his place in heaven. A new battle is brewing as the Devil’s Nephilim is creating a super computer using the code given by the kidnapped son of Alan owner of CyberSys. The forces of evil intend to unleash the Hades virus, which will cause disasters leading to millions dead and a new Dark Ages.

A childhood friend of Cotton is on the run with her daughter who sees the red auras of those aligned with Satan. They want her dead and Cotton is her only hope for survival. Alan’s son and Lindsay’s daughter meet after both are temporarily free of Satan’s minion and it is obvious they know each other. Cotton thinks these Indigo children are blessed by God and there is an increase in their births for a reason she does not know. Both supercomputers need thodium, the substance found in the resin of The Tree Of Life and the wood is used by Noah to build the arc; the only known artifact that still contains this is the Spear of Destiny. If Satan obtains it hell will come to earth.

Once again, Lynn Sholes & Joe Moore have written a compelling thriller in which Satan, the Nephilim and their offspring the Rubie walk the earth as government, religious, and financial leaders. Cotton plays a major role in putting the pieces together that lead to the Spear of Destiny, but that only insures she will be under attack by the dark forces who already loathe her as a traitor. Readers will enjoy the latest escapades of God’s champion as she battles the minion of Satan.

Harriet Klausner

The Hades Project-Lynn Sholes & Joe Moore

The Hades Project
Lynn Sholes & Joe Moore
Midnight Ink, Sep 2007, $14.95
ISBN: 9780738709307

Reporter Cotton Stone is a Nephilim, the daughter of a fallen angel and a mortal; but unlike the rest of her species, she is on the side of good as one of God’s warriors. Her father repented his sin and he had two daughters; one took his place in heaven. A new battle is brewing as the Devil’s Nephilim is creating a super computer using the code given by the kidnapped son of Alan owner of CyberSys. The forces of evil intend to unleash the Hades virus, which will cause disasters leading to millions dead and a new Dark Ages.

A childhood friend of Cotton is on the run with her daughter who sees the red auras of those aligned with Satan. They want her dead and Cotton is her only hope for survival. Alan’s son and Lindsay’s daughter meet after both are temporarily free of Satan’s minion and it is obvious they know each other. Cotton thinks these Indigo children are blessed by God and there is an increase in their births for a reason she does not know. Both supercomputers need thodium, the substance found in the resin of The Tree Of Life and the wood is used by Noah to build the arc; the only known artifact that still contains this is the Spear of Destiny. If Satan obtains it hell will come to earth.

Once again, Lynn Sholes & Joe Moore have written a compelling thriller in which Satan, the Nephilim and their offspring the Rubie walk the earth as government, religious, and financial leaders. Cotton plays a major role in putting the pieces together that lead to the Spear of Destiny, but that only insures she will be under attack by the dark forces who already loathe her as a traitor. Readers will enjoy the latest escapades of God’s champion as she battles the minion of Satan.

Harriet Klausner

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade-Diana Gabaldon

Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade
Diana Gabaldon
Delacorte, Sep 2007, $25.00
ISBN: 9780385337493

Being a gay man in 1758 England is difficult as caught sodomites are hung in a grisly manner. The government does not call attention to a group of conspirators who will be tried for treason; so instead accuse them of sodomy. Lord Major John Grey, brother to Hal, the Duke of Pardloe, keeps his sexual orientation hidden for fear a wrongly placed whisper means death.

While in the Hal’s Office, a page of their dead father’s journal is found on his desk. Hal tells John he was exiled to Aberdeen when his father died because there were rumors that their father was a traitor who was going to be arrested and rumors of his being a sodomite were on everyone’s lips. John takes solace in his new relationship with Percy, the stepson of the man about to marry his mother. Percy joins the same regiment that John and Hal belong to so that they have another reason to be brothers. John has recently been attacked several times; their mother believes the incidents are tied to their father’s murder. John is content to be with someone he cares about and not delve into the homicide even if it ties to the present. After their regiment deploys to the German front to fight the French, clues surface that could solve the decade old murder mystery.

The latest Lord John book is more a historical drama than a mystery. Readers obtain a glimpse at life in mid eighteenth century England for someone who is gay. John is an honorable person who relishes his sexual orientation although he hates having to hide it (not out of shame but out of a real fear for his life). The murder mystery is interspersed throughout the story line as that subplot serves to enhance the look at the life of a homosexual in historical England. Diana Gabaldon’s provides a powerful Lord John tale that is unforgettable especially with its relevancy today.

Harriet Klausner

Friday, July 13, 2007

True Light-Terri Blackstock

True Light
Terri Blackstock
Zondervan, Jul 2007, $14.99, 291 pp
ISBN 9780310257691

In May a supernova started emitting electromagnetic pulses which reached earth and shorted out everything electrical. In one day, mankind was thrust back into a pre electrical age. Housing developments like OakHollow banded together trading goods and services in an effort to survive and eventually the federal government conscripted mechanics, electricians, and scientists to create by hand radiation hardened material.

Evil still exists as is evidenced by the shooting of Zach Emory. The people of OakHollow blame Mark Green because his father was a convicted murderer and his brothers were also involved with pornography, stolen goods and murder. Two teens testified that Mark was in the area where Zach was shot even though he claims he was closer to town in another hunting area. He is arrested but during a jail break guards are killed and the sheriff critically wounded. Mark doesn’t go with the escapees but is released. He wants to prove his innocence and with the love of his life Deni Branning, a relentless reporter, they attempt to do just that although and the killers are closer than they know to them.

This is the third Restoration novel and this is the best book in the series to date. Each novel is built upon the previous one so the readers get to see the event, and the progress man makes in coping with it, but it also behooves the audience to read the previous thrillers (see LAST LIGHT and NIGHT LIGHT). Readers ascertain the practical necessity is the mother of invention treatise as how new ideas find practical uses in a society used to electricity and the luxuries that came with it. The great mystery enhances a fine tale as Terri Blackstock slowly reveals each clue so that readers feel they have a chance of finding out who the shooter is before the lead duo might identify the culprit.

Harriet Klausner

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

A Perfect Grave--Rick Mofina

A Perfect Grave
Rick Mofina
Pinnacle, Sept 2007, $6.96, 362 pp.
ISBN 9780786018482

Everyone who knows Sister Anne thinks she’s a saint for her compassion and good works concerning the homeless, the mentally ill, prisoners, and families in crisis. The homeless adore her for her non-judgmental attitude and the community as a whole believes she is a truly good and moral person. It comes as a shock when this good person is killed in her home by a man who knows her and wants something he believes she has.

Seattle Mirror reporter Jason Wade scoops all the other news people when he reports on the weapon, a knife stolen from the soup kitchen where Sister Anne worked. Slowly he gathers information from a variety of sources that a strange man in the soup kitchen talked with Sister Anne who tried to minister to him and he made her sad. What Jason doesn’t know is that his father is connected to this case by the incident that made him quit SPD or that an innocent child with a brain tumor in need of surgery will be kidnapped by this killer in order to get what he wants from the child’s mother. The reporter remains clueless and time is running out for an innocent child.

Thriller writers like Rick Mofina make the genre something special. Jason goes from being a disgraced journalist to the man who keeps getting the inside breaking story. It is hard to accept anyone killing a nun who everyone believes is a saint but as Jason finds out, there is no evidence of her existence prior to her entering the order. The answer to the mystery lies in the nun’s past and Jason, a strong, kind yet vulnerable tough guy doesn’t even know where to start looking.

Harriet Klausner

Dark of the Moon-John Sandford

Dark of the Moon
John Sandford
Putnam, Sep 2007, $26.95, 384 pp.
ISBN: 9780399154775

To look at him nobody would believe that Virgil Flowers is a police officer; one of Lucas Davenport’s best (see INVISIBLE PREY for the case in which Flowers assisted the Minnesota Bureau of Crime Apprehension Chief). He wears casual clothing, has long hair, looks younger than his years and has a breezy amiable manner which enables him to make friends easily. He is on his way to Bluestem, Minnesota to investigate the deaths of the octogenarian Gleasons, who apparently knew their killer.

As he enters the town he sees a house belonging to the recently deceased wealthy Bill Judd. The sheriff asks Virgil to help him with the Judd murder; another eighty-something year old person killed in a horrendous fashion. Judd scammed the townsfolk with a pyramid scheme making millions so he had plenty of enemies. In a town where murder almost never occurs three in a short period of time doesn’t strike Flowers as coincidental especially the age of the victims. When another couple also in their eighties is killed, Flower is certain that there is a methodical organized sociopath killer hiding in plain sight. During the course of his investigations he discovers a meth lab, a mole in the police department, and a church dealing with criminals. For one independent police officer he finds himself involved with a serial killer, townsfolk, the sheriff, a lover and the dead all lead him to the killer if he is clever to find the link.

John Sandford’s latest protagonist is an adrenaline junkie living on the edge but within the rules of an excellent police officer. Flower deserves his own series because his style and methods is as good as his boss Lucas Davenport even though there are ying and yang. There are many different mysteries that tie into the storyline and they are easy to follow although the reader will be perplexed until the very last page of a very fine police procedural.

Harriet Klausner