MURDER-GO-ROUND: REVIEWS BY HARRIET KLAUSNER
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Harriet Klausner, was chosen the number
one reader in the entire USA by BOOK Magazine. What does that mean
to you? She reads constantly and knows what's out there and wants
to let you know, too. Read on for tips to great books from the wonder
reader Harriet Klausner. |
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August 2011
Cat in a Vegas Gold Vendetta
Carole Nelson Douglas
Forge, Aug 2 2011, $24.99
ISBN: 9780765327468
Las Vegas Public relations guru Temple Barr receives the shock of her life when she gets a call from overseas. Her former fiancé Max Kinsella lost his memory when he was injured by killers while looking for the evil Synth organization. Temple believed he died though he was actually an MIA. She picks him up at the airport and helps him settle in town. The next day Temple picks up her current fiancé Matt Devine; he feels insecure with Max back from the dead.
To get her mind focused on something besides the two men in her life, Temple accepts commercial actress Savannah Ashleigh’s commission to investigate who killed her dying aunt’s handyman. While she works the case, Captain Molina is interested in finding the Barbie Doll killer dubbed that ever he left next to his victims. The room of Molina’s daughter had one in it though she doesn’t play with them. Temple finds a link between the two cases which puts her life in danger from a psychopath while her leading man Midnight Louie has her back.
This Midnight Louie feline sleuth is a terrific meticulously complex whodunit with several suspects keeping things interesting for an already emotionally overloaded Temple. Ironically Max insists Temple is not his type though when he had his memory he was madly in love with her. Temple wants Max healed but believes her life is with doubting Matt. As her personal life turns even more convoluted if possible since Cat in an Ultramarine Scheme by the three M males, the murder case in which she becomes a target seems mentally safer.
Harriet Klausner
Acceptable Loss
Anne Perry
Ballantine, Aug 9 2011, $26.00
ISBN: 9780345510600
After years as an inquiry agent, William Monk is once again a police officer in charge of the Thames River Police at Wapping on the London docks. At night, boats containing children as cargo sail the river to satisfy the perversion of the affluent. Unknown to the pedophiles is that they are being photographed so that their supplier can blackmail them.
Monk believes that the pimp of one of the boats that is found floating in the river was murdered due to a disagreement; as was another one a few months earlier. A nothing crook Mickey Parfitt was strangled to death by an expensive silk cravat used as a garrote. The scarf belongs to Polire Society member Rupert Cardew who denies murdering Parfitt even though he admits to participating in activities on the boat. The cop believes the man lacks the brains to run this operation. He follows clues that lead to an arrest of a highly regarded member of society. Monk’s friend attorney Oliver Rathbone, believes the suspect might be guilty though he defends him to the best of his ability.
Though the protagonist is back on the force, the latest Monk historical mystery once again affirms the Victorian Era class distinctions between the classes when it comes to crime and punishment; as the law is sold when it comes to the wealthy aristocracy and brutal to the middle class and the poor. Anne Perry uses strong characterizations to make her late nineteenth century argument that justice is for sale. However, this is Monk’s case as he is a hound on the scent of the killer allowing nothing to intrude, not even his wife, until the case is closed.
Harriet Klausner
Creep
Jennifer Hillier
Gallery (Simon & Schuster), Jul 5 2011, $23.00
ISBN: 9781451625844
Puget Sound University’s Professor of Psychology Sheila Tao and her teaching assistant Ethan Wolfe are having an affair although she is to soon marry Texas financier Morris Gardener. Sheila needs to end the tryst immediately, but struggles to do so not because of some love for her TA. Instead she belongs to Sex Addicts Anonymous; something her fiancé and her lover fail to know.
Ethan manipulates the human behavior expert by playing on her lust when they are alone and on her guilt when they not. The pair has been together for three months, but time has run out for Sheila. She abruptly vanishes without a trace and her suspicious fiancé fails to gain any help from the Seattle police even though he fears foul play occurred. The affluent Texan hires a private eye whose investigation uncovers the ugly side of Sheila who finds she cannot let go of Ethan by just saying goodbye.
Creep is a fascinating yet terrifying psychological thriller mindful of the movie Fatal Attraction. Ironically none of the lead triangle comes across as nice though readers will empathize with the professor’s addiction, which is deftly handled to provide insight to the condition while being the enabler to set the dysfunctional relationships. Although too much happenstance occurs, sub-genre fans will appreciate the taut tale wondering who amongst the Professor, the Financier and the Creep will be left standing.
Harriet Klausner
Harrowing Hats
Joyce and Jim Lavene
Berkley, Aug 2 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9780425242773
It is the time of the year when University of South Carolina Assistant Professor Jessie Morton takes her vacation to work at the Renaissance Faire Village and Market Place in Myrtle Beach. She is studying crafts for her dissertation “The Proliferation of Medieval Crafts in Modern Times”. This year she is apprenticing under the tutelage of Andre Hariot, a hat-maker. Her one true love Chase Manhattan works as the bailiff.
At the beginning of her stay, Chase takes Jessie to the Three Chocolatiers Shoppe. They find the oldest sibling Cesar dead in a vat of chocolate with a hat pin in his eye and a hat on his face. Myrtle Beach Police Detective Almond believes the killer is Andre, who was under suspicion for the murder of his wife years ago; in both cases the victim had a hat pin in their respective eye. Jessie believes Andre is innocent in both homicides and sets out to prove her assertion, but finds most of the villagers want him to be the killer. She also has to tame the second in command of the Knight Templar who are disturbing the village and making life miserable for the players and vendors.
The Renaissance Faire mysteries (see Deadly Daggers and Ghastly Glass) are always an enjoyable read because besides being a thrilling whodunit fans get a glimpse of the village when the crowds are not walking around as beyond the glitter are real people working hard while also dealing with real problems. Joyce and Jim Lavene provide a complex exciting murder mystery that amateur sleuth fans will appreciate.
Harriet Klausner
Courageous
Randy Alcorn
Tyndale, Aug 1 2011, $14.99
ISBN: 9781414358468
Nathan Hayes meets his two fellow police officers the day before he starts his job. When he returns from getting gas, he refuses to let the leader of the Gangster Nation steal his car. He uses heroic measures to defeat the gangster; not because the vehicle mattered but his son counts. Corporal Adam Mitchell and his partner Shane Fuller are impressed with the new member of the force. His partner is Deputy David Thompson who just completed his rookie year, but has much to learn from veteran Nathan.
Adam is drifting apart from his family especially his teenage son Dylan who does not share his dad’s interests. Tragedy strikes when Adam’s daughter Emily is hit by a car whose driver had cocaine and alcohol in his system. After talking to his partner, Adam starts to read the Word and realizes he has to get right with his son by setting an example just like Shane, David and Nathan need to as well. They sign a Resolution to be there for their children and despite near death experiences at the hands of criminals and the stress of their jobs, they become closer to their offspring by helping each other make better choices.
Religious faith is the bedrock of these four cops who become better people, husbands, fathers, and police officers by practicing what they preach. The camaraderie that arises between them is almost to strong to behold as they have each other’s back on duty and off. Although it is predominantly a family religious spiritual drama not for everyone, the elements of a police procedural keeps the story line somewhat anchored to the ground.
Harriet Klausner
Hot, Shot, and Bothered
Nora McFarland
Touchstone, Aug 2 2011, $14.99
ISBN: 9781439155561
In Bakersfield, KJAY TV news shooter (photographer) Lilly Hawkins is known for her independence as she does not always heed her boss’ orders. Currently, she covers the out of control deadly wildfire in the Sierra Madre Mountains. When the divers bring a drowned corpse out of the water, Lily ignores that as she is focused on capturing the inferno.
Her interest changes when she learns the drowning victim is Jessica Egan who Lily knew years ago as dedicated environmentalist. Now everyone who knew Jessica thought she was a party girl with a different man every night. Her brother calls Jessica a whore. Lily thinks Jessica was murdered because she could not have dived due to an injured shoulder. Told by her superior to concentrate on the blaze heading to the town of Elizabeth Lake, Lily investigates Jessica’s life, but soon finds a link to the blaze and people who will kill again to protect their secrets.
This journalistic investigative tale is sharp and scintillating due to intrepid Lily. Her instincts and skills allow her to uncover the truth based on the assumption that the victim was not a loose bimbo. The support cast including the raging wildfire is enablers who turn Lily into a hero or perhaps the second corpse of a bimbo if the culprits have their way.
Harriet Klausner
A Sheetcake Named Desire
Jacklyn Brady
Berkley, Aug 2 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9780425242742
Two years have passed since pastry chef Rita Lucero and chef Phillipe Renier legally separated. Now Rita demands Phillipe sign the divorce papers. Instead he ignores her requests not returning her attempts at contacting him nor that of her lawyer. Exasperated that her appeals to him failed, Rita travels to New Orleans to confront Phillipe.
At Phillipe’s place of business, a cake is sabotaged and he is killed with a chef's knife protruding from his back. Rita learns someone has tried to destroy his shop over the past four months. After talking with the police, Rita fixes the cake. Afterward she goes with a detective to inform her mother-in-law Miss Frankie that her son is dead. Grief stricken Miss Frankie asks Rita run Zydeco in order to find the killer. Rita is the sole beneficiary since she was still married to Phillipe who had no will. Miss Frankie hopes her widowed daughter-in-law remains in New Orleans as she has a house and a high end cake business. However, as she deals with running Zydeco loking for a killer and a saboteur, her husband’s killer watches Rita’s activity.
A Sheetcake Named Desire is a combination amateur sleuth tale inside of a family drama. Rita’s sleuthing is fun to follow though it is standard sub-genre fare including the title; but the relationships the heroine has (and had) bring freshness to the entertaining whodunit. Readers will learn who Phillipe was by comparing the relative filtered opinion of those who knew him like his mom, employees, and widow. Readers will relish Jacklyn Brady who bakes an engaging first entry starring a heroine who takes the cake.
Harriet Klausner
The Magdalena Curse
F. G. Cottam
Dunne, Aug 2 2011, $25.99
ISBN: 9780312643256
Ten years old Adam Hunter suffers terrible nightmares and can speak in languages that he never heard or studied but only for short bursts. His worried father Mark takes Adam to Dr. Elizabeth Bancroft. She is amazed when her patient speaks Russian, but Mark explains he will forget the language in a few hours.
Mark explains that his son’s illness was caused when he and his special operations team were in Bolivia on a mission. They ran into sorceress Mrs. Mallory, who killed the unit except for him but also cursed his offspring. Elizabeth believes Adam is possessed and will try to help the child. At the same Mark leaves his offspring with her, he heads from Scotland to South America believing the death of Mrs. Mallory is the only chance he has to save his child. Her patient’s plight forces Elizabeth to accept her inherited sorcery skills that she purposely ignored.
This is a super supernatural horror thriller that grips readers from the beginning when they along with Elizabeth learn what ails the tweener. The story line is fast-paced, but character driven by the beleaguered son, the harried father, the dedicated doctor, and the evil sorceress. One of the most vile antagonists in years, malevolent Mrs. Mallory somewhat steals the show as the audience anticipates a confrontation between her and either or both (readers will keep changing who we expect to represent good) the parent and the shrink.
Harriet Klausner
All the Pretty Hearses
Mary Daheim
Morrow, Aug 9 2011, $23.99
ISBN: 9780061351587
The owner of Hillside Manor Judith McMonigle Flynn is upset and angry when her mother tells her that her husband Joe was arrested and taken away in handcuffs. Joe, a retired police detective turned private investigator was watching a man on a houseboat to see if the person was confined to a wheelchair or committing fraud. The insurance case closed when someone killed the target with a Smith and Wesson.
Joe’s gun is the murder weapon, which obviously means he is the prime suspect. Judith knows something else is going on because Joe fails to ask for a lawyer and the police refuse to respond to her questions. To take her mind off Joe’s problems, she works diligently to get her B&B ready for the Paine family gathering hosted by Judith who donated the weekend at the school auction bought by the matriarch of the clan. The various members don’t get along and Zachery gets ill; his wife takes him home. In a strange twist, the body of the shooting victim turns out to be Zachery, which makes Judith wonder who the man at her house was. She starts sleuthing and learns secrets about Joe’s predicament, the Paine activities and the ulterior motives of two families staying at the B&B. Teaming up with her cousin Rennie, Judith finds out why Joe is in police custody, which fails to explain why her B&B guests contain plenty of criminals who have tentacles into the state government.
As usual, Mary Daheim writes a great cozy filled with red herrings and false leads. A number of people at the B&B are using the place for reasons they keep secret, but Judith figures out who an innocent guest is and who has agendas. All The Pretty Hearses is a super amateur sleuth with great characterizations and a delightful mystery filled with red herrings and unexpected twists.
Harriet Klausner
The Killing Song
P.J. Parrish
Pocket, Jul 26 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9781439189368
Thirtyish Pulitzer Prize nominee Miami Herald investigative reporter Matt Owens feels disconnected from everyone because he rebuffed anyone who tried to get close to him. The only person he feels a tie to is his younger sister Mandy who is visiting him. On her last night in town, he takes her to a club, tragedy strikes when she disappears from the dance floor and her body found shortly afterward.
After Mandy’s funeral, Matt listens to his sister’s BlackBerry when he realizes one of the downloads is by the killer. The song is a clue to a previous homicide of an American woman in Paris. Matt goes to France but gains no information. When another American is murdered, Inspector Eve Bellamont joins forces with Matt as she has hunted this serial killer since she worked the first known case five years ago. Clues take them to London and Scotland where they learn of more murders. They travel back to Paris where they remain determined to end the killing spree even if that alienates local authorities.
A combo investigative thriller and police procedural, The Killing Song focuses on a creepy serial killer who will fascinate readers in a macabre way. Eve and Matt play off each other’s strengths including turning their weaknesses into strengths as both share the obsession, which enables them to become friends rather quickly; though one must wonder what will happen to their friendship if the link is removed. Filled with action and a strong cast, fans of P.J. Parrish’s Louis Kincaid mysteries will relish the new guy on the block.
Harriet Klausner
Murder by Mocha
Cleo Coyle
Berkley, Aug 2 2011, $25.95
ISBN: 9780425241431
In the Village is the popular Village Blend coffeehouse managed by Clare Cosi and owned by her mother-in-law Madame DuBois. It was Madame’s idea to go into business with her friend Alicia Bower to sell the drink for Aphrodite’s Village Online. They market a new java, Mocha Magic Coffee, using the Blend’s coffee beans, Voss’ chocolate, and an herbal aphrodisiac. When Madame and Clare meet with Alicia at the hotel, Claire has a feeling trouble is brewing.
The man Alicia was seeing is found dead in their bed, blood everywhere and a knife protruding from his chest. When the police arrive, there is no body and Clare realizes fake blood was used to scare Alicia. When the drink is introduced at a special gala, Clare finds the corpse of Patrice Stone who demanded a share of the profits of the new drink and worked for Aphrodite's Village. As other members of the popular online business is killed or arrested, Clare searches in the shadows for the perpetrator orchestrating these events.
Every Coffeehouse amateur sleuth (see Roast Mortem) is a specially blended mystery with the latest entry affirming that opinion as the key characters are fully developed inside of an action-packed series. Single mom Clare holds the percolating story line together as she courageously and foolishly searches for the murderous culprit. Series fans learn a bit more about the people in her life like her daughter Joy, her lover Mike, her former husband, his mom Madame, and the battling baristas. Filled with twists, used coffee beans and false leads, readers will wonder who the killer is (over mocha).
Harriet Klausner
Till Death Do Us Bark
Judi McCoy
Obsidian, Aug 2 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9780451234353
After deciding she needed a dog, Ellie Engleman goes to the pound. There she met Rudy the Yorkiepoo who is the reincarnation of her beloved canine companion who died ten years ago. Rudy speaks to her and Ellie understands him as well as all canniness. Needless to say she adopts Rudy and they become a great crime solving team (See Begging for Trouble and Death In Show) though her job is that of a professional dog walker.
After not taking a vacation in about a decade, her best friend Vivian convinces Ellie to take Rudy and accompany her and her Terrier Twink to the Hamptons where her sister Arlene has a home and is also getting married in twenty-four hours. The groom fails to show up and later is found dead in his office on his estate. Ellie keeps reminding herself not to investigate. However, when the housekeeper’s son Tomas is arrested, seemingly everyone she knows including Rudy and Twink pressure her to make inquiries; so she acquiesces. With Rudy sniffing out clues, Ellie follows his lead one clue at a time.
The fun in this amusing amateur sleuth is the charming chats and camaraderie between politically correct human Ellie and irreverent canine Rudy; for instance she calls her boyfriend Sam and he dubs him “Detective Demento”. The action is limited, but Ellie who is always there for friends and family and Rudy make a dynamite detecting duo whose chatter brings humor and crime solving to the story line. Thus the great characterizations starting with the lead pair but also including Viv and her dysfunctional family make for a fabulous anthropomorphist whodunit.
Harriet Klausner
The Second Messiah
Glenn Meade
Howard/Simon and Schuster, Aug 2 2011, $22.50
ISBN: 9781451611847
In a cave in Qumran near Jerusalem, archaeologist Jack Cane finds a significant Dead Sea scroll that mentions Jesus Christ by name. Jack is almost certain this parchment was written when Jesus walked the earth as it references his travel from Caesarea to Dora where he performed a miracle before being crucified there. Obvious to Jack this man was a false prophet as the two-millennium old document implies there were two messiahs.
Musing over the find he returns from a walk to learn someone murdered the dig director using Jack’s knife; the scroll is missing. Determined to recover the parchment, Jack applies archeological investigative skills. Clues lead first to Syria and then the Vatican where a new charismatic American has been elected Pope. His Holiness plans to open up the archives to let people see the secrets hidden over centuries. While some groups want Jack dead assassinating anyone who assists him on his quest, Israeli police inspector Lela Raul tries to help him recover the scroll. Hidden in the shadows, a puppet master is using them to get the world to know the word of the Second Messiah.
The theme of this interesting thriller is when religion and politics converge; the effect is carnage in the name of the Lord. Jack is a sort of modern day crusader trying to bring the truth out into open; although veracity will shatter Jewish and Christian belief systems. The Pope believes the truth will strengthen the faith of the flock who are divided between radical fundamentalists and agnostics as the Church is left behind. Loaded with action, this fast-paced thriller takes reader on a fascinating journey from the opening discovery to the climatic discovery.
Harriet Klausner
Adrenaline
Jeff Abbott
Grand Central, Jul 1 2011, $24.99
ISBN 9780446575171
In London terrorists bomb the CIA headquarters; twenty people die in the attack. British and American authorities conclude that CIA operative seven months pregnant Lucy Capra was instrumental in aiding the terrorists with the deadly explosion. Her vanishing accentuates their assertion.
CIA agents grab Lucy’s husband Sam, also an operative. They assume he abetted his wife as he left the building after a call from her and just prior to the explosion; making him the lone survivor of the mass murders. His colleagues torture him to force him to reveal the truth to them. Throughout his ordeal and in spite of the contrary damning evidence starting with Lucy’s warning call, Sam believes she is innocent. He escapes his captors and begins the quest to find his wife and their son who he assumes has been born since his Lucy disappeared.
Although somewhat linear, this gripping thriller hooks the audience from the opening famous last words to the confrontation. Fast-paced and loaded with action without a respite, sub-genre fans will relish joining beleaguered obsessed hero Sam on his odyssey as he learns the hard way how deep the tentacles of the enemy is.
Harriet Klausner
Pleating for Mercy
Melissa Bourbon
Obsidian, Aug 2 2011, $6.99
ISBN: 9780451234360
According to the Cassidy family legend, Butch Cassidy made a wish in an Argentine fountain tossing a gold coin into it. He wished for good things for his descendants and his offspring have been blessed with a magic charm especially Meemaw Harlow’s great grandmother who gets everything she wishes for; her grandmother is a goat whisperer and her mother has the touch with flowers and greenery.
When Meemaw dies, Harlow Jean Cassidy leaves her job as a Manhattan fashion designer and returns to her hometown of Bliss, Texas where she opens up Buttons and Bows a dressmaking boutique in the turn-of-the-century farmhouse she inherited at birth. Her first customer is Josie who is marrying Nate Kincaid son of the town’s leading family who made a fortune in oil. Josie hires Harlow to design dresses for her and her bridesmaid. Tragedy strikes when one of the bridesmaids’ Nell is murdered in Harlow’s yard after she hears the woman and another person yelling. Meemaw has come back home to Harlow although she cannot see her but makes it plain she wants her great granddaughter to investigate the homicide without placing herself in danger. Harlow sleuths and learns secrets that, with the help of her late relative. She begins to put together the portrait of a killer.
This opening act in the new paranormal amateur sleuth A Dressmaker's Mystery is enchanting as the magic of the Cassidy women is a two edged sword of both a blessing and a curse. Sub-genre fans will adore Harlow who believes the magic passed her by until her relative’s spirit helps her discover the gift. The support cast is made up of normal people making it difficult to determine who amongst them the killer is and what the motive is as Pleating for Mercy is a spirited whodunit.
Harriet Klausner
Lie for Me
Karen Young
Howard/Simon and Schuster, Aug 2 2011, $14.99
ISBN: 9781416587644
Martin Houseman and Tucker Kane are the co-owners of H&K Contractors. They were also related at one time when the latter was married to the former’s daughter Margot. Tucker and Lauren Holloway are madly in love and making plans to marry when their lives change dramatically forever. Tucker entered the home where the mahogany wood he took down in an abandoned house to use in his business is at; he found the body of Margot but the wood and his hammer are gone. Detective Sherman suspects Tucker killed his former wife.
Tucker returns to the murder scene where he finds his bloody hammer. The Sheriff catches him holding the tool and arrests him. A desperate Tucker is out on bail and pleads with his fiancée to give him an alibi, but a heartbroken disillusioned Lauren refuses to lie. Almost immediately afterward he vanishes leaving behind Lauren, his daughter and his business. Months later Lauren runs into Tucker while flea marketing and when she sees him at his former partner’s ranch, she begins to think Tucker is innocent especially when someone starts shooting at them. Tucker refuses to run any longer as the killer threatens the two females who he cherishes more than his own life. He and Lauren begin sleuthing.
Karen Young has written an exciting thriller with the second chance romantic subplot enhancing the suspense. Readers will root for the embattled lead protagonists caught in the crosshairs of a ruthless diabolical killer who framed Tucker and plans to murder Lauren. Lie For Me is a gripping one sitting read.
Harriet Klausner
The Vintage Vendetta
Ellen Crosby
Pocket, August 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9781451612790
Twelve years have passed since vintner Lucie Montgomery heard from her former best friend at college Rebecca Natale. So she is understandably shocked when Rachel calls her and asks to meet her in Washington DC. She will put her up at a nice hotel that she can afford since she is the protégé of billionaire investor Sir Thomas Asher.
Lucie arrives at the hotel, but is told to meet Rebecca at the Lincoln memorial. The Virginia vintner knows Rebecca wants something from her, but cannot fathom what that could be. Rebecca stuns Lucie further when all she asks is for her friend to come to the showing of Asher donating his document collection to the Library of Congress. Lucie agrees to attend and Rebecca buys postcards before saying bye. Soon after their meeting, Rebecca vanishes with a valuables antique stolen during the ransacking of the White House in the War of 1812. Meanwhile whistle blower Ian Phillips, who insisted Asher's investments are a Ponzi scheme fraud, is found dead. Lucie believes Rebecca's disappearance is tied to the murder. Assuming that Rebecca is dead too, Lucie tries to decipher the messages her friend sent to her.
Readers will toast Ellen Crosby with her delightfully tasty wine country mystery (see The Riesling Retribution) that combines headlines with the DC historical. In spite of knowing that Phillips and probably Natale were murdered, intrepid Lucie investigates seeking to uncover clues her best friend at school left buried for her. The Vintage Vendetta is the valiant vintner at her best.
Harriet Klausner
Carte Blanche
Jeffery Deaver
Simon & Schuster, Jun 14 2011, $26.99
ISBN: 9781451620696
9/11 changed the world as international terrorist groups focused on civilian targets. The Bush Doctrine based on the premise of taking the global war on terrorism to the enemy led to the Afghanistan war in which agents like thirtyish 007 James Bond operated. However, Great Britain understood the Cold War agencies like M15, M16 and MOD remain critical, but not set up to deal with non-nation terrorism. Thus a new agency Overseas Development Group was created to take the war to the enemy using any technique necessary.
Government Communications Headquarters cryptographers decode electronic messages that affirm a major attack planned for sometime this week with thousands expected dead. M16 feels the center of the threat is in Afghanistan. A Night Alert assigns Agent 007 Carte Blanche to save lives. Bond knows the key immediate enemy needing rendition or death is the brilliant operational expert The Irishman, but stopping him will only delay the assault. As time runs out, 007 focuses on the Irishman, but also knows he needs to capture the money behind the pending attack. However, Severan Hydt has numerous refuse layers to protect him as he seeks international decay.
Avoiding the Fleming light of recent Bond novels, Jeffery Deaver reinvents 007 in a contemporary world in which the Cold War is history. However, though Bond is modernized, trademark elements that denote the character and the espionage thrillers he starred on remain. Mr. Deaver includes the Bond girls with inane names (though the hero is more sensitive to their needs), the wheels, the drink, but he gave up smoking, the over the top of Big Ben villains, and Carte Blanch license to kill. However, as with the originals, it is the countdown suspense that makes Mr. Deaver’s Bond a wonderful heir apparent to Mr. Fleming’s Bond (except for purist Boomers who will say no to any doctoring).
Harriet Klausner
The Sixes
Kate White
Harper, Aug 2 2011, $24.99
ISBN: 9780061576621
After being accused of plagiarism and subsequently dumped by her long time lover, Phoebe Hall leaves Manhattan to go to the sleepy town of Lyle, Pennsylvania. Her best friend Glenda Johns heads the private college and hired Phoebe to teach a couple of classes.
The campus is in an uproar when the body of student Lily Marks is recovered from a nearby river. Several months ago the deceased’s boyfriend disappeared and was never heard from since. Wesley, a student at the school, was at a bar; the next thing he knew he was swimming for his life. Glenda tries to control negative publicity, but asks Phoebe to look into the rumors of a deadly secret society called the Sixes. Something Lily said to her before she died makes Phoebe believe the late student belonged to the Sixes. She also believes the group targets her by breaking into her home and leaving behind six spoons on the table and another time putting blood in her the dishwasher while she sleeps; blood and soap pours out of the appliance. They top that mischief with six dead rats in her freezer. Refusing to be a victim or a runaway, Phoebe investigates who killed the students and the college security chief.
Putting aside the premise that Lily would her life to help her best friend when at least one homicide occurred rather than hiring a professional, this amateur sleuth tale contains two equal suspenseful subplots: the students’ murders and finding out if the Sixes exist and if so who are the members. The people at the college she speaks to may be part of the Sixes so Phoebe risks her life to uncover the truth as some of those refusing to talk may be lethal while others afraid. Kate White provides a chilling disturbing thriller.
Harriet Klausner
Serial
John Lutz
Pinnacle, Aug 1 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9780786020270
Millie Graff comes home only to find a man inside. This psychopath tortured her for hours before killing her. New York City Police Commissioner Harley Renz takes Frank Quinn of Quinn and Associates to the crime scene. When Quinn sees the victim he becomes irate as he knows her. When Millie was eight she was trapped inside a car about to explode, but Quinn rescued her. Both the Commissioner and Quinn believe a serial killer has just started his gruesome obsession.
After three more murders with the same M.O. the media dubs the serial killer the Skinner because he peels off layers of epidermis from his victims while they are alive. The females have a male’s name written in the bathroom. A good investigation discovers that the names match males who belong to an S&M club that closed years ago. That lead turns into a red herring when Quinn learns the victims testified against the men they thought raped them. DNA proved none were guilty and all were released from prison. The Skinner was accused of rape and intends to kill his accuser; his previous homicides are diabolically planned to hide a tree in the forest. Quinn learns the Skinner works alone except for one murder.
John Lutz provides a strong twisting investigative serial killer starring a brilliant twister predator and a determined hero trying to end the perpetrator’s reign of terror. The villain tosses red herrings at his antagonist (and readers), which adds to the suspense. Fans anticipate a showdown between the evil Skinner who knows right from wrong yet acts as an evil demon who does not care about collateral damage Quinn who has personalized the chase as an avenging angel.
Harriet Klausner
Sucker Punch
Jeremy Brown
Medallion, Aug 1 2011, $14.95
ISBN 9781605422251
Warrior Incorporated President Banzai Eddie Takanori offers Aaron "Woodshed" Wallace a rematch on television against Junior Burbank, who he has defeated him once, his rival’s only loss. Wallace accepts the offer to fight Burbank again in two days as this is his chance to make it to star status.
Wallace’s trainer and mentor Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Gil Hobbes and Eddie warn the champ to take it easy as he trains with Jairo, one of the Arcoverde brothers, from Rio. However Wallace owes a friend Lance for saving his life so he agrees to do it as a favor. He goes with Lance to meet a loan shark, but all hell breaks lose as if a no-holds barred unsanctioned brawl occurred. Now Woodshed is fighting for his life with Jairo’s Cousin Marcella having his back.
Round one is a super action-packed noir starring a charismatic MMA fighter and a strong retinue in his corner. Marcella is more than just a potential female throw in for Wallace; as she can fight with the skills of the better MMA warriors. Between the sanctioned fights, the training for the boys and the mob, readers will enjoy Wallace taking opponents to the woodshed.
Harriet Klausner
The Sauvignon Secret
Ellen Crosby
Scribner, Aug 16 2011, $24.00
ISBN 9781439163887
In Loudon County, Virginia wine importer and distributor Paul Noble hangs himself in the converted barn he owned. Vineyard owner Lucie Montgomery who just argued price with Noble over her Sauvignon Blanc and Cabaret Sauvignon is stunned to find Paul’s body hanging from a beam as she thinks how often she along with others in the wine industry wanted him dead figuratively not literally. Lucie calls 911 and County Sheriff Deputy Mathis, who has worked cases involving Lucie, arrives at the scene.
Lucie’s French grandfather Pépé arrives for a short visit before going on to Sonoma, California. Pépé’s friend Charles Thiessman pleads with and persuades Lucie to go to California to investigate whether Noble’s death was linked to his activities in the Bohemian Club during the Nixon Era. In Napa and Sonoma, Lucie joined by her former lover winemaker Quinn Santori make inquiries that lead to the Mandrake Society biochemists also from the Nixon period in which others like Noble have died; some four decades ago.
The latest wine country amateur sleuth mystery (see The Riesling Retribution and Viognier Vendetta) changes coastlines in a fresh Sauvignon story. Lucie and her support cast in Virginia and California are aged properly as they bring insight into winemaking and selling. The mystery is entertaining, but contains less suspense than usual. Still fans will toast Ellen Crosby for a fine tale.
Harriet Klausner
Pampered to Death
Laura Levine
Kensington, Aug 1 2011, $22.00
ISBN 9780758238474
To thank his next door neighbor for proving he did not commit a murder (see Death of a Trophy Wife), Lance Venerable pays for copywriter Jaine Austen and her cat Prozac to stay at the luxurious The Haven spa north of Los Angeles. However, the description of fancy does not require fit as it is much smaller than Jaine expected and the towels showcase a bit of wear. The worst is a 900 calories a day starvation diet rigidly adhered to by spa owner Nazi Olga though Jaine bribes Delphine the maid into bringing her a pastrami.
The other guests include loquacious Cathy Kane who horded chump change for years to come here; spoiled B-level film star Mallory Francis who drives everyone including the storm-trooper and her staff crazy with her demands; and her unhappy retinue (Mallory's sister Kendra, her hairstylist Harvey, her former costar Clint, and her acrimonious Pekingese Armani) who want to return to civilization. Mango Mallory’s perpetual orders end when someone strangles her with seaweed. However, the homicide police quarantine everyone at the Haven. Going broke at thirty bucks a sandwich and tired of the so-called pampering (not), Jaine who has solved cases (see Killing Bridezilla) investigates before she dies of malnutrition.
The tenth Jaine Austen amateur sleuth is an engaging tongue in cheek (no food in the way) whodunit in which the clues to the homicide are spread like a buffer throughout the story line. The characters are entertainingly eccentric (that is to the armchair reader, but not to starving despondent Jaine). Although the inquisition lacks the subtly of previous cases with it’s in your face technique, fans will enjoy Pampered to Death.
Harriet Klausner
The Ideal Man
Julie Garwood
Dutton, Aug 9 2011, $26.95
ISBN 9780525952251
In St. Louis, trauma surgeon Dr. Ellie Sullivan works at St. Vincent’s ER while also training residents; however, she leaves the hospital in a few days though the administration would agree to anything for her to stay. She begins her run in Cambridge Park thinking about her facing the ordeal of going home to Winston Falls, South Carolina to attend her sister’s wedding to Ellie’s former fiancé and the possibility that Evan the maniac will be in town. Shots are fired and FBI Agent Sean Goodman is hit. Ellie stops the bleeding so the victim can be rushed to St. Vincent ER to finish saving his life. Agents Tom Bradley and Max Daniels thank her and question her,
Ellie and Max are attracted to one another from the moment he learned she was the trauma expert and not a high school soccer player and she when she realized he had a self-deprecating sense of humor. Cal and Erika Landry are the gun dealers who escaped the Feds; they try to kill Ellie as she saw their faces while Evan the psycho stalker is free from prison planning a return engagement with Ellie. Max arrives at the Magnolia State wedding to protect witness Ellie so she can testify against the recently captured Landry duet, known for killing or frightening away anyone who fingers them.
Although the suspense is over the top of Sassafras Mountain with two stalkings, readers will enjoy this entertaining contemporary romance due to the sassy observant Ellie. The fast-paced story line grips the audience with Ellie’s trauma life saving work while also appreciating Max’s dedication to duty and his smile. This is a wonderful tale of two delightful heroes in love.
Harriet Klausner
Betrayal of Trust
J. A. Jance
Morrow, Jul 5 2011, $25.99
ISBN: 9780061731150
Married couple J.P. “Beau” Beaumont and Mel Soames work for the for the Washington State Attorney General's Special Homicide Investigation Team in the burbs of Seattle. A video stars a smiling teen girl with a scarf around her neck; however, her smile is gone when the clip shows two males pulling the scarf strangulating her. S.H.I.T gets the investigation because the snuff film was found on a cell phone belonging to the fifteen years old Josh Deeson, grandson of Governor Marsha Longmire's husband Gerald Willis who has custody of the lad. Beau gets the lead because he went to high school with Governor “Old Mother Hubbard”.
The two cops know Deeson has a troubled past with his mom dead from an OD and his father an addict. The teen denies knowledge of the snuff film, but the murder weapon is found under his mattress in his “Prisoner of Zenda” room in the Governor’s mansions. Like his comments re the film, he denies knowing how the scarf ended in his school locker where he insists he found it. Beau and Mel as good cop bad cop put the pressure on him to tell them who the three other people besides the victim are. Deeson remains the prime suspect.
This is a terrific Beaumont whodunit (see Fire and Ice) that contains a strong police procedural while also focusing on troubled teen bullying, and related adult excuses and platitudes. Long time fans will relish the subplot involving Hank and Hannah (no giveaways as to who they are). However, it is the trademark homage to cops who try their best risking their lives to protect us that makes this a fabulous entry in a great series.
Harriet Klausner
Targets of Opportunity
Jeffrey S. Stephens
Simon and Schuster/Gallery, Aug 30 2011, $24.00
ISBN 9781451624328
CIA Agent John Sandor is rushed from New York to Virginia to interrogate Ahmad Jaber, an Iranian Revolutionary Guard soldier demanding protection from his comrades in exchange for information on a pending terrorist attack. Jaber insists the axis of evil has formed a united triangle of Iran, North Korea and Venezuela. The Iranian offers no details as to the plan as he insists he was not privy to such information, but that the target is America’s heartland.
The terrorists blow up a passenger jet in the French West Indies and destroy a French classified communications outpost. While the Intel groups (domestic and foreign) react to the Caribbean assault, Sandor believes these are not the main show but simply diversity assaults. He follows a different path including leading a secret mission into North Korea where he loses one of his team but capture a key government official. Using his interrogation techniques that even Cheney might consider over the line lead him away from Baytown, Texas where the rest of the Intelligence community expect the major attack to be Baton Rouge, but with a Category 3 hurricane arriving, he may be too late; then again it could be Texas.
The stupendous second Sandor thriller (see Porfino Deception) is a great action tale as the renegade CIA agent causes his superiors to name their respective hemorrhoids after him. The story line is fast-paced from the moment the protagonist interviews Jaber and never slows down as the hero tries to prevent a catastrophe with too many Targets of Opportunity for one if not more axis of evil partners. Readers will relish this taut suspense thriller as time is running out on the Americans.
Harriet Klausner
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