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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December 2006
The Night Lawyer
Michelle Spring
Ballantine, Dec 2006, $24.95, 336 pp.
ISBN 0345437462
Lawyer
Ellie Porter honestly thought her married lover was going to dump his
wife to be with her. However, his wife got pregnant and he broke it off
with her causing her to have a nervous breakdown. She commits herself
into a psychiatric hospital and when she comes out she has to start over
in her career. The only job she can get is THE NIGHT LAWYER for a tabloid
paper the Chronicle making sure the stories reporters write aren't libelous.
Carl Hewitt who notices Ellie getting out of the lift starts watching
her because she is like a breath of fresh air in the polluted political
arena. Jonathan, a colleague from work, befriends her and an unknown co-worker
Tristan Blacombe compliments her on her work. However, her personal life
is in turmoil as she feels someone is stalking her. Ellie also has a threatening
letter delivered to her and has a peeping tom watching her from behind
some bushes on her lawn when she is semi-naked. Most frightening of all
someone broke into her house and she was never aware of it. If she doesn't
get some answers soon, she will have another nervous breakdown.
Michelle Spring has written an extraordinary work of psychological suspense
with a gothic foreboding atmosphere that sends a chill down the spines
of the reader. The protagonist is trying to stay calm in the face of adversity
but as she feels increasingly threatened, she is determined to find out
who is doing this to her and why. THE NIGHT LAWYER will be appreciated
by those readers who like the works of Joy Fielding and Jody Picoult.
Harriet Klausner
Luscious Craving
Cameron Dean
Ballantine, Dec 2006, $6.99, 310 pp.
ISBN: 0345492548
Ever
since Ash almost drained Candace dry, she has hated and loved the vampire.
Although she doesn't know why he stopped short of turning her, she wants
nothing to do with him even though they both live in Las Vegas. He swears
he will never let her go and she does her best to keep him at arm's length
not always successfully. She is able to sense when a vamp is near and
she uses her silver chopsticks to kill the human bloodsuckers.
Las Vegas is a happening place for vampires and her boss at the casino
where she works wants her to make sure the Shez is a vampire free zone.
The Shez is hosting the No Limits Foundation Charity Poker Tournament
and one of the participants is Senator Cabot Hamllyn, the most likely
Democratic Party candidate for the presidency. The tournament culminates
on New Years Eve and rumors abound about there being a con and vampires
are involved in the scam. She also hears word of a vampire war and warns
Ash, not realizing that the person who will feel scammed the most is she.
This vampire thriller has cross-genre appeal. Readers who like romance,
horror and paranormal tales will find LUSCIOUS CRAVINGS will satisfy most
reading appetites. The audience will find out why Ash almost drained Candace
dry and why he stopped and the answer will take readers totally by surprise.
A fast paced plot, interesting characters and lots of action and romance
make this a read for the genre connoisseur.
Harriet Klausner
Case of Two Cities
Qiu Xiaolong
St. Martin's, Dec 2006, $23.95
ISBN 0312359853
The
anonymous call to the Fujian Police Bureau sent Sergeant Lou Xiangdong
to the Inebriating Money and Intoxicating Gold karaoke center that serves
as a sexual service locale for the corrupt officials and businessmen.
There he is shocked by who he finds murdered, Fujian Special Squad Police
Detective Hua Ting. Though he wants to believe that one of his mentors
when he started was clean, Hua postulates whether the highly regarded
dead cop was on the take?
Retired Comrade Secretary Zhao Yan of the Central party Chinese Discipline
Committee assigns a major business corruption case to Shanghai Police
Bureau Chief Inspector Chen Cao, explaining that the top gun Xing Xing
already fled to the States. Comrade Zhao wants Xing's gang still flourishing
at the cost of the country to be stopped. As Chen investigates, he ties
the Hua homicide to the corruption scandal as the late sleuth had found
ties between officials of the party and the self-exiled business mogul.
Soon, Chen realizes he was selected not to solve the case, but because
the party VIPs thought his reputation for honesty would give credibility
to an investigation intended to fail.
In his fourth appearance (see WHEN RED IS BLACK and DEATH OF A RED HEROINE)
Inspector Chen remains an honest, diligent and dedicated cop trying to
insure justice is served while doing so under an oppressive government
in which the truth is only what the Communist Party claims it to be. The
story line is action-packed as Chen knows the so-called blank check Zhao
gives him to weed out corruption at the highest levels of the government
is a sham, but that does not stop him from following all the key threads
to wherever they lead including America. THE CASE OF TWO CITIES is a superior
police procedural.
Harriet Klausner
The Assassins of Isis
P.C. Doherty
St. Martin's, Dec 2006, $23.95
ISBN: 0312359608
In
1478 BC Egypt's XVIII Dynasty, Pharaoh Queen Hatusu assigns the Hall of
Two Truths Chief Judge Lord Amerotke to investigate the stealing of artifacts
from the "Houses of a Million Years" in the Valley of the Nobles.
The intruders obviously have insider information as they knew precisely
where to go and much about the guards. This makes it easy to kill the
patrol and plunder the tombs. Lord Amerotke, his wife Norfret, their two
sons (Ahmase and Curfayhas), and his servant Shufoy capture most of the
thieves, members of the Sebaus sect; but the leader remains hidden amidst
the shadows of the affluent just out of sight.
Mercenaries try to assassinate Amerotke, but he survives their attempt
to kill him. Instead he switches inquires from finding the Sebaus leader
to investigating the murder of retired General Suten, killed by horned
vipers. Evidence points towards the macho military man having releasedthe
snakes to prove his courage, but Amerotke finds flaws with that logic
and wonders if the victim's wife Lupherna, his scribe Menna and or his
valet Heby killed him. Amerotke has another case to investigate involving
four young women who have vanished from the Temple of Isis. He finds the
connection tying the three cases together but if he is not extremely careful
his efforts will lead to a fourth inquiry, headed by someone else, to
solve who killed the Chief Judge.
THE ASSASSINS OF ISIS is a fantastic entry in the Ancient Egypt mystery
series. The fast-paced story line grips readers from the onset of the
Sebaus sect members begin their looting and never slows down until the
final twist. The cast is strong especially the hero, but the novel as
with the predecessors (see THE MASK OF RA, HORUS KILLING and THE SLAYERS
OF SETH), belongs to the background. P.C. Doherty paints a powerful vivid
look at Ancient Egypt within a strong police procedural.
Harriet Klausner
Haunted
Lisa Childs
Silhouette Nocturne, Dec 2006, $5.25, 304 pp.
ISBN 0373617526
In
1655 Europe, a woman tells the villagers that a lightening strike will
burn the buildings killing many. Her prophecy proves true and she is forced
to flee because the men led by Eli McGregor want to kill her and her three
daughters for using her magic to murder the innocents. The woman is burned
at the stake but her daughter Elena is not found by the angry men. In
Armaya, Michigan in 1985, Myra, the descendant of Elena has the curse
as do her three children, Elena, Ariel and Irina. One their last night
together Myra tells them about their heritage before Child's Services
takes them away.
In Barret, Michigan, Ariel can see the dead but she doesn't tell David,
a Bill Gates type businessman about her past, the curse or her two sisters.
She wears the charm around her wrist and when her mother appears before
her she knows her mom is dead. David loves Ariel so much he is frustrated
when she won't confide in him. When her aunt is murdered in the manner
of a witch, she knows the vendetta is still going on. When another one
is killed Ariel realizes she is in danger from a witch hunter. By this
time David knows everything and still professes to love her but someone
very close to her tells her David will be her killer and she begins to
doubt him.
This paranormal thriller is exciting and filled with so much action that
readers won't have a chance to catch their breath. The heroine is looking
for her sisters to warn them of their peril and a part of her doubts David's
love for her because she has been disappointed so many times before. Readers
will root for this duo to make it through the trials they must go through
and come out the other side strong in their love for one another.
Harriet Klausner
Surrogate Evil
David and Aimee Thurlo
Forge, Dec 2006, $24.95, 320 pp.
ISBN: 0765316153
One
of the advantages of being a half-vampire working for the New Mexico State
Police is that Lee Nez's powers make it easier for him to work a case.
Lee and his sometimes partner FBI special agent Diana Lopez are able to
solve a case quicker with less danger to civilians. After busting men
on various charges that are connected to a senator, Lee and Diane are
advised to get out of the area for a while. They are assigned to take
down Newton Glover a man who has intimidated the East Mountain area and
is suspected of various crimes.
It is believed he has authorities in various agencies working for him
so Lee and Diana move into the trailer across the way from his pretending
to be tough criminals. When Lee sees him watching them through surveillance,
he breaks the man's windshield in the hope that Newton will try to get
even and they will have something to arrest him on. They are also investigating
the disappearances of ten year old Tim Klein who Grover might have kidnapped.
When Newton tries to kill Lee, with Diane as a witness, Newton knows he
will have to murder both of them before they can get obtain evidence to
put him away.
The Latest Lee Nez combination horror mystery police procedural is a reading
experience on the wild side with so many adrenaline inducing scenes that
readers will feel thoroughly spoiled. The Thurlos have a take on the vampire
mythos based on Navaho legends and myths and Lee is so unlike Bram Stoker's
Dracula that the two characters don't resemble each other in the slightest.
Lee is one hero who makes his life and his to keep the area he patrols
safe. Diana, who knows what Lee is, loves him because he is a good man
who works for the good of society.
Harriet Klausner
Let There Be Suspects
Emilie Richards
Berkley, Dec 2006, $6.99
ISBN: 0425213072
She
is not the typical minister's wife as she was raised by a bohemian mother
who kept her and her sisters moving from one show or Renaissance Fair
to another. As a result of her childhood, Aggie Sloan-Wilcox and her two
sisters are very tight with one another. With Christmas approaching, Aggie's
siblings and their mother Janice are coming to the parsonage for the holidays.
Everyone is shocked when Janice brings Ginger, the foster sister the others
hate for her spitefulness when they were growing up together. The animosity
is strong by the time Sid tosses Ginger into a punch bowl because as always
Ginger makes a play for Sid's boyfriend kissing him. On Christmas Eve,
Ginger's murdered body is found near the Nativity scene and Sid is the
prime suspect. Aggie knows no one except Ginger's husband Cliff mourns
her death. Using that assumption as a starting point, Aggie investigates
the homicide because she believes Sid is innocent and plans to prove it
by catching the culprit, who is willing to kill again.
Emilie Richards, well known for her romance and women's fiction novels
writes a fantastic amateur sleuth tale that excels in realistic characterizations.
There are plenty of humorous scenes especially when the heroine's family
arrives to disrupt domestic tranquility. The victim was so universally
disliked everyone wanted her dead, but with an overabundance of possibilities
Aggie has no problem with LET THERE BE SUSPECTS; only with who went so
far as to commit homicide.
Harriet Klausner
Jane and the Barque of Frailty
Stephanie Barron
Bantam, Dec 2006, $24.60, 304 pp.
ISBN 0553802267
In
1811, Jane Austen is staying with her brother and his wife Eliza because
her sibling is helping her get her first book published Sense and Sensibility.
They are at the theatre when Jane notices the Russian Princess Evgenia
Tshoikova staring at Lord Castlereagh throughout the show. The next day
she reads in the newspaper that the princess was found murdered, her throat
cut, on Lord Castlereagh's steps. Eliza's friend the Comtesse d'Entraigues
whose husband is divorcing her to marry a Cyprian asks her to sell her
jewels.
Eliza convinces Jane to pretend to pretend to own the jewels to fool jewelry
buyey Mr. Rundell, so the Comtesse will not be embarrassed. Rundell keep
the jewels to appraise the and the next thing they know, Jane and Eliza
are accused of stealing the Russian Princess's jewels, who they really
belong to, and killed her to get them. Jane convinces the Bow Street Runners
to free them so they can find the killer so that justice will be served
and the real murderer will be imprisoned.
Stephanie Barron has written an exciting Regency historical mystery that
gives the reader a glimpse of the dark side of the ton. From nobles to
politicians, people will obfuscate the truth to hide their own peccadilloes.
Jane dives into the investigation to prove her innocence and to spare
her sister in law and brother any trauma. Historical mystery readers will
love this tale.
Harriet Klausner
Night Falls on Damascus
Frederick Highland
Dunne, Dec 2006, $23.95
ISBN 0312337892
In
1930s French controlled Syria, Chief of the Damascus Prefecture Police
Inspector Nikolai Faroun investigates the gruesome murder of modern westernized
woman Vera Tamiri. Nikolai always tries to do a thorough job, but this
time the pressure is higher than normal as the victim comes from an affluent
powerful local family.
Nikolai assumes like most of the brass that an angry jealous lover killed
Vera for dumping him though who remains an issue. However, being a professional
he begins to also look elsewhere amongst her friends, family, and business
associates; especially the latter as Vera was deeply involved in many
philanthropic projects demanding social changes to grant rights to the
abused and oppressed women and children, who in the her mind were treated
as being less than slaves.
NIGHT FALLS ON DAMASCUS is actually a complex somewhat convoluted historical
mystery that brings to life Syria during the 1930s French occupation.
Readers will follow the exploits of Faroun as he investigates the murder,
but also learn how angry the locals are with the European neo-colonial
occupation. Though two decades later, Frederick Highland's fine mystery
will remind the audience of the Mamur Zapt tales by Michael Pearce. Sub-genre
fans will appreciate this whodunit and want more appearances from Police
Inspector Faroun.
Harriet Klausner
The Black Sun
James Twining
HarperCollins, Nov 2006, $24.95
ISBN 0060762144
In
London British MI6 operatives try to enlist the aid of former CIA Agent
Tom Kirk in a nasty situation involving three brutal murder-robberies.
Tom declines even as they describe the murders at a synagogue in Prague,
at a hospital in London and a museum in Maryland. All were violent yet
nothing of seeming value taken. What was stolen was a worthless 1940s
painting, a Nazi camp survivor's arm, and a WW II Enigma machine. This
doesn't make sense except for the war connection and the probable link
to neo-Nazi supremacist group Kristall Blade.
Tom agrees to help when he learns that his enemy from his espionage days,
Harry Renwick, is involved. Tom, accompanied by two friends, begins following
clues on two continents in order to stop the Neo-Nazis and their allies
from achieving their objective, which he knows involves six decades old
lost gold and other treasures.
THE BLACK SUN is an exciting neo-Nazi thriller and sub-genre fans will
enjoy following the exploits of introspective Tom and his cohorts. As
with Kirk's first novel, THE DOUBLE EAGLE, the fast-paced story line blends
historical tidbits into a modern day mystery. Readers will enjoy James
Twining's tense tale though nothing neo arises under the Nazi sun.
Harriet Klausner
The Boss
Stan Pottinger
St. Martin's, Dec 2006, $24.95
ISBN 031227677X
In
Houston, not even forty years old, Jack "Spin" Patterson has
worked his way up the ladder of success leaving behind many a corpse as
he reaches the acme of Gulf-Tex Oil, the company he inherited from his
late father-in-law. This expert at exploiting others is affluent with
money, power, and women. Spin also has a past that now that he is part
of the Texas in crowd her prefers hidden. However, his empire teeters
when his wife Audrey has had it with his neglect at his best or scorn
as his norm; she not only plans to divorce him, but threatens his seat
as THE BOSS.
Oil runs in Max McLennon's veins though he knows the down side as his
father died by a rig and his brother is disfigured. He worships his hero
Spin until he begins to observe the dark side that would allow Gulf-Tex
Oil employees and stockholders to lose everything just because his former
idol has become too big for his britches as he refuses to negotiate with
Audrey. Max decides to spin a different ending for the amoral Patterson
because now he knows Jack.
Readers will see the obvious connections to the TV show Dallas as THE
BOSS is a spicy Texas thriller that in some ways satires the Hageman drama
by lampooning the "bigness" belief of elite natives. Spin steals
the show with his supersize ego that enables him not only to step on people
including his wife and to a lesser degree his mistress Tacoma Reed, but
also allows him to believe he never makes mistakes as he is above human
frailty. Max becomes his adversary as the statue falls from pedestal.
Stanley Pottinger provides a fascinating look at the biggest of the big
Texans.
Harriet Klausner
The Nightwalkers: Jacob
Jacquelyn Frank
Zebra, Dec 2006, $6.99, 384 pp.
ISBN 0821780654
Demons
exist in the world, but they look like humans though they have their own
culture, values and laws. They to do no harm to humans but when the moon
madness strike them Jacob, the millennia old Enforcer, will punish them.
When a demon is summoned by a necromancer he is transformed into a monster,
forced to do its master's bidding. Jacob's job also entails finding the
transformed demon and killing it. After hundreds of years, a demon has
been summoned and Jacob is tracking him.
While performing his job he saves the life of Isabella who accidentally
falls out of the window. She smells sulfur and is on the trail of the
demon who was transformed. When they get to the warehouse, Jacob battles
the necromancer while Isabella fights and kills the transformed demon;
a feat no mortal should be able to do. He takes her to the demon king's
house and Jacob realizes he wants Isabella as she does him but it is against
the laws he was sworn to protect. As time passes Isabelle manifests more
powers and through research it is learned that when she came in contact
with Jacob she started to change into something other than mortal, a being
who can help and save the demon race.
Jacquelyn Frank has written a fascinating work of urban fantasy. She does
for demons what Laurell K. Hamilton did for vampires. Demons are not hell
spawn but are an intelligent, beautiful society that wishes no harm to
humans. Jacob, alone and feared all his life, is fated to love what Isabelle
has become. Demon society will never be the same with the admission of
Isabelle into their ranks. This author will quickly become a fan favorite.
Harriet Klausner
Death Calls
Caridad Pineiro
Silhouette Nocturne, Dec 2006, $5.25,
ISBN: 0373617534
After
a two years relationship with the vampire Ryder, Diane has second thoughts
because if she stays with him she will never have children. She also knows
how lonely she was before she met him, but she also does not want him
to see her grow old. She rejects the notion of becoming a vampire and
spending eternity with her beloved. She asks him to leave, which he reluctantly
does; now she must forget him and move on.
While working on an FBI case investigating the ties between the Cuban
Democratic Party and a drug cartel, Diane reunites with her first love
Alex, who is undercover inside the CDP. Alex informs Diane that the CDP
possess a weapon that they plan to use to either destroy the U.N. or the
Cuban Mission. He also makes it clear he wants her; she knows that with
him she can lead a normal life, but he does not bring out the passion
that Ryder does.
Caridad Pinero writes fascinating, innovative, and passionate vampire
romantic thriller as few authors can. Ryder and Diane are star-crossed
lovers fearing their respective dark side while rejoicing in the light
of their humanity. Yet her doubts that include his vampirism, her humanity,
and Alex make a relationship with Ryder improbable as she knows who is
better for her and who brings out the inner fire in her. The investigation
adds to an understanding of a heroine who knows time is against her in
more ways than just preventing a tragedy. This is a superb supernatural
romantic suspense thriller with the need of a sequel starring a two millennium
old vampiress who has hardly a scratch of humanity left in her.
Harriet Klausner
Passionate Thirst
Cameron Dean
Ballantine, Nov 2006, $6.99
ISBN: 0345492536
Candace
Steele and Ash met in a San Francisco pub a year and half ago; for both
it was lust at first sight. As time passed, she realizes their relationship
is very odd as they never see each other during daylight. She decides
to surprise her lover so she goes to his office to offer him a picnic
lunch, but is turned away to her chagrin. That night she confronts Ash;
he leaves her, but soon returns to explain everything. Ash stuns her with
his revelation that he is a vampire.
Soon afterward during love making, he loses control and bites her neck.
Candace nearly dies from blood loss, but recovers. She wears a tattoo
cross to cover her scar and moves to Las Vegas where she joins the security
team at the Star Hotel. One side benefit from Ash's bite is that Candace
can uncover vampires, which enables her to kill those who drink human
blood.
Candace is a bodyguard to singer Temptation McCoy, but her senses tell
her that Dru, the entertainer's manager, is a human-blood drinking vampire.
Ash suddenly arrives wanting time with her. However, though she desires
him, a vampire's wife is not the life for her. When Candace's life is
endangered, Ash tries to keep her safe in the hopes they will have a chance
to be together forever.
Most paranormal romantic suspense novels focus on the love story line,
but THE PASSIONATE THIRST centers more on the action. This enables the
audience to understand the heroine's ethics as a vampire slayer loving
a vampire but changing over is repugnant to her even though Ash is her
soulmate. The story line is fast-paced as Candace kicks butt, but it is
her human morality that makes this tale several bites above the norm.
Cameron Dean is a wonderful storyteller who will appeal to readers of
many genres.
Harriet Klausner
The Wildfire Season
Andrew Pyper
Dunne, Dec 2006, $23.95
ISBN 0312354541
Miles
McEwan moved to literally the end of the road when he relocated to Ross
River in the Yukon to become the tiny hamlet's fire chief as he hides
from his past though he cannot elude the fiery burn scars that mark and
mock his face. Though he drinks a lot to somewhat bury his mental anguish
that haunts him, Miles is also aware that he must remain somewhat sober
as this is the area's inferno season when forest fires tend to go out
of control.
However, this particular season is going be even more chaotic than any
Miles can remember. His angry bitter former lover Alex and their five-year-old
daughter Rachel have arrived in town; he does not want to see them because
they would see him and what has become of him. There is also a bear hunting
expedition that is foolish at a time when several fires nearby are blazing.
When these separate conflagrations consolidate, the town is endangered.
While Miles is distracted by his ex and the inferno, someone sees an opportunity
to use the grizzly hunters and the fires to commit murder.
THE WILDFIRE SEASON is a terrific descriptive look at the dangers of the
wilderness used as great background to a fine thriller. The fire scenes
are superbly described so that the audience will feel the heat and peril
facing heroes. Miles is a solid protagonist who wants no human contact
except for his bartender serving him drinks, his firefighting team only
in an official capacity, and rescues. The murder subplot augments a tense
graphic tale that hooks readers from start to finish.
Harriet Klausner
Perish by Pedicure
Nancy J. Cohen
Kensington, Dec 2006, $22.00
ISBN: 0758212240
Hair
salon owner and stylist Marla Shore is not having an easy week. Her fiancé's
in-laws from his dead wife are coming to town to stay in her home to check
her out and insure she is right for being the stepmother of their granddaughter
Brianna. She is also working for Luxor Products as an assistant hair stylist
t at the Supreme Shows Conference. Marla hopes to gain experience, a better
job, and an avenue to visit places she dreams of seeing.
When Marla arrives at the convention center, she meets Luxor director
Christine Parker, but notices that all of the employees seem openly to
despise the head honcho. When an anonymous person sends Christine a drink,
she takes some and soon feels ill. The next day she is dead, a victim
of poison. Marla turns sleuth, but fails to uncover the culprit before
another homicide occurs.
Nancy J. Cohen has written a cleverly constructed and entertaining murder
mystery starring a likable heroine who knows better, but cannot stop herself
from sleuthing. In this case, the victim is so vile that a horde seems
to have wanted her dead making motivation difficult to use as a means
of weeding out the killer. PERISH BY PEDICURE is filled with hair splitting
humor, unexpected nail biting twists, and a bad hair week caused by future
in-laws while Marla cuts to the roots of the case.
Harriet Klausner
Bake Sale Murder
Leslie Meier
Kensington, Dec 2006, $22.00
ISBN: 0758207018
Life
in Tinker's Cove, Maine is changing and some locals believe not for the
better. Next door to Lucy Stone's home is five modular houses that make
up Prudencea Path development; the old Pratt home used to be there before
he sold the property to standoffish Fred Stanton. Fred's wife Mimi is
unpopular because if someone fails to do what she demands, she complains
to the proper authorities causing that person some trouble. Lucy meets
her new neighbors when she invites them to join a bake sale to raise money
for charity.
Mimi fails to show up at the bake sale so the others "deputize Lucy
to find her. When she enters her home she finds Mimi dead with a knife
protruding from her chest. In her role as a reporter Lucy investigates;
in her role as a mother Lucy worries about her cheerleading daughter who
seems troubled. Lucy thinks the latter has something to do with the high
school senior football players; their coach Buck Burkhart allows them
plenty of freedom. Rumors abound that he encourages them to take liberties
with the cheerleaders and to haze others; he and the administration deny
this. At Mimi's funeral, Lucy sees a homeless man, whom she later links
to the coach. Not long afterward, the intrepid reporter finds she is in
a déjà vu scenario as a determined killer wants her dead.
Leslie Meier's mysteries are quaint down home amateur sleuth tales (though
Lucy is a journalist so has some experience) starring a protagonist who
juggles being a mother and wife with being a reporter. Her desire to see
justice served always places her in danger; luck has been on her side
which is why she still lives. BAKE SALE MURDER is a fine who-done-it combined
with a strong family crisis with Lucy solving the murder and taking care
of her loved ones in her unique fashion leading to an enjoyable family
oriented mystery.
Harriet Klausner
A Charmed Death
Madelyn Alt
Berkley, Dec 2006, $6.99, 304 pp.
ISBN 042521317X
The
time Maggie O'Neill entered the store Enchantments and met the owner Felcity
Dow, her worldview changed drastically. Felicity is a psychic and a witch
and Maggie learns she is one too. That explains her hunches, feelings
of empathy and the ability to see ghosts; her powers are growing stronger
and more refined because Felicity is teaching her how to use them.
She now works in Enhancements and one day she witnesses a fight between
popular high school student Amanda Roberson and Tara Murphy, one of the
most unliked teens at school. Amanda disappears that night; she is found
in the river with a subsequent autopsy proving she was murdered. Maggie
starts nosing around and finds that the secret blog that talks about the
sexual exploits of a teen and her lovers were written by Maggie. She discovers
pictures that Amanda hid in a gift that she bought at Enhancements and
her mother returns to Maggie. When Maggie sees the picture, she figures
out who the killer is but the murderer grabs her before she can go to
the police and almost kills her. It will take the conscious use of her
magic (which she never tried before) to get out of this situation alive.
A CHARMED DEATH is a magical spellbinding mystery that enchants readers
with its adorable heroine who has trouble coming to terms with the fact
that she is psychic and can perform magic. Her asides are a breath of
fresh air that relieves the tension when it threatens to overwhelm the
audience. There is also a message in this tale that parents should watch
over there teens to make sure they stay out of trouble and especially
watch the warning signs.
Harriet Klausner
The Becoming
Jeanne A Stein
Ace, Dec 2006, $7.99, 304 pp.
ISBN: 0441014569
Anna
Strong and her partner David are bail enforcement agents or bounty hunters
as they are better known. One night David goes into a bar to find John
Donaldson who skipped out on his bail bond. Donaldson is charged with
embezzlement and there is no history that he is violent yet David is taking
much too long to long to bring him to the car where Anna is waiting. Donaldson
walks out of the bar and proceeds to attack Anna leaving her unconsciousness;
she awakens in the hospital cared for by Dr. Avery.
He tells her that Donaldson is a vampire and because they exchanged blood,
she is becoming one too. Although she doesn't want to believe it, her
fading reflection in the mirror, her telepathic abilities and her increased
night vision convince her that she is indeed a vampire. In a short period
of time she begins a liaison with Avery, searching for a kidnapped David
and is almost killed by vampire hunters, The Revengers. Avery wants her
to use mortals as food and turn her back on David, but she is determined
to find him even if it means putting her unlife on the line.
More serious in tone than Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series
and much less exotic than Anita Blake's tales by Laurel K. Hamilton yet
readers will love this good vampire thriller that has so many surprise
twists and plenty of action. There is some humor in THE BECOMING because
an unknown being she dubs Casper communicates with Anna and helps her
in dangerous situations. He is a great morale booster and readers will
want to read more novels just to find out who her guardian angel is.
Harriet Klausner
Rapid Fire
Donna Ball
Signet, Dec 2006, $6.99, 240 pp.
ISBN 0451219996
Summer
has come to her small Smokey Mountains town of Hansonville, North Carolina
and local resident Raine Stockton finds herself so busy she doesn't have
a chance to relax. Her kennel business is booming with more people coming
in for dog training lessons and her part time job in the forest service
keeps her so busy she doesn't have time to think.
Raine has loved two men in her life; radical environmentalist Andy Fontana
and the man she married Deputy Sheriff Buck Lawson. Andy has been on the
run for close to fifteen years after he was linked to a bombing of a petrochemical
plant that killed four people. The FBI believe that he went on to commit
other acts costing more lives and they also think he is coming back home
to dig up millions of dollars in diamonds he buried in the mountains to
fund a mid-east terrorist organization. Raine doesn't want to believe
Andy is capable of any act of violence. The FBI and Homeland Security
are sure he is trying to see her so the authorities ask her to tell them
if she meets with him. Raine needs to know if the man she once loved is
capable of the acts he is accused of. If she meets with him, she will
get her answers even if they aren't to her liking.
Donna Ball has created one of the most delightful heroines ever to grease
the pages of a mystery book. She is funny, loyal, stubborn and endearing.
Although she isn't living with her husband, readers will not believe think
that they will divorce. Readers get a real taste of what living in a small
town mountain town is like. RAPID FIRE is a fantastic down home charming
mystery.
Harriet Klausner
Requiem for a Dealer
Jo Bannister
St. Martin's, Dec 2006, $23.95
ISBN: 0312362110
In
Dimmock, England, Finder Brodie Farrell provides driving lessons to her
friend schoolteacher Daniel Hood. However, they barely are in the car
when a girl runs into their vehicle. Half hysterical, she accuses driver
Daniel of trying to kill her, which seems odd to Brodie as the pedestrian
raced out of nowhere into their car. The girl flees into the night leaving
behind two bewildered people.
Brodie mentions this incident to her boyfriend Detective Superintendent
Jack Deacon, but he is preoccupied as a new designer drug Scram is inundating
Dimmock. He must find the manufacturing plant/lab to shut it down before
more deaths occur. His prime concern is to find the Scram factory and
stop the drug at its source before more people die. When the girl who
hit the car turns up in Dimmock General Hospital from a Scram overdose,
Jack visits her to see what she knows. She is Alison Barker, a former
show jumper until the death of her father, who allegedly committed suicide
but she insists was murdered and that the culprits are coming for her.
While Daniel accepts her word Jack thinks she lies; Brodie decides to
learn the truth one way or another.
Brodie's sixth mystery is a terrific mystery that focuses on the illegal
designer drug industry that makes billions on the backs of teens and young
adults. Brodie's investigation is more professional than amateur as her
work as a professional finder is similar to that of a private investigator.
Jo Bannister provides a delightful mystery enhanced by the romantic triangle.
Harriet Klausner
Erased from Memory
Diana O'Hehir
Berkley, Dec 2006, $23.95
ISBN 0425212165
In
Northern California, Carla Day takes her octogenarian father Edward, a
renowned Egyptologist suffering from Alzheimer's father to see his greatest
find, an ancient coffin lid housed at Egypt Regained Museum. While there,
a man collapses to the floor; Edward rushes to his aid starting with loosening
the victim's tie. However, security yanks him away as they assume he is
choking the man to death. Local police arrest Edward charging him with
strangulation, but the man lives lying in a coma in a nearby hospital.
At the hospital, the comatose man apparently got up and left. Not long
after he vanishes, he reappears as a corpse with an ankh in his mouth.
Edward keeps arguing that they came here to see his coffin lid though
he has visited it several times while Carla tries to uncover the truth
about the dead man, not realizing how much danger she and her father are
in from an unknown assailant who prefers to remain anonymous.
The sequel to MURDER NEVER FORGETS plays out on two levels as readers
obtain a first hand look at the ravages of Alzheimer's on the victim and
his daughter inside a cleverly design whodunit. The story line is fast-paced
from the moment Dr. Day intervenes until the final unnerving shocking
final confrontation. Diana O'Hehir provides readers with a terrific Egyptology
mystery combined with a strong personal look at senior health care issues.
Harriet Klausner
Death at Victoria Dock
Kerry Greenwood
Poisoned Pen, Dec 2006, $24.95
ISBN: 1590582381
In
1928 Australia, The Honourable Phyrne Fisher is driving her Hispano-Suiza
vehicle when a shot shatters her windshield covering her with glass. Phyrne
remains calm and rationale as she observes three men running from the
scene. Almost immediately afterward, she observes a seventeen years old
male shot; she holds him as he lays dying. He mentions a place in Latvia.
Phyrne is determined the shooters will pay for her windshield, her bloody
ruined clothing and for the murder of this teen.
Gathering information from associates, she realizes she is dealing with
anarchists, who seek a means to finance a revolution back home in Latvia.
They figure that Phyrne knows too much so they plan to abduct her. Instead
they kidnap her associate Dot. Phyrne plans to rescue her pal, avoid their
kidnapping efforts, and stop their plan before someone else will die in
Melbourne, this time from machine gun fire.
DEATH AT A VICTORIA DOCK, the latest Phyrne Fisher novel, is a jewel of
a historical mystery. Phyrne is her usual confident, obstinate and fearless
self as she plans to take down the murderous anarchists. She believes
in equal rights for women and minorities and is not afraid to pursue her
desires, taking her pleasures with whom she wants. Readers will appreciate
Kerry Greenwood's emancipated female who solves mysteries in vividly described
late 1920s Australia.
Harriet Klausner
Nip, Tuck, Dead
Lori Avocato
Avon, Dec 2006, $6.99, 304 pp.
ISBN 0060837047
Wanting
a career change, former nurse Pauline Sokol now works as an insurance
fraud investigator for the Scarpello and Tonelli Insurance Company. Her
latest job is to investigate Highcliff Manor, a plastic surgery and spa
clinic in Newport, Rhode Island. They have suddenly submitted a big increase
in health claims and the company's client thinks fraud is involved. Pauline
goes undercover as a private nurse (talk about typecasting) caring for
her friend Goldie who is really getting a nose job at the manor.
When they arrive at Highcliff, Pauline gets right to work snooping into
employee Ian's computer, asking questions and looking in desks for evidence.
Her nemesis Jagger, is staying at the same inn where she took a room and
drives her crazy with his sexy come-ons and unwanted advice. When she
finds Ian's body, she is certain his death is linked to the fraud even
though the police think he committed suicide. Between taking care of Goldie
who is not the easiest patient she ever dealt with and going home for
a weekend to say hello to her mother who has a broken arm, Pauline starts
investigating in earnest and almost ends up becoming murdered by a killer
who hid in plain sight.
Readers who like the Stephanie Plum series will want to read the Pauline
Sokol tales. The heroine is similar to Plum, who is in a job that she
isn't really qualified for while Jaguar is similar to Joe Morelli who
watches out for the damsel in distress who never thinks she is in danger.
Of course there are many differences between the two humorous crime caper
series because Lori Avocato has her own distinct style and humor with
characters who feel like the reader's next door neighbors.
Harriet Klausner
Harriets's Archived Reviews
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