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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February 2005
A
KILLING RAIN
P.J. Parrish
Pinnacle, Feb 2005, $6.99, 384 pp.
ISBN: 078601606X
Private detective Louis Kincaid tried for over a year to get a date with
Susan Outlaw; when he finally succeeds and goes to her house, she informs
him they will eat here with her son Benjamin. Louis does not mind because
he likes Benjamin. While the trio dines together, Susan's estrange husband
Austin arrives after an absence of a few years. For her son's sake, she
lets her spouse stay in her home.
A few days pass before Louis calls to see how Susan and Ben are doing.
She frantically tells him that Austin and Ben are missing. After a search
turns up nothing, Louis returns home to ponder his next move, but Austin
waits for him there. A panicked Austin explains that his business partner
and secretary were abducted and ultimately killed; he fears for his son.
Louis believes Ben is bait to lure Austin into a deadly trap. He continues
his search although the police believe the lad is dead.
P.J. Parrish is a fantastic thriller writer with his latest winner filled
with plenty of action and chase scenes and the author insures the key
cast seems genuine. Austen is an interesting antagonist as readers will
feel dismay towards him for abandoning his son to save his own skin and
feel further ire when he refuses to reveal to anyone how he became a target
of a professional hitman though that might help save Ben's life. In some
ways he steals the show, but in contrast to the courage of Louis, who
loves Susan and Ben, placing himself in danger to save someone else's
son turns A KILLING RAIN into an enthralling gothic tale in the middle
of the Everglades.
Harriet Klausner
ASSAULT
AND PEPPER
Tamar Myers
NAL, Feb 2005, $19.95, 227 pp.
ISBN: 0451213947
Magdalena Yoder looks forward to the Beechy Grove Mennonite Church annual
chili supper cook-off but her anticipation turns to horror when her beloved
Reverend Schrock dies after sampling one of the dishes. His widow is convinced
that he was murdered and that someone put peanut butter, which everyone
knows he was allergic to, in one of the dishes. Magdalena doesn't want
to believe that someone hated the preacher enough to kill him but she
agrees to investigate the case even if she doesn't like the widow.
To her surprise, her brother in law Hernia's chief of police "Melvin
the Mantis" tells her he's quit his job and he wants her to investigate
the case because after testing products, it was found that peanut butter
was in one of the chili dishes. After talking to various people she finds
that the Reverend Schrock was not the saint she thought he was. His crimes
include embezzlement, bigamy, spousal abuse, his refusal to perform a
marriage ceremony and much more. When Magdalena gets close to unveiling
the perpetrator, he kidnaps her friend and cook and wants to exchange
her for one million dollars in getaway money.
Readers are going to want to buy ASSAULT AND PEPPER just to find out who
the killer is. Nobody will guess the person's identity and it will come
as a total shock to fans who have read this charming and delightful cozy
series. Tamar Myers has changed the entire direction of the series storyline
keeping it fresh and original. This reviewer will definitely want to read
the next book in the series to see what direction the author takes her
heroine next.
Harriet Klausner
BLOOD
MEMORY
Greg Iles
Scribner, Feb 2005, $25.95, 496 pp.
ISBN 0743234707
Forensic odontologist Dr. Catherine Perry specializes in bite marks on
victim's bodies. She is on the task force with her lover, married New
Orleans Police Detective Sean Regan working the case of a serial killer
who leaves older men naked with deep bite marks all over their body accompanied
by a nearby message "My work is never done". When Cat has a
panic attack at the fourth crime scene, she is removed from the case and
returns home to Malmaison, a mansion located in Natchez, Mississippi
When a child spills some luminal in her room, she sees a child's bare
footprint and an adult's booted footprint. She wants to call in a forensic
team to obtain DNA evidence, but her grandfather tells her that her father
was killed in her room, protecting her from an intruder. Strange dreams
and returned memories make her doubt his story; he confesses that her
father was molesting her so he killed him. While the police think the
serial killer is psychiatrist Dr. Malik who specializes in sexual child
abuse cases and repressed memories and is treating her aunt, Cat needs
to know the whole truth that destroyed her peace of mind all those years
ago though she has to live long enough to accomplish her quest.
This fantastic thriller contains a dark and foreboding atmosphere that
makes Malmaison feel like a mansion straight out of a gothic novel. Readers
will empathize with Cat who suffers terrible emotional trauma without
knowing why. Yet despite depression and a bi-polar condition, she refuses
to give into to her suicidal urges and is determined to have her baby
regardless of whether Sean leaves his wife or not. She also links the
her abuse to the serial killer and helps Sean in his quest to find the
killer. This is a riveting tale that addresses one of society's most evil
ills: sexual abuse of children.
Harriet Klausner
BLOODLINE
Jeff Buick
Leisure, Feb 2005, $6.99, 374 pp.
ISBN 0843955155
With the combined efforts of the U.S. government and Columbian authorities,
ruthless drug lord Pablo Escobar was hunted down and killed. Fingerprint,
dental records and DNA proved that the body was Escobar. Eleven years
later, an account that only Escobar had access to has withdrawals. Columbian
Mario Rastano and his son Javier, druglords masquerading as responsible
businessmen, are notified of the withdrawals because much of the money
belongs to them; they realize Escobar is alive and want the code to the
account.
The Rastanos kidnap the wife and daughter of Pablo's cousin Eugene Estobar.
If Eugene hopes to see them alive again, he must bring the code to Javier
in one week. He wins the help of the DEA, the CIA and a U.S. senator,
all who have reasons to want Pablo dead. However, one team member is a
mole reporting every move the group makes to Pablo. Eugene uses his family
connections to look for his cousin, hoping one of them will know where
he is and help him.
BLOODLINE is an action-packed thriller which gives readers a feel for
what it is like living in a country where the drug lords control so much.
This work starts faster than a racing car in a straightaway and never
slows down so that readers feel they are part of the action. Eugene is
a loving and devoted husband and father who will do whatever it takes
to get his family back. He is also intelligent enough to put a mole in
the Rastano estate in the hopes that he can free his family if he fails
to find Pablo. Jeff Buick is a writer with a great future ahead of him.
Harriet Klausner
CAT'S
EYEWITNESS
Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown
Bantam, Feb 2005, $25.00, 287 pp.
ISBN 0553801643
In a small hamlet in Virginia, animals talk to each other across species
lines and the only ones unable to understand is the dumbest species: humans.
Mary Minor "Harry " Haristeen loves her two cats Mrs. Murphy
and Pewter and her corgi Tee Tucker; they reciprocate her feelings, going
so far as to help her when she becomes too deeply involved in a murder
investigation and puts her life in danger.
The Greyfiars Monastery's has a Virgin Mary statue on their property that
starts weeping bloody tears. Many people including some of the monks think
it is a miracle. Monk Thomas is found frozen to death in a kneeling position
besides the statue. Harry's intuition screams murder and her four legged
protectors know a cardinal witnessed the homicide. The journalist covering
this phenomenon is killed when someone sticks a pen in his eye. Harry
thinks the killings and the tears are linked; she investigates but it
is only because of her animal friends that she doesn't become the third
murder victim.
It is always a pleasure to read a book starring Harry and Mrs. Murphy
but the CAT'S EYEWITNESS is particularly good as several changes in Harry's
life has occurred. The heroine's ex-husband gives Harry a marriage proposal
ultimatum or he will look elsewhere for love. Harry no longer works in
the post office because she cannot bring her animals into the new facility.
Susan, Harry's best friend, reveals a secret she kept for over two decades,
and the sexpot Boom Boom finds a surprising new lover. Readers will find
it impossible to figure out who the perpetrator is among the even tempered
monks. Rita Mae Brown delights her fans with this fantastic feline mystery.
Harriet Klausner
DARK
EYE
William Bernhardt
Ballantine, Feb 2005, $125.95, 480 pp.
ISBN: 034547015X
Alcoholic Susan Pulaski loses her job as a police psychologist for the
Las Vegas Police Department because she rarely stays sober. However, she
has no time to drown her latest sorrow with more drink because her former
boss LVPD Chief O'Bannon, who fired her, needs her skills as a profiler
to stop a clever serial killer who murders young girls and leaves behind
a cryptic note.
Susan asks her ex-boss' twenty-something son Darby, an idiot savant whose
expertise happens to be encrypted messages to break the code. They soon
find an Edgar Allen Poe cryptic, but have no idea what that means in the
deadly modern context. Unbeknownst to Susan she plays a beleaguered heroine
in a Poe work as the killer has a role for her that will end in her death
if he directs the show.
Though exciting, DARK EYE seems to come out of the ingenious insane and
inane serial killer 101 mould where a brilliant murderer leaves clues
to play cat and mouse with the cops (the Son of Sam syndrome in literature).
Still Susan is a delightful protagonist struggling with an alcohol dependency;
Darby is perhaps the most interesting character though why didn't pop
turn to him to solve the puzzle? Though fans of serial killer police chess
matches will enjoy the action-packed and exhilarating tale due to its
cat and mouse demeanor, William Bernhardt readers will mostly sing Ben.
Harriet Klausner
DIE
A LITTLE
Megan Abbott
Simon & Schuster, Feb 2005, $23.00, 241 pp.
ISBN 0743261704
Schoolteacher Lora King shares a home with her brother Bill, an investigator
with the Los Angeles District Attorney's office. They are decent middle
class hardworking people who are very close to each other until Alice
Steele enters their lives. Bill is besotted with her and within a few
months he marries her. Lora tries to like her but she feels that Alice
is trying too hard to be the perfect housewife.
Seeing inconsistencies in her behavior, Lora investigates Alice's background
which leads to her to thinking her in-law is involved in something criminal.
A friend Lois from Alice's former life acts trashy as she depends on Alice
to bail her out when she gets into trouble. Alice befriends the wife of
Bill's friend, who shortly thereafter commits suicide just prior to Lois
being murdered. It is only when Bill is prepared to break the law to abet
his wife does Lora act to put an end to Alice's influence with the help
of a very connected criminal who bears no love for Alice.
DIE A LITTLE is a dark urban 1950s Hollywood noir where even honest lawmen
break the law if they can get away with it. Lora is a fascinating character
who loves her brother too much to let him throw his life away on a criminal
and is a bit jealous of the hold Alice has on her sibling. There are no
heroes in this book, only people who do what is necessary to get their
own way. Megan Abbott is a fine writer who uses the first person narrative
as a way of increasing the tension and the gradual feeling of overwhelming
foreboding.
Harriet Klausner
THE
GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER
Susan McBride
Avon, Feb 2005, $6.99, 368 pp.
ISBN: 0060563907
In Dallas, Martha Stewart clone Marilee Mabry, about to be launched on
an unsuspecting American public, reflects how she now knows how her idol
felt when she rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Andrea
Kendricks knows she has one more reason to strangle her elitist mother,
Cissy, who insisted her daughter attend her friend Marilee's celebratory
party. Andrea wants no part of her mother's scene and would prefer to
avoid this bow to the domestic queen event; she would prefer rush-hour
on the LBJ.
At the gala at the Sweet Life's Studio, a fire breaks out. During the
chaos, Andy finds a seemingly comatose Kendall, Marilee's daughter, lying
on the floor. When the studio cools down, a body is found. Other incidents
follow. While Mother has no room on her social calendar for Marilee's
troubles, Andy investigates into who wants to destroy their family friend.
THE GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER is a terrific satirical investigative
tale that readers will fully enjoy due to the relationship between Mother
and Debutante Dropout daughter as Andy is anything but a chip off the
old block. Andy is a wonderful protagonist still struggling to cope with
a perfectionist mother, who feels her only child is a let down as women
should not be sleuthing when they need to insure their nails, hair, and
pumps are correct. Marilee is a trip as her pompous attitude comes across
that her coronation should have happened already. Though the culprit and
the motive seem obvious, fans will still not be sure who the perpetrator
is until the very end. What makes this novel and its predecessor so good
is the BLUE BLOOD detective Andy.
Harriet Klausner
INDIAN
GIVERS
J.A. Russo
Xlibris, 2004, 287 pp.
ISBN: 1413464564
In Providence, Carl Bartelli has one goal in life and no one including
his wife or his business partner Evan Graham will stand in the way of
his achieving his objective of becoming a millionaire before he turns
fifty. Though his company Barham Armored Car Company has done well in
New England and now in Sao Paulo, he sees the opportunity to attain his
dream. He offers a deal with The Brave Wolf Reservation tribe to provide
the capital to expand the successful slot machines emporium into a casino
hotel complex in exchange for a piece of the action.
Using the same illegal "borrowing" of client money that capitalized
the Brazilian venture at no cost, Carl, Evan and junior partner Judy Meade
cut a deal with the tribe. A setback occurs when an abandoned gas station
that Carl planned to buy to build the casino on is no longer for sale.
The station's co-owner Claude Samuels plans to reopen up the gas station.
Refusing to allow anyone to get in his way, Carl, over the protest of
his partners, burns down the property of the Samuel siblings. If Judy
or Evan become obstacles Carl will kill them.
INDIAN GIVER contains a terrific story line, but the key to the tale is
the strong cast. One track minded Carl is an intriguing villain while
his partners and to a lesser degree his wife are willing to break the
law just not as violently as he does. The council members are also interesting
as they soon conclude that they negotiated with evil. J.A. Russo writes
a tense tale that grips the audience from the moment the audience comprehends
how cleverly calculatingly cunning a killer the lead protagonist is. This
is an exciting reading experience.
Harriet Klausner
MURDER
CAN MESS UP YOUR MASCARA
Selma Eichler
Signet, Feb 2005, $6.50, 272 pp.
ISBN: 0451214307
Sarcastic Blossom Goody informs Manhattan private investigator Desiree
Shapiro that her cousin Gordie wants to hire her because he believes someone
is trying to kill him, but lacks evidence to go to the police. Desiree
argues with The Mouth at first, but knows no one human can win a debate
with Blossom nor avoid wilting from the acerbic verbal assault.
Not long after the call, Gordon Curry explains to Desiree that he and
his wife Rhonda went on their annual fall vacation in the Pocono Mountains.
With a warm Indian summer, he was swimming in the lake when a motorboat
tried to run him over. Not long after that in the same area, someone fired
a shot that just missed Gordie while he was hunting. He wants Desiree
to insure no more attempts on his life and provides her with the name
of the only person he believes might want him dead, former employee Roger
Clyne. As Desiree searches for the vanished Roger, someone kills Gordie
as he leaves his monthly poker game. Blossom tells Desiree to find the
killer.
Plus-sized Desiree Shapiro stars in a fine Manhattan cozy that fans of
the series will enjoy in spite of the heroine being her usual unconfident
self except over pizza at Little Angie's in her twelfth appearance. The
Mouth adds depth and humor as no one peels skin off a person than the
abusive queen of derision Mrs. Goody (an apropos ironic surname). Shapiro
supporters will appreciate the case switching from keeping the client
alive to finding his killer, not easy when the only suspect died a couple
of months ago.
Harriet Klausner
MURDER
IN ALPHABET CITY
Lee Harris
Fawcett, Feb 2004, $6.99, 304 pp.
ISBN: 0449007359
After taking some time off to recover from her encounter with a serial
killer, New York Police Department Detective First Grade Jane Bauer returns
to duty in time to work a cold case with her two partners. Power broker
Flavia Constantine wants the police to reopen the case of her brother
Anderson Stratton who supposedly committed suicide eight years ago. She
demands the police prove it was murder and find the perpetrator.
After doing multiple interviews, Jane discovers a link between Stratton,
his social worker Erica Renzler and building superintendent Larry Vale.
Jane assumes that Erica visited Stratton as an excuse to talk to Vale.
Eight years ago Erica also supposedly committed suicide after she quit
her job at social services; Jane thinks the two deaths are linked. When
she finds Erica's secret postal box with hidden records hinting that she
was involved in something illegal, both cases are officially reopened
as murder investigations. Someone doesn't want the police investigating
and someone named Bill Fletcher takes off with the daughter of Jane's
partner. When that doesn't cause the detective to back off, someone tries
to kill Jane.
This is a very dynamic and exciting police procedural. The author gives
the audience a step-by-step insight into an ongoing investigation so that
readers see how a case is solved. Jane is a remote individual so it is
hard to warn up to her but nobody can doubt her dedication to solving
the case especially after her two partners are deeply affected by one
of the perpetrators. Lee Harris can always be counted on to give her fans
an exciting mystery although her Manhattan mysteries are darker and grittier
than the Christine Bennet tales.
Harriet Klausner
NECESSARY
EVILS
Neesa Hart
Tyndale, Feb 2005, $14.99, 308 pp.
ISBN: 1414300395
When National Press Secretary George Romero failed to appear at the White
House Situation Room following the abrupt disappearance of millions of
people, the Chief of Staff Brad Benton assumes his friend is dead. Pictures
delivered to Brad prove that someone murdered George. Brad investigates,
which leads to several attempts to kill him and his loved ones.
Brad works with Los Angeles Times reporter Liza Cannley who finds evidence
that wealthy industrialist Victor Rudd, a major campaign contributor to
President Fitzhugh's election efforts, abetted by Constantine Kostankis
diverted gold from the Federal Reserve. They used their illegal gain to
fund a covert operation using Abkhazian rebels to recapture a research
facility from Muslin Fundamentalists with the conspiracy involving the
White House, the Joint Chiefs, and high ranking Justice and State Department
officials. However when the evidence is found the question remains of
who to give it to since anyone in Washington and connected to the president
is suspect.
Unlike the first two tales in this series, the action centers on the heroic
Brad who risks his life to expose high level corruption, murder and other
illegalities in order to bring George's killers to justice. There is plenty
of action especially as the perpetrators attempt to kill Brad. Though
his enemies seem invincible and omnipotent in most matters, they are pathetic
when it comes to erasing two fleas. Still Neesa Hart provides an enthralling
refreshing and original post Rapture political thriller that emphasizes
the international left behind crowd more than the religious implications.
Harriet Klausner
PRINCE
OF FIRE
Daniel Silva
Putnam, Feb 2005, $25.95, 436 pp.
ISBN 0399152431
The bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, the bombing
of an Istanbul synagogue and the suicide bombing of the Israeli embassy
in Rome are the work of one mastermind, a terrorist trained by Yassar
Arafat. After the bombing in Rome, the Israelis were able to trace one
of the perpetrators to his home and there they found the dossier of Gabriel
Allon currently working as an art restorer in Rome.
Gabriel used to work for covert organization known as the Office but when
his son died and his wife was physically and mentally damaged he quit
the organization although he does freelance work for them at times. With
his cover blown, Gabriel is forced to return to Israel and the Office
where he tracks the mastermind responsible for the murders of hundreds
of Jews; he intends to spill as much blood as he can in an act of revenge.
When it is discovered that the terrorist intends to blow up the French
subway station, Gabriel moves to stop him but that is before he learns
that they kidnapped has wife and made him look to the world like a man
who was responsible for the bombings.
This is the fifth Gabriel Allon book and it is Daniel Silva's best work
to date. Gabriel finally comes home and returns to the work he gave up
as penance for what happened to his wife and child. The war between two
brilliant spies is terrific as nobody is certain at what point Gabriel
is the cat or the mouse. Thriller readers are going to love PRINCE OF
FIRE.
Harriet Klausner
THE
RISING
Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins
Tyndale, March 2005, $25.95, 380 pp.
ISBN 0842360565
Marilena Carpathia is a dowdy unfeminine woman who is more interested
in the intellect than in looking attractive. She is married to Sarin who,
like her, is a professor at the University of Bucharest in Romania. Their
relationship is platonic, a mating of the minds, and she is satisfied
until the day comes that she wants a child, something Sarin doesn't want.
She meets and becomes involved with Viv Ivins, a spiritualist who worships
Lucifer.
She tells Marlena that Lucifer will grant her a child if she promises
to raise him to worship him. Both Lucifer and Christ contact her; the
former promises her the child while the latter offers her nothing but
salvation. She chooses Viv's god and gives birth to Nicolae who grows
up to be a brilliant, cunning, and manipulative man who promises to worship
Lucifer as his god in return for becoming ruler of the Earth.
Readers of the Left Behind series get to see how Nicolae came into being,
how Viv entered his life and how Lucifer controlled events to make Nicolae
the perfect Antichrist who would obey him. Surprisingly, hearts will go
out to Marilena who realized she made a Faustian bargain and lived to
regret it. The audience also learns how Rafe Steel becomes the man he
grew up to be prior to the Rapture. THE RISING is a fantastic work that
only master writers like Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins can produce.
Harriet Klausner
THE
ROSARY GIRLS
Richard Montanari
Ballantine, Feb 2005, $23.95, 416 pp.
ISBN 0345470958
Philadelphia detective Kevin Byrne, a twenty year veteran, works in the
homicide unit. He has a phenomenal success rate of clearing his cases
but his methods make him a maverick who adheres to the letter of the law
but not its spirit. Detective Jessica Balzano is assigned to the homicide
unit with Byrne as her partner; he accepts her as an equal.
Their first case is the murder of a teenage high school girl who is found
in an abandoned house. Her hands are bolted together by someone using
a drill. Her vagina is stitched up and a cross in blue chalk is on her
forehead. The perpetrator left no other evidence behind. Two more teens
are found dead in the same way, all three having attended a Catholic high
school. They finally figure out that the killer is reenacting the five
sorrowful mysteries of the rosary which means he intends to kill at least
two more girls before he is finished. Byrne and Jessica work overtime
trying to get one step ahead of him, not realizing that for his finale
he has very special plans for Jessica and her daughter.
Anyone who has not read a Richard Montanari thriller is missing something
very special. THE ROSARY GIRLS is told in the third person from the police
working the crime and the first person point of view of the killer. This
is a book that is very exciting with several red herrings to force the
reader (and the police) down the wrong path so that the audience will
need to finish it in one sitting so they can find out who the killer is.
Hopefully there will be future books starring Byrne and Jessica.
Harriet Klausner
THE
SERPENT IN THE GARDEN
Janet Gleeson
Simon & Schuster, Feb 2005, $14.00, 352 pp.
ISBN: 0743260058
In 1766, Herbert Bentnick, a widower of under a year, is betrothed to
two time Barbados widow Sabine Mercier. Herbert commissions renowned portrait
artist Joshua Pope to paint their wedding picture at his Astley estate.
However, Sabine, a horticulturist working with her fiancé's pineapple
plants, finds a corpse in the hothouse.
While the engaged couple and his family seem unconcerned that someone
was murdered on their estate, a shocked Joshua takes it upon himself to
investigate. He assumes the deceased is Barbados attorney John Cobb based
on documents the dead man was carrying. Joshua also learns that Herbert's
wife was still alive and with him when he met Sabine, but died shortly
afterward. Finally, he realizes how knowledgeable Sabine is when it comes
to plants. Joshua's sleuthing efforts prove fruitless and he now must
prove he did not steal Sabine's valuable emerald necklace while the family
points their accusing fingers at him.
As with THE GRENADILLO BOX (different artisan detective - cabinetmaker
Nathanial Hopson, but similar theme and era), THE SERPENT IN THE GARDEN
is an intriguing Georgian who-done-it with the emphasis on the 1760s England..
The story line is loaded with historical detail providing the audience
a close look at the upper class mostly through the eyes of the moralistic
artist. Joshua is a fine protagonist; however the two antagonists will
fascinate readers. Is Herbert is a besotted fool or a clever killer and
even more intriguing is Sabine as Joshua's circumstantial evidence implicates
her as the culprit in at least two deaths.
Harriet Klausner
SILENT
WITNESS
Rebecca Forster
Signet, Feb 2005, $6.99, 384 pp.
ISBN: 0451214242
Defense attorney Josie Baylor-Bates has taken troubled teen Hannah into
her home after the girl's mother was found guilty of murder. While the
two females adjust, Josie's lover, retired detective and practicing private
investigator Archer is arrested for killing his mentally challenged stepson
Tim two years ago in the Pacific Park amusement park while they and his
dying wife rode the Shock and Pop together.
A video shows Archer making what could be a threatening move towards Tim.
Ironically, Tim's biological father bailed Archer out of prison because
he needs the truth to support his civil suit against Pacific Park. Evidence
at the preliminary hearing binds Arch for trial; Josie needs a miracle
to prove her lover is innocent of first degree murder.
Rebecca Forster's latest legal procedural is a thrilling courtroom and
investigative drama in which Josie has doubts that she should represent
her lover as she is too personally involved, but refuses to trust anyone
else with his life. She also learns more than she ever wants to know about
Archer in the course of her efforts to defend him. The investigative scenes
are fascinating as Josie gathers evidence from witnesses that she uses
at the trial to make the case that Archer had no motive to kill the child
of the woman he loved. SILENT WITNESS is totally enthralling.
Harriet Klausner
SIREN'S
CALL
Mary Ann Mitchell
Medallion, Feb 2005, $6.99, 244 pp.
ISBN 1932815163
Sirena ran away from home as a young teen to escape the vicious beatings
inflicted on her by her father. She moved in with Joe who had her make
kiddie porn movies until she told him she wasn't going to do it anymore.
Now she works as a stripper at Silky Femmes in a small out of the way
Florida town. She has friends she cares about like the bartender Ross
who keeps an eye out for her and the girlfriend of the owner Chrissie.
Sirena also has a very interesting hobby. She picks up men at the club
and brings them to her isolated cabin. She has sex with them and at their
moment of climax she kills them. She takes their bones and makes furniture
out of them but the police and a private detective are beginning to think
she's a killer. Both the private detective and the police know she was
the last person to see a john she picked up alive; the private detective
thinks she might be a killer while the police officer wants to jump her
bones. Sirena thinks that Chrissie will make a good partner in her hobby
but letting her in on her secret leads to a whole new set of problems
for this killing machine.
SIRENA'S CALL is horror of the human kind. There are no supernatural beings
in this serial killer thriller but Serena is the personification of pure
evil. She repels readers just as Stephen King's monsters do because they
can't believe she is capable of such atrocities. The denizens of Silky
Femmes are all criminals to one degree or another which is one of the
reasons this book is so chilling and mesmerizing.
Harriet Klausner
STRANGE
AFFAIR
Peter Robinson
Morrow, Feb 2005, $24.95, 352 pp.
ISBN 0060544333
Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks of Eastvale, North Yorkshire is recuperating
after he almost lost his life in a home fire set by Detective Annie Cabbot's
psychopathic boyfriend. He lost everything in the fire and while on medical
leave falls in a deep depression. When his brother Roy calls, leaving
a message on the answering machine, he asks him for his help, saying his
life might be in danger. When Banks can't get him on the phone, he travels
to London but Roy is nowhere to be found.
In Eastvale, a woman is found dead in her car, a bullet in her head. In
her pocket is the address of Alan's former home that is being rebuilt.
Annie tries to find Banks but he didn't report to anyone where he was
going. After fruitless searching, Roy's body is found in the river with
a bullet in his head. Alan and Annie discover the murdered woman was Roy's
girlfriend, a clear link between the two cases. Now they have to find
out what Roy was afraid of and what he sent his girlfriend to tell Alan.
The Alan Banks Police procedurals are some of the best mystery novels
on the market today. STRANGE AFFAIR has so many twists and turns and false
leads that readers find themselves so totally absorbed in the novel that
they will finish it in one sitting just to find out who killed Roy and
his girlfriend and why. Peter Robinson is the master of the English police
procedural with tantalizing, exciting and totally believable works.
Harriet Klausner
SUSPICION
OF RAGE
Barbara Parker
Dutton, Feb 2004, $24.95, 352 pp.
ISBN 0525948058
After a quickie marriage, Miami lawyers Gail Connor and Anthony Quintana
plan to travel to Havana via Mexico so she can meet the Cuban branch of
her new husband's family. They plan to stay at his sister Marta's house;
she is married to General Ramirez Vega, a rising star in Castro's government.
Anthony is also friends with political dissidents so he tries not to talk
politics while he is there.
This trip proves impossible because before he leaves a government investigator
wants Anthony to persuade his brother-in-law to defect; they want him
to verify what Major Omar Cespedes Ruzi, a Cuban defector, told them when
he arrived in the United States. Gail and Anthony find that General Garcia,
Romero's boss, wants Anthony to find out what Cespedes told government
officials and he won't let them return home until he gets some answers.
While these events are transpiring, dissidents in an underground cell
plans to assassinate General Vega and one of these rebels has a very special
relationship to Anthony.
Unlike the previous books in this series, this novel takes place on Cuban
soil and readers see how life is like for those who support the government
and those who oppose it. Much against his will, Anthony is forced into
the role of spy in order to keep America from invading Cuba. There is
plenty of action in this romantic thriller but the heart of the story
lies in Anthony's love for a Cuba that he was forced to leave when he
was thirteen years old .SUSPICION OF RAGE is a fantastic thriller that
will grab and keep reader interest.
Harriet Klausner
TRUE
CRIME
Alan Gold
Berkley, Feb 2005, $5.99, 304 pp.
ISBN: 0425201155
Once he was an investigative reporter and minor league ballplayer but
Lou Tedesco started on a downward spiral when he began a dependency on
alcohol to keep him functioning. Now he is a sober movie and food critic
for Portland, Oregon's Stumptown Weekly.
His current assignment is to cover the opening of the Bijou, a renovated
movie theater in Seagirt that will show the classics. When he arrives
in the small town, he finds no vacant motel rooms as the media occupies
everything while covering the double homicide of locals Shelley Korta
and Larry Narz. The couple was executed on the nearby beach where he was
proposing to her. Lou meets Shelley's mother at the spot where the murders
occurred; he promises her he will not allow this to become a cold case
due to official incompetence. He makes inquiries that lead to a beating,
death threats, and a poorly designed frame that coaxes Lou to work even
harder to unmask the villain.
Alan Gold has written an exciting crime thriller focusing on a town determined
to keep its skeletons buried vs. an as obstinate reporter determined to
uncover the truth. The hero accepts help from any source including the
Office of the DA, a psychic, and the editor of the local paper (who he
also romantically likes). Lou's persistence is the only hope that the
culprit behind the tragedy will be caught. If TRUE CRIME is an indication,
Mr. Gold has a long time running series to please readers.
Harriet Klausner
UNLUCKY
FOR SOME
Jill McGown
Ballantine, Feb 2004, $22.95, 320 pp.
ISBN 0345476557
Married couple Detective Chief Inspectors Judy Hill and Lloyd cope with
a terrible two's daughter, having Judy's mother live with them and wondering
if they can handle the responsibility of a cat. While they cope with their
personal life, they work doubly hard trying to bring down a serial killer.
His first victim Wilma Fenton won a tidy sum at the bingo parlor. Employee
Stephen Holiday delivers her winnings and walks her home before meeting
someone he doesn't want to reveal to the police when they question him.
When a second person is murdered in much the same way as Wilma, Stephen
is in the area again and doesn't have an airtight alibi that could clear
him. The murderer contacts journalist Tony Baker, who brought down a serial
killer years ago. It is obvious the perpetrator wants to play a Cat and
Mouse game with the reporter and the cops. As the killings continue, Stephen
is either the killer or somebody with inside information has set him up.
Judy and Lloyd believe Stephen is innocent despite the evidence and don't
want to see him go to jail, but the miasma of lies hide the truth.
Jill McGown writes some of the best British police procedurals on the
market today. The marriage between the two protagonists gives insight
into the personal lives of these fascinating characters and the way they
work together is remarkable because neither one is jealous of who is in
command of the situation. Though the flaunting serial killer is over killed
in novels, UNLUCKY FOR SOME is an enthralling mystery that should be on
everyone fan's keeper shelf.
Harriet Klausner
UNSPEAKABLE
Graham Masterton
Pocket, Feb 2005, $6.99, 285 pp.
ISBN 0743462947
Hearing impaired Holly Summers is very happy with the life she has. She
has an adorable little girl named Daisy, works for the Portland child
welfare office and is a court accredited lip reader. She works for the
police and when she sees people talking about a crime they are about to
commit she calls the cops and her testimony is legally acceptable in trials.
As a social worker she sees many heartbreaking things done to children
and when she calls on Mary Joseph, she finds her beaten to a pulp and
her son Daniel is unconscious with almost every bone in his body is broken.
They arrest Native American Elliot Joseph who puts a curse on Holly that
seems to effectively work. Holly is suspended from her job when a young
girl commits suicide after she confronts her about being abused. Her daughter
is kidnapped and the man she considers a dear friend is responsible because
he wants her to participate in an orgy. If she cooperates Daisy will be
released. Is it bad luck or an Indian's curse? Either way Holly's life
is in danger.
Graham Masterton is a fantastic horror and thriller writer who knows how
to build a growing atmosphere of foreboding. The story line shows the
horrifying things Holly sees in her work as well as the supernatural kind
where an evil man persuades a good woman to believe that one person can
curse another because of the happenings of certain events in her own life
seemingly the result of the curse. Fans of Richard Laymon and Douglass
Clegg will want to read UNSPEAKABLE.
Harriet Klausner
THE
VILLA OF MYSTERIES
David Hewson
Delacorte, Jan 2005, $22.00
ISBN: 0385337728
Though six months of leave to recover physically from his wounds and mentally
from the death of his partner seems a long time to Roman Detective Nic
Costa, he has doubts about returning to work which include the skills
of his new partner Gianni Peroni. Still he returns so his superior assigns
him the case of visiting Americans Bobby and Lianne Dexter who found a
corpse of a teenage girl near the Ostia Antica coastal harbor.
The cops quickly realize that the girl was murdered in recent times and
not during the Roman Empire era though the preserved garb would speak
otherwise. Though police pathologist Teresa Lupo initially blows the murder
date by two millennium give or take a century, she, Nic and Gianni soon
learn that the victim is the 16-year-old stepdaughter of mobster Virgil
Wallis and that another teen is missing. Worse the anti-Mafia task force
is interfering as the two cops investigate, but get nowhere losing hope
to save the second abducted teen from a sacrificial ritual murderer(s).
Nic is a fine detective whose skills are ordinary, but he never quits
even though he faces emotional trauma every time he works the field. Gianni
is more amiable but also has plenty of woes to overcome. Teresa and anti-Mafia
Agent Rachale D'Amato provide the impetus to keep digging. Though the
case resolves abruptly in spite of the lead cops misinterpreting clues,
fans will enjoy the return of Nic Costa though his second appearance is
not quite as stellar as his superb pulled in two directions efforts in
A SEASON FOR THE DEAD.
Harriet Klausner
VODKA
Boris Starling
Dutton, Feb 2005, $25.95, 480 pp.
ISBN: 0525947701
In 1991 Moscow, Russia struggles with the transition from Communism to
Democracy as economic reform means increasingly difficult hardships in
the short run and an increase in influence by the already powerful Mafia.
Children are murdered and kidnappings are a way of life while food shortages
have become dangerously normal. Chaos is the order in Russia.
International Monetary Fund advisor Alice Liddell is in Moscow to privatize
the Red October Distillery, makers of vodka. Alice naively thought a lack
of time and selling the concept of privatization were the problems she
would face. However, Alice soon learns that vodka flows in every Russian's
blood and control of its production symbolic, which means the Russian
mafia, is involved. Alice is tugged in two directions both involving the
Red October Director and parliamentary deputy Lev, who some insist is
the biggest crook in Moscow. As Alice fights her attraction to her boardroom
opponent, she finds Red October corrupt and run by the Mafia. Lev also
battles with his attraction to the visiting American while he wars with
his Chechen archenemy.
This exciting thriller provides an insightful look at Russia during the
aftermath of the fall of Communism. Alice is a terrific character who
wonders how ruthless and crooked Lev is though she desires him. Lev is
an intriguing protagonist, perhaps antagonist, who puts a human face to
the power struggle. Though the stormy Chechen subplot is very exciting
and adds insight to the overall tale, it seems as if it belongs in its
own novel as so much is going on in Moscow. Distilled, the star character
remains vodka that links all Russians.
Harriet Klausner
WAIT
UNTIL MIDNIGHT
Amanda Quick
Jove, Feb 2005, $7.99, 368 pp.
ISBN: 0515138622
While Queen Victoria grieves the loss of her beloved Albert and the members
of Polite Society emulate her wearing mourning jewelry, physical research
is the rage. When Adam Hardesty enters medium Elizabeth Delmont's home,
he finds her dead, her skull crushed by a poker. She is wearing a wedding
veil and brooch with a broken pocket watch nearby stopped at 12 o'clock.
The next day Adam visits Caroline Fordyce who attended a séance
at the victim's home just hours before the murder occurred. He asks Caroline
if she took a diary that belonged to the medium because he does not want
secrets about his past to come out. Caroline insists she does not have
it and fears her secrets will become known. She persuades Adam to allow
her to join him on his investigation. When a second medium is murdered,
the broken watch left behind at the crime scene has Adam's name on it.
Caroline provides Adam an alibi. As they continue to make inquiries, they
become lovers and try to keep the other safe struggling with the case.
Amanda Quick is deservedly respected for her terrific Regency romantic
suspense novels, but in WAIT UNTIL MIDNIGHT, the talented author switches
settings to the Victorian era yet maintains high quality of her previous
historical romantic mysteries. Her latest tale has a gothic feel to the
plot, but as expected the hero and heroine are likable characters whom
readers will become absorbed in their investigation as much as their evolving
relationship that ultimately turns to love, danger, and risk. Regardless
of the time period, Ms. Quick provides a fabulous tale that seems always
to land on the keeper shelf.
Harriet Klausner
WINTER
OF DISCONTENT
Jeanne M. Dams
Forge, Dec 2004, $24.95, 256 pp.
ISBN: 0765308053
Expatriate American retired educator Dorothy Martin and her British husband
former Chief Constable Alan Nesbit settle into a cozy daily routine in
Sherebury in which they enjoying their retirements together. Dorothy goes
shopping with her best friend Jane Langland. They decide to drop the parcels
off at Town Hall where Jane's boyfriend museum curator Bill Fanshawe works,
but he is not there.
Jane panics because Bill seemingly vanished. More to calm Jane down a
bit Dorothy and Alan agree to set aside their afternoon tea to search
for Alan. They interview Alan's assistant Walter Tubbs and not long afterward
Alan is found dead in the Roman tunnel beneath the museum. Dorothy and
Alan investigate, but soon Walter is hospitalized as someone hit him over
the head with an object. The case seems to evolve around a new exhibit
that Alan was creating on Sherebury's role in WWII, but the prime suspect
becomes the next victim. Though not interfering with their tea, the two
retirees struggle to solve the museum homicides.
The look at the silver years is terrific as readers obtain a taste (with
tea) of how two retirees spend their lives together in a small English
village. The who-done-it is fun more in the line of an amateur sleuth
than a police procedural as Dorothy leads the inquiries while a reluctant
Alan does not have to follow official procedures (though he is careful
not to contaminate crime scenes). Fans of the series will enjoy this teatime
cozy that solves the homicides between sips.
Harriet Klausner
WIPED
OUT
Barbara Colley
Kensington, Feb 2005, $22.0, 272 pp.
ISBN: 075820762X
In New Orleans, Charlotte LaRue owns Maid for a Day but also works as
a maid for certain clients in order to support herself and keep busy.
However, when Mimi Adams hires her Charlotte has no idea what she has
let herself in for. Mimi explains that she is getting even with her neighbor
Sally for hosting noisy pool parties and poisoning her trees. When the
Horticultural Heritage Society meets at Mimi's home, Charlotte learns
that many of the attendees detest their hostess.
Rita believes that Mimi had an affair with her husband; to get back at
her, she runs for HHS president. When the secret ballot is tallied, Mimi
wins, but Charlotte saw that her client's nosy friend June rigged the
vote. Two other members want to start their own club. When Mimi suddenly
dies, the coroner determines she was poisoned. Charlotte believes she
knows who killed the odious Mimi, but lacks proof.
WIPED OUT is a down home charming and entertaining southern cozy. Charlotte
is a realistic amateur sleuth because she does not go searching for evidence,
but does listen to conversations and observes behavior and events that
lead to her on the verge of unmasking the culprit. Barbara Colley provides
a pragmatic common sense heroine whose actions makes her seem real and
her tales fun to read as fans can picture their neighbors in the role.
Harriet Klausner
Harriets's Archived Reviews
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