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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January 2010
Crawlspace
Sarah Graves
Bantam, Jan 2010, $25.00
ISBN: 9780553806809
Six years ago, everyone believed Randy Dodd died because there was plenty of evidence backing that belief. It also was assumed that Randy killed his wife Cornelia. His brother Roger, who was married to Cornelia’s sister, lost his spouse in an accident so he grieves all the tragedies that has hammered at his soul. Nothing altered these convictions until true crime writer Carolyn Rathbone and her assistant Chip Hahn arrive in Eastport, Maine to research the tragedy of the Lang sisters for a book she is writing.
Carolyn and Chip believe Randy is alive and is responsible for the deaths of both sisters as he wanted their inheritance. Randy is in town to access the money, but first kidnaps Carolyn with the intent to kill her because he simply enjoys murdering women.
Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree awakens to the realism her son Sam failed to come home last night and later discovers he was seen and recognized Randy. Sam is also the killer’s prisoner. Jake is determined to find out where Randy hides and rescue the writer and her offspring. With help from her step-brother, her best friend, her housekeeper and Chip, Jake begins her search. A clue from Roger assists them, but they remain ignorant that they are entering a trap until it is sprung.
Crawlspace is much more violent than the usual Home Repair amateur sleuth tales due to the predator; rather than a cozy this tale is more a suspense thriller. Readers ironically know Randy lives from the onset when the residents of Eastport sleep serenely at night because they believe he is dead. The story line is terrific with a great finish that will stun the audience used to amateur sleuth superheroes as fans will salute Sarah Graves with a strong grim entry.
Harriet Klausner
Sleepless
Charlie Huston
Ballantine, Jan 12 2010, $25.00
ISBN: 9780345501134
In 2010 in Los Angeles, a devastating affliction leaves its victim with chronic insomnia. Those who catch SLP never fall asleep and over the next few months the body not healing withers away until the incoherent person finally blessedly dies. Meanwhile the pandemic spreads in a city already under lawless siege as even the baseball season is cancelled.
Violence is out of control as LAPD cop Parker “Park” Haas fears for the future life of his newborn daughter especially with her mother dying, his beloved spouse dying from SLP. Meanwhile Park investigates Chasm Tide, an online game that people have turned to in order to run from reality and a black market drug Dreamer that provides relief to the misfortunate. However, as Park fears he may have caught the disease and his child too, he begins to connect dots that frighten him more than SLP.
Sleepless in Los Angeles is a terrific post-apocalyptic crime thriller starring a reluctant Noir hero who knows he is in too deep but has no idea how to get out if he is to try to save his wife and child as he keeps reminding himself he is just a cop. Somewhat different in tone and subject than Charlie Huston’s Joe Pitt saga it also shares an underlying sameness of love thrives even inside a hellhole. Park is a superb individual as all he wants is to take care of his family, but circumstances forces him in the role of a hero who thinks he be Don Quixote losing to that windmill that has some of powerful people propelling it.
Harriet Klausner
Hunting Julian
Jacquelyn Frank
Zebra, Jan 2010, $6.99
ISBN: 9781420104257
In Fort Lauderdale, bounty hunter Asia Callahan observes Julian Sawyer who has sex with a different girl every night. However, she watches him because thirteen females vanished across the country including her sister Kenya after meeting him. She knows his pattern and vows to learn what happened to her sibling and prevent number fourteen. Asia enters the Pussy Willow nightclub where Julian moves in on her. At his apartment, he grabs her throat and says she emits no sexual odor. Asia tries a jujitsu attack that draws pink blood. Julian picked her like her sister as a Chosen, but instead needs her as his zini. He mentally rapes Asia, but stops short of the physical. Instead they enter a portal to his world.
Julian explains to the Ampliphi leaders that his days as a gatherer are over as the human is his kindra. His companion Ariel is elated to see Julian until he introduces her to Asia as his kindra. He tells Ariel he will retire soon and informs Asia she is in the “Beneath” plane below that of the earth where his people are starving. As she struggles to adjust, some leaders want her dead while Julian needs her to come to him as he wants her, but his people need them to feed off their sexual energy.
Readers will be hooked from the moment Julian takes Asia to his dimension as the other realms premise comes across quite powerfully real even the need for sexual energy fueling this odd world with edifices hanging on nets. The lead couple is an interesting pairing as he needs her while she rejects him for taking her against her will leading to his major frustrations. Although the Ampliphi should have stopped the villainess long ago as she was hurting those dependent on her, fans will relish this terrific science fiction romance.
Harriet Klausner
Iron River
T. Jefferson Parker
Dutton, Jan 5 2010, $26.95
ISBN 9780525951490
Los Angeles sheriff's deputy Charlie Hood is assigned to the Operation Blowdown taskforce trying to end the tidal wave of guns and money flowing down the “Iron River” from the States to Mexico. Charlie understands the irony that the Second Amendment crowd who many demand tighter border patrol sells arms to the cartels who sell back drugs and people.
During a shootout between Charlie and his Blowdown unit against a cartel buying weapons leaves the son of the cartel leader dead. Now the border war is personal with Charlie and his team being targeted one at a time through loved ones if necessary. At the same time bankrupt weapons manufacturer Pace Arms has brokered a deal with a cartel through a middle man Bradley Smith, making life for law enforcement more dangerous.
The third Hood police procedural (see L.A. Outlaws and The Renegades) is a terrific tale that spotlights how large, complex and dangerous the gun trafficking sold south is. Ironically during the recession this segment of free enterprise drugs for guns and cash remains profitable. The story line is fast-paced but the scope is so massive that gunrunning removes the faces of the victims and the survivors as characters including Charlie become almost irrelevant. As Stalin said: “The death of one man is a tragedy, the death of a million is statistic”, which in this case overwhelms the cast and plot.
Harriet Klausner
The Paris Vendetta
Steve Berry
Ballantine, Dec 1 2009, $26.00
ISBN: 9780345505477
Danish billionaire Henrik Thorvaldsen obsesses over the terrorist incident in Mexico City that left seven dead including his son. He cannot move on as the brain behind the assault has remained free although he now knows who he is.
Henrik sends apparently fired Secret Service Agent Sam Collins to break into the Copenhagen bookstore owned by former United States Department of Justice (DOJ) operative Cotton Malone. The grieving Dane hopes to obtain Malone’s cooperation to help bring down the killer Lord Ashby who has ties to a financial cartel the Paris Club planning an assault on the global economy for avaricous gains that the DOJ hopes to counter. The starting point in the plan is a plot to destroy a landmark that could kill hundreds; war is usury profitable for the finance community.
With terrific ties to Napoleon in Corsica and an exciting action packed story line, the latest Cotton Malone thriller (see The Charlemagne Pursuit) is a fun read. Filled with twists and over the top of the Eiffel Tower villains, fans will enjoy Malone’s newest retirement caper mindful of War, Inc and If Looks Could Kill although not a satire. Malone teams up with a grieving angry father and a First Amendment conspiracy buff to thwart the latest capitalist plot to have the masses finance war with money and blood so the affluent can make outrageous profits.
Harriet Klausner
Jaclyn The Ripper
Karl Alexander
Forge, Nov 2009, $24.99
ISBN: 9780765318947
After dispatching Jack the Ripper from 1979 to a far future, H.G. Wells and Amy Catherine Robbins travel to his time 1893 (see Time After Time) where they marry. However, so her beloved parents would not worry she returned to tell them what became of their prodigal daughter. In 1906 Wells is worried about his wife who failed to come home, Wells traces her to 2010 Los Angeles.
Meanwhile Jack managed to anchor in 2353 before returning back to 2010 Los Angeles as a woman. While Wells searches for his Amy, he notices an alarming pattern that reminds him of Victorian Whitechapel and San Francisco circa 1979; Jack is back and he obsessively believes he must stop the killer for all eternity.
With two fascinating twists since the events of Time After Time, Jaclyn the Ripper is an exciting fast-paced thriller that never quite gels as the key two antagonists never quite come across as the naïve good vs. the sinister evil of the first book. Still fans of Time After Time, book or movie, will enjoy the return engagement as Jaclyn the Ripper still enjoys the kill.
Harriet Klausner
Death of a Valentine
M.C. Beaton
Grand Central, Jan 12 2010, $23.99
ISBN: 9780446547383
In the Highlands on Valentine's Day, Lammas festival queen, Annie Fleming received a gift that exploded when she opened it; she died instantly. police sergeant Hamish Macbeth leads the investigation with his new sidekick constable Josie McSween at his side; something he detests. They soon find out that the victim had plenty of rejected lovers who loathed Annie for spurning their advances.
Meanwhile working together draws the two cops closer even as Hamish uses the murder as proof that love is lethal to more than just the heart. However the villagers of Lochdubh are euphoric that the bachelor police Sergeant Hamish Macbeth and popular constable Josie McSween are engaged. Unlike seemingly the entire Highlands, Hamish is miserable and grumpy when he should be elated.
With a strong police procedural combined with a comedic romantic subplot, fans of the long running series will relish the latest Macbeth thriller. Ironically, the investigation is super vs. the romance which is amusing yet it is the latter that keeps the audience reading in one sitting (or cheating) with a need to know whether the long time (24 previous titles) bachelor says I do.
Harriet Klausner
Merry Wives of Maggody
Joan Hess
Minotaur, Jan 19 2009, $24.99
ISBN: 9780312363611
The 755 residents of Maggody, Arkansas are overall excited over hosting the first ever Maggody Charity Golf Tournament, which symbolizes how far from homemade cornpone to country club whiskey the townsfolk’s have come; though secretly most prefer the products of the back woods distillery. Mrs. Jim Bob Buchanan who came up with the idea refuses to accept any issues to prevent the tournament; for instance there are no golf courses, clubs or players in the town; most of the folks cannot spell the word golf.
When Mrs. Jim Bob announces the prize of a $40,000 bass boat for the first hole in run, everyone takes out brooms and what not to practice golf. Faberville Country Cub professional Tommy Ridner wins the prize over the hoot and holler of locals claiming he is an outside ringer as is PGA player Bonaparte Buchanan brought in by his clan to keep the prizes inside the family. Someone murders Tommy and soon afterward his friend. Pregnant police chief Arly Hanks puts aside her tea for tee time to investigate the homicides; while a LPGA pro files an assault complaint.
Merry Wives of Maggody is even zanier than the title implies as golf proves a lethal sport with a hole in one having new meaning as a hole in the head. The thin story line is fast-paced from the moment Mrs. Jim Bob tries to change the town’s rep from the centerfold of hick to glamour and never slows down as Arly investigates the homicides and the assault. Golf has never been crazier than in Maggody as Joan Hess strokes an ace on the sixteenth hole with this amusing cozy.
Harriet Klausner
The First Rule
Robert Crais
Putnam, Jan 12 2010, $26.95
ISBN: 9780399156137
In Westwood, California, garment importer from Asia and Africa Frank Meyer lives the good American life as he reinvented himself eleven years ago once he met his beloved Cindy. Four men invade their home killing Frank, Cindy and their sons; the nanny survived but is in a coma. LAPD finds tattoos on Frank's arms that police detective Deets has seen before on private investigator Joe Pike.
The cops assume Frank was dirty due to six previous invasions of homes belonging to criminals. Joe knows better even if he had not seen the man in a decade ever since Frank walked when his mercenary contract expired; he knows because Frank loved Cindy and would never go dirty because of her. Deciding he owes it to Frank to clear his name and to bring down his assassins, Joe and his partner Elvis Cole investigate starting with the nanny who they learn has ties to an Eastern Europe organized mob.
As the cops warn him to stay out of it, Frank and Joe, not trusting the law to look beyond their nose, investigate by digging deep into the activities of local gangsters. They begin to understand a different ethics than their own as The First Rule of the mob is the only way to leave is in a coffin. Fans will fully appreciate the latest Pike inquiry (see The Watchman) that has the mob, the gangs, and the cops in a rare unity (using differing means) to persuade Frank and Joe to back off.
Harriet Klausner
The Puzzle Lady vs. the Sudoku Lady
Parnell Hall
Minotaur, Jan 19 2010, $24.99
ISBN: 9780312612184
In Japan, Minami “the Sudoku Lady” is shocked when an American pushes past her to number one on her country’s bestseller list. Stunned and ashamed by this dishonor that that some ancient New England crone Cora “The Puzzle Lady” Felton has moved ahead of her, Minami accompanied by her teenage niece Michiko comes to Bakerhaven, Connecticut to challenge the foreign upstart in a puzzler’s duel. Minami is unaware that Cora is the front for her shy recently married niece Sherry Carter who creates the crossword and sudoku puzzles.
Cora as the Wicked Witch of the West wants to ignore the Japanese diva, but Sherry persuades her otherwise. However, before the duel between the Japanese puzzle champion and her American rival can occur, Police Chief Harper informs the aunt and niece that Mrs. Ida Fielding was murdered, but not by her spouse who was in jail sleeping off a drunken binge and no puzzles to assist on the investigation. Harper wants Cora to help anyway because she is very good at finding clues. Minami sees them and follows them. As the two puzzle-makers compete, Minami is arrested for murder so her books move back to number one while Cora and Sherry try to prove the visitor is innocent and Michiko asks them to take their time so she can go mall shopping without adult supervision.
The latest Puzzle Lady tale is the usual enjoyable lighthearted whodunit in which the mystery takes a back seat to the cast. This time the aunt-niece relationship is double the fun as the Japanese equivalent to the Connecticut Yanks invades New England. With several Will Shortz sudoku and crossword puzzles included, readers who enjoy a fluffy entertaining cozy will want to watch the battle of the puzzle warriors with their nieces as their squires.
Harriet Klausner
The 5 Greatest Warriors
Matthew Reilly
Simon & Schuster, Jan 5 2010, $25.00
ISBN: 9781416577577
The Dark Star has begun it entry to the solar system. If it is allowed to continue its arrival, the earth will be destroyed by the negative solar energy this sun emits.
Australian adventurer Jack West Jr. knows that life has survived the last visit, but not how. He and his team begin a desperate race to find a way to prevent pandemic calamity from occurring. As he and his squad work on solving seemingly indecipherable riddles, some people believe the Dark Star should come to earth. They try to prevent Jack and company from succeeding; and with time running out they look like they will achieve their objective.
The pace of this entertaining thriller is faster than Indiana Jones as Jack and his teammates go from one adventure to another without a respite. The story line is action, action and nth degree action. Although the plot is over the top of Mt. Kosciusko (make that Mt. Everest) fans who ignore plausibility will want to go along for the ride (see Seven Ancient Wonders and The Six Sacred Stones).
Harriet Klausner
Double Trouble
Susan May Warren
Tyndale, Jan 2010, $13.99
ISBN: 9781414313139
PJ Sugar roamed the world for ten years, getting in and out of trouble while having fun adventures until she realized that chapter of her life was closed; it was time to go home. She lives in her sister’s house in Kellogg, Minnesota with her brother-in-law, his parents and their child; and works as an apprentice to private detective Jeremy Kane. Detective Daniel “Boone” Buck wants to marry her seeing that the girl he loved a decade ago is the woman he loves now though she has doubts as she has come a long way since then.
Jeremy sees Sugar as she is today with no romantic lens filtering their relationship; though he deems her unready for dangerous work. Instead he assigns her to impersonate free spirited Dally Morrison, who is to testify against gang leader and drug lord Billy Finch. Fearing Finch has sent a hit man to kill her, Dally needs a new hiding place. PJ’s impersonation works too well as she is kidnapped and Dally’s house is broken into. The easy assignment has turned dangerous but PJ feels ready for prime time. She likes Dally’s neighbor and the group who plays on Dally’s softball team and considers deeply how she feels about the two men already in her life.
Susan May Warren has written an intriguing mystery filled with humor and excitement. The heroine is trying to learn just who she is and who she wants without hurting Boone or Jeremy, which makes all three in diverse ways endearing to the audience although Double Trouble for PJ. The whodunit is intricately designed to insure the reader has Nothing But Trouble discerning who abducted Sugar acting as Dally.
Harriet Klausner
Betrayal of the Blood Lily
Lauren Willig
Dutton, Jan 12 2009, $25.95
ISBN: 9780525951506
In London, Penelope Deveraux avoids a ruinous scandal with a hasty marriage to Lord Frederick Staines as they were caught canoodling. Also abetting their ability to elude social humiliation is his assignment as special envoy to the court of Nizam of Hyderabad in India.
Penelope struggles somewhat to adjust even as she bravely participates in court activities, but soon uncovers a plot to throw out the imperialists who are turning India into a crown of the British Empire although the French have forces and agents there to counter that. In fact the Nizam uses both sides against one another to keep control. She finds a brave companion in Captain Alex Reid who teams up with her to expose the traitors behind the plot. As they fall in love while competing with one another in sporting contests that she continually wins, the elusive Marigold continues seditious activities to remove the British from India.
Moving the Pink Carnation series to India adds freshness even as the basic theme remains the same of a modern day researcher uncovering information of a nineteenth century Englishwoman going undercover to try to thwart a Napoleonic plot. The story line is fast-paced from the moment Penelope muses over being married to Freddie especially after meeting Alex. Fans of the saga will enjoy her adventures as an amateur female agent causing mayhem that shakes up the dysfunctional triangle of power sharing by the English, the French and the native Nizam.
Harriet Klausner
Blacklands
Belinda Bauer
Simon & Schuster, Jan 5 2010, $23.00
ISBN: 9781439149447
Nineteen years ago, eleven years old Billy went to buy cards, but never came home. A year later a man flashed teen Mason Dingle who reported him to the police. Avery is a pedophile serial killer working his horrors in the Exmoor region of England. Caught he takes to police to the graves of his young victims. He never identified his prey but Billy was assumed to be one of them.
Billy’s nephew Steven lives in his Nan’s house with his mom and younger brother in Shipcolt near Exmoor. It is a house of pain and anguish as Nan looks out the window hoping her Billy comes home. Billy’s room remains the same as a holy shrine while Nan suffers from guilt for not watching over him more carefully. Steven wants desperately the loving approval of his aloof mom and distracted grandma so comes up with a plan to achieve it. He sends a letter to Avery asking him for the location of where Billy is buried hoping the remains will provide closure to the grieving adults. Avery receives a picture of Exmoor and sees a reflection of Steven. The convicted killer plots to escape to get to Steven, who has forgotten all about his correspondence as his home life has taken a happy turn.
Blacklands explores the impact of a disappearing child on the surviving family members, even those not born at the time of the violent crime that takes away a loved one. The characters are fully developed including Avery. Fans anticipate the clash between an aging pedophile still following his impulses and the tweener who though he seeks the approval of his matriarchs is no victim; just ask the bullies he eludes all the time.
Harriet Klausner
The Rook
Steven James
Onyx, Dec 2009, $7.99
ISBN: 9780451412812
In San Diego, FBI Special Agents Patrick Bowers and Lien-hua Jiang investigate several suspicious fires in conjunction with the San Diego metro Arson Strike team (MAST). The latest at a naval research center is a change in M.O. but the agents believe the work is by the same perpetrator who does not act like a terrorist, a thrill seeker, or covering a crime until the last one was committed.
A geo-spatial profiler with a great success record, Pat begins to theorize that the earlier arsons were practice for something in the lab. The two Feds soon connect dots from the fire to an abduction, an apparent suicide that looks suspiciously more like a homicide and something called Project Rukh. Behind the scenes is a grandmaster playing everyone including Bowers, his rebellious stepdaughter Tessa, Jiang, and others like a virtuosos moving pawns to do Shade’s bidding.
The sequel to the Pawn is a terrific FBI police procedural with a strong cast including a nasty brilliant villain who makes every move like a chess grandmaster. Tessa helps personalize Pat as each mourns the loss of her mom, his wife one year ago. With some humor adding to the fun of a strong thriller filled with a myriad of story lines that at times feel as if several chess games were going on at once until they converge, fans will relish the exciting action-packed yet character driven the Rook as Pat explains the true importance of profiling to the audience.
Harriet Klausner
Impact
Douglas Preston
Forge, Jan 5 2010, $25.99
ISBN 9780765317681
College dropout turned waitress and amateur astronomer Abbey Straw believes she and her BFF Jackie saw a meteor crash near the Maine coast where she lives. The two young females agree to search the nearby barrier islands as Abbey using wave theory believes the meteor struck land. The plan is to sell the finds on E-Bay.
Meanwhile the president's science adviser Stanton Lockwood III asks former CIA filed operative Wyman Ford to investigate the sudden flooding of radioactive gemstones in Cambodia. At about the same time Stanton makes his request that seems more like an order to Wyman,on the West Coast, just before he is murdered Professor Jason Freeman sends a classified file containing proof of abnormal gamma ray activity on Mars to mission technician Mark Corso of the National Propulsion Facility. Soon these three diverse scenarios converge with sixty hours to countdown impact.
This is an engaging science fiction thriller that hooks the audience from the moment Wyman begins his inquiry and never slows down as California, Maine and Cambodia hook up. The story line is fast-paced as fans will welcome the return of Wyman (see Blasphemy), but in many ways the brilliant slacker with her naive innocence makes the tale fresh.
Harriet Klausner
Deeper than the Dead
Tami Hoag
Dutton, Dec 29 2009, $26.95
ISBN 9780525951308
In 1985 in Oak Knoll in Southern California, fifth-grader Tommy Crane and Wendy Morgan run away from the class bully Dennis Farman and his flunkie Cody Roach when the fleeing pair trips over over the head of a dead woman. The victim was buried in the woody section of Oakwood Park up to her neck; her eyes and mouth glued shut. Their fifth grade teacher Anne Navarre tries to help the two children cope.
Sheriff's Detective Tony Mendez has just come home from attending an eleven-week profiling class at the FBI Academy. He points out this is the third victim in two years, but Dennis’ father Chief Deputy Frank Farman says it is only two inside their jurisdiction and insists “signatures” have nothing to do with the case. Sheriff Cal Dixon points out the differences in the profile between this case and the previous two. Meanwhile Anne becomes the prime suspect as FBI Agent Vince Leone arrives to lead the investigation.
This is an exhilarating serial killer thriller made fresh by using the mid 1980s as the date so that profiling remains voodoo to some old time law enforcement officials. The story line is fast paced from the moment Tommy trips over the head of the mostly interred victim and never slows down until the climax in a hospital room and a drive on the Interstate. Although too many threads are left dangling even for a sequel or two, fans will relish Tamu Hoag’s enjoyable Reagan Era police procedural.
Harriet Klausner
Fired Up
Jayne Ann Krentz
Putnam, Dec 29 2009, $265.95
ISBN: 9780399155963
Jack Winters, descendant of alchemist Nicholas Winters, who in the 1660s created the Burning Lamp, which increases psychic powers in a person with paranormal skills and gives them a new one br at a horrible cost. Those with the dominant gene become insane unless they find the Burning Lamp and the female psychic who can work dreamlight produced by that object. Jack fears he is cursed because he can suddenly induce nightmares in people while he suffers blackouts and sleepwalks.
Jack seeks out private investigator Chloe Harper, a high level psi who can work with dream energy. Through her aunt, she locates the Burning Lamp; the owner is happy to get rid of it as it makes him uneasy. The organization Nightshade, made up of paranormal criminals want the Burning Lamp too. While on the run from these thugs, Chloe uses the artifact on Jack who has fallen in love with her; she reciprocates. While praying use of the map turns him into a safe psi, Nightshade capture Chloe, who believe they possess the perfect way to force her to work for them.
This Arcane Society tale is the first book of the Dreamlight trilogy, which occurs in the present; books two and three will be in the Victorian Era and the far future on Planet harmony respectively. The story line is fast-paced from the opening three centuries ago as the rivalry between Nicholas and Sebastian Jones heats up and never slows down as Nicholas and Chloe team up. Fans of this brilliant author will enjoy this romantic suspense as the lead couple is a wonderful pairing and the support cast either quirky or deadly quirky. Readers will enjoy this strong contemporary and look forward to the talent of the author to take her saga historically and futuristically.
Harriet Klausner
The Wolf at the Door
Jack Higgins
Putnam, Jan 5 2010, $26.95
ISBN 9780399156120
In Quoque, Long island a man waits at a pier for Blake Johnson, security adviser to the POTUS, to dock his vessel the Lively Jane; his mission is to kill the American. The British Prime Minister ordered top operatives Harry Miller and Sean Dillon to attend a U.N. gathering in which Russian Federation Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is speaking. The President wants Blake who will be at the gala to gauge the Russian delegation.
Harry takes a walk in Central Park but is also stalked and attacked. In London, General Charles Ferguson leaves a late-night meeting of ministers only to see his car with the driver inside explode. Although all roads lead to Moscow, none of the operatives realize Putin has hired the best assassin in the world Daniel Holley to eliminate the agents who have interfered with the Russian’s plans for world domination; that is except Dillon who fears his most dreaded enemy has surfaced.
The latest Sean Dillon and company espionage thriller (see A Darker Place) is a super entry that moves on several subplots before converging for quite a climax. The story line focuses with back stories on how each chosen victim was targeted, stalked and attacked with an emphasis on Holly who ironically and fascinatingly holds the plot together; as opposed to Dillon and the other heroes. Jack Higgins proves he remains one of the grandmasters of the international intrigue thriller with this great entry.
Harriet Klausner
Kitty’s House of Horrors
Carrie Vaughn
Grand Central, Jan 4 2010, $$7.99
ISBN: 9780446199551
One of the talk radio hosts on KNOB is werewolf Kitty Norville, who was forced to change on the air. Since her outing, other supernaturals that include weres, vampires and psychics have also come out in the open. Mortals either believe or think strongly a conspiratorial fraud is occurring. The paranormal want acceptance in a mundane world so when SuperByte approaches Kitty to join others of her supernatural kind on a reality TV show, she accepts.
They are flown to a lodge in the mountainous wilds of Montana with no one around for miles. At first the filming proceeds like any reality show, but soon the weres, vampires, and psychics wake up to find all electrical power cut off and three crewmen dead in the plane and three others missing. They are further trapped and isolated by silver fences and weapons. The contestants know they are in mortal danger. A natural leader, Kitty takes charge with resolute determination to kill her enemy before they kill her. Lives are lost on both sides as Kitty struggles to prevent a massacre in the lodge prison.
Romance, action, and mystery come together in this fabulous urban fantasy mindful in a paranormal way of Christie’s And Then There Was None. Kitty is an alpha Lara Croft type heroine who goes into danger with her eyes wide open and a grit to be the predator and not the prey. She not only becomes the leader, she is there only hope of survival as slim as that seems as Kitty’s House of Horrors is a death trap.
Harriet Klausner
Who Killed the Pinup Queen?
Toni L.P. Kelner
Berkley, Jan 2010, $6.99
ISBN: 9780425232057
Tilda is a freelance entertainment reporter whose biggest client is the magazine Entertain Me! She is called into a conference when the stars of Cowtown, a 1950s cowboy TV show talk to her about the western resort they want to build in Massachusetts. Brothers Tucker and Hoyt Ambrose and Cynthia Barth want Tilda to write an article about their resort and find guest stars from their show to make appearances at their resort.
Tilda goes to interview 1950s pinup girl Sandra Sschrest known as Sandy Sea Chest. Thanks to Tilda, Sandy has a nice business selling memorabilia on the web from her glory days. Shortly after the interview, Tilda returns to Sandy’s home to pick up the camera she left there, but finds the woman dead with blood everywhere. The photos she showed Tilda are missing but Tilda has gotten the pictures for the Cowtown article on the net but someone shoves her into the street and steals the copies she made. When another person associated with Cowtown is killed, Tilda knows the crimes are obviously related, and Tilda intends to find out who the culprit is though someone is watching her and will take care if her if she gets too close to the truth
Toni L.P. Kelner has written a fascinating amateur sleuth tales that centers around the pinup girls of the 1950s. People at that time assumed these scantily clad young ladies were bad girls and decades later even with the sexual revolution many refuse to place that vocation on their résumé as they are ashamed. This feeling plays a key role in the homicides as the intrepid reporter diligently investigates the murders. Readers will root for the admirable heroine and seek her previous Where Are They Now investigation, Curse of the Kissing Cousins.
Harriet Klausner
Dead Air
Mary Kennedy
Obsidian, Jan 5 2010, $6.99
ISBN: 9780451228772
She is the host of On the Couch with Maggie Walsh on WYME radio; Maggie actually tries to help people with their problems. She laft the big Apple because she could not handle another cold winter and moved to Cypress Grove, Florida where the temperatures are year round balmy and crime is low.
Her current guest is New Age guru Sanjay Gingii who Maggie instantly dislikes. She tells her roommate Lark how she feels and that Sanjay is staying at the motel next door to their home. Lark obsesses over the New Age prophet and buys all his tapes, CDs, and books. She goes to introducer herself to Sanjay and he welcomes her into his room, but she needs to escape when he constantly makes passes at her. The next day, the two roommates learn Sanjay is dead and Lark is the last known person to have been seen with him. Adding to Lark’s troubles is her past police record for assault and her admitting to the cops that she hit him to escape his pawing. With motive, opportunity and a violent history, Lark is the only suspect that the police focus on. Maggie believes Lark is innocent in spite of overwhelming circumstantial evidence that might convince a Grand Jury otherwise. She investigates with the help of her eccentric lovable mom who would do anything to get into the limelight as she dreams of stardom.
Mary Kennedy opens up her new amateur sleuth series with a delightful homicide that will keep the audience guessing just who the killer is. Readers will agree with the cops that Lark is a sure bet; yet Maggie quickly learns seemingly most of Florida hated the self anointed guru. The relationship between the shrink and her mom is touching yet also amusing; but the entertaining story line belongs to the radio hostess who uses her psychology skills to abet her inquiry.
Harriet Klausner
Dusted to Death
Barbara Colley
Kensington, Jan 1 2009, $22.00
ISBN: 9780758222534
In New Orleans at sixty-three years of age, Charlotte LaRue still has the energy to perform the work of her business Maid for a Day as she cleans for selected clients who prefer her only. Bitsy Dhue asks Charlotte to watch her Victorian house as well as keeping it clean because a movie company is going to film there. It is a two week gig and she will receive $5000 for this pristine assignment.
One of the movie stars is Angel Martinique who has the reputation of her first name, but as Charlotte quickly learns G-string is apropos rather than the G rating reputation of this Hollywood heater, who away from the lights is a spoiled virago. Charlotte enters a room to find the body of Angel’s boyfriend Nick Franklin. She also notices next to the corpse, the letter opener used in a recent Angel scene and later confirmed by the cops as the murder weapon. Angel is arrested but her chauffeur Benny who loves her persuades Charlotte, whom he has heard solved homicides, to help him prove her innocence by finding the real culprit.
This amateur sleuth is terrific due to the Hollywood invasion that leads to an intricately created mystery. The heroine has strong instincts and her work enables her to notice clues in what seems like spotless segues. Fans will enjoy Charlotte cleaning up the crime scene not aware the killer is watching her.
Harriet Klausner
Stirring Up Strife
Jennifer Stanley
Minotaur, Dec 29 2009, $7.99
ISBN: 9780312376857
After her boyfriend of five years broke up with her, Cooper Lee moves into the garage apartment on her family’s estate; as she needs their support. She fixes office machines for Make It Work. A client of the firm of the credit card company Capital City, Brooke Hughes, lost her wedding ring in a copier. When Cooper arrives to find the ring, Brooke talks to her, something few customers do. Brooke finds the ring and some paper stored in a weird place. She places the paper in her work case planning to toss the paper later. A grateful Brooke Invites Cooper to come to the Hope Street Church services and meet some good people at the Sunrise Bible Study.
At the first session she attends, Cooper and the other people she meets are stunned to learn that Brooke was murdered with her husband arrested for the crime. The group rejects the notion her spouse killed her. Brooke hopes the shredded paper offers a clue as to why Brooke seemed nervous when they met, as f she was afraid of someone. On the papers is the name Hazel; Cooper visits Brooke’s assistant who explains the woman complained about her account being wrong. Cooper and the motley Hope Street Sunrise Bible Study posse investigate the homicide.
Although this fun amateur sleuth starts off a bit slow as the herd of characters are being introduced, readers will be hooked to learn what motivates each member of the group. Cooper is surprised and feels fickle that she is interested in one of the Sunrisers Nathan although she conceals her attraction to him. Jennifer Stanley provides an entertaining mystery with a strong lead character and a solid eccentric support crew.
Harriet Klausner
The Darkness
Jason Pinter
Mira, Dec 2009, $7.99
ISBN: 9780778326717
New York Gazette reporter Henry Parker encouraged by Jack O’Donnell investigates the murder of the former’s previously unknown half-brother Stephen Gaines by apparently the drug kingpin The Fury. After confronting Henry’s dad re a sibling he never knew existed until just before the homeless Stephen’s death (see The Fury), the journalists seek to identify the Fury though no one seems to know who he is as they walk the mean streets of Manhattan seeking clues.
Their first lead is the crushed body of a victim found with bones plummeted to almost fine sand floating in the East River. The Fury is sending a warning to those seeking to destroy him and his empire. However, the corpse fails to deter Henry from his quest as he follows up with whatever leads the deceased left behind when his skeleton was whole.
The latest Henry Parker investigation (see THE STOLEN, THE MARK and GUILTY) is a terrific suspense laden thriller with the personal twist adding depth to the hero who obsesses over the destruction of the Fury. The super story line is fast-paced from the recovery of the broken body but must be read after perusing THE FURY, the first half of a duology.
Harriet Klausner
Heat Wave
Richard Castle
Hyperion, Oct 2009, $19.99
ISBN: 9781401323820
At the exclusive Guilford in Manhattan, sexagenarian Matthew Starr falls from his sixth floor apartment. Leading the investigation into the death of the mega realtor is NYPD Detective Nikki Heat. Besides her competent team, she is saddled with writer Jameson Rook, who is researching an article on New York’s finest.
The evidence on the balcony is Matthew was pushed. The inquiry follows up with an interview with the deceased’s trophy wife twenty eight years old Kimberly after their seven year old son is taken out to play by the nanny. Soon the cops know she lies about her alibi and her affair with Barry Gable. They also learn from Matthew’s accountant that Starr was broke as confirmed by the bare office though his penthouse was loaded with expensive art. With suspects everywhere from lovers, bookies, and rivals, the heat is on but not from the murder case as it is from the attraction she loathes for Rook.
This is an exciting rendition of the TV show as the police procedural is fun to follow although the romantic subplot never quite gels feeling forced to match the on air relationship. The inquiry will hook fans of Richard Castle from the moment Heat takes charge with her only thorn being the Rook that seems to want to castle her queen. Entertaining, this is a fun NYPD novella as kick-butt Nikki with pain in the butt Jameson along with her staff work the murder mystery.
Harriet Klausner
Let Darkness Come
Angela Hunt
Mira, Dec 2009, $7.99
ISBN 9780778326533
In Chicago the police arrest Erin Tomassi for the murder of her husband state senator Jeffrey Tomassi. Her father-in-law wants the ungrateful white trash bitch to hang so he arranges for an inexperienced lawyer Briley Lester at the law firm he uses to represent Erin.
Briley looks over the case and believes her client is guilty just like the newspapers scream. Besides being a spousal abuse victim, Erin’s fingerprints are on the murder weapon and there is no evidence of a house invasion. In fact the defense lawyer leans towards plea bargaining though the prosecution refuses to negotiate with this obvious sure shot conviction. However, as Briley begins to u understand her client, she begins to believe Erin is innocent, but to prove it remains elusive unless she can reveal the secrets that the accused prefers not discussed in court.
This is a super legal thriller with several twists including a terrific look at the DNA chimera issue. The story line is fast-paced and gripping as everyone from the onset believes Erin is guilty, but over time the audience and her attorney begin to wonder if she might be innocent. Angela Hunt provides a winner and sets up what looks like another Briley legal thriller with her apparently on the prosecution side next time.
Harriet Klausner
Shadows from the Past
Lindsay McKenna
Harlequin HQN, Dec 1 2009, $7.99
ISBN: 9780373774074
Following the death of her mom in a Los Angeles earthquake, the baby Kamaria found alive in apartment rubble was adopted by Morgan and Laura Trayhern, who raised her as theirs with love in Montana. Everything was terrific, but the photojournalist always wanted to know more about her roots especially her patriarchal side. She has one clue as to who her biological father might be; three men in a photo with Morgan insisting Rudd Mason, owner of the Elkhorn Ranch in Wyoming, is her sire.
Kam learns Rudd is advertising for a caregiver to help his octogenarian mother, Iris. She applies and is hired. She easily becomes friends with the rancher and his mom, but his wife, Allison, and her younger half-siblings Zach and Regan loathe her. Worse she is attracted to ranch hand Wes Sheridan even as someone wants to insure the family estate remains as is and murder is a viable option.
This is an exciting ranch romantic suspense starring a likeable heroine. The story line is fast-paced from the moment Kam decides to uncover the identity of her biological dad with the help of her wonderful adopted father. Although the villain is too easily discarded, fans will enjoy the last Trayhern next generation tale (see Dangerous Prey and heart of the Storm) and hopefully persuade Lindsay McKenna to provide a futuristic follow up involving Zach and Regan.
Harriet Klausner
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