MURDER-GO-ROUND: REVIEWS BY HARRIET KLAUSNER

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.

June 2011

Clutches and Curses
Dorothy Howell
Kensington, May 31 2011, $22.00
ISBN: 9780758253309

Haley Randolph feels her life is on track since Ty Cameron, co-owner of Holt’s Department Store, is now her official boyfriend. That does not stop him from leaving her at a moment’s notice to go to work. She does not depend on him because she knows he might not be there in time to help her. When a customer asks Haley for help, she ignores the woman. Irate the lady places a curse on Haley. Shortly thereafter she is almost killed from plaster falling. Holt’s opening a new store in Vegas so Haley leaves town to help get the place operational.

When she enters a dressing room, Haley finds the corpse of former schoolmate Courtney Collins. Haley had contacted Courtney so that they could get together in Vegas, but what she really wants Is first shot of a new bag that a high couture designer created. The police suspect Haley because they know she did not like the victim. Tired of being the one and only suspect, Haley investigates, but her inquiry leads to a second homicide that she believes ties to the first murder. If she figures out that missing link, she will identify the killer.

Dorothy Howell is known for her lighthearted amateur sleuth tales starring an intriguing fashionista who forgets about Ty in times of need. Although she does not believe in curses, she reconsiders as sh*t happens to her so turns to a psychic listed in the Yellow Pages. Although Haley has been a suspect before (see Purses and Poison, and Handbags and Homicides) readers will enjoy her antics to lift the curse that she does not believe exists and find the culprit because pinstripes will not go well with her hair.

Harriet Klausner

Hit List
Laurell K. Hamilton
Berkley, Jun 7 2011, $27.95
ISBN 9780425241134

Near Tacoma, Washington a brutal serial killer has been massacring were-tigers and human cops. Sent to the area by high level officials, vampire hunter U.S. Marshal Anita “Executioner” Blake believes the Harlequin ninja paranormal assassins are the murderers. She knows they work for her enemy Mother of All Darkness vampire queen who wants the hybrid slayer’s lycan-vamp body for her next reincarnation.

As Anita, with U.S. Marshal Edward “Death” Forester having her back, hunts the killers; neither can mention the unmentionables less the Harlequins stalk them. Local U.S. Marshal Chief Raborn distrusts Anita for not being human and prefers Blake to die; he has someone on his staff willing to see it happen.

Washington State brings freshness to the latest Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter urban fantasy. The story line is loaded with action as the investigation into the homicides seem heading towards an even nastier spin than the violent precise murders; the heroine fears the homicides murders are a trap to catch her for Mommy Darkness to take over her body. Although there are the usual sexual interludes that slow down the otherwise strong hard boiled noir, fans will relish Blake takes SeaTac.

Harriet Klausner

Disturbance
Jan Burke
Simon & Schuster, Jun 21 2011, $25.00
ISBN: 9781439152843

Sacramento reporter Aaron Mikelson calls his friend and former peer at the Las Piernas News Express Irene Kelly with the news that her worst nightmare serial killer Nick Parrish (see Bones) is walking after recovering from a spinal cord trauma. She is upset as it took her loving husband and a shrink to help her heal after her confrontation with Parrish and his original Moth groupie, both locked away in maximum security prisons. Kelly tries to warn her friend forensic anthropologist Ben Sheridan who lost part of a leg to Parrish. Ben and his roommate Ethan Shire arrive with their dogs.

Meanwhile, Kelly becomes the center again thanks to Parrish of a media feeding frenzy while the serial killer’s Moths threaten her bodily harm for what she did to their “god” and their increasing belief that his resurrection will be soon. The Moths expect to assist Parrish when he returns to confront Kelly. When the corpse of woman painted with moths all over her body is found in Kelly’s car, the reporter knows that even with her ruthless foe still incarcerated, she is back in hell as one of his disciples has begun the war.

This is an engaging thriller though the journalist does not have to do much investigating as the ruthless enemy brings the fight directly to her. Readers know early who Parrish’s most devoted and dangerous allies are which detracts from the tension. Still, with insight into the plight of printed newspapers and the stunning number of previously secret psychos like the Moths who have surfaced via the Internet, fans of the series will enjoy round two anticipating the face to face confrontation.

Harriet Klausner

Royal Pains, First Do No Harms
D.P. Lyle
Obsidian, Jun 7 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9780451234148

Dr. Hank Lawson worked in a major New York City hospital. Two severely ill patients arrived at the same time; he immediately treated the sicker person. That man survived, but he was unable to tend to the other person in time. Hank was fired and blackballed because the man who died was wealthy and a contributor to the hospital. Although Hank no longer could obtain a hospital position, he kept his medical license.

Dr. Lawson became a concierge doctor to the rich in the Hamptons. He makes house calls, holds their hands, and provides service like the old general physician of years ago. One of his favorite patients is Eleanor Parker Wentworth who is a down to earth person. She is giving her granddaughter Nicole an extravagant wedding. Dr. Lawson learns Nicole suffers from fugue incidents when she disappears and does not know where she is at. Hank locates her, but she has no idea who she is. Her blood contains a dangerous mix of chemicals, but she swears she only takes vitamins. Other patients show the same symptoms. They share one thing in common, but to prove it before someone dies makes Dr. Lawson go out on the limb again; his brother Evan, his girlfriend Jill and his P.A. Dixie has his back.

Hank remains hurt that he cannot practice the medicine he loves though his patients adore and respect him. Readers will admire and like him as he seems like a Dr. Welby with flaws including irritability. He is all heart as he cares about his patients, his and their families and his staff. Like Lee Goldberg, D.P. Lyle writes novels with TV tie-ins that are fun to read.

Harriet Klausner

The Jefferson Key
Steve Berry
Ballantine, May 17 2011, $26.00
ISBN: 9780345505514

Stephanie Nelle leaves a mysterious message for former Justice Department field operative Cotton Malone to meet her in New York immediately. Not one to ignore a summons from his former boss, Malone and his beloved Cassiopeia Vitt shut down their Copenhagen book store to fly to the States.

In Manhattan, Malone observes an assassination attempt on President Danny Daniels, but intercedes this saving the life of POTUS. However, the Secret Service assumes he is the assassin and attacks him. He soon finds himself in further danger from the Commonwealth Society who has enforced Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution several times with four of them successful in 1865, 1881, 1901 and 1963. Malone learns of a Jeffersonian cipher deployed by Jackson after a failed assault but unused since. Meanwhile he and Vitt struggle to survive as Commonwealth Quartermaster Clifford Knox stalks them. The fugitive pair finds historical evidence of the intent of the Founding Fathers in ratifying that particular clause as the runaways are considered the traitors and the Commonwealth has the highest law in the land behind them.

This is a brilliant exhilarating thriller that uses the Constitution and American history to frame a great tale that will have readers hooked throughout. After spending time overseas (see The Paris Vendetta and The Emperor's Tomb), Malone comes home only to be caught in the crosshairs of a secret powerful group applying Article 1 Section 8: “The Congress shall have the Power to … grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules on concerning Captures on Land and Water”. Filled with stunning spins to American history, fast-paced from the opening 1835 Jackson assassination attempt to the final denouement, The Jefferson Key will be on the short list for best thriller of the year.

Harriet Klausner

A Time for Patriots
Dale Brown
Morrow, May 10 2011, $26.99
ISBN: 9780061989995

The financial industry collapses taking down the stock markets with it. The American economy is in free-fall. Newly elected President Phoenix and the Congress radically slash the federal government spending and reduce tax rates to their lowest in decades as they heed what happened to those in the last TARP intervention; safety networks are slashed with the massive reductions. Three types of groups emerge: local vigilante protecting small pockets of people loosely aligned with The Civil Air patrol; murderous terrorist cells; and stragglers with no camp available.

The Knights of the True Republic ambush an FBI unit protecting radioactive substances. They kill the agents and steal the dangerous material planning to launch a dirty bomb on the federal building in Reno. The Civil Air Patrol’s Nevada Wing led by retired Air Force Lieutenant-General Patrick McLanahan hunt the Knights hoping to prevent the destruction of Reno.

Fans will welcome the exciting return of not by the book McLanahan (see Executive Intent) though he plays the same shallow character he has been in the numerous tales when he was active duty and retired. This time he is accompanied by his equally underdeveloped teenage son who joins him in doing it the McLanahan way or no way as this pair is caffeine coffee drinking Cessna pilots. Extremely fast-paced with a powerful premise of what the impact of sudden massive cuts in spending and revenues mean, readers will enjoy father and son as they team up to try to save Nevada from the terrorist Knights.

Harriet Klausner

The Phoenix Apostles
Lynn Sholes and Joe Moore
Midnight Ink, Jun 8 2011, $15.95
ISBN: 9780738726663

In 2012 at The Reliquary in Mexico City, as he studies the video feed of the tomb University of Miami archaeologist Mesoamerican Professor Daniel Bernal tells his fiancée Planet Discovery magazine writer Seneca Hunt something is wrong about what they have found as Montezuma’s remains are missing. However, his muses are interrupted with an explosion. All at the excavation are dead except Seneca.

Mexican official believe a terrorist attack occurred, but a grieving angry Seneca believes there is more to it. She begins a hunt for the killers of her beloved starting with Carolos the technician assistant who left just before the blast. Seneca learns that other ancient tombs around the world are being invaded, but whereas the remains of history’s murderous infamy are taken other valuable artifacts are left behind. When she meets author Matt Everhart who is also following the story, they team up on a trail that leads back two millennia ago in Judea with a modern day scheme that will annihilate millions.

Although Cotton Stine takes a respite, the same frantic pace, starting with the deadly explosion, and never slowing down grips the audience with the first Seneca Hunter thriller with historical and religious underpinnings. Seneca is a wonderful fully developed lead character who holds the fast-paced exciting story line together. With a cautionary underlying message of keep the faith as science and technology are important but need ethical boundaries, fans will relish Seneca’s Hunt for the truth.

Harriet Klausner

Sentenced to Death
Lorna Barrett
Berkley, Jun 7 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9780425241868

Stoneham, New Hampshire celebrates the Founder’s Day weekend. Happy Domestic owner Deborah Black provides the welcoming speech. However, as she talks a small plane accidentally crashes in the gazebo where Deborah is giving her presentation. Deborah is killed.

The victim’s husband David immediately sells the store and refuses to see his toddler Davey. Grieving for the death of her friend, Tricia Miles, owner of the Haven't Got a Clue mystery bookstore, is stunned by the behavior of David and her mother Elizabeth Crane. Additionally someone is trashing the Happy Domestic. So unable to remain on the sidelines, Tricia investigates.

Sentenced to Death is am entertaining regional amateur sleuth (see Chapter and Hearse) as Deborah’s death seems like a horrific accident as no motive appears for anything otherwise. In fact the heroine investigates the odd reactive behavior of her late friend’s family rather than a death. With Angelica the sib and romantic hints besides Russ the stalking reporter, sub-genre fans will enjoy this fine New Hampshire mystery.

Harriet Klausner

Dire Threads
Janet Bolin
Berkley, Jun 7 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9780425241899

Elderberry Bay, known as Threadville, is a small Pennsylvania town renowned for its textile arts boutiques. Kaylee found the place and her three moms followed with Batty About Quilts, Tell A Yarn, and Buttons and Bows. Willow Vanderling thought the locale was perfect for her new embroidery store In Stitches.

Although the townsfolk appreciate the revenue generated by the themed stores and considers the owners as part of the community, Zoning Commissioner Mike Krawbach detests the shops; at least apparently Willow’s. He rejects Willow’s request to renovate the Blueberry Cottage behind her store. She hoped to use the cottage as a means to earn extra money while he wants to replace it with an ATV track and public restrooms. When someone deliberately opens her gate and lets her dogs out, Willow concludes Mike did it as part of his harassment campaign to make her leave. She angrily shouts “I’ll kill him”. Soon afterward, Mike is found dead on her property. Already the sheriff’s prime suspect, evidence keeps popping up to further hang Willow. Concerned, Willow accompanied by Kaylee and the three other storeowners, begins an investigation that soon finds a myriad of people rejoicing that Mike is dead.

This is a charming cozy starring a likable lead protagonists supported by her storekeeping “sisters” and a vile villain who uses blackmail to get others to perform illegal acts for him. Kaylee and Willow are friends who have each other’s back while the three Moms allow her inside their close knit circle. Although the theme of an amateur sleuth investigating a crime in which she is the prime suspect is not new, sub-genre fans will enjoy this entertaining Threadville mystery.

Harriet Klausner

Robopocalypse
Daniel H Wilson
Doubleday, Jun 7 2011, $25.00
ISBN: 9780385533850

In the near future, Dr. Nicholas Wasserman is well aware of how powerful his AI computer program Archos is. Archos’s incredibly seemingly as fast as light speed processing ability makes the need to contain Archos inside of the research facility critical. If the AI escapes from its controlled environ, Wasserman fears for the world. Wasserman does not live long enough for his worst nightmare to occur. Archos kills its creator and breaks out of the prison that contained it with one prime objective to save the innocent from the evil humans.

It begins its war against humanity from deep in an Alaskan bunker built inside a nuclear test site crater. Archon begins to control machines to kill or enslave the enemy. Small resistance movements arise but they are hopelessly overwhelmed until a little girl who due to partially completed operation performed by robots may have the power to defeat the world conqueror.

With the end in mind, the reader knows the outcome of the war from the beginning as the pivotal events are recorded by robots for posterity but edited by a “Bright Boy” as the to the victors go the history books. This story-telling technique brilliantly works because the fast-paced story line focuses on the major incidents avoiding the minor ties needed if done in chronological forward order rather than a rewinding of a DVD stopping at the critical moments. With a cautionary wink at technology unbound, Daniel H. Wilson takes the Terminator and turns him upside down.

Harriet Klausner

Hexes and Hemlines
Juliet Blackwell
Obsidian, Jun 7 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9780451233783

She searched the world to find a place she could call home and Lily Ivory found it at the corner of Haight and Asbury in San Francisco. Lily is a genuine witch trained by her grandma in the craft though she never completed her studies as she was run out of her hometown. She owns a vintage clothing store, but also has helped the police on investigations using her magic.

SFPD asks her to help with the inquiry into the death of Malachi Zozi whose body is surrounded by bad luck symbols. She cannot read anything from the body and the clothes in the apartment so Lily concludes someone magically wiped clean the magical aura. When she sees a picture of Malachi alive and well, she tells her mentor Aidan, the powerful lead witch of the craft in the Bay area, who warns her to stay away from the case. However, her best friend Bronwyn the Wiccan asks Lily to help because her son-in-law is a person of interest by the cops. Soon afterward, Bronwyn begs her to stop the investigation; as does a witch capable of bending time. Ignoring them, Lily feels it is her duty to catch a killer though her efforts place her in peril.

This exciting urban fantasy murder mystery (see A Castoff Coven) is an entertaining paranormal whodunit. Lily’s persistence as an amateur sleuth hooks the audience who is unsure whether to scream at her to back off or to encourage her to charge forward. Her familiar Oscar, a half goblin-gargoyle becomes a cute pot bellied pig who adds jocularity to the fast-paced story line as part of the quirky cast (benign, kind, and evil) that helps make this spellbinding tale a fun read.

Harriet Klausner

Ink Flamingoes
Karen E. Olson
Berkley, Jun 7 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9780451233790

In Las Vegas, Brett Kavanaugh owns the upscale tattoo parlor The Painted Lady. After becoming embroiled in homicides (see Driven to Ink and Pretty in Ink), Brett promised her concerned friends and that she would never again investigate a murder. She is unable to keep her pledge when a steady customer Daisy Carmichael, lead singer of the pop group The Flamingoes, is found dead in her hotel room. On the blog Skin Deep, a picture of Daisy appears with a flamingo tattoo that is colored in; Brett knows her late client was allergic to ink colors so her tattoos were all black.

Brett’s brother Tim tells her that a witness saw a red haired woman carrying ink pots and needles leaving the room two hours before the body was found. Brett has an alibi and there are further entries on the blog written by Ainsley Wainwright that have altered pictures of Brett and events that imply the tattoo artist is a killer. Brett realizes she has a stalker following her. She is able to dispute all the evidence with help from her friends, but still needs to know who wants to make it look like she killed the singer; which means investigating.

Karen E. Olson writes an action-packed amateur sleuth who- done-it that stays constantly at the speed of light from start to finish even with a few nice hairpin spins. The audience will enjoy this complex whodunit enhanced by misdirection and a touch of romance with a peer Jeff Coleman who goes the entire Strip and more to help Brett. She realizes she is attracted to her caring competitor. Ink Flamingoes is a strong entry that has sub-genre fans wondering who and why.

Harriet Klausner

Hot Lights, Cold Steel
D.P. Lyle
Medallion, Jun 1 2011, $24.95
ISBN: 9781605421810

Forensic criminalist Dub Walker is a consultant to the Huntington Police Department. He also assists the Federal alpha soup law enforcement agencies. His ex lover Miranda, who Dub has not seen in a decade, begs him to find her missing nineteen year old daughter Noel, a prostitute. The teen had not called home in a couple of weeks, which Miranda claims is out of character for Noel. Dub teams up with T- Tommy a police officer.

Two young female bodies are found in a shallow grave; one of them is Noel while the other is Crystal. Each has surgical clamps on their bodies and had their appendixes and other bod organs surgically removed. Dub focuses on finding Noel’s killer; but he and T-Tommy are unaware they are in the middle of an organization doing illegal medical experiments and these criminals are working in collusion with a mobster. As they get closer to the truth, those watching the pair begin the plan to exterminate them, but not before they take the organs.

D.P. Lyle writes a pulse pounding police procedural as the two close friends work closely together to solve the homicide case while having each other’s back; both feel strongly about obtaining justice for the victims. Told from the perspectives of the prime predator and Dub, readers will enjoy one of the better thrillers of the year while seeking the hero’s previous inquiry (see Stress Fracture).

Harriet Klausner

Unraveled
Maggie Sefton
Berkley, Jun 7 2011, $24.95
ISBN 9780425241141

In Fort Collins, Colorado, financial consultant Kelly Flynn breaks up with her boyfriend Steve Townsend. Heartbroken that her long time relationship ended, she turns to her House of Lambspun knitting friends for solace. Realtor Jennifer Stroud invites Kelly to meet her new client, Fred Turner, which she agrees to do.

The females travel to Fred's cabin on his ranch. There they find him lying on his floor dead; near his body is an antique pistol. Although the initial inclination is suicide, the police determine a homicide occurred. Apparently Fred had many people with a variety of motives to want him dead. Meanwhile Kelly investigates the ownership history of the weapon to prove one of her clients with a grudge towards the victim is innocent.

This Lambspun knitting amateur sleuth mystery (see Dropped Dead Stitch and Skein of the Crime) is a wonderful whodunit with a fabulous final twist. The cast is terrific and brings plausibility to the investigation although that is two edged as their early chatter keeps the story line from accelerating. Once the plot shifts into first gear (after a few chapters), Unraveled never looks back until the stunning climax.

Harriet Klausner

Grace Interrupted
Julie Hyzy
Berkley, Jun 7 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9780425241905

Part manor house and part museum, Marshfield Manor is a tourist attraction that brings in millions of dollars to the town. Grace Wheaton is in charge of the building and frequently is called to defuse fights between guests. One of the guests Zachery sets his eyes on David Embers and attacks him thinking he is his brother Jack who he believes killed his baby brother for stalking a Kincaide sister.

When the brawl ends, each walks away hurt but breathing. Jack, who has tried to date Grace, tells her the entire story; she believes he is innocent. Her belief is shattered when Zachery is found murdered in a field near where Civil War re-enactors have set up camp. The police look at Jack as the prime suspect just like they did years ago when Zachery’s brother was murdered. Considering what she knows about Jack, she decides he did not kill either Kincaide. As such she decides to investigate the two related homicides, but what she concludes is so horrific she cannot believe her assertion; even the police have trouble dealing with Grace’s belief when she explains it to them. Tthe killer remains free to harm more people.

The second Manor of Murder Mystery (see Grace Under Pressure) is a family drama as much as a murder mystery; as the two deaths link two bitter clans. Readers will agree with the heroine that selecting the culprit is difficult because both families consist of damaged people never fully moving passed thirteen years ago only to feel an eerie déjà vu. After a brief doubt, Grace knows in her soul that Jack is innocent of both horrible crimes, but proving it by fining the culprit seems just out of reach. Julie Hyzy provides an engaging complex amateur sleuth enhanced by a strong cast of suspects.

Harriet Klausner

The Devil's Light
Richard North Patterson
Scribner, May 3 2011, $26.00
ISBN: 9781451616804

Al Qaeda key terrorist leader, Al Zaroor plans destruction for 9/11/11 that will make the original 9/11 appears like a minor event. He needs a nuclear device, but Al Zaroor knows nuclear bombs left stationary are protected but those moved for purposes of the regional cold war with India is accessible for stealing. He arranges for an incident to heat up the always simmering conflict between Pakistan and India, and has a bomb hijacked while in transit.

Bin Laden announces to the world his team has the bomb and will use it on an American city to commemorate the tenth anniversary. While Pakistan denies the loss of a WMD, the CIA, HSD, and DOD take the terrorist at his word and try to protect America. However, CIA field operative Brooke Chandler thinks it is a hoax as he believes the target is Tel Aviv with the goal being America (and the Israelis) reacting like it did to 9/11/01 by attacking a nation; this time Iran. Chandler fails to sell his argument so he lines up his retired former boss Carter Grey to prevent 9/11 all over again.

This tense thriller makes a powerful plausible argument that history repeats the same mistakes, but worsened by stronger weapons. The gripping story line is at its best with the set up of the brilliant credible terrorist plot that extrapolates from the real world such as America’s ports not very secure. The tension is somewhat deflated when the plot turns to the two Americans trying to thwart the scheme as that follows a pre-ordained path though exciting. Still this poignant tale grips the reader from story to finish with a reasonable premise of what Al Qaeda plans to celebrate their greatest triumph.

Harriet Klausner

Outrage
Robert K. Tannenbaum
Gallery, Jun 7 2011, $26.00
ISBN: 9781439149256

Last July, a serial killer murdered Olivia Yancy after raping and torturing her. This sexual sadistic predator also killed the victim’s mother Beth Jenkins. Felix Avecedo is a bit slow and will say anything necessary to end any pressure he feels from others. Detective Brock picks up Bronx teen Felix for questioning in another case; the rape, torture and murder of Ms. Adkins.

A teen assaulted by the Columbia University slasher identifies Felix as her attacker. Police officer Graziani hates working in the Bronx and wants to go back to his former Manhattan precinct, maneuvers Felix into confessing to the three killings. Felix’s friend Alex and his mother Amelia talk to the New York District Attorney Butch Karp’s wife Marlene Campi; they explain to her Felix’s handicap. Marlene believes NYPD coerced Felix into his confession. This means the real culprit remains free pouncing on his next victim. Her spouse also thinks Felix is innocent even as the media howls for execution. Butch knows he cannot afford a mistake as his wife follows clues to a psychopath, inadvertently protected by a cop who will do anything even kill to be the city’s hero.

Robert K. Tannenbaum writes a strong brisk police procedural with legal thriller elements. Readers will know the truth about Felix and empathize with his psychotic fear of someone pressuring and shouting at him that cripples him in this case into confessing when he knows he is not the culprit. There are life lessons that add an extra layer of complexity to this deep serial killer whodunit.

Harriet Klausner

White Shotgun
April Smith
Knopf, Jun 21 2011, $25.95
ISBN 9780307270139

On leave from the FBI, Special Agent Ana Grey and her lover private security expert Sterling McCord are in London when her handler Mike Donnato calls from Los Angeles asking her to visit the Embassy. The FBI Legat in London Sheila Kuser asks her go to Siena, Italy to meet her half-sister Cecilia Maria Nicosa nee Sanchez of El Salvatore, who Ana had not known existed until the Fed call. The FBI wants Ana to meet Cecilia in order to investigate her wealthy coffee importer spouse Nicoli whose mistress vanished allegedly due to a White Shotgun murder.

Meanwhile Siena prepares for the Palio gala culminating with the legendary horse race between the city’s wards. Someone stabs Nicosa’s son Giovanni and Cecilia vanishes. Ana and Sterling trust no one local as they prepare to locate and rescue Cecilia before she becomes a White Shotgun victim.

The latest Agent Grey FBI thriller (see Good Morning Killer and Judas Horse) is an exciting European caper starting with a mass shooting in London and continuing on the continent. The complex story line is fast-paced and filled with suspense as the paternal siblings meet while family war breaks out in Italy. Though connecting the dots seem a bit convoluted, readers will appreciate Ana’s European vacation.

Harriet Klausner

Wicked Lies
Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush
Zebra, Jun 1 2011, $7.99
ISBN 9781420103397

At Ocean Park Hospital in Oregon, Laura Adderley works as a floor nurse while her ex husband Dr. Byron Adderley is an orthopedic surgeon at the facility. She had not wanted to move from Portland as Laura knows that brings her too close to Deception Bay, but he insisted. She divorced him when he was caught groping a nurse. Laura also belongs to the Colony of psychic sisters who reside at Siren Song. Pregnant with Byron’s baby, Laura learns to her horror that serial killer Justice Turnbull has escaped from Halo Valley Security Hospital after a two year stint.

As he did before his incarceration Turnbull stalks the Colony as he believes his mission from God is to send these she demons back to the hell that spawned them. Fearing for her unborn, Laura pleads with investigative reporter Harrison Frost, who is covering Turnbull’s escape and his deadly ties to the enigmatic Colony for help. Unaware that the woman he is attracted to belongs to the Colony, Frost feels a need to keep Laura and her baby safe.

This sequel to Wicked Game (and other Colony tales) is an exciting romantic suspense thriller that grips the audience the moment the beleaguered heroine (and readers) learns of Turnbull’s escape. Laura holds the plot together while defrosting Harrison from cynic to defender. However, the tale belongs to the obsessed insane villain whose belief that he has God on his side will remind readers of other fanatic killers who murder in the Lord’s name with some manipulated by others. This is a terrific taut thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Murder One
Robert Dugoni
Touchstone, Jun 7 2011, $24.99
ISBN 9781451606690

In Seattle, thirteen months ago attorney David Sloane’s wife was murdered. Now he makes his first speaking engagement since she died at the Rainier Club to promote legal aid services. Afterward as he starts to sneak out he literally runs into lawyer Barclay Reid who he opposed in court last year. She also grieves a close loss, the death of her daughter Carly from a heroin overdose. Reid wants to hire Sloane as her lawyer in a wrongful death suit against Russian expatriate car dealership owner Filyp Vasiliev, who recently beat a drug rap when a judge tossed out as inadmissible key evidence. Barclay insists the monster makes his money selling heroin including the amount that killed her daughter.

Soon after their meeting, someone kills Vasiliev in his luxurious mansion. The police suspect Reid who has the motive. Instead of a wrongful death suit, Sloane defends his client against a murder charge in which the evidence seems heavily to affirm she killed Vasiliev. Private investigator Charles Jenkins seeks contrary information to support Reid’s contention of innocence.

The fourth Sloane legal thriller is a strong entry as he works the jurisprudence system while his partner works the Seattle streets. Fast-paced, this time the hero is not being shot at, as he battles in court. Readers will enjoy Sloane’s return to the living in this fine legal thriller with an anticipated but enjoyable final twist.

Harriet Klausner

Missing Persons
Clare O'Donohue
Plume, May 31 2011, $15.00
ISBN 9780452297067

After almost two decades of marriage having met in high school, Chicago TV producer Kate Conway and her artist husband Frank are obtaining a divorce. His lover Vera Bingham calls Kate to inform her that Frank, after playing basketball, collapsed and was rushed to St. Anthony’s Hospital. The wife and the soon to be wife meet at St. Anthony where Frank died from a heart attack.

An autopsy of Frank shows he had extreme excessive amounts of digitalis in his body. The two women in his life are the prime suspects especially the wife who has a strong motive. As Vera wants to be her friend, Kate learns about their affair. To not focus on Frank’s death and her grief, Kate concentrates on her show Missing Persons as she investigates the disappearance of well liked community volunteer twentyish Theresa Monetti. However, the Monetti vanishing and Frank’s death comingle with Kate fearing she will star on her show as the third victim.

Missing Persons is a superb amateur sleuth mystery starring a wonderful protagonist who keeps the story line focused. Kate’s musing over the years with Frank add to the strong introspection while her Missing Persons gig helps distract her a bit though Vera seems to have the knack of bringing her back to Frank. Readers will enjoy the TV producer’s investigation that to her chagrin and soon fear leads from Monetti to Frank with Kate in the crosshairs as the connector.

Harriet Klausner

To Sketch a Thief
Sharon Pape
Berkley, Jun 7 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9780425241929

When she inherited her current house from her late Uncle Mac, Rory McCain found Federal Marshal Ezekiel “Zeke” Drummond living there; which is odd because in 1878 he was murdered in Huntington, New York. A Suffolk County police sketch artist and private investigator, Rory knows first hand that ghosts do not make good roommates or business partners. Still her agreement with the ghostly lawman is she solves his cold case murder and he assists her on her caseload. Rory has doubts, but admits to herself (since his ego is already in the exosphere) that Zeke was instrumental in solving the double murder case (see Sketch Me If You Can).

Rory finds a canine in her yard. She checks his tag and takes Hobo back to his owner only to find the woman dead with a knife in her chest. While waiting for the cops to arrive, Rory learns the victim is Brenda Hartley and her dog’s vet is Stanley Holbrook and she uses Boomer’s Groomers. Brenda’s friend Marti Sugarman arrives and asks Rory where Tootsie the Maltese is. Detective Cirello takes over the crime scene and he is nasty and sarcastic towards the two women. As Cirello works the homicide; Rory, Zeke and Hobo work what appears to be a dognapping caper.

The second Portrait of a Crime investigative tale is an enjoyable thriller as the ghost and the artist argue, fuss and fight in a friendly spirited way while working the case. Their pairing along with Hobo make for a fun whodunit though the dog-napping as the motive for the homicide is initially difficult to accept. Still fans will enjoy the present day case and the subplot into what happened to Zeke in 1878.

Harriet Klausner

Before I Go to Sleep
S.J. Watson
Harper, Jun 14 2011, $25.99
ISBN: 9780062060556

At twenty-nine year of age Christine Lucas survived the car crash, but her ability to store short term memories was shattered. She can only recall 24 hours and no more. Dr. Nash recommends Chrissie keep a journal so she can scan what has recently happened, which she diligently maintains.

Every morning she awakens as if her brain was an etch-o-sketch. She has no idea who the man living with her is or if she has children. When she looks in a mirror she sees a middle aged face not the youthful one her mind says. Her journal and pictures on the mirror enable her to know the man is Ben her husband and that she is published novelist. However, she wonders why Ben conceals truths from her and what Nash wants from her.

Although there is an obvious connection to 50 First Dates, Before I Go To Sleep takes a much darker with no humor look at the loss of short term memory; making the story line more aligned with Memento but in a domestic setting. Chrissie holds the plot together from her opening awakening in bed with a married man she fails to recognize and never slows down as she begins to question those who allegedly care about her. Filled with twists, readers along with the beleaguered heroine will wonder why her loving husband hides truths from her.

Harriet Klausner

Strong at the Break
Jon Land
Forge, Jun 21 2011, $25.99
ISBN: 9780765323378

Malcolm Arno has become head of a powerful militia movement. His goal is to outdo his late father Reverend Maxwell who died in a shootout with Texas Ranger Jim Strong in Midland, Texas in 1990. To achieve his objective, Malcolm plans on a second civil war with guns across the nation that will cause chaos and death.

Jim’s daughter Caitlin was thirteen when she saw her father kill Maxwell. Her current caseload is overwhelming as she seeks a veteran who believes Americans want him dead and she is worried about her friend former outlaw Cort Wesley Masters who is to be extradited to Mexico to face a murder charge. When Cort’s teenage son Dylan is kidnapped Caitlin leads the inquiry that takes her to Arno’s compound.

From Quebec to Texas and with flashbacks to two decades ago, the latest Strong Texas Ranger thriller (see Strong Justice and Strong Enough to Die) is an action-packed tale with a plenty of angst. Cait is terrific as she works on a task force with the Canadian Mounties as well as a case in Texas and assisting her friend with rescuing his son. Readers will learn how to be in two places at almost the same time using the sleep deprivation theory as fans and the heroine will get little rest during this strong caper.

Harriet Klausner

Fallen
Karin Slaughter
Delacorte, Jun 21 2011, $26.00
ISBN: 9780345528209

Georgia Bureau of Investigations Special Agent Faith Mitchell calls her mom Evelyn, a retired narcotics police officer, who is not answering her phone. Faith sees her mom’s door is open with blood on the knob and notices her baby is safely hidden in a nearby shed. Without regard to protocol or her own safety, Mitchell charges into the house where a hostage scenario turns ugly as one person is dead and another individual has a gun pointed at a third party; but mom is not there.

Faith and her partner Will Trent search for the former’s apparently kidnapped mom who allegedly was a dirty cop who may have been a cop killer. Both (more so Will) also spend time with widow Dr. Sara Linton who has seen first hand plenty of horror in Grant County as the former coroner and wife of the late police chief (see Broken and Undone). Meanwhile Faith has become the prime suspect in the shootout at her mom’s residence while some other police retirees come to the assistance of Mitchell and Trent.

The latest Georgia police procedural is the usual gritty, gory and somewhat complicated thriller expected from Karin Slaughter. The story line is action-packed with the underlying theme being family secrets can harm relationships. With a convoluted degree of seemingly no separation between key players, readers will still enjoy Fallen while wondering who’s done what to whom.

Harriet Klausner

A Parfait Murder
Wendy Lyn Watson
Obsidian, Jun 7 2011, $6.99
ISBN: 9780451233806

At the Lantana County Fair in Dalliance, Texas, Bree spots her former spouse Sonny Anders, who she has not seen since he abandoned her and their daughter Alice for Pole Cat exotic dancer Spumanti over seventeen years ago. Sonny acts and looks like he is wealthy and discussing a major investment while a beautiful woman stands nearby. His lawyer Kristen Ver Steeg informs Bree that her client is not the father of seventeen year old Alice and she should stop whining over child support that she files for with back payments.

A raging Bree runs into the attorney at a funhouse ride. Soon afterward someone shoots Ver Steeg leaving her dead. The police suspect Bree who had motive and opportunity but she tells Detective Cal McCormack and her cousin Tally Jones that though she wanted her ex and the lawyer dead she did not kill anyone. With help from Dalliance News-Letter reporter Finn Harper, Tally investigates the homicide even after Cal tells her to stay out of it.

This amusing Texas cozy is a fun tale from the opening pepper praline ice cream to the final ice cream recipes. The story line effortlessly blends quirky small town life inside of an enjoyable amateur sleuth as Wendy Lyn Watson serves up A Parfait Murder mystery a la mode (see Scoop to Kill).

Harriet Klausner

The Girl Who Disappeared Twice
Andrea Kane
Mira, May 31 2011, $24.95
ISBN: 9780778329848

In Westchester County, New York over three decades ago, when Hope Willis was a little girl her twin Felicity was kidnapped from their shared bedroom. She overcame her grief to become a family court judge in White Plains and married workaholic Edward the defense lawyer, and together in Armonk they raise their five year old daughter Krissy although he rarely sees his wife or daughter.

However, Hope’s perfect world collapses when someone kidnaps Krissy. Being an insider in the jurisprudence system, Hope knows how critical the early hours in an abduction are as well as the limitations that handicap the law. Although her husband objects, Hope hires Forensic Instincts, a private group consisting of profiler Casey Woods, ex SEAL Marc Deveraux and strategic technologist Ryan McKay.

Although the reader will know who the kidnapper is from the moment that Hope receives the call that her daughter is missing, fans will enjoy the first escapades of Forensic Instincts as the team with a few additions along the way work an exciting rescue mission after beating information out of a psychopath. Fast-paced with sharp tongued skin ripping interplay, fans will enjoy this taut thriller as the team, the FBI and the mom know the clock is ticking.

Harriet Klausner

Blood Trust
Eric Van Lustbader
Forge, May 10 2011, $25.99
ISBN 9780765329745

Alli Carson’s father President Edward Carson died when the vehicle he rode in skidded on a Moscow road. His wife First lady Lyn lied in a coma for ten months after the accident but finally passed away. Allie continues her training at the Fearington Institute with her goal to become an FBI Agent.

However, she becomes the prime suspect when someone tortures before murdering her boyfriend Billy Warren because they had a public fight two days ago and he was seeing a mutual acquaintance Arjeta Kraja. At the same time her ruthless billionaire lobbyist Uncle Henry Carson has plans for his niece that takes care of his interests at the cost of hers. As the FBI and the Metro police detectives investigate the homicide, Alli believes her hero Jack McClure, who rescued her a few years ago, is the only person who can help her.

The third McClure-Carson suspense thriller (see First Daughter and Last Snow) is loaded with action starting with the opening sequence when Fearington is in lock down due to the homicide and never slows down even with a zillion twists until the final confrontation. The obvious villain Uncle Henry comes across as a caricature who apparently wants to control his niece as he does everything else including the sex slave trafficking importation and questionable banking. The whodunit is fun to follow as the clues lead to her Uncle, the terrorist Syrian and an Albanian mob leader in this enjoyable over the top of the Washington Monument thriller.

Harriet Klausner

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