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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March 2008
Dead Heat
Joel C. Rosenberg
Tyndale, Mar 2008, $24.99, 384 pp.
ISBN: 9781414311616
President James Macpherson is on his way to Los Angeles to give a speech at the Republican National Convention at the Staples Center. His intelligence team killed a terrorist they has been hunting for years but in his computer they find a map of the Staples Center. They think the terrorists are targeting the president but are confident that they have him protected. The Secret Service is proven wrong when container ships launch scud missiles with nuclear warheads at D.C., Seattle, Manhattan, and Southern California killing the president and many others.
Vice President Oaks is now the president and he and his advisors are in a bunker deep underground. He intends to make the country who launched the bombs pay for killing millions of Americans but he has no idea what country it is. North Korea is prepared to invade the South and could have done it as they had the means. The new president of Iraq who makes Saddam Hussein look like a choir boy hates the Americans and is in league with the U.N. Secretary-General. He is prepared to go to war to prevent the Kurdish providence from succeeding and joining the new Kurdistan. Israel builds the Third Temple to the consternation of other nations. It looks like intelligence is needed to figure out who killed America and since the infrastructure is destroyed, the US must depend on its allies and what little intelligence they have from contact with the field.
Joel C. Rosenberg writes a political thriller think is based on today’s headlines and most of the events in DEAD HEAT could conceivably happen. The action is non stop from the very first page and the politicians and elected officials feel lifelike. It is interesting to see what happens when a first strike hits America and how the country reacts to most of its land made wasted. Mr. Rosenberg is fantastic writer whose chilling and exciting novels make him one of the best thriller authors writing today.
Harriet Klausner
The Dark Tide
Andrew Gross
Morrow, Mar 2008, $25.95
ISBN: 9780061143427
Charles and Karen Friedman have been married for eighteen years but are still in love. They live in a fine house, have a rustic cabin in Vermont, and take vacations in the Caribbean. One day Charles takes the train to work; Karen hears on TV news that a train was blown up in Grand Central Station; hundreds die including Charlie who was on that train.
While Karen and their kids mourn their loss, two men visit her; telling her that two hundred and fifty million dollars of investment money is missing. To her shock she learns these men are not only on the wrong side of the law, but her Charlie worked with them. Her daughter is given a warning that they better return the money or else. Karen knows she must find out what Charlie was into and neutralize the threat somehow. She receives help from Greenwich Police Detective Ty Hauck; they met when Charlie’s name and phone number appeared on a paper held by a victim of a hit and run. They begin to uncover Charlie’s darks secrets with each one making Karen wonder how little she knew her late mate.
With his second solo effort (see THE BLUE ZONE), Andrew Gross establishes himself as a rising star in the thriller genre. Although there is non-stop action from the moment of the train disaster, the key players are fully developed so that the audience feels they know them; most fascinating is Charlie who readers, empathizing with Karen, think we know him but each time a new revelation surfaces telling the audience we don’t know him at all. Karen is a person determined to learn the truth about Charlie although each new disclosure huts her soul; though a romantic subplot seems a bit off, Hauck feels that with her love he is coming back to life having had a personal tragedy to deal with.
Harriet Klausner
The Dark Lantern
Gerri Brightwell
Crown, Mar 2008, $24.95
ISBN: 9780307395344
In 1893 London, housemaid Jane Wilbred obtains a position with the Bentley family by forging a glowing letter of reference and concealing that she is the daughter of an infamous murderer. Jane’s new home at thirty-two Cursitor Road is filled with plenty of shenanigans and intrigue since the matriarch is dying; however the newcomer plans to be a mouse hiding as much as possible underneath the stairs and even from her peers.
There is a harsh rivalry upstairs between the two sisters-in-laws. The older brother Henry’s wife claims her spouse died in a drowning incident while en route to England after years in Bombay; no one knows this widow, a total stranger. The younger brother Robert’s wife Mina Bentley plans to be the matriarch and objects to the outsider or returning to Paris where she and Robert lived for several years. Robert ignores the war between the sisters-in-law as his interest lies with gaining official police recognition of the science of body metrics, anthropometry. He tests his theory when the house is robbed by an intruder claiming to be him, but soon spins into something deadlier.
This is an excellent Victorian mystery as Jane steals the show with her astute observations honed by being a maid although she is very young. The story line is fast-paced once the robbery occurs and Robert begins his inquiry. Fans of historical mysteries will enjoy THE DARK LANTERN as this is a very bright well written thriller starring a strong cast especially Jane.
Harriet Klausner
Betrayed
J.M. Windle
Tyndale, March 2008, $13.99, 365 pp.
ISBN 9781414314747
Vicki works for the Children at Risk Foundation; she is in Guatemala to see if a faith based organization is legitimate and their programs worthwhile. If they are she will approve a grant for them since they care of many of the capital city orphans with no place to go. Her sister Holly clashes with her as she is about to leave to go to the airport. Holy works at the Wildlife Rescue Center and she demands Vicki investigate why animals at the refuge are disappearing. She also has another problem she needs her sister’s advice on but Vicki has to go to a meeting and tells her she’ll talk to Holly that night.
Holly never gets in touch with her sister and the next time she sees her sibling she is in the capital city’s garbage dump and she is dying. When the investigation into her death is closed after a few unfruitful days, Vicki is livid and is determined to find out who killed her sister and why. Her inquiries lead her to a cartel consisting of men who were military fifty years ago and used by the CIA; they are now in positions of power that are unchecked and enable them to perform illegal activities without getting caught. Vicki needs proof that these men are corrupt but she gets in the middle of a CIA operation where she can end up like her sister.
BETRAYED is an exhilarating thriller that shows how people in power who are corrupt can make an entire nation fear and obey them in order to avoid death and torture. Vicki is stubborn and she won’t let anyone prevent her from finding out the truth. In a sense of irony the events of today are related to a massacre of a Mayan village two decades ago, in which Vicki was a witness to that event. J.M. Windle is a great thriller writer whose belief in God’s plan shines throughout the storyline.
Harriet Klausner
Delicate Chaos
Jeff Buick
Leisure, Feb 2008, $7.99
ISBN: 9780843960389
Washington D.C. bank executive Leona Hewitt studies the proposed corporate conversion plan of Coal-Balt Inc, who’s CEO recently died. However, she is stunned to learn the late CEO opposed the plan; even more shocking a second unexplained death of a person tied to the conversion shakes Leona up as she begins to wonder if she is paranoid or is someone killing the opposition.
While Leona struggles with her fears that someone is eliminating any opposition to the conversion by killing adversaries and that there is something wrong with the plan, the man she needs right now is out of town. In fact former cop Mike Anderson is out of the continent. He is caught up in a dangerous scenario in Nairobi where he was bringing money from his client Leona to her beloved African wildlife organization, Save Them; someone out of control wants him dead.
Suspense thriller fans will appreciate both subplots as each is filled with non-stop action starring likable protagonists and shadowy lethal antagonists. The genre audience will appreciate Jeff Buick’s superb take as Leona in DC and Mike in Nairobi fight for their lives with no one to turn to for help.
Harriet Klausner
Guns Will Keep Us Together
Leslie Langtry
Leisure, Feb., 384 pp., $7.99
ISBN: 9780843960365
Assassin Dakota Bombay enjoys his playboy lifestyle that he can afford due to his high paying occupation. He has no plans to change it. However, he failed to tell others because his womanizing and hit man existence abruptly ends when a six years old boy is unceremoniously dumped on him. Dak never knew he sired a child.
The Family assigns Dak to eliminate a rival firm at a time he tries to be a good father and is romancing someone who he supplies with clients, a funeral director. However, Dak knows he needs to finish the downsizing of the competition before the family gives his lover a client to bury, him.
The return of the Bombay family, who’s DNA contains killer genes, makes for a lighthearted fun tongue in cheek tale. Bringing in a funeral director into the family completes the process value chain as the final output of the Bombay products would go to her or her peers (family discount for bringing in business). Delightful Dak understands the vision of his family of assassins is kill is or be killed so as he courts his burial lover, he knows he must say to her 'SCUSE ME WHILE I KILL THIS GUY. As wacky as the first, Leslie Langtry provides an amusing Pulp Fiction
Harriet Klausner
Black Widow
Randy Wayne White
Putnam, March 2008, $24.95, 336 pp.
ISBN: 9780399154560
Four women (a bride to be and her three bridesmaids) take a vacation getaway from wedding madness at Saint Arc Island in the Caribbean. They meet three men and after drinking alcohol and smoking pot, they had an orgy. When they arrive home an email attachment arrives with a clip of what they were doing in the pool. The bride knows her fiancé will never marry her if he finds out what she did. She asks her godfather Dr. Marion Ford to make the exchange of money for the tape, which he does.
He warns her that this might not be over if they made another tape; sure enough another blackmail e-mail arrives. One of the bridesmaid’s husbands sees the clip and the note and goes into a rage. His wife overdoses on pills and alcohol and is rushed to the hospital. Shay follows the ambulance but also ends up staying at the hospital after she crashes into a tree. The women want revenge and Doc is determined they will have it. When he returns to the island he realizes what was done to Shay was done to others; as this is an ugly cottage industry. Tapes used for blackmail purpose with three starring studs and another hiding while filming is big business. Doc seeks the director and the hidden filmmaker so that Shay and others will have peace of mind. He is up against malevolence so evil with so many followers that it will take a miracle for him to survive.
Randy Wayne White is one of the best thriller authors writing today. There is action in every chapter, chase scenes galore and the way Doc wiggles out of imminent dangers makes James Bond seem like a pale imitation of the true secret agent. Doc is bored out of his skull since he was allowed to retire from his agency which is the reason he agreed to take charge of this operation. His adversaries are over the top psychopaths who feel no rules apply to them especially when it comes to their cash crop, but Doc understands their “rules”.
Harriet Klausner
Blind Fall
Christopher Rice
Scribner, March 2008, $26.00
ISBN: 9780743293990
In Iraq, John Houck of the Force Recon Company learned about the suicide of his brother shortly before they were to go out on a mission. During their mission, John missed some signs and a car blew up injuring his commanding officer Mike Bowers who jumped on John saving his life but lost an eye in the process. His body will have scars from the injury and it is John’s guilt that doesn’t allow him to pay Mike a visit until long after Johm returns to the states.
When a gift he ordered for Mike arrives he has the excuse to finally see his savior. Entering his home, he finds Mike tied to his bed by both arms, several wounds in his chest. He finds Alex outside and learns they are lovers living together. John takes Alex to see the body, but there is no corpse and the room is clean. When they report it to the police captain Ray Duncan, he makes it plain he thinks that John is suffering from PTSD. Joh takes Alex to his home and when Duncan arrives saying Mike is nowhere to be found and that perhaps Alex is the killer. John notices the handprint he makes is the same as the one in Mike’s room. John feels an affinity to Alex because of what he was to Mike. John teaches Alex how to defend himself but when Duncan does something that enrages Alex, John is afraid he is going to kill the cop and he takes desperate measures to stop him.
This novel packs a powerful emotional punch as it examines the psyches of two damaged individuals who don’t even realize the truth about themselves. John is an interesting complex character, whose brother was gay and Alex a gay man o was afraid of the relationship that existed between Mike and John even though Mike never came out of the closet to John.. This is a great work of psychological suspense but it is also a work that explores the damage people do in the name of love.
Harriet Klausner
Blasphemy
Douglas J. Preston
Forge, Jan 2008, $25.95
ISBN: 9780765311054
Physicist Gregory North Hazelius sold the concept of creating a humongous forty billion dollar "superconducting supercollider particle accelerator" based on finding a new source of energy. He knows not to tell anyone about his personal secret agenda behind why he pushed the Isabella project as it is called; he plans to duplicate the Big Bang of creation in order to speak to God.
The Navajo Indian Reservation in the southwest is chosen as the locale for Isabella. Work begins inside the five-hundred-square-mile Red Mesa tableland. However, the project falls behind schedule disturbing DC politicos who bet on its quick success. Presidential science adviser Dr. Stanton Lockwood sends former CIA operative Wyman Ford to investigate why the delay and is there any way to propel the project back on schedule. At the same time, others strongly oppose Isabella fearing the wrath of God. Televangelist Reverend Don Spates claims scientific blasphemy challenging heaven; Navaho shamans share Spates’ fears that the world is coming to an end. These two diverse groups plan to destroy the evil scientists and their blasphemous Isabella before the Armageddon Big Crunch occurs.
This is exciting thriller in which science and religion clash; in many ways the tale is a modernizing of Frankenstein as Isabella is considered the monster by the evangelists and the Navaho while Dr. Hazelius (and twelve other scientists) is the zealous creator. The story line starts slow as the cast is set, but once everyone converges on the southwest, the plot is faster than an atom flying around a supercollider. Fans will enjoy Douglas J. Preston’s entertaining action-packed tale.
Harriet Klausner
The Magdalene Chronicles
Suzen Wuerth
Outskirts, 2007, $9.95
ISBN: 9781598007398
The French law firm of Troute, Flangette et Bronsaurd inform American archeology student Maddy Whitaker that her grandmere died leaving her with an estate in France. Maddy is stunned as she was unaware of this grandmere who gave birth to her mom Beatrice, but sent the child to the Sanders of Savannah, American relatives, to raise the child as their own.
Maddy travels to her late grandmere’s house in France. In the attic she finds an old trunk containing an old leather bound book that was crumbling with her touch. She reads about her de Brissac maternal ancestry who apparently revered Mary Magdalene. Further exploring finds ancient relics, hidden passageways and the knowledge that the house lies on top of sacred ground as a convent was once there. With help from her American friends and her new French amies, Maddy investigates her family tree back two millennium and begins to unravel a secret society plot to rule the world.
With a nod to the Da Vinci Code, THE MAGDALENE CHRONICLES is a terrific look at the infancy of Christianity through Mary Magdalene’s perspective interwoven inside a modern day amateur sleuth conspiracy thriller. Everything ties nicely together as the ancient diaries written allegedly by Mary Magdalene are included inside the contemporary story line. Readers will obtain their money’s Wuerth with this fine tale that sets up the next entry in The Followers of the Magdalene saga.
Harriet Klausner
Carrot Cake Murder
Joanne Fluke
Kensington, March 2008, $22.00, 336 pp.
ISBN: 9780758210203
The Cookie Jar owner Hannah Swensen is helping her business partner Lisa get ready for the big family reunion in Lake Eden, Minnesota. Relatives from all over the country are arriving and Lisa’s mother-in-law Marge is hoping that her brother Gus Herman will somehow hear of it and come. He left a quarter of a century ago in the middle of the night without telling anyone, leaving his family heartbroken and many residents angry because he vanished with their money.
To the family’s shock he does arrive dressed in an Armani suit, wearing a Rolex and driving a Jaguar. He flaunts his success which doesn’t endear him to many people. When Gus doesn’t show up for the reunion picture Hannah is dispatched to find him. At the Lake Pavilion, she finds his body, a wound on his chest. Marge and Lisa ask her to find the killer and resident Mac tells Hannah he saw Lisa’s father, Jack Herman walking around the time Gus was killed. Jack suffers from Alzheimer’s disease so his memories can’t be relied upon; the whole town knows that Jack and Gus had a fight before Gus left town. Jack also showed his anger towards at the reunion. Refusing to believe Jack could be the killer; Hannah continues to investigate and almost becomes the second victim.
Joanne Fluke writes a delightful and charming regional cerebral cozy. The protagonist uses her mind to discover the clues that lead to the killer’s identity and it is a pleasure to see a heroine who is not afraid to show her intelligence to the town’s residents. Hannah is the ultimate feminist a person who remains true to herself and refuses to conform to society’s female paragon.
Harriet Klausner
The Eye of Jade
Diane Wei Liang
Simon & Schuster, Feb 2008, $24.00
ISBN: 9781416549550
After quitting her position with the Ministry of Public Security, Mei Wang opens up a private investigative firm in Beijing. Her widowd mom and her sister are upset because they know Mei’s business is illegal and they live with the memory of the family’s patriarch taken away by Mao’s enforcers; her female relatives live within the “rules” of Communist society.
Long time family friend "Uncle" Chen Jitian hires Mei to find a valuable Han Dynasty jade seal once thought to have been destroyed along with other museum artifacts by the excesses of the Red Guard. Mei and her male assistant Gupin follow clues that take them to a dangerous part of the city where black market dealings are the norm. As the fuzzy picture begins to turn increasingly lucid, Mei realizes more than she would like as her family has secrets that tie back to the jade seal.
This is a terrific Chinese private investigator tale starring an independent feisty heroine who bucks the political climate, societal norms, and her family. The story line is fast-paced while providing a fascinating insight into schizoid modern day Beijing. The inquiry into the missing seal is well done and entertaining, but it is the look at China that makes THE EYE OF JADE compelling.
Harriet Klausner
Curse of the Spellmans
Lisa Lutz
Simon & Schuster, Mar 2008, $25.00
ISBN 9781416532415
In San Francisco, no longer in love with a Bush worshipping dentist to the euphoria of her mom (see THE SPELLMAN FILES), Isabel Spellman continues to work at her family’s investigative business, Spellman Investigations, as she has since she was twelve. However, to her mom’s shock, Isabel is now engaged; make that “engaged” to SFPD Inspector Henry Stone, who was run over by her fifteen years old sister Rae. However, putting that aside, Isabel wonders how she, a thirty years old responsible tax-paying member of society, needs her mom to bail her out.
It is the fault of her next door neighbor John Brown; to hereby be called the “Subject” from now on; that she is in trouble with the law. Her eighty something napping attorney Morty accuses her of violating a restraining order placed on her; he tells her four arrests in two months means her PI license is revoked. She insists the Subject is hiding a malevolent act and that she just needs more evidence to affirm her theory and save her license. However her inquiry turns further bizarre when the stars of the “The Stone and Spellman Show”, Rae and Henry, become involved (with the case silly – she is a young teen and he is potentially Isabel’s next ex).
This is a zany madcap private investigative tale starring the wild bunch, better known as the Spellman family. The story line is fast-paced whether it is Isabel explaining to a snoozing Morty that one thing leads to another or Rae’s puppy love adulation of Henry. Starting with mom hanging up on her incarcerated daughter, fans of madcap laugh out loud humorous investigation tales will thoroughly enjoy the CURSE OF THE SPELLMANS.
Harriet Klausner
Dead Time
Stephen White
Dutton, Mar 2008, $25.95
ISBN: 9780525950066
Years ago, a group of college students hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon; one morning at the bottom, they met Nicholas Paulson who was looking for his girlfriend Jaana Peek, who was in the United States on a Visa. She had disappeared so the group searched for her with three of them leaving the Canyon including Eric and Lisa who could not participate in the rescue effort. Years later Lisa agreed to be the surrogate mother for Eric and his fiancée Meredith, former wife of psychologist Dr. Alan Gregory.
Meredith turns to Alan when Lisa disappears with her fetus growing inside her. Alan, who is recovering from his DRY ICE escapade, is in New York with his stepson Jonas, prepared to take him back home if his visit with his dead mother Adrienne’s estranged family proves too traumatic. However, he agrees to help his former wife and starts with a friend’s daughter who was part of the Grand Canyon incident years ago. Every clue from the past that he uncovers proves very relevant to the present, but Alan remains ignorant that someone is watching his progress to insure he never learns the truth; before that occurs this stalker will do to Alan what happened to Jaana.
The latest Alan Gregory thriller is an exhilarating action-packed tale in which a dark past spreads its tentacles into the present. The protagonist is just starting to get his life together as he deals with a new stepson whose uncle protests his having custody of his nephew and a shaky marriage. However, when Meredith asks for his aid, his conscience makes him say yes. Although the plot moves at light speed, it is the strong characterizations that make this a special read.
Harriet Klausner
Fire Study
Maria V. Snyder
Mira, Mar 2008, $25.95
ISBN: 9780778325345
After being raised in the Territory of Ixia and having gained the trust of Commander Ambrose and the love of his second in command Valek, Yelena returns to her homeland Sitia to study magic. Belonging to both countries, Yelena wants to become the liaison so that neither place will war against the other. Her studies are once again interrupted when she goes to find Ferde the Soulstealer and Cahill the pretender to the Ixian throne.
It is believed they are hiding in the Avibian Plains where the Sanseed Clan (Yelena’s cosins) live. A splinter group of the clan has turned to the forbidden blood magic and Storyweavers dub them Vermin; whereas they call themselves the Daviian Clan. Their mysterious leader’s goal is to rule Sitia; no outsider has seen him. The Vermin take control of the Sitia government and prepare to conquer Ixia. Yelena and her Ixian lover Valek hope to prevent the carnage, but to succeed she must make a promise that will keep the pair of lovers separated forever.
FIRE STUDY is a magical tale filled with intrigue, double crosses, and duplicity and stars a beleaguered heroine who swims in treacherous waters in order to stop a bloody war from occurring as both countries are dear to her. Valek loves Yelena beyond reason and will do almost anything to help her yet he is also a sexy alpha male who will not allow the woman who owns his heart walk all over him. Yelena loves him too and has started to get close with her family but first she must stop an evil person from destroying her birthplace before getting involved in personal matters.
Harriet Klausner
House of Cards
C.E. Murphy
Luna, Mar 2008, $14.95
ISBN: 978037380263
There are paranormal species who share the world with humans including dragons, djinns, vampire, selkies, and gargoyles. They exist in absolute secrecy as they fear the overwhelmingly large numbers of humans whose encroachments into other habitants has led to extinction. Lawyer Margrit Knight knows of the existence of these sentient rivals having met them on an adventure (see HEART OF STONE) with Alban Korund. They both felt the intimacy between them, but Alban believes Margrit deserves a life in the human realm regardless of how she feels.
Margrit owes Janx, the dragonlord and an underworld criminal with a powerful empire, a favor. He calls it in when he asks her to watch over his second in command Malik the djinn. Alba, who is back in Margrit’s life, watches Malik during the night because during day he turns to stone. Margit observes the djinn in daylight. Having been bitten by the vampire Daisani, Margrit heals quickly. Alba knows that if she drinks a second time, she will be long lived and perhaps give her and her star-crossed lover a chance at a relationship but he is too afraid. Margrit attends a party in which she brings the head of each species together. They discuss the applicability of their laws in the twenty-first century while some want her removed or better dead especially Malik who wants nothing detouring him from his goal of supremacy; Alban risks his life to keep Margrit safe.
C.E. Murphy writes a great urban romantic mystery fantasy that contains an interesting mythos that will remind the audience of the works of Laurel K Hamilton. The protagonist is a strong willed person who does not fear dealing with the Old Races as she sees herself as a mediator helping settle disputes. Her feelings for the gargoyle feel genuine though they have a lot of issues dividing them starting with his daylight HEART OF STONE. HOUSE OF CARDS is a magical tale that readers will appreciate.
Harriet Klausner
The Invisible
Andrew Britton
Kensington, Mar 2008, $24.00
ISBN 9780758213358
Four months ago CIA Agent Naomi Kharmai ended her relationship with CIA operative Ryan Kealey. He took it bad, walking off the job to roam aimlessly around the globe. However the agency needs Ryan’s brand of service immediately; as the CIA leadership believes only his out of control lunacy can handle a particularly nasty cleaning job behind enemy lines.
His CIA handler Jonathan Harper offers the despondent agent a deal; he will present him Naomi if Kealey returns to work; Kealey accepts. Kealey is to find and take down Algerian terrorist Amari Saifi, who has kidnapped several Americans in Pakistan. As Kealey searches for his target, Saifi announces his presence by boldly abducting acting Secretary of State Brynn Fitzgerald.
In his third espionage thriller (see THE ASSASSIN and THE AMERICAN) Kealey remains out of control and fun to watch, but has lost some of his edge. Still this terrorist vs. antiterrorist High Noon tale is fast-paced and filled with action of a blow em up variety. Readers who enjoy a high octane tale will be pleased with Andrew Britton’s latest escapade though it reads too similar to his hero’s A book encounters.
Harriet Klausner
The Silver Swan
Benjamin Black
Holt, Mar 2008, $25.00
ISBN 9780805081534
In 1950s Ireland, Billy Hint sees his old college crony pathologist Garret Quirke. Since they have not seen each other in quite a while, Garret is bit surprised by the visit until Billy asks a favor. He begs Garret not to perform an autopsy on his late wife, Deirdre.
The law requires an autopsy when foul play seems possible; in this case it is probable as Deirdre’s naked corpse was fished out of Dublin Bay though indications seem suicide as the most likely cause. However, Garret is stunned by the request as Billy beseeched him to drop the medical investigation. Instead he conducts a quiet inquiry into Deirdre’s last days not knowing what to expect, but totally unprepared to uncovering her alias Laura Swan co-owning the beauty salon Silver Swan with Leslie White and a blackmailing scheme that includes his estranged daughter.
This sequel to the superb CHRISTINE FALLS is an excellent investigative thriller that grips the audience from the moment Billy begs and never slows down until the stunning final confrontation. The story line is fast-paced and in spite of 288 pages is a one sitter read. The terrific hero is likable, as he learns one thing leads to another, but deception is part of each step he takes. THE SILVER SWAN is a great Irish whodunit.
Harriet Klausner
Shadow Waltz
Amy Patricia Meade
Midnight Ink, Mar 2008, $13.95
ISBN: 9780738712499
It is 1935 and the nation remains buried in the Great Depression, but author Marjorie McClelland and her rich fiancé Creighton Ashcroft barely feel its effects. They are making wedding plans when an interruption comes in the form of a knock on the door. Elizabeth Barnwell, who read about this couple solving two murders (see GHOST OF A CHANCE and MILLION DOLLAR BABY), begs them to find her missing husband Michael who vanished two days ago. They agree to help her; she tells them she found a mysterious key and a piece of paper with an address on it in a pocket of one of his pants.
They go to the address and find the butchered body of a woman whose face is smashed in, and her four extremities cut off. The house belongs to Ronnie Carter and a witness describes her lover as that of Michael. Marjorie and Creighton find him at his parents’’ home where he proclaims his innocence. He is taken to jail. Marjorie learns that the victim’s lover before Michael, Trent Taylor, is now a widower who made a fortune collecting a life insurance payout on his wife’s death. Before she died, Ronnie accused Trent of poisoning his spouse; an autopsy proves his late wife had a deadly amount of arsenic in her system. Case closed except Marjorie thinks someone else has set up Trent, but her sleuthing almost gets her shot.
Since everyone in Ridgebury, Connecticut wants to get involved in the wedding, Marjorie buries herself into the investigation to avoid dealing with definitive decisions that people demand of her. Readers will feel like they are in the middle of a Tracey-Hepburn movie to include campy dialogue, misleading assumptions, and plenty of action. SHADOW WALTZ is a thoroughly enjoyable historical mystery that takes its audience dancing into a bygone era.
Harriet Klausner
Calumet City
Charlie Newton
Touchstone, Mar 2008, $14.00
ISBN: 9781416533221
It has been almost two decades since Patti Black ran from her foster home in Calumet City. Her life with her foster parents was torturous, a chamber of horrors; that led to her drinking as a teen to forget the atrocities. After running away she eventually got her act together and has been a Chicago police officer. She is the most decorated cop in the city and in line to a promotion to detective. Her world starts to implode when she and her crew enter a gasoline soaked apartment where she finds walled inside the ruins the remains of her foster mother.
State Assistant District Attorney Richard Rhodes is a former foster child raised in that nightmarish home. Soon it is discovered that the mayor’s wife owned the house where Patti’s foster mom was “buried”. Too many clues lead back to Patti. CPD crime investigators and Internal Affairs, and the FBI want to interrogate Patti, but she is not talking to anyone. Instead she is on the road seeking her foster father who she thought was dead before he can find their son.
This is a dark gritty police procedural in which the protagonist is haunted by demons from her past despite putting on a tough presence in front of her peers or gangbangers. There are plenty of action and chase scenes, but the tale is owned by the fully developed Patti. Readers feel as if they know her yet lingering doubts persist re her innocence while also rooting for her to finally confront the demons that are devouring her mind.
Harriet Klausner
Daughter of York
Anna Easter Smith
Touchstone, Feb 2008, $16.95
ISBN: 9780743277310
In 1461 fifteen year old Margaret mourns the death of her father who died in combat when the House of Lancaster’s forces ambushed his House of York. Also dead is her older brother Edmund. Her oldest brother Edward is now the claimant to the throne instead of the insane king Henry and his French wife Queen Margaret. Not long afterward, word reaches Margaret that Edward won a major victory claiming God on his side.
Margaret tells her two younger brothers (George and Richard) the good news. Edward introduces Margaret to former Lancaster supporter, Anthony Woodville. She is attracted to him, but hides her feelings as he is married. Not long afterward Edward is crowned King when Henry, Margaret and their son flee to Scotland. Over the next two decades Margaret does her royal duty sacrificing much of her happiness as does Richard training to one day be a king but remaining steadfast to his older brother whereas George envies his regal sibling
This is a sweeping saga that brings alive the latter half of the fifteenth century through an ensemble support cast including the major historical figures of the era that were on the European stage. Meg is a strong loyal person with ethics, but it is the historical tidbits that are fascinating and make the two plus decades come to life. Although at times the story line slows down in order to account for the major events between 1461 and 1480, historical fans will appreciate the deep look at England through mostly the eyes of THE DAUGHTER OF YORK.
Harriet Klausner
Charley’s Web
Joy Fielding
Atria, Mar 2008, $26.95
ISBN: 9780743296014
Charley Webb has a column in the Palm Beach Post; she has two beautiful children sired by men she never intended on marrying. Her mother abandoned the family when she was eight years old leaving her to be raised by an angry acrimonious and emotionally abusive father. Since her mother came back into her life, her father refuses to speak to her ; her two sisters barely acknowledge her and her brother Brian is destroying himself with alcohol and drugs.
When she gets a letter from Jill Rohmer, who is on death row for kidnapping, torturing and killing three children, Charley arranges for her lawyer to arrange a meeting. He tries to discourage Charley, but she wants to meet the killer. After meeting Jill, Charley wants to write the woman’s biography; over the next month she spends time with Jill at the prison and on the phone. The only information that Jill refuses to reveal to Charley is the name of her accomplice whom she calls “Jack”. While she works with Jill, she receives a series of emails threatening her and her children. She turns to Alex whom she has become romantically involved with for help, but someone is watching her family waiting for the right moment to strike.
Charley has few friends because she has closed herself off emotionally to avoid hurt; she uses people as fodder for her column and knows there are may people angry at her, which leaves readers to wonder who threatens her kids to get at her. Joy Fielding is fabulous at writing psychological suspense with her latest being a strong affirmation of her skills. Although the threat to her children adds tension, the key to this powerful character driven thriller is Charley whose relational web is made up of people who loathe her before the Rohmer book; her writing the biography of a children’s’ killer adds more people who believe she is a despicable a-hole.
Harriet Klausner
Change of Heart
Jodi Picoult
Atria, Mar 2008, $26.95
ISBN: 9780743496742
Her spouse drove the vehicle with his wife June and their daughter Elizabeth inside when they were blindsided by a drunken driver; her husband died in the crash. Kurt Nealson, the police officer who pulled the two females out of the wreckage, became a frequent visitor of the widow and her offspring and eventually he and June married. Seven moths pregnant June hires carpenter Shay Bourne to make some needed home repairs. He kills her second husband and Elizabeth. At his trial, he is convicted and sentenced to state execution, but never explains why he committed the homicides.
Eleven years later Shay is on death row about to die as his appeals have run out. June’s daughter Claire needs a heart transplant and Shay offers his as their hearts are compatible. On the day he arrives in Concord in the 1-tier Secure Housing Unit strange things happen to those around him. He brings a bird back to life and a man with AIDS is miraculously healed while a piece of bubblegum turns out to be enough for every inmate.
His lawyer, who opposes the death penalty, works overtime to get Shay’s conviction changed so that they can use his heart. Crowds gather outside the prison wondering outside if the Messiah has returned and if so why inside a murderer.
Every book that Jodi Picoult writes seems to reach her audience on a primal level. There are things readers do not know about the homicides especially why Shay committed them or if he is a healer or a con artist. Readers want to believe he is the Messiah because there is something compelling about him in which those who know him insist he is not evil. The author evokes strong emotions and opinions from her fans as much as those displayed by Shay’s lawyer, June and Claire.
Harriet Klausner
Bone Song
John Meaney
Bantam, Mar 2008, $24.00
ISBN: 9780553385144
Four famous performers have been recently murdered in different countries. At least of the actor Sir Alyn Conolly made it to the morgue in Lorgonne, where an autopsy revealed toxic slivers that resolved left behind micro holes.
In Tristopolis the multiple incinerations of the dead serve the undead living by providing the "necroflux". The Police Commissioner is concerned with the upcoming appearance of opera singer Maria daLivnova at the Theatre du Loup Mort. He orders Police Lieutenant Donal Riordan to insure the diva is kept safe from an apparent deadly cult. However the dedicated courageous cop soon concludes that the cult’s necromantic success is fostered by those at the untouchable top of the government. He must find a way to stop those who kill the dead with impunity.
This is a fascinating police procedural urban fantasy in which "There are eight million stories in the Naked City” of Tristopolis; John Meaney introduced many of them but left them open. The Noir investigation is fun to follow and the paranormal species “living” above and under ground seem genuine, but it is the colorful dark description of the city that steals the show in this first of what looks to be a long running series.
Harriet Klausner
Demons Are a Ghoul’s Best Friend
Victoria Laurie
Obsidian, Mar 2008, $6.99
ISBN: 9780451223418
Psychic Karen “Teek” O’Neal hires her friend M.J. Holliday and her Ghost Hunting associates computer guru Gilley Gillespie and Dr. “Delicious” Steven Sable for help. Teek’s fourteen years old niece Evie was attacked by a demon at the Northelm Boarding School she attends. The three Ghost Hunters agree to travel to the school off of Lake Placid, New York.
M.J. quickly learns the school bully is Hatchet Jack, but counseling him will not work as he is a demon who came through a portal she must locate if she is to send him to the hell hole he calls home. She also knows he is not going to cooperate like the ghost of the late police office Randy Donaldson did on their way up. Worse the school’s faculty, the dean, and Evie’s dad think she is either a psycho or a teen prankster while the dean thinks Evie’s aunt hangs around lunatics; which he assumes is probably where the kid gets her unbalance; M.J. expects hindrance from that quarter.
The follow up to WHAT'S A GHOUL TO DO? is an entertaining lighthearted paranormal thriller that grips the audience early on when M.J. assists lost soul Randy to move on and never slows down until the final nail is hammered home. This time Dr. Delicious is part of the investigative team from the onset rather than just a client as he was in the first entry. High school teens and up will appreciate the latest Ghost Hunter Mystery as M.J. and associates prove that DEMONS ARE A GHOUL’S BEST FRIEND, not.
Harriet Klausner
Lifelines
C.J. Lyons
Berkley, Mar 2008, $7.99
ISBN 9780425220825
Dr. Lydia Fiore left Los Angeles to work as an emergency physician at Pittsburgh’s Angels of Mercy Hospital. Her first night on her new job is the infamous Transition Day, the deadliest day of the year in the American health system as July 1 is when the graduated newbies begin their internship. Her first patient is a fourteen year old male in arrest in which she defies protocol and her team (fourth year medical student Amanda Mason, third year emergency medical resident Gina Freeman and charge nurse Nora Halloran), and saves his life.
The second emergency is Jonah Weiss, the son of the chief of surgery, who was hit by a car, but he dies. One day on the job and she is suspended pending a review of Jonah’s death. However, when the autopsy implies a homicide occurs, Lydia decides to investigate after consulting with her team, who agrees with her assessment. More deaths follow as Lydia continues her unofficial inquiries.
LIFELINES is an exciting medical thriller that provides readers with an insightful look at standard operating procedures and protocol in an inner city emergency room. The whodunit is fun to follow and a side of medical romance between Lydia and medic Trey Garrison enhance the trauma of working ER graveyard shift. Except for those with an aversion to blood, readers will appreciate this entreating tale, but those considering the medical field as a vocation will reconsider.
Harriet Klausner
Murder Melts in Your Mouth
Nancy Martin
Obsidian, Mar 2008, $22.95
ISBN: 9780451223111
There is never a dull moment in the Blackbird family and Nora the pragmatic one has to hold things together. Her sister Libby was hit by a Rolls Royce driven by a mysterious millionaire who is putting her up in the Ritz Carleton so she can fully recover from her trauma. She cajoles Nora into watching her five kids. Their other sibling tough talking, hard drinking Emma is pregnant and considering an abortion.
To add to Nora’s angst, her parents are back in town and they have a way of getting the government to investigate income tax evasion and by helping them their crimes which forced them to leave the country will be dropped. Nora’s best friend Lexie Paine’s partner Hoyt Cavendish was discovered to have embezzled funds from the firm, which is now close to declaring bankruptcy. Lexie and Hoyt Cavendish have a huge public argument just before he falls from an office ledge. The Philadelphia police suspect Lexie killed Hoyt leading to Nora to investigate as she knows her pal is not a murderer as several people had a motive and opportunity to push him off the ledge. Although her mob related boyfriend Michael Abruzzo broke off with her, he remains steadfast in being there when she gets in trouble, as she does with her inquiry.
The latest Blackbirds Sister mystery is a delightful amateur sleuth tale in which the audience is hooked throughout from the first Libby incident to the last altercation. Nora is incredible as she proves chaos theory as the hub of the Blackbird family is pure extended bedlam. Interestingly with Libby recovering, Emma considering an abortion, and Nora watching five kids and investigating a homicide; each most fears the return of their parents to the City of Brotherly Love. Amusing, farcical, and satirical, Nancy Martin provides a wonderful chocolate lover’s tour of Philadelphia.
Harriet Klausner
A Flaw in the Blood
Stephanie Barron
Bantam, Mar 2008, $24.00
ISBN: 9780553805246
In 1861 Windsor Castle, the Prince Consort Albert is dying from typhoid, a disease he has battled with for several months. His wife Queen Victoria of England is beside herself with grief as she wonders how she will survive and continue to rule her empire without him at her side; he has always been there for her and their children since they married two decades ago.
Victoria sends her royal coach for Irish barrister Patrick Fitzgerald to see her as she has need of his service. Twenty years ago when she was a shaky ruler of just a few years, he, as a legal clerk, exposed a murderous conspiracy intended to dethrone her. Fitzgerald accompanied by his ward Dr. Georgiana Armistead has no idea what her Highness wants of him, but when the coach containing them is attacked, he fears for their lives as he knows the assault was precisely planned by a royal insider. He refuses to risk their lives so he plans to hide the niece of the late Dr. Snow, physician to the Queen. However they are the prey of predators seeking a secret that goes back to his first royal encounter although he remains ignorant of that truth; if revealed those who want the queen deposed will have a perfect rationale at a time the grief stricken Victoria is too weak to fight back.
In many ways this exhilarating thriller is more a historical novel than a mystery. The audience obtains a taste of greater London at a critical time in the reign of Queen Victoria when the monarch is vulnerable. Fitzgerald keeps the tale focused with his realistic attempts to hide rather than die facing his unknown adversaries. Readers will appreciate Stephanie Barron’s fine mid nineteenth century Victorian suspense saga with nary an Austen or any Jane in sight.
Harriet Klausner
Freefall
JoAnn Ross
Signet, Mar 2008, $7.99
ISBN 9780451223203
Having served in the Afghan War, former SEAL Chief Petty Officer Zach Tremayne returns to his hometown Swann Island, South Carolina; he hopes the barrier island will enable him to move past his recent appalling experience of seeing the deaths of his brothers in arms. Sabrina Swann also returns to her hometown Swann Island, South Carolina; she hopes the barrier island will enable her to move past the appalling deadly terrorist attack on the Florence, Italy Paradiso Angeli Hotel where she was a waitress.
Zach and Sabrina were teen sweethearts so with both coming home and suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), they naturally come together. As they help each other move forward, they begin to fall in love. However, the serene Swan Island of their youth is no more as a serial killer stalks, tortures and kills women with Sabrina in his sights.
The Coastal Carolina barrier island makes for a perfect setting for the first High Risk romantic suspense thriller. The romance is the more fascinating subplot as two walking wounded struggle to relate in spite of falling in love; as PTSD does not lead to trust; both knows the issues are inside them not their beloved. Although the serial killer element adds suspense and enables Zach to way too easily shed his PTSD crippling illness to try to save Sabrina, fans will enjoy the exciting FREEFALL with its unique romance.
Harriet Klausner
Duma Key
Stephen King
Scribner, Dec 2007, $28
ISBN: 9781416552512
Edgar Freemantle had proven the American dream works. As a building contractor in the Twin Cities he made millions and received plenty of acclaim. As the Freemantle Company continued to grow by the time he turned fifty, he and his beloved wife Pam were worth at least forty million. They had two children, who at the time his “Golden Age” abruptly ended, were attending Brown University or teaching in France respectively.
The end of the Golden Era began when he experienced a basic law of physics that a pickup truck has no chance against a twelve-story crane. He came out of that crash with a cracked right side of his skull, and a thrice fractured left side; his ribs were broken; his right hip was shattered; thirty per cent of his vision in his right eye was gone; and finally his right arm was lost. He was fortunate to have survived. Twenty-five years marriage ended when a constantly raging Edgar became verbally abusive towards Pam who visited everyday as he recuperated; threatening to physically hurt and kill her; she left him believing he meant it. He also suddenly displayed a talent as an artist. Needing to leave behind people, he flees to hermit territory, Duma Key, Florida where only two other trauma survivors reside. Edgar finds out his new artistic skills enables him to see and change the future life and death of others even as he investigates the tragic history of his new island home.
The angry Edgar is an incredible three dimensional character even when he begins to display paranormal skills. Readers will sense the rage inside him even as he calmly tells his tale; his double edged demeanor shows Stephen King at his best as he uses the theme of a person feeling isolated (The Stand and Carrie, etc) ready to strike out at others even loved ones. In fact Edgar is so fascinating; the well written Duma Key historical subplot feels like an intrusive segue as the audience only wants to know more about this angry isolationist.
Harriet Klausner
The Accident Man
Tom Cain
Viking, Feb 2008, $24.95
ISBN: 9780670018499
In 1997 free lance assassin Samuel Carver receives money and instructions to perform a hit on a dangerous terrorist that must look like an accident. On the night of 31 August he sets up his operation to occur in a Paris tunnel. A speeding black Mercedes enters the tunnel only to have the driver seemingly lose control and crash into a supporting pillar. A passenger dies in the wreckage.
Tom feels good not because of mission accomplished but a nasty killer is dead. However, his euphoria ends immediately when a Russian assassin tries to kill him. He escapes barely even as he knows those who hired him wanted him dead, but cannot fathom why until he learns the identity of the deadly terrorist he killed. Samuel murdered Princess Diana. Stunned by the set up and feeling remorse, he also knows they will keep coming after him to silence him because an accident not a homicide must be the official finding in the death of the Princess. Carver realizes how difficult it will prove to find out who wanted Diana dead and him out of the way as he works for several espionage agencies, but though they will cover their aholes, he vows to find and kill the mastermind.
This is a fascinating concept that works due to the lead protagonist who in spite of his occupation as a hit man feels remorse once he realizes who he killed; he only goes after killers. The story line is at its best when Samuel struggles with his efforts to investigate the top espionage agencies who hire him. A romantic subplot between the hit man and a Russian operative seems out of place, as the hero has enough to contend with. Still thriller readers will appreciate the exhilarating THE ACCIDENT MAN.
Harriet Klausner
Killer Heat
Linda A. Fairstein
Doubleday, Mar 2008, $26.00
ISBN: 9780385523974
At the sight of a badly decomposed body in which the stench is so overwhelming, it will psychologically linger for weeks, NYPD Detective Mike Chapman lights up a Cohiba; he hands the cigar to Manhattan ADA Alex Cooper to take a “few hits” in order to give the brain a different olfactory memory. The tortured dead woman is the first homicide of a serial killer. Six more females with apparent military connections will soon die while Mike, Alex and others hunt the predator.
At the same time, Cooper argues with defense attorney Gene Grassley in front of Judge Lamont over the retrial of sixty-one years old Floyd Warren; accused of rape three decades ago, but the jury was hung and he skipped town before the second trial. Grassley says his client is too old to commit a violent crime while Cooper points out that does not matter as he should do the time even though he will probably die behind bars. Cooper contends he became a serial rapist while Greeley insists he was never arrested. Adding to the circus of the Judge having to apply the ridiculous 1973 statute is cronies of violent convicted rapist Pablo Pasano sit in the courtroom to harass Cooper, who put him behind bars.
The serial killer investigation is a terrific subplot that would normally carry a novel; however, it is the legal issues involving the Warren trial complicated by the Pasano presence that makes the latest Cooper thriller one of the best sub-genre entries of the year so far. The story line is action-packed from the cigar onset and never slows down as the audience feels they are traipsing around the Big Apple during a sever heat wave.
Harriet Klausner
Another Thing to Fall
Laura Lippman
Morrow, Mar 2008, $24.95
ISBN 9780061128875
The TV miniseries Mann of Steel is being filmed on location in Baltimore. The Mt. Vernon neighborhood residents have mixed feelings as they are excited with Hollywood on the streets, but there is also traffic snarls, roads blocked, and driving delays too. Private Investigator Tess Monahan is listening to her boyfriend on the radio when she puts her scull in the water to row only to disrupt the filming on the river.
When the crew learns Tess’ job, they hire to serve as the offset bodyguard of star twentyish Selene Waites, who has not found a party she did not crash. The scriptwriter Flip Tumulty informs Tess that the filming has been disrupted by vandals and Selene’s behavior puts her at risk. Tess finds photos of Selene apparently shot by Wilbur Grace, who just killed himself. Soon after Tess comes on board, a member of the film crew is killed. Tess believes that someone obviously wants to shut down the filming, but also believes the agenda is much more than just that.
No one, not even John Waters, provides a stronger taste of Baltimore than Laura Lippman consistently does in her Monahan investigative tales. The latest entry is fast-paced as Tess protects the ultimate party girl (wearing out thirtyish Tess) while also trying to uncover who wants to stop the filming and why. Fans of the series will enjoy Tess goes Hollywood in her Baltimore neighborhood.
Harriet Klausner
Biting the Bullet
Jennifer Rardin
Orbit, Feb 2008, $12.99
ISBN: 9780316020589
The CIA assigns its top operative Vayl the vampire and his crew including Jaz Parks to team up with a special ops unit headed by Jaz’s twin brother Dave to stop deadly vampiric necromancer the Wizard. The squad will need to stealthy penetrate Iran where the adversary hides while performing seditious terrorist acts against the United States and its allies.
The straightforward but difficult case proves much more complex because the fundamentalist Reavers hunt Jaz, as she was recently demonized. Worse someone on their joint team is giving away battle plans to the enemy; allowing the Wizard to constantly be ahead of them. Jaz's spirit guide Raoul is acting more like a blithering idiotic Oracle while Vayl seems uninterested in their mission as he focuses on what appears to his top aid and bodyguard. Unless something dramatic or miraculous occurs like exposing the enemy from within, Jaz knows their mission will fail and they easily could be permanently dead.
In her third CIA chick lit urban fantasy (see ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST and ONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHY) Jaz Parks is at her cheeky amusing yet exhilarating best. The story line told from her mocking viewpoint is fast-paced as she manages to make the paranormal elements and species seem genuine and the mission essential and dangerous. Fans will appreciate her latest tale as she argues with her spirit guide to get with the program, battles with her superior to stay focused, and debates with her brother who’s in charge. About the only thing she is not arguing is who’s on first because she knows that’s her as she struggles with completing the mission and staying alive.
Harriet Klausner
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