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. |
 |
|
|
||
May 2005
NO
PLACE LIKE HOME
Mary Higgins Clark
Simon & Schuster, Apr 2005, $25.95, 368 pp.
ISBN: 0743264894
When she was a child, Liza Barton accidentally killed her mother and severely
injured her step-father; she was acquitted of the homicide based on the
grounds that she tried to protect her mother from her stepfather who her
mother kicked out of the house. Still the townsfolk felt Liza was a bad
seed and rejoiced when a distant relative adopted her. She changed her
name to Celia Foster and following the death of her wealthy husband, Celia
married lawyer Alex Nolan.
She and Alex seek a home for themselves and her four year old son from
her first marriage.. Alex surprises Celia when he buys a house in Mendham,
New Jersey; the same home that Celia killed her mother in. The realtor
Georgette Grove never revealed the infamy of the house to Alex, and Celia
remains silent too because she vowed to her late spouse on his deathbed
to conceal her past. Not long after the family moves in, Georgette is
murdered with the police suspecting Celia. Already in trouble, a betrayal
could lead to her death and that of her son.
There are very few authors who write suspense as well as Mary Higgins
Clark does; there are even fewer writers who can use an improbable coincidence
and make it seem plausible. The police and the ambitious prosecutor (who
is thinking of becoming governor) struggle with the present day crimes
that send them relooking the Barton homicide. Celia is a good role model
who has overcome plenty to become a solid citizen, a nurturing mother,
and a loving spouse. Her strength enables her to survive almost all of
life's below the belt blows. Ms. Clark provides an entertaining thriller
that displays her storytelling skills.
Harriet Klausner
ENEMY
MINE
Lindsay McKenna
HQN, May 2005, $6.50, 384 pp.
ISBN: 0373770790
US Marine Corps helicopter pilot Kathy Trayhern wants vengeance on South
American gang lords Carlos Garcia and his son Guillermo for all the hurt
they have caused her family. However, she realizes that her assignment
in South America of inserting SEALs and marine recon teams into hot spots
do not allow her to make the needed drop. She also believes the Garcias
see their assaults on the Trayhern family as striking out at their nemesis
Morgan family patriarch and head of the CIA's Perseus Group.
Kathy believes she has her opportunity when she is assigned to rescue
a KNR (kidnap and ransom) victim, a seven year old girl snatched in Peru
by the Garcias. As she infiltrates the criminal ring, she meets helicopter
pilot Mac Coulter, who works the drug trade for the Garcias as a cover
for his AFT efforts to infiltrate the gang. Though attracted to one another,
neither trusts the other as they each believe the other works for the
vile kingpin.
The Latest Trayhern thriller is at its most exhilarating best in the Peruvian
jungle as Kathy and Mac want one another, but both distrusts the other
because of whom they perceive their soulmate works for. When the story
line provides flashbacks especially through the eyes of Kathy to support
what she feels she must do, the tale slows down to give readers a chance
to relax from the high level of tension. Lindsay McKenna provides a taut
thriller that stars two delightful protagonists who need one another to
survive yet doubts linger as the senses rejects the instincts of their
respective hearts.
Harriet Klausner
A
BREATH AWAY
Rita Herron
HQN, May 2005, $5.99, 384 pp.
ISBN: 0373770308
In Crow's Landing, Tennessee eight years old Violet Baker considers Darlene
Monroe her best friend. When Violet envisions someone assaulting Darlene,
she turns to her father to help her pal, but instead he sends her away
to live with relatives. Darlene is murdered and Violet feels she failed
her friend.
Two decades later Violet returns to Crow's Landing because she has been
seeing things that she feels will solve the cold case murder of Darlene.
Local Sheriff Grady Monroe, Darlene's half-brother, wants Violet to leave
because he somewhat blames her for his sibling's homicide and does not
trust her "second sense"; deep in his heart he also fears his
attraction to Violet. As she begins to follow her visions, he needs to
protect her from someone who targets her as his victim not so much to
keep his secrets hidden, but because of an obsession.
A BREATH AWAY is a terrific supernatural police procedural romance. Violet
is an interesting protagonist as she sees visions, suffers guilt over
failing her best friend though she was only a child at the time and falls
in love with someone who seemingly wants her to leave town because he
blames her for his sister's death. Grady knows he is unfair to hold Violet
culpable, but cannot help himself. Falling in love with her feels right
but comes with guilt. Though the motive of the killer appears weak, readers
will appreciate this tense romantic suspense propelled by the lead duo.
Harriet Klausner
FINAL
JUSTICE
Jasmine Cresswell
Mira, May 2005, $6.99, 400 pp.
ISBN: 0778321401
The secretive quasi government agency Unit One works on destroying criminal
masterminds within the United States though they never appear in court
handing over arrests to the FBI. Completing a sting, Agent Melody Beecham
is shot; this upsets her partner Nick Anwar who loves her. He informs
his superior he no longer wants to team up with Melody because he cannot
control his emotions.
That changes when suddenly someone tries to assassinate Melody several
times in different locales. Many people have motives to eliminate Melody
who has insured numerous criminals tasted justice. Nick defies orders
and is willing to die to keep her safe, but knows they must lure the culprit
out into the open with Melody as the bait, but a personal spin makes the
pair more likely to meet their maker rather soon.
Though some doubts about the legality of this Mission Impossible covert
Unit One team lingers in the backdrop, fans of action-paced romantic suspense
will appreciate this fabulous thriller. The story line is fast-paced from
the opening sting to the final altercation, but it is the lead couple
who makes the plot work. The support cast, especially their boss grooming
Nick as his replacement if he proves not to be a fanatic, augments the
insight into the duo and enhances the scenarios. Readers will appreciate
this complex tale with a final incredible spin.
Harriet Klausner
BLACK
ICE
Anne Stuart
Mira, May 2005, $6.99, 384 pp.
ISBN: 0778321711
Chloe Underwood left the North Carolina Mountains to live in Paris. She
scored work as a translator of children's books at Les Frere Laurent due
to her promiscuous roommate Sylvia Whickham. When Sylvia has a chance
to spend the weekend with wealthy sixty-seven years old Henry, she coaxes
Chloe to replace her in translating English to and from French.
Chloe arrives at Mirabel, which has security tighter than Fort Knox has.
At the locale, Mr. Hakim leans towards sending Chloe home and several
participants object to her presence speaking in Italian to hide what they
say about her from her; the translator understands perfectly what they
communicate, but pretends otherwise. When her clients learn that Chloe
has found out that they are arms dealers, they must kill her. Her only
hope of survival is one of the attendees, Bastien Toussaint, a man with
at least a dozen identities. Compromising his undercover mission that
he has played at for eleven months, he flees with Chloe, but she wonders
if she is safe with him as she knows her heart is not.
Though why Chloe insisted on staying when her employer stated he did not
need her seems off, readers will obtain plenty of pleasure from this taut
romantic suspense thriller. The story line moves quickly once Chloe chooses
to hide her ability to speak and comprehend Italian and never slows down
until the climatic battle between Mr. Hakim's thugs and the heroine and
her antiheroic champion. BLACK ICE is a tremendous thriller that showcases
the skills of an author worth reading.
Harriet Klausner
OUT
OF RANGE
C.J. Box
Putnam, May 2005, $24.95, 320 pp.
ISBN 0399152911
Game Warden Joe Pickett who is based in Saddlestring, Twelve Sleep County
in Wyoming is shocked when he hears that fellow game warden Will Jensen
committed suicide. Joe's supervisor asks him to temporally take over Will's
territory Jackson in Teton County; although it is not a good time to leave
his wife and two daughters. He agrees to the temporary assignment in the
hopes that he will obtain a better position and more income.
Before he leaves, he asks his friend Nate Romanaski to watch his family
because they are getting some strange calls that could prove dangerous.
A spark ignites between Joe's wife and Nate one that they both try to
ignore. Meanwhile, in Jackson, Joe is trying to deal with an ambitious
supervisor ,an outfitter who doesn't adhere to the law and a developer
who needs Joe approval to get his project off the ground. In an ominous
turn of events Joe is exhibiting the same symptoms that Will experienced
before he committed suicide and he begins to suspect that he and Will
were set up by a dangerous and ruthless enemy.
C.J. Box has written some pretty spectacular books over the years but
OUT OF RANGE is by far his best work to date. This literary and lyrical
thriller is memorable and will be considered a classic. The protagonist
is an everyman that people can identify with him even when he finds himself
attracted to another woman but like his wife chooses to ignore it. The
plot is Byzantine, dark, gritty, almost gothic in tone and will appeal
not just to mystery fans but to anyone who loves a good book.
Harriet Klausner
HITLER'S
PEACE
Philip Kerr
Putnam, May 2005, $26.95, 464 pp.
ISBN: 0399152695
In 1943, the leaders of the Third Reich conclude that they cannot win
the war against the allied forces. Hitler wants to negotiate a peace different
from the first World War in which Germany is left with dignity; Roosevelt
demands unconditional surrender. Various plans offered by the Germans
to the American fail to convince the President that the Russians will
turn against the allies when the Communists feel the time is right.
Philosopher Willard Meyer works for OSS as a German analyst when Roosevelt
selects him to scrutinize the Third Reich allegations against the Russians.
Once a diehard communist who spied for the Russians against the Germans,
Willard is now a super American patriot, who plans to learn the truth
about reported German-Russian atrocities. Meanwhile German patriotic General
Schellenberg plans to kill The Allies leaders in order to save the hinterland
from further destruction in a losing cause.
Philip Kerr returns to World War II Germany, the setting where his stupendous
Berlin Noir trilogy took place, with an exciting heart pumping alternate
history based on allied and axis leaders making different decisions at
key moments. Interestingly General Schellenberg and Willard Meyer share
a similar zealousness for their respective country, willing to kill or
die if necessary for their homeland. There is plenty of action in this
exciting thriller, but the characters, real and fictional, drive the plot
into a believable what if scenario told by altering perspectives.
Harriet Klausner
LAST
WITNESS
Jilliane Hoffman
Putnam, May 2005, $24.95, 368 pp.
ISBN 0399152458
It has been almost three years since a serial killer terrorized the citizens
of Miami and it was largely due the brilliant prosecution of assistant
state attorney C.J. Townsend that William Rupert Bantling was found guilty
and sentenced to the death penalty. An anonymous telephone call had a
police officer stop his car and open Bantling's trunk where the cop found
the body inside. They had enough cause to get a warrant to search his
home where plenty of evidence from his other fourteen victims was also
found
C.J. knew going in that the officer didn't have probable cause to search
the car but she wanted to try him and find Bantling guilty because he
raped her continuously for four hours. Everyone who knew about the tainted
evidence entered into a conspiracy of silence but now there is a new serial
killer operating in the Miami area and his victims are linked to the trial
of William Rupert Bantling which means C.J. is in danger.
Jillian Hoffman's thriller is on a par with the works of Patricia Cornwell,
Nancy Taylor Rosenberg and Barbara Parker. C.J. has never gotten over
the assault and rape that occurred three years ago and it is affecting
her relationship with Special Agent Dominick Falconetti of the Florida
Department of Law Enforcement. It takes the protagonist a while to figure
out what is happening but she lacks the evidence and doesn't have a clue
who is behind the murders. LAST WITNESS chillingly demonstrates what is
wrong within the justice system.
Harriet Klausner
BROKEN
PREY
John Sandford
Putnam, May 2005, $26.95, 400 pp.
ISBN 0399152725
The first body that of Angela Larson was found in a posed position, her
body scourged, her neck sliced open, and ligature marks on her hands.
The second corpse Adam Rice is found in the same manner with his young
son killed as an afterthought. Lucas Davenport, who was at both crime
scenes, concludes that the same person did the killings. When the news
leaks to the media, parole officer Mark Fox Calls Davenport and tells
him he thinks his parolee Charlie Pope, who was just released from St.
John's mental institution for raping and strangling a woman was the perpetrator.
Charlie is nowhere to be found. His trailer is deserted, he failed to
show up for his job and the electronic surveillance bracelet he was forced
to wear was cut open. He gets in contact with newspaper reporter Russell
Ignace of the Star Tribune and tells him that he has a third victim that
he will kill next. When Lucas learns of this, he leads a massive search
to find the perpetrator but he is too late. Now Lucas really is determined
to do whatever it takes to find and cage the killer.
John Sandford writes the best police procedurals on the market today.
The killer is playing a diabolical game, constantly shifting the evidence
so it falls on the wrong person and Lucas doesn't catch on to the scheme
until three innocent lives are lost. Even when he figured out what is
happening, there is so many viable suspects that he and the readers will
find it near impossible to identify of the killer. This who-done-it is
one of the best Lucas Davenport tales in this long running series.
Harriet Klausner
BLUE
MERCY
Illona Haus
Pocket, May 2005, $6.99, 384 pp.
ISBN 0743458087
Fourteen months ago, Homicide Detective Kay Delaney and her partner Spence
knocked on the door of Bernard Eales' home to question him in the deaths
of three prostitutes. When he opened the door, he is high on meth and
beats Kay so badly he puts her in the hospital and gets her gun and kills
Spence. There is evidence in his home that place all three women there
but he tells the police that he doesn't remember killing them because
he has blackouts.
He is in a state prison awaiting trial and Kay has finally returned to
duty when she catches a call about a woman dying in a fire. This woman
is the witness Kay found and befriended who saw Bernard dump one of the
dead prostitutes. On her chest is the same carvings as the other three
victims. Everyone but Kay thinks it's a copycat killing but when two more
deaths occur in the same manner as all the previous murders, Kay convinces
her new partner Finn that either Bernie had an accomplice or another man
killed the prostitute. When Bernie learns about this, he confesses to
the first three killings making Kay wonder who he is trying to protect.
Think Nancy Taylor Rosenberg, Christine McGuire and Leslie Glass and readers
will have some idea just how good BLUE MERCY really is. There is plenty
of action in this novel but embedded in the storyline is the heroine's
recovery after a brutal physical and emotional trauma. There are many
suspects that Kay and Finn figure could be the perpetrator but they have
absolutely no evidence linking anyone to the killings. Readers will want
to read more Kay police procedurals in future books.
Harriet Klausner
COUNTDOWN
Iris Johansen
Bantam, May 2005, $25.00 405 pp.
ISBN 0553803425
Jane MacGuire, the adopted daughter of forensic sculptor Eve Duncan, is
almost kidnapped and her friend is murdered before her eyes. The roommate
who betrayed them is killed in a suspicious hit and run. Trevor, who she
hasn't seen in four years since they caught a serial killer in the ruins
of Herculaneum, the ancient city destroyed by Mt. Vesuvius' eruption,
brings them to the castle he is renting in Aberdeen, Scotland. Dr. Reilly,
a brainwashing specialist, wants Jane who is the mirror image Cira, a
slave girl who escaped with a treasure when Herculaneum was destroyed.
He also wants the gold and coins that she smuggled out the day Vesuvius
blew.
Grozak, a hate filled racist who detests the United States is prepared
to go to any lengths to kidnap and delver Jane and find the gold and coins
and bring them all to Reilly if he will brainwash people into becoming
suicide bombers for an attack on the United States that will make 9/11
seem small in comparison. Trevor who cares about Jane is determined to
protect her just as he intends to stop Grozak from carrying out his plan.
Jane joins the mission to stop the man knowing it might coast her everything
if they fail.
COUNTDOWN is a fantastic action-packed thriller where the stakes are high
and failure could result in the death of millions. Over the course of
the Eve Duncan forensic thriller series Jane has evolved from a street
wise delinquent into a beautiful headstrong adult who will do whatever
it takes to save her country. Trevor, an ex-mercenary operating on both
sides of the law, meets his match in Jane and their relationships promises
to intensify in future novels. Iris Johansen has written another winner
that is heading for the New York Times bestseller list.
Harriet Klausner
FALLS
THE SHADOW
William Lashner
Morrow, May 2005, $24.95, 432 pp.
ISBN 0060721561
Leesa Dube was shot in the chest in her own home, the picture of her estranged
husband Francois clutched in her hand. The couple was in the middle of
a bitter divorce fighting for custody of their daughter. In his home they
found a bloody towel and a blood spot on his boot, a perfect match to
Leesa's blood. A jury convicted him of murder and sentenced him to life
in prison.
Three years after his conviction Francois hires attorney Victor Carl and
his partner Beth to get his verdict overturned and to obtain a new trial.
To Victor's surprise he finds suppressed evidence that earns the con a
new trial. While preparing for the legal battle of his life, the courts
appoint Victor to work pro bono representing four year old Daniel who
is taken out of his home because of his mother's neglect. Weaving throughout
Victor's life is his dentist Bob, who has a Messiah complex and works
in the shadows to right the world's wrongs. Victor is not sure whether
Bob is a Good Samaritan or a master manipulator with adulating followers
who carry out his desires whether they are good or evil.
Anyone who has a dental phobia will never want to visit a dentist after
reading about Dr. Bob and the lengths he will go to in order to make the
world a better place even if the methods he uses turn out to be illegal.
Victor tries hard to remain uncaring and cynical but his nurturing nature
propels him to lend a helping hand when he is needed. Readers will admire
him and more so William Lashner who is one of the best writers of legal
thrillers on the market today.
Harriet Klausner
THE
PEGASUS SECRET
Gregg Loomis
Leisure, May 2005, $6.99 pp.
ISBN 0843955309
In Paris, a bomb exploded in the apartment building where Janet, her adopted
son and her hostess were staying. Langford Reilly, former CIA agent goes
to Paris to bring home the remains, but while there learns that Janet
bought a painting. After Lang leaves the out of the way store, someone
tries to knife him. He soon discovers that Janet shipped the painting
to a store to be framed. He picks up the painting, an appraisal and a
Polaroid of the painting to take home with him.
Someone removes all three objects and bombs the gallery where the painting
was framed. An assailant enters Lang's' home to kill him but he is prepared.
Lang finds out that an expert on the painting is in Vatican City so he
travels there and learns that the painting is a map and the organization
who is after him doesn't want him to find out what is hidden at the designated
location. The organization commits another homicide, but frames Lang as
the killer. With the help of friends from his CIA days, the former agent
remains determined to find out why he is stalked, his sibling murdered
and what secret this rich and powerful organization is hiding.
Fans of Dan Brown's THE DA VINCI CODE are going to love THE PEGASUS SECRET,
an ecclesiastical thriller that is so action-packed that readers will
feel they are on a fast moving rocket ship. The hero is in danger from
the time he receives the painting but he is determined to find out why
his sister was killed and how the painting leads to her death. Greg Loomis
writes an amazing thriller with more twists and turns than a maze.
Harriet Klausner
NOT
A GIRL DETECTIVE
Susan Kandel
Morrow, May 2005, $23.95, 294 pp.
ISBN 0060581077
Cece Caruso has made a career writing biographies of dead mystery writers
and while researching her last book (I DREAMED I MARRIED PERRY MASON)
she solved a homicide. An obsessive Nancy Drew fan, she is now writing
about the pseudonymous Carolyn Keane who was really a succession of ghost
writers contracted to write under that name. Her focuses is the picture
of Nancy Drew, the model Grace Horton.
She meets fellow Nancy Drew collector Eagar Edwards who shows her a picture
of a natural Grace Horton painted by Russell H. Tandy. The two hit it
off so well that Edgar offers to let her and her friends stay at his Palm
Springs home while she give a talk to the Nancy Drew Chums at their annual
convention. Shortly after she arrives there, she finds his body with a
bullet in his head. Somebody searches her home and her car looking for
something making Cece determined to find out who that person is and why
he killed Edgar even if it means placing her own life in danger.
Readers will be reminded of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum when they
read Susan Kandel's Cece Caruso capers as both are funny, plagued by romantic
problems and once on the scent of a killer, keep tracking like obsessed
bloodhounds. There are many suspects who could have killed Edgar but what
really keeps the reader interested is the urge to know what the killer
is looking for. This is a very special amateur sleuth tale that will be
a hit with readers who love a good puzzle to solve.
Harriet Klausner
A
VENOM BENEATH THE SKIN
Marcus M. Villatoro
Justin Charles, May 2005, $24.95, 230 pp.
ISBN 1932112375
After taking down Minos, Romilia Chacon, a Nashville Police Department
detective is offered a job with the FBI in Los Angeles, which she accepts.
In LA she has an affair with Special Agent Samuel "Chip" Pierce.
The relationship ends when he wants more from her than she can give; they
go their separate ways until one night he calls her to see if they can
start anew since he is retiring. As much as she cares for him, she can
not marry a man she doesn't love.
That night a man breaks into Chip's home and murders him. The evidence,
markings on his chest and a poisoned dart injecting venom into his system,
suggests that drug trafficker Tekun Uman, killed him because of the former
agent's involvement with the woman he loves. After reviewing Chip's files
and other evidence Romilia concludes that Tekun Uman isn't Chip's killer,
but made to look like he did it. She has no idea who would kill Chip and
why and how Tekun Uman fits into the scenario.
Who is behind Chip's death and the murders of several drug traffickers
and why he wants them dead is the core of one of the most exciting storylines
in a police procedural in the past year. It is hard to tell the heroes
from the villains in A VENOM BENEATH THE SKIN because all wear masks to
hide their true faces. Marcus M. Villatoro is a talented writer who hopefully
will create more Romilia Chacon novels.
Harriet Klausner
THE
BODY IN THE SNOWDRIFT
Katherine Hall Page
Morrow, May 205, $23.95, 256 pp.
ISBN: 0060525304
Caterer Faith Fairchild is not looking forward to all the Fairchilds getting
together at Pine Slopes, a Vermont ski resort. Her husband's family threatens
to emotionally overwhelm her and on her first day at the resort she finds
the body of local lawyer Boyd Harrison who invested quite a sum of money
in Pine Slopes.
Everyone thinks he had a heart attack since Boyd felt chest pains and
reached into his pocket for his medicine. However, someone substituted
the nitroglycerin with mints. Shortly after his death, the head chef John
Forester disappears without giving anyone advance notice. Faith thinks
it is strange because he has been at the resort for years and loved his
job. Malicious pranks like a lifelike blow up doll painted in red to look
like blood floating in the pool and the sabotage of the ski lift convince
Faith someone wants to bankrupt the resort. When John's body is splattered
all over the mountain because someone pushed him into the snow making
machine, Faith investigates only to walk into a trap set by the killer.
Though the fifteenth Faith Fairchild mystery, the series retains the freshness
and originality of the very first book which won the Agatha Award. The
heroine is drawn into the Fairchilds' problems, getting into arguments
with her sister-in-laws and trying to keep her nieces and nephews safe
and happy in spite of their mother's obsessive compulsion need to regiment
their lives. There are many people who could have killed the victims but
Faith has to find a motive compelling enough for someone to eliminate
the chef and the investor. Katherine Hall Page has written an exciting
down to earth amateur sleuth mystery.
Harriet Klausner
CAT
IN A HOT PINK PURSUIT
Carole Nelson Douglas
Forge, May 2005, $24.95, 384 pp.
ISBN 0765313995
In Las Vegas, anything goes and usually does. A new reality show is coming
to town Teen Idol, a program that involves teens competing in two age
groups to become queens of their respective divisions can be picked. Unknown
to Lieutenant Carmen Molina of the Las Vegas Police Department, her daughter
Mariah entered the teen competition and made the cut. Molina reluctantly
allows her daughter to go for the two weeks in house event but worries
because someone is mutilating the advertising posters and a girl was killed
on the site where the audition occurred.
Molina asks Temple Barr to go undercover and enter the contest as a teen
so she can watch over Mariah; she agrees because Max is nowhere around
and hasn't been in quite some time. Her friend Matt is in Chicago looking
for some clue that will lead him to the identity of his biological father.
A serious of mischievous threats culminates in the murder of the contest's
dietician. Temple with the help of her feline companion Midnight Louis
investigates to stop the killer from murdering others.
Carole Nelson Douglas always keeps her series fresh by taking her characters
in different directions and CAT IN A HOT PINK PURSUIT is no exception.
For long time fans, secrets are finally revealed and the heroine makes
a life alternating decision. The story is told in the third person point
of view except when Midnight Louis is on stage and he gives his first
hand perspective. This writing technique is deftly handled by Ms. Douglas
so that this charming and entertaining mystery is a must read for people
who like creative and riveting amateur sleuth tales told mostly by one
with a tail.
Harriet Klausner
SULLIVAN'S
JUSTICE
Nancy Taylor Rosenberg
Kensington, May 2005, $24.00, 325 pp.
ISBN 0758206194
Ventura County probation officer Carolyn Sullivan has an uncanny knack
for getting prisoners to confess to her whey they won't speak to anyone
else. She uses what they say to insure the judge gives them the maximum
amount of prison time. Her latest subject is Raphael Moreno who was convicted
of second degree murder in the deaths of his mother, sister and a family
of five, one of which was a six month old baby. She plans to talk to him
but her boss conducts the interview instead and winds up hospitalized.
Carolyn gets sidetracked by her brother Neil, who saw the body of Laurel
the woman he loves and planned to marry floating in his pool. The police
think he killed her by lethal injection but Carolyn knows he couldn't
hurt anyone. Another woman in the neighborhood was also killed by the
lethal injection containing the same chemicals used to kill Laurel. When
tests are done on her brother's car, blood is found that matches that
of Raphael Moreno. The police want to find the link between the two men
and ask Carolyn to talk Moreno again, a situation that almost leads too
costing the probation officer her life.
There are many mystery and thriller writers that this reviewer admires
for the work they produce with Nancy Taylor Rosenberg at the top of the
must read list. Her latest tale is superb. There is plenty of action,
the storyline is fast paced and there are enough suspects that readers
have a good time wondering who the killer might be including considering
the sibling. The heroine, who first appeared in SULLIVAN'S LAW, is a valiant
warrior in the fight against crime.
Harriet Klausner
THE
CLOSERS
Michael Connelly
Little, Brown, May 2005, $26.95, 400 pp.
ISBN: 0316734942
Three years ago Harry Bosch retired from the Los Angeles Police Department
after a quarter of a century of service, but has returned to active duty.
The LAPD Chief warns him that things are different from his previous stint
and he is "not to break the law to enforce the law" or he will
be back into retirement. Harry understands that the FBI is looking over
the shoulders of LAPD and will adhere to the law as he works the Open
Unsolved cases.
Among several cases, Harry and "partner" Kizmin Rider look into
the 1988 murder of sixteen year old Rebecca Verloren that the detectives
ruled as probable suicide by a 45 semi automatic that shattered her heart.
Though their report makes it appear that the Devonshire Division cops
went the extra mile, Harry realizes that the autopsy proved murder occurred
and the department reacted slowly. Harry and Kiz begin making inquiries
and soon learn closure has not occurred for the parents and his fellow
blue knights want them to back off making him wonder if he was set up
to fail.
With Harry back on the force as a Closer, this long running series is
refreshed as he deals with bureaucratic roadblocks and unwillingness to
cooperate with his efforts. A reference to Gibson's Lethal Weapon adds
a sense of time as well as insight into Harry. The investigation is cleverly
handled with Harry struggling because key peers and superiors want him
to fail. Michael Connelly provides a terrific Harry Bosch police procedural
that grips the audience from the moment the Chief lectures him about behavior
and never lets up until the final revelation.
Harriet Klausner
LOVE
HER TO DEATH
Linda Palmer
Berkley, May 2005, $6.50, 326 pp.
ISBN: 042520295X
Morgan Tyler, the head writer for the daytime drama Love of My Life, is
promoted to co-executive producer. On her very first day on the job, one
of her female stars Cybelle Carter is worried that she is going to be
on the cover of Time. She fears the exposure might kill her. Cybelle confesses
that she is married to a mysterious rich person Philippe Abacasas who
is somewhere always surrounded by bodyguards and who has in his possession
multiple passports.
When Morgan gets a call that a dead body was found in Cybelle's apartment,
she immediately thinks that her star is dead. She goes over to the apartment
and identifies the body as that of Jeannie Ford, Cybelle's stunt double.
She meets the mysterious Abacasas who warns her to beware of Cybelle and
her brother. He also tells her that his wife stole two rare Greek coins
from him before she disappeared. Attracted to the man Morgan doesn't know
who to believe but she is determined to get some answers even though someone
is going to incredible and fatal lengths to stop her.
The heroine can be summed up in one word, spunky. She deals with a stress
related job with total calm. Works overtime to find a murderer going the
extra kilometer to do so and juggles two sexy men after a five year drought
including a one night fling with Cybelle's husband. Readers are going
to like this mystery which is rich in characterizations and action and
short on gore. Linda Palmer proves with this fine cozy that she has what
it takes to reach the top of her profession.
Harriet Klausner
SAVAGE
GARDEN
Denise Hamilton
Scribner, May 2005, $22.00, 336 pp.
ISBN: 0743261925
In Los Angeles the opening day curtain call is in one hour for the play
Our Lady of the Barrio by gangbanger Alfonso Reventon; however the leading
lady, explosive actress Catarina Velosi has not shown up at the playhouse.
Since Alfonso is a childhood friend, Silvio Aguilar asks his girlfriend
Los Angeles Times reporter Eve Diamond to accompany him to Catarina's
apartment where they find her dead.
The police wonder if Alfonso who worshipped Catarina and wrote his play
for her killed her in a passionate rage or Silvio whose entrance to the
crime scene with a perfect witness might have covered up evidence that
he was previously there. Eve, accompanied by African-American reporter
Felice Morgan, conducts inquiries into those who knew the volatile diva
to determine who had the opportunity because several people besides the
two prime suspects which include Alfonso's wife, the victim's drama teacher,
and a Hollywood big shot, along with a seemingly cast of thousands had
motives.
The latest Eve Diamond investigation is refreshed by Felice who brings
a youthful (annoying to Eve) vigor to the case even as the veteran reporter
wonders if her "protégé" is a racial quota Blair
clone or the real thing; either way she does not want a partner. The who-done-it
cleverly makes Eve seems more real than her previous appearances because
of her resentment of having a tag-along and how personalized this homicide
is with the ties to her boyfriend. Though the racial quota vs. talent
issue is never fully explored, fans of Southern California artsy mysteries
will agree that Denise Hamilton has scored with this Ace of Diamonds journalistic
investigative novel.
Harriet Klausner
WEDNESDAY'S
CHILD
Gayle Wilson
HQN, Apr 2005, $5.99
ISBN: 0373770391
In Johnson County, Mississippi, Sheriff Adams informs Mrs. Richard Kaiser
that her spouse died in a car accident apparently several years ago when
his vehicle went off the road into the Escatawpa River. The SUV with the
body inside was only just discovered. Mrs. Kaiser is stunned, but does
not correct the sheriff in that she divorced Richard almost seven years
ago when he vanished with their child Emily. Using her maiden name of
Susan Chandler, she has hopes that Emily still lives as no other corpse
was found in the vehicle.
Susan travels to Linton, Mississippi where she finds a room at Lorina
Bedford's B&B. Lorina's great nephew Jeb is hostile towards the guest
until her inquiries lead to her being run off the road. Jeb, a Delta Force
soldier on medical leave from injuries sustained in Iraq, helps Susan
investigate based on why her ex spouse would have left the interstate
here; their logic being car trouble or medical help as they try to figure
out who has suddenly had a toddler. As they follow the cold trail, they
fall in love, but neither trusts the other with their respective heart.
WEDNESDAY'S CHILD is a strong amateur sleuth romance with the emphasis
on the suspense more so than the love subplot. Susan is a terrific protagonist
who by being honest is treated with scorn by law enforcement officials
starting with her believing Richard would never harm Emily. The romance
between Jeb and Susan is handled in conjunction with the investigation
they conduct. Fans will appreciate this powerful glimpse of a mother's
worst nightmare nearing closure, but seemingly not attaining it.
Harriet Klausner
WILDCAT
WINE
Claire Matturro
Morrow, May 2005, $23.95, 304 pp.
ISBN: 0060567074
When farmer Dave comes to Sarasota lawyer Lillian Belle Rosemary Cleary
with a truckload of Muscatine wine, he meets her legal secretary Bonita
and her son Benny. Since Lilly is working, he takes Benny to look for
jaguarundi in the Myakka River State park. The trip ends with Dave and
his friend Waylon arrested for stealing the wine from his employer. Lilly
hires Phillip Cohen to represent him and he makes it clear that he is
interested in her. Benny tells Lilly that they found a corpse and a bag
of money when they were in the park.
Lilly goes to Dave's employer to ask him to drop the charges and does
not say anything about the dead man or the money to the police. A few
days later, Dave's employer is found dead in a homicide intended to look
like an accident. Kenneth, a partner in the firm where Lilly works, harasses
Bonita who is related to Dave's employer's wife; Lilly has no idea what
his motivation could be. Shortly thereafter Kenneth is killed. Lilly knows
the three murders are linked, but trying to learn how could make her the
next victim.
WILDCAT WINE is a fast moving, action-packed crime thriller in which the
attorneys break the law as often as the criminals do. Readers are going
to love the obsessive compulsive protagonist who believes cleanliness
is next to nervousness as she does a lot of cleaning when anxious. Still
Lilly goes to amazing lengths to prove her friends are innocent although
these eccentrics also drive her crazy. Claire Matturro provides a light
hearted chick lit mystery that grips the reader from the first page and
keeps them laughing until the final cleaning spree.
Harriet Klausner
DEATH
TAKES A HONEYMOON
Deborah Donnelly
Dell, May 2005, $5.99, 335 pp.
ISBN 0440241308
Wedding planner Carnegie Kincaid is going through a rough patch professionally
and personally. Her Seattle based businesses "Made in Heaven Wedding
Design" is not making much money and her relationship with her commitment
phobic significant other Aaron Gold is strained. She decides to attend
the wedding of her college friend Tracy West because of the business contacts
she will make there as Tracy is a big Hollywood star and her parents know
all the movers and shakes.
When Carnegie learns her cousin died, she decides that the wedding is
the perfect place to get some answers regarding his death. Although Carnegie
wasn't close to her cousin Brian Theale, she wants to know if his death
was an accident or murder. A professional who examined the body thinks
he was murdered but the sheriff and the task force classified it an accident.
Brian's fellow smoke jumpers who were with him shortly after he died will
be at the wedding so Carnegie will have an easy time questioning the suspects.
To her delight, Aaron comes up for the wedding and since he is a journalist
with skills that are needed to question suspects, they team up to find
out the truth behind Brian's death.
The heroine becomes the de facto wedding planner for the West wedding
which gives her easy access to the suspects and her determination to find
out if the cousin she didn't like was murdered is laudable. Doing her
job while trying to scope out a murderer leads to some very funny situations
and the comic relief is needed because the tension throughout the storyline
is as tight as a high wire. Deborah Donnelly is a very creative writer
whose mystery series is refreshingly innovative and totally exciting.
Harriet Klausner
THE
ALPINE QUILT
Mary Daheim
Ballantine, May 2005, $22.95, 314 pp.
ISBN 0345477200
Alpine, is a small semi-isolated Pacific Northwest hamlet located deep
in the forest and perched on a mountainside. The owner and publisher of
the local weekly newspaper, The Alpine Advocate is Emma Lord and the stories
concern mostly the people and the special events in their lives. Emma
plans special coverage for the returning prodigal Genevieve Bayard who
hasn't been back to her hometown in decades. Gen is coming to see her
son Buddy and his wife as well as her old girlfriends who belonged to
a quilting circle.
After a celebratory party, Gen goes to visit her best friend Annie Jean
who works as a housekeeper at the local church. Annie Jean fixes a delicious
meal but by the time it is finished Gen is dead and Annie Jean is in the
hospital. Tests show both women were poisoned by an insulin product used
by diabetics. It is a front page story but Emma's House and Home reporter
Vida Runkel who usually gets involved in homicides keeps her distance
and makes it plain that she doesn't care that Gen is dead. Emma comes
to believe that if she knows why Vida hated Gen, she will discover who
the murder is.
THE ALPINE QUILT is an exciting and complicated who-done-it with the protagonist
determined to find out who the poisoner is. During her investigation readers
are treated to an insider's look at Vida's past, which is very fascinating
because she has always been an important secondary character. Mary Daheim
combines lots of action with great characterizations to create a fantastic
regional mystery.
Harriet Klausner
Harriets's Archived Reviews
All rights reserved.
Contact Lida: publisher@fmam.biz
Website contact: webmaster @ fmam.biz