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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October 2005
THE
LAST SACRAFICE
Hank Hanegraaff & Sigmund Brouwer
Tyndale, Oct 2005, $19.99, 344 pp.
ISBN 0842384413
Once Vitas was part of Nero's inner circle until at a feast he tried to
choke the emperor because the ruler planned to have his way with his wife
Sophia, a follower of Christos. He was supposed to be sent to the arena
to die but a group of powerful Romans set in motion a plan that would
have someone else take his place while he was sent to Alexandria, with
John, THE LAST DISCIPLE who wrote the letter of revelation on Patmos.
The people who saved Vitas believe he has a chance of killing Nero once
he gathers the puzzle pieces that they sent to various people in the empire
and deciphers them. Vitas doesn't know that his Sophia mourns his death,
not even receiving comfort from her belief in Christos. Damian, Vitas'
brother and a slave hunter is looking for John to return him to Rome but
Vilas convinces him to help him on his journey to Caesarea and Jerusalem
to find out just what his saviors hope he can accomplish to rid the empire
of an insane monarch.
This second book in The Last Disciple's series is an exciting thriller
as Vitas tries to stay one step ahead of his enemies while trying to figure
out what role he is to play in toppling Nero from the throne. The authors
have done such a good job of historical research that the audience will
feel like they actually witness the events that occur in the novel. Thus
readers will find this book so educational and entertaining they will
finish it in one sitting.
Harriet Klausner
SHADOWED
Jerry Jenkins
Tyndale, Oct 2005, $24.99, 299 pp.
ISBN: 0842384146
World War III was a holy war with no winners as survivors eke out an existence
on a decimated planet. Reactionaries felt that religion was the cause
of all wars and for this reason religion was banned and people who prayed
openly were declared traitors and arrested. The Nation Peace Organization
was formed to find the underground zealots and arrest them and until recently
Paul Stepola was one of their best agents.
While hospitalized a believer talked to him and Paul eventually became
a believer which was when his sight returned. He became a double agent,
a mole who helped the believers whenever he could. With the oppression
getting worse, the believers pray to God that the first born male of non-believers
will die and He answers theirs their prayers proving to the world that
he does exist since the underground announced the event before it happened.
Neither Paul nor his son dies so the NPO knows that he is a believer.
He and his family go on the run from the man who needs to punish his beliefs,
his father in law, Ranold Decenti, the founder of the NPO. He wants his
son-in-law his daughter and grandchildren punished for breaking the law.
This futuristic thriller in which religion is banned and an organization
is formed to find and execute the traitors to the one world government
is Jerry Jenkins at his very best. The characters are well developed,
there is plenty of action and the storyline is believable because with
God, all things are possible. The protagonist is a hero who risks his
life to save the believers and overthrow the ban on religion while the
antagonist is a frighteningly believable opponent who is more interested
in power and revenge than the ideology he once believed in.
Harriet Klausner
THE
REGIME
Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins
Tyndale, Oct 2005, $25.95, 273 pp.
ISBN: 1414305761
After spending forty days in the desert, Nicolae Carpathia bows down to
his master who is the deceiving Lucifer that he has worshipped these many
years. He builds up his business and has as his advisors the woman who
raised him and Leon Fortunoto, another disciple of Lucifer, who would
rather be a kingmaker than a king. They eliminate their opponents, the
incumbent to the lowest house of the Romanian government, listening to
the spirit guides of the netherworld for future endeavors.
Rayford Steele has attained his goal of becoming a pilot and has a wife
who adores him and two great children. However, Rafe is bored with his
marriage in part because his wife Irene has become an evangelical Christian
and pressures her husband and daughter to be open to her beliefs and she
prays that in time they will accept the evangelical approach to religion.
Rafe is called on to make friends with the pro American, anti-terrorist
Jordanian Abdullah Smith to get his idea on how to make flying on airplanes
safer. Abdullah's life changes for the worse when his wife converts to
Christianity against his wishes. Cameron "Buck" Williams achieves
his goal of working for Global Weekly and is in Israel as the Russians
invade the country.
Readers learn about the characters who feature prominently in the Left
Behind series and why they became the persons who were left behind during
the rapture (except for Irene). Readers see how subtlety and cleverly
Carpathia begins his rise to power, how he and Leon became partners and
what are his true feelings about Viv Irving. The storyline is exciting
and knowing what is to come will not distract from the audience's enjoyment
of this book one iota.
Harriet Klausner
ONE
DEAD UNDER THE CUCKOO'S NEST
Lori Avocato
Avon, Oct 2005, $6.99
ISBN: 0060731672
Former nurse Pauline Sokol is enjoying her birthday party with her parents
when the mysterious Jagger, who she has worked with before, shows up claiming
he needs her help. He wants Pauline, a Scarpello & Tonelli insurance
fraud investigator, to assist him in escorting Mary Louise Huntington
to the Cortona Institute of Life mental institution near Hartford, a facility
run by nuns; Jagger insist that the escort must be a nurse.
At the same time her sleazy boss Fabio dumps a psychiatric fraud case
on her lap while he goes to gamble at the Mohegan Sun Casino. The two
simple cases collapse when the nuns take Pauline in as their patient.
No one including Jagger bails her out and she fails to prove to the Sisters
that's she is sane. So rather than mope, she begins sleuthing only to
learn other patients have been abducted and committed to this institution.
However, the fraud turns ugly when murder occurs, but Pauline refuses
to walk away as she has befriended some of the innocent victims.
The third Sokol insurance fraud mystery (see A DOSE OF MURDER, THE STIFF
AND THE DEAD), ONE DEAD UNDER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, is a terrific tale. Pauline
is not only at her courageous best, but her family, the mental institution
patients, others and especially Jagger add depth and to a degree eccentricity
to the exciting story line. Lori Avocato writes a fabulous mystery starring
a delightful protagonist and a horde of supporting players who together
provide a fine who-done-it reading experience.
Harriet Klausner
DEATH
AT A PREMIUM
Valerie Wolzien
Fawcett, Oct 2005, $6.99, 272 pp.
ISBN: 0345468090
Just before Memorial Day, building contractor Josie Pigeon and her fiancé
lawyer Sam Richardson discuss their Labor Day wedding when she learns
that her firm Island Contracting won the bid to renovate Bride's Bed and
Breakfast. However, her client also sends his grandson, an undergraduate
architectural student Christopher Higgins, to redesign the B&B. Worse
than keeping the rookie in line, her associate accidentally hires a man
who besides breaking Josie's gender wall is unable to get insurance due
to illness.
As the crew works on breaking down a wall, they find a corpse behind the
plaster. However, the body turns out to have been a mannequin. Later they
find a second dummy under the house. Not long afterward they find a third
except this time it is a real corpse. The father and son Rodney "Rats"
who make up the sheriff's department assumes that one of the crew killed
the victim though their preference is to pin the crime on Josie. Not sitting
idly around waiting for the Rats to devour her, Josie investigates beyond
just her team though some shaky shenanigans over E-Bay items surface.
DEATH AT A PREMIUM is a fine amateur sleuth tale starring a strong intelligent
and proactive heroine in a Florida barrier island setting. The cozy like
story line starts off breezy with wedding plans, unwanted male help, and
buried mannequins, but soon turns into a homicide investigation. Josie
is at her best saving her business, solving a murder mystery along with
a summer cop (female of course), coping with her teenage son and her future
mother-in-law and planning a wedding. This is no different than battling
Hurricane Agatha as she did in Murder in the Forecast.
Harriet Klausner
GRAVE
SIGHT
Charlaine Harris
Berkley, Oct 2005, $23.95, 272 pp.
ISBN 0425205681
After being struck by lightening, Harper Connelly can locate dead people
and know if they died of natural causes, committed suicide, or were murdered.
Relatives of missing people hire Harper to find their missing loved ones.
Harper knows how they died because she senses the last minutes of the
individual's life. Right now she and her step-brother Tolliver are in
the Ozark town of Sarne, hired to find Teenie, a missing teenage girl.
Harper finds the burial place and knows that the girl was murdered. She
also discovers that Teenie's boyfriend didn't kill her and in remorse
committed suicide but was murdered as well. Hollis, one of the police
officers working the homicides, is interested in Harper who tells him
that his wife Sally, the sister of Teenie was murdered and not an accident
victim. Someone wants Harper and Tollivar gone and that person will not
hesitate to use violence if it results in getting rid of them permanently.
Considering that the heroine can find a dead body and learn how they died,
she is amazingly normal and treats her skill like any of her other five
senses. She even make a living out of it, not to exploit people but to
give closure and sometimes even helping her client figure out who killed
them if it was a homicide. Fast pacing, excellent character development
and a strong storyline make GRAVE SIGHT an excellent reading experience.
This fabulous opening gambit affirms that every series Charlaine Harris
creates is utterly fantastic.
Harriet Klausner
DYING
IN STYLE
Elaine Viets
Signet, Oct 2005, $6.99, 488 pp
ISBN: 0451216792
In St. Louis thirty-one years old Josie Marcus enjoys her undercover work
as a mystery shopper for Sutton Services mostly because it enables the
single mother to spend plenty of flexible time with her nine years old
daughter Amelia, but also she enjoys the thrill. She admits that the job
pays lousy, is hard on the feet and her car and her mom thinks she is
as bad as the CIA dirty tricks squad.
Her current assignment is for the client Creshan Corporation, which is
considering whether to spend fifty million dollars to purchase the three
exclusive Danessa boutiques from founder Danessa Celedine. Josie is shocked
to find the three stores poorly managed and not customer focused even
with few people shopping. Her report tears into Danessa and threatens
the business deal. Before Danessa can react, someone kills her with the
police wondering whether the mystery shopper, fearing a costly law suit,
killed her. Josie in turn ponders whether the amazon store manager of
one of the Danessa shops did the deed because she assumes someone had
to be strong to commit this style murder.
DYING IN STYLE is a fun cozy starring a delightful protagonist who enjoys
debunking crummy sales people and managers. The first half of the story
line introduces the audience to Josie, a terrific undercover agent. When
Danessa is murdered, Josie becomes an amateur sleuth because she fears
she will be the fall gal. Throw in fourteen simple shopping tips and one
has a fine unique espionage murder in the mall thriller.
Harriet Klausner
KING'S
BLOOD
Judith Tarr
Roc, Oct 2005, $16.00, 384 pp.
ISBN 0451460456
When the Saxons converted to Christianity, the Old Magic of Britain that
kept it alive started dying. When the Norman conquerors came, Britain
for a time began to heal because William and his wife followed the Old
Ways. When Mathilda died, William turned his back on magic and with his
death, a king sits on the throne who can see but wants nothing to do with
magic.
The darkness is spreading again and the magic is dying out. The guardians
are short one number because a priest denies the Old Ways and follows
Christianity. The princess of Scotland, Edith, and Prince Henry, the English
king's brother, are filled with and accept the magic that is a part of
them. With England under siege from all sides the time is coming for a
great sacrifice that if not made will cause Britain to suffer the same
fate as Atlantis.
Judith Tarr weaves a web of historical facts and imbues them with a touch
of enchantment so that a pivotal event in history is made possible by
sorcery. This glimpse into a past that once existed comes about because
many minor magical rites and especially one major one cause the essential
moment that magic made history. This romantic fantasy is full of action,
otherworldly creatures and the need for the champions to prove brave and
victorious otherwise Britain will be destroyed.
Harriet Klausner
SONG
OF UNMAKING
Caitlin Brennan
Luna, Oct 2005, $13.95, 400 pp.
ISBN 0373802323
Euan Rohe, a Caletanni barbarian almost brought the Empire and the Emperor
to its knees during the Great Dance. Valeria, a rider of the wild stallions
who are gods made flesh, finished the Dance with her own and seven other
stallions and for a time war was averted. Valeria returns to the mountain
for more training while Euan escapes to his homeland and allies himself
with Gothard, the baseborn son of the Emperor who wants to Unmake his
father's empire.
War is coming and the Emperor, his warriors and his mages are at the border
waiting for the right time to strike out at their enemy. Gothard has a
stone that has the power to Unmake, once he knows how to use it. Valeria
and her lover Kerrick, with their stallion gods travel to the battleground
to stop Gothard before he starts using the stone's power to crush the
Emperor's forces. Partners in love and battle Kerrick and Valeria perform
a Dance unlike any dance the stallions performed, one that will determine
the fate of the Empire.
This is the second book in this magnificent romantic fantasy series (See
THE MOUNTAIN'S CALL) and it is full of more action, romance and drama
than its prequel. The love Kerrick and Valeria feel for each other is
tested by secrets he keeps from his lover and the wounds that refuse to
heal, both magical and physical, inflicted on him by his half-brother.
The battle scenes are magnificent, the characters are realistic and the
storyline is pure magic; readers will eagerly await the next book in this
tantalizing series.
Harriet Klausner
POISON
STUDY
Maria V. Snyder
Luna, Oct 2005, $13.99, 350 pp.
ISBN 0373802307
Yelena has been locked in the dungeon under deplorable conditions for
almost a year, waiting for her execution. Even though she killed Reyad
in self-defense, the Code of Behavior punishes the murderer even though
there is cause for the crime to be committed. When Yelena is brought before
Valek the Commander's chief spymaster and assassin, he gives her a chance
since she is the next prisoner due to be executed. An opening for a taste
tester for the Commander is available and Yelena eagerly accepts the position.
Valek has poisoned her and she must take the antidote each day thus preventing
her escape. Reyad's father, General Brazell wants Yelena dead but Valek
prevents numerous attempts on her life. Meanwhile Brazell sends candy
to the commander that he eats several times a day; over time Valek and
Yelena notice a change come over their leader but are unable to find any
evidence that Brazell is poisoning or enchanting the Commander. When they
travel to Brazell's home, a trap is sprung and the outcome will determine
who rules the realm. Yelena, now aware of her magical abilities, must
fight a trained magician who has had time to strengthen his position and
see his plans come to completion.
The heroine, an orphan who doesn't know her heritage, is a strong willed
person able to take the pain life throws at her and remains a good hearted
person giving love and loyalty to those who deserve it. POISON STUDY is
rich in character development and action scenes and many of the battles
take place in the magical arena. Valek is an interesting character, more
so then Yelena, because he hides behind a mask so that readers wonder
what motivates him while Yelena wears her heart on her sleeve. Maria V.
Snyder makes readers believe in her world and the characters she creates,
a writer's form of magic.
Harriet Klausner
BLUE
SMOKE
Nora Roberts
Putnam, Out 2005, $25.95, 448 pp.
ISBN 0399153063
In 1985 Baltimore Catarina "Renna" Hale was attacked by her
neighbor twelve year old Joey Pastorelli and would have been raped if
the neighbors didn't intervene. Reena's father fought with Joey's abusive
dad and that night, the Hale's family pizzeria, Sirico's burns to the
ground. Police find enough evidence to arrest Joey's father and Joey is
taken away from his mother after he burns his dog and leaves it on Reena's
doorstop.
Reena decides that she will because an arson investigator, studying hard
in school to make her dream a reality. When Rena buys a house in her old
neighborhood, her next door neighbor is Bo Goodnight who saw Reena at
a college party years ago and fell in lust. Over the years he sighted
his Dream Girl but they never met but when the pair finally get together,
lust turns into something more for Bo and the commitment phobic Reena
who is afraid that he might be her one and only true love. They conduct
their courtship during an arson investigation in which someone is targeting
Reena and the people closest to her. Reena is in a race against time to
catch the killer before the body count mounts.
Once again Nora Roberts has written a wonderful romantic thriller that
is sure to hit the New York Times bestseller list. Her characterization
are fantastic, the firefighting scenes are full of action and suspense
and the plot moves along at a fast pace. Bo's Dream Girl is better than
his fantasy of her and he is determined to woo her no matter how many
obstacles she put in his path. Their love scenes are sweet, poignant sometimes
downright funny. BLUE SMOKE is an example of why Ms. Roberts is one of
the most popular authors writing today.
Harriet Klausner
IRON
ORCHID
Stuart Woods
Putnam, Oct. 2005, $25.95, 304 pp.
ISBN 039915325x
Teddy Fay Worked for the CIA for forty years, eventually becoming a Tech
Services coordinator and when he retired, he erased all his files in the
Agency's computers. They have no pictures or fingerprints of the man who
disappeared with astonishing ease. He started killing Right Wing politician
including the Speaker of the House and when he was close to being caught,
he blew up the plance he was flying and jumped out into the ocean.
While the FBI and CIA think he is dead, Teddy relocates to New York when
he starts killing terrorists, the enemies of America as he calls them.
A joint FBI-CIA task force is formed and one of the CIA members is Holly
Barker, the former Chief of Police in Orchid Beach, Florida. They recruited
her and she eagerly grabbed the chance to become an operative. She is
the only agent to see Holly and she is in the forefront of the investigation
as Teddy tries to avoid the agents while continuing on his mission.
The antagonist is the focus and the star of IRON ORCHID as he calmly hacks
into CIA and FBI computers with the help of an inside source. Readers
will be simultaneously drawn to and repelled by this character who marches
to his own drummer. The protagonist takes to her CIA training like a duck
to water and is able to carry her share of the work load on her uses first
case as an agent. Stuart Woods has written a compelling and entertaining
cat and mouse caper.
Harriet Klausner
BAD
ATTITUDE
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Pocket, Oct 2005, $18.00, 288 pp.
ISBN: 1416503560
Bureau of American Defense Agent (BAD) Sydney Westbrook knows she must
find the right person for the job, but need to do it quickly. She needs
a sniper willing to quietly kill an enemy agent before that combatant
assassinates a key international figure, who has kept nuclear weapons
away from terrorists, during a peace conference held in the United States.
Her sister agent Tee informs Sydney that she has just the man for her
though there is a slight bump. Former soldier Joshua Daniel Steele is
a resident of Leavenworth for shooting his CO. Sydney thinks this guy
has the perfect BAD ATTITUDE profile although she knows cons carry a lot
of emotional baggage.
At first sight Sydney and JD are ready to kill one another, which climaxes
in a sexual encounter. As they struggle to keep their attraction out of
their business relationship of her spotting for him top make the kill,
they begin to fall in love. However, first there remains stopping a professional
killer so that nuclear weapons remain out of the hands of terrorists.
BAD ATTITUDE is a tongue in cheek romantic suspense thriller starring
two crazy combatants who get smart about life by falling in love with
one another. Fans will enjoy this fine tale, which has a serious undertone
dealing with nuclear weapons ending up in the wrong hands (not just Iran
or North Korea, but Al Qaeda, etc.). Still this is an action-packed light
hearted farce in which readers will wonder how safe the world will be
if the lead couple have offspring.
Harriet Klausner
WHEN
SECRETS DIE
Lynn Hightower
Pocket, Oct 2005, $14.00, 352 pp.
ISBN 0743463919
After caring for her son during a traumatic illness that eventually killed
him, Emma Marsden is finally coming to terms with her grief. Her world
is shattered once again when a call from the Clay's Mill children's clinic
that was treating her son informed her that they had some of his organs
that they kept for research purposes. When she goes to collect them, the
person who called her is under orders not to give them to her. She takes
them anyway.
Soon after that incident, Dr. Theodore Turnbridge, her son's doctor, accuses
Emma of poisoning her son because she has Munchausen by Proxy. She is
in danger of children's protective services taking her fifteen year old
daughter away from her and there is the real possibility she might go
to jail. She hires private detective Lena Padgett to disprove the charges.
Lena, who has an intenseapport with her client, takes the case but it
isn't until Emma's daughter is kidnapped does Lena, the police and the
medical people have a clue who is behind Emma's legal troubles.
Lynn Hightower is one of the best thriller writers of the new millennium
and will appeal to fans of Patricia Cornwell and Nancy Taylor Rosenberg.
Readers learn about the power of the medical profession and how in the
wrong hands it can ruin the lives of innocent people. Emma is a sympathetic
character and readers will empathize with all the problems she has to
bear through no fault of her own. Lena plays more of a secondary role
then in previous novels in the series but the audience won't feel cheated
because she is still a key player in a tense drama.
Harriet Klausner
HERETIC
Joseph Nassise
Pocket, Oct 2005, $6.99, 304 pp.
ISBN 0743470958
When their organization was outlawed, the Knights Templar went underground
until the Vatican recognized them again and they became an arm of the
church fighting the supernatural enemies of humanity. One Knight Commander
Cade Williams, in charge of Echo Command, joined the order when as a policeman
he encountered a supernatural entity he calls the Adversary that killed
his wife. He fully intends to avenge his wife's death but for now he fights
the cases of the order whenever he is called to do so.
Someone or something is attacking commanderies (various headquarters of
the Knights Templar), killing the Templars and raising them from the dead
as revenants. The group of nine led by Simon Hamilton Logan, the head
Necromancer is looking for the Spear of Destiny for it is believed whoever
possesses it could rule the world. The battle becomes personal for Cade
when he realizes the Necromancer is in league with his enemy the Adversary.
Before he can ever think of taking vengeance on his foe, he must keep
the spear out of the enemy's hands, a difficult thing to accomplish when
there is a traitor within his organization.
Horror fans will be delighted to discover the works of Joseph Nassise
a relatively new writer who can hold his own with such masters as Douglas
Clegg, Bentley Little, and Stephen King. Heretic is a dark work, gothic
in tone with scary scenes that will frighten even those who don't get
scared by reading a horror novel. The protagonist fights on the side of
the light even though he has his own agenda. Like this reviewer, fans
will look forward to more adventures starring Cade and the Knights Templar.
Harriet Klausner
COLLIDING
FORCES
Constance O'Day-Flannery
Tor, Oct 2005, $6.99
ISBN: 0765351021
Thirty-six years old Philadelphia TV six o'clock newscaster Deborah Stark
has never and will never allow her feelings especially that second hand
emotion of love to get in the way of her career ambitions. Her latest
lover Marcus Bocelli is perhaps more of a hunk than any of them and she
admits she wants him as never before, but he remains like those before
him, a temporary itch "scratcher".
Deborah returns to her Hadley, New Jersey home when her aunt calls to
tell her that her mother died. Marcus arrives shortly after allegedly
to offer her solace. She appreciates the gesture but fears falling in
love with him so she dives into a story that should dampen her lust. She
has found that the company that owns her Philadelphia television station
is corrupt and seemingly breaking the law; she plans to prove this and
air her findings. However, Marcus has kept some secrets from his beloved
that he knows he must share with her if he wants anything permanent with
his reluctant disbelieving beloved. The least is his ability to change
physical shapes while the most is the agenda that sent him following her
to Hadley.
COLLIDING FORCES is a fast-paced romantic suspense thriller that contains
some supernatural elements, but for the most part those paranormal skills
take a back seat to the love story between two reluctant warriors and
to the corruption investigation. The story line is action-packed, but
driven by doubting D. who questions the motives of the man she is falling
in love with from the moment they connected at the wedding of the stars
of SHIFTING LOVE (Marcus was a secondary character). Fans of supernatural
romantic suspense will appreciate Constance O'Day-Flannery's fine tale.
Harriet Klausner
MRS.
JEFFRIES AND THE SILENT KNIGHT
Emily Brightwell
Berkley, Oct 2005, 234 pp.
ISBN 0425205584
Sir George is a parsimonious, mean-spirited man who cares more about his
cat Samson than he does his three daughters. The cat, a mean old Tom who
scratches everyone except for Sir George has been missing for two days
putting his master in a fouler mood than usual. Sir George wakes up quickly
when he hears Samson outside and goes to find him. Someone smashes him
on his head killing him.
Since Sir George was the cousin of Queen Victoria, his case is very high
profile so Scotland Yard assigns it to Inspector Gerald Witherspoon who
has a phenomenal successor rate in solving homicides. Neither Witherspoon
nor his supervisors know that his housekeeper Mrs. Jeffries and the other
servants of his house work behind the scenes to help their master solve
his cases. This inquiry is harder than most as everyone has a motive for
killing the baronet, including his three daughters, his ex-lover, the
gardener the housekeeper, and trades people he cheated out of money.
This is one historical mystery series that never gets boring or dull.
The author keeps the series fresh by making each homicide case original.
Lovers of late Victorian mysteries will thoroughly enjoy this tale because
Inspector Witherspoon comes across as so innocent and naïve that
readers will adore him. Emily Brightwell is an author whose mysteries
are well worth reading.
Harriet Klausner
THE
VESUVIUS CLUB
Mark Gatiss
Scribner, Oct 2005, $13.00, 240 pp.
ISBN 0743283945
At the turn of the twentieth century in London, England, artist Lucifer
Box is a renowned rake who also utilizes all his personas as a spy in
his majesty's service, blackmailed by the family lawyer into assassinating
England's enemies, a job he performs quite well. After debriefing his
handler in a public bathroom he is asked to investigate the death of Jocelyn
Poop, a diplomat in Naples who spies for England.
Poop sent a wire before his death mentioning two scientists studying volcanic
activity, dying within days of each other in what looks like natural causes
but the coincidence of these deaths so close is very suspicious. The funeral
parlor that performed the burial is based in England and Naples. Lucifer
visits and opens the coffin of one of the scientists but the body is gone.
The other scientist's body is also missing. Believing the answer is in
Naples, Lucifer travels there only to encounter THE VESUVIUS CLUB a secret
organization that plans to destroy that part of the world unless Lucifer
can kill the leaders and stop the ticking time bomb.
This is a tongue in cheek version of James Bond only more earthy, decedent
and reminiscent of the last depraved days of the Roman Empire. The protagonist
is a very naughty man who is a hedonist at heart and gets his jollies
from knowing he is one of the saviors of the British Empire. This is not
a book to be taken seriously but a work to be enjoyed for its earthly
humor, fun characters, and fine setting.
Harriet Klausner
THE
LINCOLN LAWYER
Michael Connelly
Little, Brown, Oct 2005, $26.95, 384 pp.
ISBN: 0316734934
Criminal defense lawyer Mickey "THE LINCOLN LAWYER" Haller makes
the rounds of courthouses defending some of the dregs of society. His
mobile office is the backseat of his Lincoln Town Car, in which he works
up a case while a lowlife client drives the vehicle.
However, Michael has the ideal client, someone with money who can pay
for his services. Beverly Hills realtor Louis "Hard Case" Roulet
has been accused of brutally assaulting a woman; Louis claims he is innocent.
In spite of his dad's dire warning that the innocent make the worse clients,
Haller takes on the case seeing dollar signs and an easy win. When a friend
associated with the case is murdered, Michael wonders what he has gotten
into as his father's prophecy proves right, but there is no way out except
seeing the case to its conclusion.
Though no Bosch, except his indirectly being related to Mickey, THE LINCOLN
LAWYER is a terrific legal thriller headlined by a fabulous attorney and
strong secondary players especially his filter Gloria, his current client,
and those who drive him to pay off debts. The exhilarating story line
is literally driven by the cast though there is plenty of action. Fans
will enjoy Michael Connelly's latest tale starring an attorney trying
to climb up the food chain, but finding the ooze underneath a lot warmer
and safer.
Harriet Klausner
THE
BLOOD RED SEA
Ron Faust
Bantam, Oct 2005, $6.99, 352 pp.
ISBN: 0553586572
In Bell Harbor, Florida, only four months out of law school, attorney
Dan Shaw hates his job. His clients consist of losers or mentally challenged
sent to him by other lawyers to work plea bargains. His last two patrons
put him over the edge when one wants to sue the CIA for placing a microchip
in her womb and the other has no idea how a meth lab ended up in his garage.
Dan needs to escape especially since his former fiancée married
someone else and the local cops show interest in a deadly incident involving
him in Italy.
Dan sails the Caribbean on his boat the Roamer when he sees a naked woman
swimming towards him 85 miles from any land. He brings her on board and
treats her dehydration and numerous jelly fish bites. She is Katherine
Adams- Cardinal who has been reported missing by her spouse. Kate tells
Dan that her husband threw her off their ship, blaming her falling over
board on alcohol. She wants to return to her home in Santo Domingo to
get her child back from her husband; Dan agrees to help her though he
knows how deadly this Cesar is.
THE BLOOD RED SEA is an exhilarating thriller that starts off as a legal
tale, but quickly turns into a tense romantic suspense. The story line
turns from tongue in cheek humor to non-stop action from the moment that
Kate "rescues" herself from the sea and never slows down until
the final confrontation. Though the characters are never fully developed
even Dan seems to be missing a bicep or two, no one will care as readers
will appreciate Ron Faust's fine tale.
Harriet Klausner
A
CATERED CHRISTMAS
Isis Crawford
Kensington, Oct 2005, $22.00, 320 pp.
ISBN: 0758206879
In the town of LONGLELEY, sisters Bernie and Libby own the store and catering
service, A Little Taste of Heaven; they are so well known that they are
invited to compete in a cook off on the Hortense Calabash show. Six caterers
are given ingredients chosen by the hostess and are supposed to make an
entire meal out of them. The winner gets twenty thousand dollars which
is donated to their favorite charity. On the first day of taping, the
contestants hear a noise; they rush in to find Hortense dead on the floor,
a Christmas ornament wedged into her throat.
The police discover that the stove's gas line was cut and Christmas ornaments
were placed in the oven. When she opened the door, the oven sparked a
causing a mini explosion. The police agree to keep Hortense's death quiet
while they and Bernie and Libby search for the killer. Although Libby
and Bernie solved homicides in the past (see A CATERED MURDER and A CATERED
WEDDING), this murder has them stumped because all the contestants had
a reason to kill Hortense except themselves.
A CATERED CHRISTMAS is a lively and entertaining amateur sleuth mystery
filled with plenty of red herrings, unexpected twists and turns and deliberately
planted false clues. The two sisters and their father engage in witty
dialogue that will have readers chuckling out loud. The plot is believable,
the characters are portrayed realistically and there is enough action
to keep readers turning the pages to find out what happens next.
Harriet Klausner
THE
STRANGER HOUSE
Reginald Hill
HarperCollins, Oct 2005, $24.95
ISBN: 0060820810
The two strangers separately arrive at remote Illthwaite, England seeking
information about their respective families. Math graduate student Australian
Samantha "Sam" wants to learn more about her grandmother especially
why she was exiled from here over forty years ago. Historian Miguel "Mig"
Madero wants to obtain more information about an ancestor who sailed with
the Spanish Armada in 1588 and may have landed here.
They both stay at THE STRANGER HOUSE where they meet and initially detest
one another. However, though they seem like total opposites with her being
a mathematical creature of logic while he is more of the spiritual compassionate
historian, they soon find a common cause. Each wants to know the truth,
which both feels will turn upside down what has been the explanation of
what occurred to their respective relatives. Of course the villagers have
much to hide and prefer the truth remain buried in the past.
Reginald Hill, taking a sabbatical from Dalziel and Pascoe, provides a
deep thought-provoking thriller that grips the audience from the moment
we enter THE STRANGER HOUSE and never let's go even after the tale is
finished. Readers will ponder how much of what is recorded as truth really
happened the way it is described in the history books as facades often
hide what the victors want concealed. Interestingly as "intelligent
design" theory (can that mean Buddhism or Hinduism?) is pushed; Mr.
Hill provides a similar debate but on a personal level as the mathematician
and the historian argue over what reality is. This great novel makes the
case that history requires open-mindedness unlike math because new myths
form and debunk acceptable facts rather quickly
Harriet Klausner
THE
RUTHLESS
L.G. Burbank
Medallion Press, Oct 2005, $11.99, 325 pp.
ISBN 193281521X
The Catholic Church created Vlad in their quest for immortality but lost
control of him. He now wants to eradicate humans from the face of the
earth and hopes that Mordred, the half vampyre he created will help him.
Mordred rejects him and is on a quest to get the aid of the other vampire
kings to help him in the upcoming battle with Vlad. He must prove to each
of them he is the Chosen One, destined to defeat his creator and bring
light into a troubled world.
After gaining the acceptance of the Narrangantti vampyre king, he travels
to Rome because an evil sect within the church has awakened Vlad who possesses
one of their priests. When he arrives in Rome, he kidnaps Father Simon
and travels with him to the Carpathian Mountains to the home of Vlad the
Impaler. Vlad is trapped in the Impaler's body. He hopes to break the
possession but ends up in mortal combat with his enemy and loses consciousness.
He wakes up in Valhalla where he is to fight the second vampire king so
that he will acknowledge Mordred as the Chosen One. They next seek a sacred
object hidden by the Knights Templar in the New World unaware the evil
sect within the Catholic Church, the Red Caps, are hunting for Mordred
because according to the prophecy in the Dead Sea Scrolls, he can ruin
their plans.
No doubt about it, L.G. Burbank is the successor to Anne Rice. Her vampyre
Mordred is unique, refreshingly original and doesn't give in to his dark
side. Readers will admire him and empathize with the many travails he
undergoes. THE RUTHLESS is a fast paced action packed supernatural thriller
worthy of a Bram Stoker award nomination for its originality and creativity.
The audience will eagerly await the next book in this terrific series.
Harriet Klausner
NOW
YOU SEE ME
Rochelle Krich
Ballantine, Oct 2005, $13.95 352pp.
ISBN 0345468120
Recently married Molly Blume feels good about her life. Besides her personal
life, her book is selling and her column is becoming even more popular.
However, she becomes concerned when an apparent fan Reuben Jastrow turns
up at three consecutive book signings. She initially thinks he is a stalker
but he explains that he wants to hire her as a Jewish private detective
to find his missing eighteen years old daughter Hadassah. She reluctantly
agrees to help because she learns that Reuben is a highly regarded Orthodox
rabbi.
Molly's inquiries lead to unsafe chat rooms and Goth-suicidal teens, but
these prove false as the sleuth is no closer to finding Hadassah then
when she started. The case seems to be going nowhere as Molly ponders
what could have happened and reconsiders several times all the possibilities,
but finding no clues that take her closer to the vanished teen.
The story line is more character driven than usual as Rochelle Krich concentrates
on Molly's muses leading to a brilliant insight into the orthodox Jewish
American community. However, a twist in the middle of NOW YOU SEE ME leads
to questions as to why Molly does what she does for the rest of the plot.
Though not quite at the caliber of a typical Blume tale (see GRAVE ENDINGS),
fans of the series will enjoy the happily married Molly's fourth sleuthing
adventure played out against a backdrop of Orthodox Judaism
Harriet Klausner
CANDY
APPLE RED
Nancy Bush
Kensington, Oct 2005, $19.95, 320 pp.
ISBN: 0758209053
Although Jane Kelly is thirty, she has yet to settle on a permanent career
valuing her freedom that a nine to five career would stifle. At the moment
she is working for information specialist (a fancy title for private eye)
Dwayne Durbin handing out eviction notices and working as a process server.
She agrees to work for Tess Bradbury who wants her to find out what her
ex-husband Cotton Reynolds knows about their son Bobby.
Four years ago, Bobby put a bullet in the head of his wife and three children
before vanishing into thin air. A massive manhunt by several state and
federal agencies turned up nothing. Jane thinks Cotton won't talk to her
because he only knew her through Tim Murphy, Bobby's best friend and her
ex-lover. After the murders Murphy left town, refusing to believe Bobby
could commit such a heinous crime. Now he's back and he wants Jane to
join him in Santa Fe but she is obsessed with learning the truth about
what happened to Bobby. There are many people who want her to stop her
investigation and one will go to any lengths to see that she does.
Nancy Bush has written a delightfully witty and charming crime caper starring
a charmingly original heroine who knows herself only too well and accepts
her flaws because she refuses to change. She's feisty and funny and connects
with the audience in a way most characters rarely do. The mystery is well
thought out and totally entertaining so that readers will be eager to
read the next tale in this series.
Harriet Klausner
HALF
BROKEN THINGS
Morag Joss
Delacorte, Oct 2005, $22.00, 320 pp.
ISBN: 0385339402
Town and Country Sitters sent the letter to subcontracted house sitter
Jean that after she completes the current nine-month assignment at Bath's
Walden Manor, she will receive no further work because she will have turned
sixty-five and cannot obtain insurance. Melancholy, Jean has lived alone
even as an adopted child as her new parents never showered her with love.
Over the years she made up imaginary relatives like her niece Jenny who
cared what happens to her.
In Walden Manor, Jean accidentally shatters a teapot containing a set
of keys that enable the lonely woman to open the upstairs lock rooms and
her imagination as a resident of Walden Manor. She creates a grown son
that years before she was forced to give up for adoption and advertises
in a magazine pleading for his return. Con artist Michael responds accompanied
by a pregnant woman, Steph, whom he just met as she flees from her abusive
boyfriend. The trio forges a happy home though the end state countdown
begins when Steph's baby is born but inexplicably dies and a country curate
who is visiting recognizes Michael as a thief.
Even without Sara Selkirk appearing, Morag Joss is a brilliant virtuoso
playing a dark concerto that grips the audience as few novels can. The
lead trio is damaged goods that society ignores; each finds solace in
the loving family unit they form together leading to the audience to wonder
how far any one of them or as a "mob" will go to protect what
they now believe is theirs. Though British, fans of deep family dramas
will appreciate this gritty thriller that recolor "values" from
red to blue.
Harriet Klausner
THE
PRICE OF SILENCE
Kate Wilhelm
Mira, Oct 2005, $23.95
ISBN: 0778322165
Having lost her job and knowing that her beloved spouse Barney has two
years to go on his dissertation, Oregonian Todd Fielding obtains work
on the Brindle Times as the newspaper's octogenarian owner Ruth Ann Coleman
knows her paper needs a computer expert journalist. Though on the other
side of the mountain from where Barney attends school and teaches, Todd
accepts the position that comes with a rent free house. Barney's faculty
advisor arranges his schedule so that they can spend most of each week
together.
Todd and Ruth Ann become close confidents as the newcomer's work and ethics
are excellent. When a high school girl Jodie Schuster vanishes, Todd questions
the local cops who blow her off insisting she is just another bored teen
runaway. Todd investigates further and soon finds a shocking pattern of
missing teenage females over recent years with law enforcement doing nothing
except yawning. With Ruth Ann providing an identical but much older pattern
of disappearances, the two women investigate not realizing the danger
from a town icon who wants his predatory nature to remain secret.
This is a terrific amateur sleuth tale that enables the audience to first
appreciate the strong relationships between Todd and Barney (in spite
of a sexual female prowler), and Todd and Ruth Ann (the "cold"
air and the recognition the paper is the elderly woman's "baby").
Once the tale switches to the amateurs sleuth investigation, fans obtain
a fantastic mystery as the two journalists struggle to uncover who is
behind the abductions of recent note and who got away with the first generation
killings under the watch of Ruth Ann's late father. Kate Wilhelm writes
a terrific thriller that hopefully will have sequels set in Brindle, Oregon.
Harriet Klausner
THE
ONLY SUSPECT
Jonnie Jacobs
Kensington, Oct 2005, $23.00
ISBN: 0758208006
One juror held out causing a hang jury, which led to the freeing of Dr.
Sam Russell from being convicted of strangling to death his pregnant wife
Lisa. Her Bostonian parents are fully convinced he murdered their daughter
while his Californian father is supportive of him. Sam accompanied by
his child Molly leaves the East Coast to live near his dad.
Seven years later, Sam awakens in his car with no idea what happened;
blood is under his fingernails. When he gets home he finds his second
spouse Maureen missing. Déjà vu is all he can think of as
this is exactly what occurred in New England. Monte Vista detectives Hannah
Montgomery and Dallas Pryor lead the missing person's investigation knowing
most likely a homicide committed by the husband happened. Monte has recently
learned that her deceased husband Malcolm had an affair with her sister
Claire while Dallas detests Sam from their high school days together.
Both believe he killed his wife, but Hannah attempts to consider Sam's
claims about a ransom call and a vehicle leaving the drop off locale.
When her corpse is found, the vultures circle Sam.
Very few writers if any can take an everyday person like Sam is and place
him in a nightmarish realistic scenario caused by events outside his control
as well as Jonnie Jacobs can. The story line grips readers because of
Sam who is like one's neighbor, friend, or doctor so that the audience
feels everything that occurs to him. Though a late twist has been used
too often in suspense thrillers, THE ONLY SUSPECT is a fabulous tale because
Sam is just that.
Harriet Klausner
PALE
DEATH
David and Aimee Thurlo
Forge, Oct 2005, $23.95, 264 pp.
ISBN 0765313855
State police officer Leo Hawk, once known as Lee Nez, is a Navaho half
vampire who frequently works with FBI agent Diane Lopez who knows what
he is and cares about him anyway. They are called to a crime scene where
three people are staked and bite marks are on their neck. They trace the
works to a nearby top secret federal facility where vampire Stewart Tanner,
a full fledged vampire was being held against his will.
Experiments were conducted on him that were painful and could be considered
torture. Eventually he went insane and when he was able to escape he killed
his captors and is now going after federal employees. Dianne and Lee are
assigned to the case and Lee has the best chance of catching him even
though he is only a half vampire and Tanner is stronger and faster than
him. As the body count mounts, Lee knows he has to work faster to take
Tanner down but it is difficult when he has to hold back his true nature
because he is working with mortals that will use him to experiment on
if they discover he is a half vampire.
Navaho culture is woven into the vampire legend and what results is a
fantastic storyline that is creatively different than most vampire stories.
Lee is a good man who protects mortals from the evil vampires that want
to kill or turn humans. His sense of justice is strong and as a result
he recognizes that there are good vampires in the world and he has no
reason to go after them. PALE DEATH will appeal to horror and mystery
fans as well as those who love to read tales that are refreshingly original.
Harriet Klausner
CATEGORY
FIVE
T.J. MacGregor
Pinnacle, Oct 2005, $6.99, 384 pp.
ISBN 0786016809
Billy Joe Franklin and his girlfriend Crystal DeVries robbed a bank and
he absconded with the money, leaving Crystal to take the fall. While waiting
to go to trial, she, along with her friend Tia, transferred from the Dade
County jail to the one on Tango Key. Billy successfully breaks her and
Tia in a daring jailbreak. It looks like his planning will allow them
to make a clean getaway until Hurricane Danielle turns into a Category
Five storm, worse than even Hurricane Andrew.
Bookstore owner and psychic Mira Morales, her daughter Annie and her grandmother
are preparing to survive one of the worst hurricanes on record when the
escaped convicts and Billy take over the house and make sure the hostages
are subdued. Mira's live-n-lover, Shep, an FBI agent, knows about the
danger the women face but he is trapped in a cellar and is unable to get
out. Mira has to take charge and see that her family is safe until someone
can rescue them but when their situation looks hopeless, help comes from
a most unexpected source.
It is a toss up to Mira which is worse the Category Five hurricane or
dealing with the unstable Billy Joe. Both could get her killed and even
her psychic powers are not strong enough for her foresee what kind of
trauma and tragedy will result from the criminals and the storm. T.J.
MacGregor has written a fantastic crime thriller, filled with action and
suspense but the true antagonist in CATEGORY FIVE is Hurricane Danielle.
Harriet Klausner
THE
KILLING ART
The Killing Art
Jonathan Santlofer
Morrow, Oct 2005, $24.95, 352 pp.
ISBN 0060541075
Former NYPD detective Kate McKinnon quit the force after her husband was
murdered to become an art historian. She was drawn back into police work
when art and murder intersected in the cases of the DEATH ARTIST and the
COLOR BLIND. Now she is writing a book about the New York School of abstract
impressionists of the 1930's and 1940's like Phillip Zander.
One of the paintings Kate donated to the Modernist Museum was slashed
beyond repair and she later finds out that a Jackson Pollack painting
was defaced in the sane manner a few weeks earlier. The same person ruins
a Kline painting at the home of Kate's friends the Starnetts and kills
the male member of the twosome. Kate is once again drawn into a murder
case. The killer strikes three more times leaving a clue each time. Even
when various police departments and the FBI finally believe they know
who the killer was after he died in a shoot out, Kate is convinced that
the person was not a murderer just a thief and con man. Acting on a hunch,
she enters a scenario where innocent people could die.
Jonathan Santlofer has written an exiting crime thriller that focuses
on the cliques, petty jealousies and the competition for attention that
is prevalent in the art world. The small paintings that contain the clue
the killer sends to the victims are placed in various chapters in the
book giving the plot an artsy feel and makes the reader feel that they
are part of the investigation. The protagonist is a strong woman still
recovering from the death of her husband but is determined so make a new
life for herself. Readers with will eagerly await her next adventure.
Harriet Klausner
THE
MISSION: CRAZY HOT
Tara Janzen
Dell, Oct 2005, $5.00
ISBN: 0553586106
The Boulder police did not believe paleontologist Regan McKinney that
the disappearance of her beloved grandfather was not his usual summer
wandering amidst the Badlands. She insisted this was different as retired
professor Dr. Wilson McKinney always checked in with her and would never
miss a speaking engagement; both occurred. That is why she is in the middle
of the ghost town Cisco seeking former USAF hero Quinn Younger who Regan
believes knows what happened to her grandfather. While Quinn watches Regan
wondering if she is an enemy agent, two thugs arrive, forcing him to come
out of the shadows to rescue her.
In front of Quinn's "guardian angel" Kid Chaos, Regan explains
that Wilson vanished just after bringing home a Porsche, whish she knows
from her teen days means Quinn is involved. Quinn would do anything for
his mentor Wilson who he believes straightened him out as a teen except
give away his cover as a thief. Still he must protect Regan because she
refuses to stop her search and rescue of Wilson though he believes the
bones doc is safe. He must also prevent some nasty thieves from stealing
precious dinosaur bones inside a nest filled with diamonds.
This action-packed thriller never slows down from the moment that Regan
arrives in Cisco until the final discussion between the lead couple over
confiscated diamonds. The story line is action-packed leaping from one
escapade to another mindful of an Indiana Jones adventure. Fans who appreciate
plenty of adventure and romance will want to read CRAZY HOT and look forward
to the capers of Quinn's teammate Christian Hawkins in the next crazy
special defense force unit's appearance.
Harriet Klausner
Harriets's Archived Reviews
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