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.

September 2011

Murder in Burnt Orange
Jeanne M. Dams
Perseverance Press, Sep 2011, $15.95
ISBN: 9781564745033

Independent Hilda Johansson emigrated from Sweden to South Bend, Indiana to become a housemaid at Tippecanoe Place. Strong willed to make it on her own, fireman Patrick Cavanaugh and Hilda fall in love. They marry despite objections from both their families. She becomes a lady when her spouse becomes nouveau riche working for his uncle’s high income store Mallory’s Dry Goods. The oppressive heat of the summer of 1905 makes pregnant Hilda miserable and cranky.

To get the cranky Hilda’s mind on something else, Patrick’s Aunt Molly challenges her to use her cognitive skills to hear and see people she trusts to learn who ruined the switch on the train tracks deliberately killing and injuring crew and passengers. Hilda investigates the derailment and other recent nearby activity that involves unions, arson, and murder. An enemy of Patrick and Hilda orchestrates these disasters for a puppet master who wants both Cavanaughs dead.

A Hilda Johansson amateur sleuth is always fun to read because the recurring cast starting with the heroine come across as friends and bring to life small town Indiana at the turn of the previous century. The whodunit is complex with several twists and theories adding complications to “General” Hilda who commands her loyal troops because they trust she will solve the case.

Harriet Klausner

The Gilded Shroud
Elizabeth Bailey
Berkley, Sep 6 2011, $15.00
ISBN 9780425242896

Lady Emily Fanshawe’s personal maid Mary Huntshaw walks to her mistress’ bedroom with a hot chocolate only to smell a horrific odor and the room in disarray. Mary starts screaming as she realizes someone strangled Lady Emily and her husband Randal is missing.

Randal’s mother the Marchioness of Polbrook fears her son the marquis killed his wife. Her other son Francis struggles to control his nausea as he takes charge. The Marchioness’ temporary companion Widow Ottilia Draycott offers to investigate the homicide. Though she has doubts the Marchioness agrees as she hopes to keep her oldest son out of gaol. Tillie quickly learns a theft of a valuable family heirloom occurred also. Asking questions of those at the estate, Tillie seeks the motives and opportunities of a house of strangers; while her attraction to Francis helps and hinders her inquiry.

The Gilded Shroud is a charming Regency romantic amateur sleuth starring a wonderful intelligent heroine. The story line engages the reader in the mystery while the romance between “Fan” and “Tillie” enhances the investigation. Sub-genre readers will want Tillie and Fan working future inquiries.

Harriet Klausner

The Bad Always Die Twice
Cheryl Crane
Kensington, $25.00
ISBN 9780758258861

1950s TV star Rex March is found dead in the bed of realtor Jessica Martin. Known for her sexual proclivity with living hunks, Jessica is stunned to have a corpse of her former lover in her bed. Rex was reported dead six months ago. The police name her the prime suspect.

Jessica’s partner Nikki Harper, daughter of movie legend Victoria Bordeaux, investigates the case as she knows her friend would not kill anyone. Nikki is extremely nice to those she interviews as she drops her mom the siren’s name on start struck Hollywood and charms information out of those she feels might have a motive to see Rex dead twice in under a year.

This is a fun entertaining amateur sleuth as Nikki tosses her DNA as the opener to meet suspects and then deploys her considerable charm (more DNA) to obtain info. The mother-daughter relationship brings jocularity and warmth to the well written story line. However, this is Nikki’ tale as she makes the murder mystery fun to read with her gutsy ballsy feminist inquiries.

Harriet Klausner

Full Black
Brad Thor
Atria, Jul 26 2011, $26.99
ISBN: 9781416586616
141658661X

The attacks on Americans abroad and on home soil have the CIA and HSD struggling to react. Intelligence strongly confirms a bigger terrorist assault is coming. While working on a secret documentary, movie producer Larry Salomon exposes an affluent anti-American. An apparent Russian wet team arrives in California to silence the producer leaving three dead and the movie maker alive only due to former Delta operative technical consultant Luke Ralston.

Near Uppsalla, Sweden, covert counterterrorism agent Scot Harvath and his team begin a measure to infiltrate a nasty terrorist network while trusting no one in the Intel community. Thus he and his squad go Full Black starting with the capture of computer guru Mansoor Aleem, the nephew of Jihad Mufti, on his way to meet with a cell run by Mustafa Karami and replace him with Sean Chase. While the attacks intensify, time is running out

This exciting action-packed thriller has its first death on page one and never looks back as the action in Sweden and Hollywood expands to other locales with death counts rising rapidly. The story line is fast-paced from that opening sequence in which Horvath breaks the neck of a terrorist and accelerates from there as the field operatives try to prevent full implementation of Project Green Ramp. Full Black is an exciting tale that showcases how vulnerable Europe and America remains to terrorism.

Harriet Klausner

End of Days
Robert Gleason
Forge, Aug 30 2011, $24.99
ISBN 9780765329929

Ancestor of a Shaman, media mogul Lydia Lozen Magruder has had visions of the End of Days for years. When she built the Citadel on the southwest desert and dedicated her media empire to warn of the coming end of civilization, everyone even her daughter Kate assumes she is a lunatic.

L.L. becomes concerned that the countdown has begun when Houston reports a problem. Her ace reporter John Stone has been investigating a Russian general who vanished along with numerous nuclear subs, and a terrorist scheme to prove Einstein right that the fourth world war will have soldiers using stone age weapons. Stone like the Russian officer has vanished. L.L. asks Kate to find her former boyfriend John while warning her daughter that the countdown to nuclear Armageddon has started.

This is an exciting over the top but entertaining thriller. Besides L.L. who holds the story line together, the zillion secondary players include lunatics like the aptly named Chaplain and two brutal Mideast princesses as well as heroes like sailor and innocent like the population of Manhattan. It takes one nut with a paranoid Pygmalion Effect belief to cause the beginning of the End of Days. Fans will enjoy this thought provoking tale as readers will compare the Citadel to what led to destruction of the world in Nevil Shute’s On the Beach.

Harriet Klausner

The Stranger You Seek
Amanda Kyle Williams
Bantam, Aug 30 2011, $25.00
ISBN: 9780553808070

In Atlanta fired FBI profiler turned private investigator Dr. Keye Street is a struggling alcoholic who does not believe she can say recovering though she is doing reasonably well. The Chinese American was raised by white southerners Emily Jane and Howard Street who also adopted her gay African American brother Jimmy. While Jimmy fled Georgia for Seattle with his lover Paul, Keye returned to the state to open up Corporate Intelligence & Investigations after losing her job with the Feds.

Atlanta PD Police Lieutenant Aaron Rauser asks Keye to assist them with capturing the vicious Wishbone Killer. Using her profiling skills, she seeks the links between the victims and an overall analysis of the brutal serial killer. While more murders occur, the Wishbone Killer contacts the task force hunting the psychopath as the homicidal maniac begins stalking Keye and others.

Although serial killers are too frequently appearing in mysteries, readers will enjoy this engaging whodunit thanks to a self deprecating heroine whose asides lighten the taut story line with wisdom from the start (for instance an Asian is expected to excel at school while a black male is a local terrorist; ironically Jimmy is the behaved one). Fast-paced with a strong support cast including a diabolically brilliant psychopath, readers will enjoy Keye’s take on being part of the now old new south.

Harriet Klausner

Frozen Stiff
Annelise Ryan
Kensington, Sep 1 2011, $22.00
ISBN 9780758234568

Amidst the snowy cornfield near Sorenson, Wisconsin, the corpse of a young woman is found. Town life deputy coroner Mattie Winston arrives at the crime scene and realizes the stabbing victim is a total stranger; fellow lifer uniformed cop Junior Feller does not recognize her either. Her boyfriend, SPD homicide detective Steve Hurley takes a look at the face and turns paler than the background and pronounces Bob Richmond will investigate.

Steve dated Chicago investigative reporter Callie Dunkirk over a year and a half ago; she ended their relationship. Complicating matters for Steve is the weapon sticking out of the deceased’s chest belongs to him. A second homicide has the police detaining Steve as the only suspect in both murders. Still married though separated (see Scared Stiff to learn what happened to the other woman) Mattie moves passed her Big Girl jealousy of a dead woman to investigate as she is certain her BF is not a killer even if the evidence overwhelmingly hangs him.

This is an amusing Thanksgiving whodunit as the klutzy Big Girl in her used hearse investigates the murders though she slips and ricochets more than she succeeds. The eccentric cast brings wintry Wisconsin to life while the heroine’s humorous self deprecating asides are fun but can slow down the pace as there are too many of them (sort of like Debbie Reynolds in Mary, Mary). Fans will enjoy the second “Stiff” investigative tale as the heroine tries to save the day in spite of herself.

Harriet Klausner

Tragic Toppings
Jessica Beck
Minotaur, Sep 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9780312541095

Suzanne Hart owns Donut Hearts in April Springs, North Carolina. She constantly experiments with innovative donuts that look and taste different than the standard fare. She is friendly with much of the townsfolk so becomes concerned when Emily Hargraves turns up missing especially when she learns she was the last known person to see her. Also gone is popular handyman Tim Leaner.

Emily is found hanging with Suzanne’s ex husband Max; but Tim is found hanging from a tree. Since Suzanne has solved homicides before (see Evil Éclairs), Emily hires her to investigate who killed her honorary Uncle Tim. She accepts the case because she cannot refuse Emily. Emily’s police officer boyfriend Jake, a former cop and her best friend all go in different directions questioning people, but it is Suzanne who almost dies when the killer observes her finding a critical identifying clue.

The latest Donuts Shop amateur sleuth is an entertaining whodunit as readers struggle to figure out who Tim’s killer is. There are more suspects than donut types sold in Suzanne’s shop so it is logical for the cops to draft her to help on their inquiry even if she is a civilian. Although a killer trying to fry the heroine is not new (see Sinister Sprinkles), fans will enjoy the quirky characters and yummy donut descriptions inside a fun mystery.

Harriet Klausner

Pirate King
Laurie R. King
Bantam, Sep 6 2011, $25.00
ISBN 9780553807981

In 1924 Scotland Yard Inspector Lestrade sends Mary Russell to investigate rumored criminal activity by the Fflytte Film Company. Her husband Sherlock Holmes supports her going to Portugal to keep his wife and his soon to be visiting brother Mycroft from another combative round.

Mary arrives in Lisbon where she obtains a position as an Assistant’s assistant on the documentary about The Pirates of Penzance so she can make her inquiries undercover. She detests Gilbert and Sullivan so the chore of working that production is difficult, but so are the day to day operations with so many pratfalls. Holmes joins her as they cross the Mediterranean on the road to Morocco.

As MRH says in the Author’s Forward to the latest Russell memoirs (see The God of the Hive): “I fear that the credulity of many readers will be stretched to the breaking point” proves accurate as the exciting story line is over the top of the pirate ship’s mast. Holmes arrives late (this is his wife’s memoir), but Baker Street fans will enjoy his spouse’s Peninsular adventures as this is an entertaining historical with Mary working the Pirate’s King caper and dealing with a Gilbert and Sullivan production.

Harriet Klausner

Son of Stone
Stuart Woods
Putnam, Sep 20 2011, $26.95
ISBN 9780399157653

Lawyer Stone Barrington has made full partner at Manhattan’s Woodman & Weld. After his latest escapades (see Bel Air Dead), Stone plans to stay low key in New York and get closer with his teenage son Peter who he only recently learned he sired. Stone’s former lover and Peter’s mother Arrington Calder wants that for both males.

Peter plans to attend Yale University Drama School as he wants to become a film director. He and his dad develop a nice relationship while Arrington is sleeping with University of Virginia Architecture Professor Timothy Rutledge who oversees the finish to her mansion in Virginia. Stone uses some of connections to help Peter with his career choice. Meanwhile New York Post tabloid reporter Kelli Keane senses a scandal so she investigates the relationship between Stone and Arrington while a threat using Peter as the bait occurs.

Son of Stone is more of a family drama than the usual Barrington suspense thriller as Stone and Peter get to know each other while the father uses his influence to try to help his son further his career. Well written with a surprising twist, the tension comes late as much of the tale is about father and son getting to know each other.

Harriet Klausner

Thunder in the Morning Calm
Don Brown
Zondervan, Aug 28 2011, $14.99
ISBN: 9780310330141

U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Gunner McCormick as the intelligence officer assigned to the Pacific Rim Carrier Strike Force 10 arrives at the office of Naval Intelligence in Suitland, Maryland for a top secret briefing on the fleet joining the South Koreans in a joint exercise in the Yellow Sea. However, the historical background catches Gunner’s attention when the report states there are probably still POWs in North Korea though the “Forgotten War” ended in an armistice six decades ago.

Back on the USS Harry Truman in the Yellow Sea, Gunner debriefs the officers and obtains permission for leave from Admiral Hampton as long as he leaves a number where he can be reached. He says he will spend time in Seoul. Thinking of part of the Soldier Creed “will never leave a fallen comrade” and using his inheritance, Gunner obtains the help of two retired soldiers, Jung-Hoon and Jackrabbit, to make a daring unauthorized three person commando raid to liberate the POWs.

The entertaining first Pacific Rim military thriller will obviously remind readers of Rambo (even Gunner’s recruits tell him that), but is much more as Don Brown places a spotlight on the Korean Police Action with its sixty years’ armistice. The story line rotates between following Gunner and what has happened and is happening in a prison camp in North Korea. Although over the top of Baekdu Mountain, readers will appreciate this terrific rescue attempt with a fascinating late twist as Thunder In the Morning Calm is a super thriller that pays homage to our military especially those who fought in the 1950s in Korea.

Harriet Klausner

Button Holed
Kylie Logan
Berkley, Sep 6 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9780425243763

In Chicago, Josie Giancola owns the Button Box and has become recognized as one of the nation’s leading experts on historical buttons. One night she enters her establishment only to find two masked men inside ransacking her inventory. She escapes the thugs and finds a button that does not belong in the collection.

Although upset by the invasion, she is also excited that famous movie star Kate Franciscus is coming to her shop to pick up buttons for her wedding gown as the actress is marrying a prince. She arranges to meet with Josie to show her what she might like. When Josie arrives, she finds Kate dead. An arrest for the homicide is quickly made, but Josie believes they locked up the wrong man. She decides to snoop accompanied by her ex husband. She believes the button is the link to the killer, but her suspect list has several entries. Even Detective Nevin Riley helps her on her inquiry.

This is the opening act of an engaging amateur sleuth mystery series and if this book is any indication, readers have a special and original new series to enjoy. The protagonist is independent and resolute though some like Riley would insist Josie is obstinate and obsessive as she has a need to investigate; part of her desire comes from the assault on her store. She enlists a quirky crew to assist her on her quest. Kylie Logan overcomes the sub-genre flaw of why the heroine must investigate with an entertaining plot and a strong cast led by a woman who refuses to be Button Holed.

Harriet Klausner

Sleight of Paw
Sofie Kelly
Obsidian, Sep 6 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9780451234537

Owen and Hercules adopted the new Mayville Heights, Minnesota librarian Kathleen Paulson as their human crazy cay lady owner. Kathleen, now struggling with her first tundra winter, came to town after a lover’s spat in which he left and returned two weeks later with a wife. She had not planned to stay, but her feline family has her thinking of permanent residency.

Retired schoolteacher Agatha Shepherd is found murdered in the ally near Eric’s Place restaurant. Ruby who found the body is arrested as circumstantial evidence points towards her as the culprit. Kath does not buy her friend as the killer because Ruby loved Agatha who changed her life around from juvenile delinquent to model citizen changing her hair color every two weeks. Although she prefers to stay out of sleuthing after the perilous adventures in Curiosity Thrilled the Cat, she uncovers contrary evidence that points elsewhere due to her feline partners. The trio risks their lives to insure the real killer is placed in jail.

The two cats with their paranormal powers make Sleight of Paw a precious cozy with their telepathic communication and deep need to protect their Kath. Their human pet has adapted nicely to the Burl Ives picture postcard town as she has made good friends (and not just the cats) and is falling in love with a local detective though she keeps her distance having been burned once. The whodunit is super as there are several suspects including friends who could be the killer as the amateur sleuth and her two feline companions investigate the homicide of a highly regarded former teacher.

Harriet Klausner

Snapped
Laura Griffin
Pocket, Aug 30 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9781451617368

Delphi Center crime lab employee Sophie Barrett is at the university enrolling in classes when shots ring out. Somebody at the top of the library is shooting; Sophie takes cover next to a dying pregnant woman and her toddler. Four people die including the shooter and over a hundred injured. Homicide detective Jonah Macon came close to catching the killer but the culprit committed suicide.

Jonah knows Sophie having saved her life from a psychopath. When they finally ID the killer it is James Himmel. The car he drove was a green VW, but the vehicle that took Sophie’s space when she went to the registrar was the car that that belonged to Himmel. Due to the times involved she believes Himmel could not have been the culprit as he could not have crossed the campus to fire the shots. Sophie tries to tell Jonah and other cops, but nobody listens to her except someone who tries to kill her. The attempts on her life has Jonah reconsidering her assertion as they team up seeking a brilliant killer while he struggles to keep the independent woman he is attracted to safe.

The fourth Delphi Center Tracers tale (see Unforgivable, Unspeakable and Untraceable) is an exhilarating police procedural with a cute secondary romantic subplot that enhances the whodunit as she becomes willing bait while he wants her safe but she blatantly and brazenly ignores his rules. The mystery is cleverly devised so that the cops, her peers at work and the media believe the mass murderer killed himself; only Sophie has a contrary opinion. Fast-paced, fans of Jayne Ann Krentz will enjoy Laura Griffin’s entertaining romantic suspense.

Harriet Klausner

Tempest in the Tea Leaves
Kari Lee Townsend
Berkley, Aug 2 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9780425242759

Psychic Sunny Meadows relocates from New York City to Divinity, New York where she opens up her shingle as a fortuneteller. She barely is open for business when her first frazzled customer begs her for help. Town librarian Amanda Robbins asks Sunny to read her future. The tea leaves frighten Sunny who calls the police that something bad will soon happen to Amanda.

The cops scoff at her talent until Amanda turns up dead. The police immediately suspect Sunny committed the homicide but struggle with a viable motive though they think the fortune teller is a bit wacky. To prove her innocence she teams up with by the book detective Mitch Stone.

With a nod to Victoria Laurie’s Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye (the early books), Kari Lee Townsend provides paranormal amateur sleuth fans with a fun whodunit. The engaging story line is at its best when the psychic and the cop verbally but warmly argue. With a terrific twisting climax to a well written murder mystery Harriet Klausner psychic reviewer (some will borrow Letterman’s electric skill and change the letters to psycho) predicts readers will enjoy Sunny Meadows’ first case.

Harriet Klausner

The Tale of Castle Cottage
Susan Wittig Albert
Berkley, Sep 6 2011, $24.95
ISBN 9780425243508

In the summer of1913, Beatrix Potter is currently residing at Hill Top Farm in the Lake District while working on her latest story The Tale of Pigling Bland. She admits to her publisher that her eight drawings are not that good as Beatrix still recovers from her recent illness in which she lived with her parents at their domicile in Kensington. As she works on her latest novel, Beatrix also oversees the renovation of her new home that she and her fiancé solicitor William Heelis will move into once Mr. Biddle finishes the Castle Cottage improvements and they are married (in spite of the doubts of her parents).

While the author struggles with her new work, the locals of nearby Near Sawrey begin to misplace items ranging in value from baked goods to money to family heirlooms. Her friend Sarah Barwick believes she is the victim of a thief, but fears it is someone she knows. However that pales in comparison to the death of carpenter Lewis Adcock who was just fired by Biddle. Beatrix and Will end up investigating the thefts, the death and Biddle’s lack of commitment to the castle Cottage renovation.

The eighth Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter (see The Tale of Oat Cake Crag) is a great historical cozy that brings to life the Lake District just prior to WWI. The story line is a wonderful entertaining tale as once again Susan Wittig Albert combines Ms. Potter’s real life, the fables of the animals who dominate her tales and an enjoyable amateur sleuth into a delightful story.

Harriet Klausner

Inmate 1577
Alan Jacobson
Norwood Press, Jul 28 2011, $29.99
www.norwoodpress.com
ISBN: 9780983626008

In 1955 in Northfield, New Jersey, the police are on the scene of the murder of Sally MacNalley with her seven year old son Henry as the witness. Her husband Walton arrives and is arrested for the vicious homicide, but a jury found him not guilty. However, his life is shattered though he tried to raise his son.

In the present in San Francisco, SFP Inspector Lance Burdon leads the investigation into the rape, sodomy and murder of an old woman. FBI profiler Karen Vail is sent from DC to San Francisco to assist Burdon and his partner Detective Roxxann Dixon on the vicious homicide of the octogenarian. The FBI agent does not want to return to California after the recent Napa Valley mess (see Velocity and Crush), but does. In spite of the efforts of the trio, the ruthless psychopath rapes and kills other victims. The clues lead to Alcatraz, a tourist attraction for decades, but still the Rock for its surviving former inmates.

The latest Vail police procedural is a fabulous thriller as the sarcastic profiler and the dedicated serious cops struggle to end a psychopath’s brutal killing spree. Although serial killers are a too frequent breed in the sub-genre (including the Vail case The 7th Victim), readers will relish this action-packed tale as the Fed, and the locals play cat and mouse with a vicious lunatic.

Harriet Klausner

Lethal
Sandra Brown
Grand Central, Sep 20 2011, $26.99
ISBN 9781455501472

In Tambour, Louisiana, four year old Emily Gillette informs her mother Honor that a stranger dripping blood is in their yard. Assuming her daughter’s imagination is running wild, the Widow Honor checks anyway. Holding a gun Lee Coburn is fleeing from the police who believe he killed seven people on a mass murder spree.

Coburn searches her home hoping to find a clue left there by Honor’s late husband Eddie a cop who dies in a car accident two years ago. He fails to find what he seeks. Eddie’s father sends the cops to check on his granddaughter, but Coburn is already gone. However, he shoots a cop Fred who he swears to Honor was sent there by the Bookkeeper who runs illegal trafficking and owns the local police, including Coburn believes her husband.

This is an exciting thriller that grips the audience from the moment Coburn points his gun at the frightened mom and never slows down even with some intriguing subplots involving other people. The entertaining story line is character driven by the mom who must decide between believing an accused mass murder who claims her late spouse was dirty and the cops including her husband she has known all her life. Although the tale follows the anticipated course, fans will enjoy the visit to Tambour, the Gulf and DC with Sandra Brown as the tour guide.

Harriet Klausner

Damage Control
Denise Hamilton
Scribner, Sep 6 200, $26.00
ISBN 9780743296748

In 2009 in Los Angeles thirtyish middle class Maggie Silver works for Blair Company crisis management firm. Her clients include the rich and famous up and down the Pacific Coast Highway while her job description is insuring the spin favors her firm‘s affluent customers.

The firm’s Jack Faraday assigns Maggie and others to work with U. S. Senator Henry Paxton. When she was a teen she was best friends with his daughter Anabelle, but they no longer talk to each other following a tragedy. Maggie wants out but has no choice but to be part of the team as she supports her ailing mom. Paxton’s assistant twentyish media director Emily Mortimer was found dead; the senator is the last known person to have seen her at a bar at midnight.

This is an exhilarating suspense thriller in which justice is irrelevant as the truth does not matter; only how good the spin is. Character driven by Maggie, as an adult she struggles with her memories of an idyllic time that she begins to wonder how Eden it truly was. Readers will appreciate Damage Control as the wealthy use experts to spin the media to tell the story their way.

Harriet Klausner

Canyons of Night
Jayne Ann Krentz writing as Jayne Castle
Jove, Aug 30 2011, $7.99
ISBN 9780515149883

Fifteen years ago on Rainshadow Island, Charlotte Enright was recued by her hero Slade Attridge from the assault of three drunken offislander visitors near the Preserve. She already had a young girl’s crush on the orphan teenager before he saved her. She explained she could read auras, a useless talent for an arcane while he never was registered as a hunter but will soon leave for the Federal Bureau of Psi Investigation academy.

In the present, Charlotte runs her late Aunt Beatrix’s Looking Glass Antiques. Slade has just returned to be the island as the police chief though his talent has become somewhat muted after a traumatic incident though his buddy Rex the dust bunny remains at his side (and on his shoulder). As the pair starts seeing one another, she finds the corpse of a persistent customer who her father felt was a stalker; someone killed Jeremy Gaines in Charlotte’s shop.

The final Looking Glass sci-fi romantic suspense (see In too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz and Quicksilver by Amanda Quick) is an engaging and delightful paranormal police procedural. The romantic subplot within the Rainshadow otherworld realm leads in a slow deliberate manner until the homicide investigation begins about half way into the story line, but still does not pick up much speed. Still fans of the Arcane Society saga will enjoy a visit to the island of Rainshadow.

Harriet Klausner

New York to Dallas
J.D. Robb
Putnam, Sep 13 2011, $27.95
ISBN: 9780399157783

Twelve years ago when current police Lieutenant Eve Dallas was a rookie, she had the instincts of a veteran; one of her feelings impressed upon her was that the man trying to leave a crime scene was the perp. She makes her first collar as predatory Isaac McQueen received life imprisonment for his monstrous abductions of the young.

In the present she sees McQueen in her peripheral vision as he just escaped from Rikers and holds a woman hostage. Eve goes to the apartment where she took the psychopath down; the pedophile torturer, rapist killer plans to take her down this time. The clues lead to Dallas where Eve has bad memories from when she lived there as a child. McQueen kidnaps a young girl and a woman; both he hostage during that first encounter when Eve caught him. Eve with the help of Roarke seek the monster in Dallas and she also meets a woman who looks familiar to her only her mind draws a blank about her identity For the first time since they met, Roarke fears for his wife’s sanity as her past and present crash in Texas.

J.D. Robb refreshes her Eve Dallas futuristic police procedural by having the “… In Death” heroine temporarily relocate to the city she took her surname from, which forces her to use a different crew in support of her; hence the first book without the title prepositional phrase. The heroine struggles with this case because of the déjà vu of her salad days as well as round two with pure evil. As Roarke worries that his beloved’s mind is snapping under pressure, series fans will appreciate Thomas Wolfe’s assertion “You can’t go home.”

Harriet Klausner

Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues
Michael Brandman
Putnam, Sep 13 2011, $25.95
ISBN: 9780399157844

Paradise, Massachusetts is gearing up for the summer tourist season with the Board of Selectmen hiring events planner Alexis Richardson to put the town on the map as a happening place. Chief of Police Jesse Stone is attracted to her and they have an affair though neither wants to get to serious. He has no time to move their relationship to the next level as he has two different criminals converging on the town.

A crime wave begins with two Hondas stolen. The higher-ups think that someone is setting up a chop shop. When a third car is stolen, the owner fights thief, but is killed enabling the felon to escape. Jesse finds and holds the thief incommunicado under he tells him who is boss is. On a personal note, Rollo Nurse is released from a California penitentiary and is coming east to kill Jesse who used excessive force that caused permanent damage to the career criminal. Rollo starts killing dogs before he turns to arson and ends up finally killing a cop. Jesse has other issues and crimes to deal with including an indifferent principal, a sexual predator teacher and a student who held the principal hostage. Jesse works all these problems while expecting a not too social visit from Rollo.

Michael Brandman successfully takes over the Robert B. Parker Jesse Stone police procedurals with a strong entry that captures the essence of the small town sheriff. The story line is filled with action as the caseload is overwhelming but Jesse keeps working all of them while he and fans await the confrontation. The author captures the magic of Mr. Parker’s writing style ensuring readers will want to read this special police procedural series until it ends.

Harriet Klausner

Back of Beyond
C. J. Box
Minotaur, Aug 2 2011, $25.99
ISBN: 9780312365745

In Montana, Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Department Investigator Cody Hoyt has a problem with the evidence in the house fire death of Hank Winters. Apparently, Hank was intoxicated based on the flask near the corpse, but Cody knew the deceased personally when it came to alcohol; as Hank was Cody's AA sponsor who saved him several times from going on binges.

Though removed from the case due to his connection, Cody believes his sponsor was murdered and due to his friend on the force Larry Olson he helps with the inquiry. Cody finds a frightening series of links of cross country murders with the same modus operandi as the Winters’ death. He also concludes the serial killer is heading to Yellowstone Park where Cody's teenage son Justin, accompanied by Walt Franck the wealthy developer and fiancé to the investigator’s ex wife (and Justin’s mom). Big city Cody goes to the Back of Beyond Yellowstone wilderness.

Joe Pickett gets a respite as C.J. Box introduces readers to a new law enforcement official who has personal and professional issues due to his drinking problem. The investigation is deftly handled while the suspense is stratospheric. Although some of the spins seem over the top of Granite Peak, fans will enjoy this tense thriller starring a flawed cop whose son is the stake in a cat and mouse game with a psychopath.

Harriet Klausner

Naughty in Nice
Rhys Bowen
Berkley, Sep 6 2011, $24.95
ISBN 9780425243497

In 1933 in spite of being 34th in the queue to the throne, Lady Georgiana Rannoch is impoverished. She works in a London soup kitchen where she can save money an get some free meals.

The Queen temporarily saves her from more terrible tasting food by assigning her an all expense paid trip to the French Riviera. Her mission is to retrieve a snuff box stolen by nasty Sir Toby Groper. In France, while riding the rails, Rannoch meets the legend Coco Chanel, who shocks the pauper when she asks her to model a new line of clothing when they arrive in Nice. While doing her royal assignment and modeling for Coco Chanel, Georgina investigates whether her lover Darcy O'Mara is cheating on her. However, her efforts merge when she is caught in the middle of a homicide and the royal necklace is lifted.

The latest endearing jocular Royal Spyness amateur sleuth (see Royal Blood) is a delightful Depression Era French Riviera romp. The heroine is a charmer as she fumbles and bungles her investigation while strutting on the catwalk. Coco Chanel adds to the fun as number 34 using the Queen’s money (she hopes) acts Naughty in Nice.

Harriet Klausner

All Cry Chaos
Leonard Rosen
Permanent Press, Sep 1 2011, $29.00
ISBN: 9781579622220

Thirty years old American mathematician James Fenster is in Amsterdam to give a talk on his mathematical economics formula to at the World Trade Organization conference. However, instead of the speech, he dies in a terrorist explosion at his hotel; the killer used a smart bomb military-grade rocket fuel.

Although his health is poor and he grieves the deaths of his loved ones at the hands of a vicious Serbian war criminal, Interpol agent Henri Poincare leads the investigation. He starts with those close to Fenster like the victim’s former fiancée and his grad assistant; as both are missing. However, the inquiry leads away from the females to a militant Christian Rapture group, but Poincare cannot rule out others interested in the late professor’s models.

This super cerebral police procedural is a terrific whodunit with a mathematical formula as the key to the homicide. The story line focuses on chaos theory as Poincare quickly learns while dealing with the mathematician’s fractured personal life, religious fanatics and rival economists, and his own chaotic brain. Readers who enjoy something different in their puzzlers will appreciate the aptly titled All Cry Chaos.

Harriet Klausner

The Betrayal
Jerry Jenkins
Tyndale, Sep 21 2011$14.99
ISBN 9781594153884

Chicago Police Department Gang Enforcement Section Detective Boone Drake took a life threatening bullet while leading the arrests of gang leaders and the crime syndicate (see The Brotherhood). On medical leave while he heals at what all natives still call Cook County Hospital (instead of Stroger); from his near fatal wound, Boone has plenty of time to ponder what went wrong. His former partner and current boss Jack agrees with his assessment. Though it makes him ill to consider what he believes happened; he concludes someone inside of CPD tipped off the shooter, which leaves the key informant former gang kingpin Pascual Candelario in jeopardy.

However, as he digs a bit deeper, Boone finds his nightmare turns uglier. He wants to deny what seems increasingly obvious. The evidence points overwhelmingly to Haeley, his new girlfriend.

The latest Precinct 11 Christian police procedural (see The Brotherhood) is a fabulous thriller in which there are no atheists in the fox hole is a critical element in the strong plot. Fast-paced and filled with action, readers will appreciate Boone’s uncertainty about the woman he adores as he prays to God for wisdom. Fans will enjoy this entertaining internal investigation into who sold out the team.

Harriet Klausner

The Nightmare: A Mystery with Mary Wollstonecraft
Nancy Means Wright
Perseverance, Sep 9 2011, $15.95
ISBN 9781564745095

In 1792 London, freethinking Irish expatriate Mary Wollstonecraft completes part two of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. However, while her female manifesto makes her feel good as she demands freedom for women; her friend Henry Fuseli is shocked when his famous erotic masterpiece The Nightmare is stolen.

The controversial artist suspects a critical rival Roger Peale stole the renowned work he completed back in 1781. Henry has Roger locked away in Newgate but the stubborn man refuses to confess though Bow St. pressures him. Soon afterward, the strangled corpse of Mrs. Frothingham is found posed like the model in the Nightmare. Intrigued by the nightmare engulfing Fuseli, Mary investigates.

The second Mary Wollstonecraft historical amateur sleuth (see Midnight Fires) is a fabulous whodunit that uses the heroine, Fuseli and other Enlightenment notables of the late eighteenth century to anchor time and place. Proud Mary is a great character who keeps the entertaining twisting story line focused as she intelligently investigates the theft and the homicide. Readers will enjoy this clever period piece mystery.

Harriet Klausner

Kiloton Threat
William G. Boykin and Tom Morrisey
B&H Books, Sep 1 2011, $15.99
ISBN: 9780805449549

Iranian Colonel Farrokh Nassiri, who works on the country’s nuclear program, secretly converts to Christianity after assistance from his secretary Zari and reportedly dead missionary Pardivari. He attends services at house churches but wants to defect to the west so he can come out in the open and provide needed intelligence on Iran’s nuclear weapon capability. However, Nassiri is realistic as to the futility of his dream since his position of importance would never allow him to emigrate legally or otherwise.

Although his beloved Alia Kassab prefers her “dead” CIA agent Blake Kershaw to stay at home with her, he enters Iran to escort Nassiri to the States. As they, accompanied by Pardivari and Zari, elude the Pasdaran army unit, Kershaw gets them to the plane. However, before they can take off Zari gives up her seat so that missionary Olga Warshowsky can leave. Blake feels guilty over the one left behind so he returns to Iran to try to bring Zari out.

The latest Kershaw CIA thriller (see Danger Close) is an exhilarating tale filled with high octane from the start to the finish. The story line is fast-paced even with plenty of Christian commentary by the protagonist and those he rescues, as faith in God in many ways is all they have while ironically inside a theocracy. Although the cast can become overwhelming as many are in for short clips The Kiloton Threat is an exciting action-filled novel as the audience anticipates the Iranian response.

Harriet Klausner

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