Mystery Crime Books

"Stop turning the pages so fast." Flip. "Slow down; make it last." Flip, flip. "It's going to end too soon!" Flip, flip, flip..... "Damn!"

Why only 5 stars available? Why not 10? Or 20? I read a LOT of books. This was special. Cotterill can truly write. He can tell a story. He can create a mystery.

But his characters! His characters are indescribably marvelous. Without taking page after page to tell everything about each of them you get to know them by their conversations, mannerisms and reactions to the events around them.

The dialog flows. It's the way people actually talk to one another. It's like you're sitting there listening in.

The author doesn't have to resort to foul language and gratuitous sex to move the story along. He keeps you guessing as mystery piles on top of mystery. He doesn't insult your intelligence, because it is intelligently written.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants an enjoyable read. I have just ordered the next three in the series.

This book is throughly enjoyable. The characters are very beliveable and compelling. The novel gives one a real glimpse of what life in Laos is like now. The plot was complex but convincing and the resolution was highly satisfying.

I was hesitant at first to read The Coroner's Lunch as I had never really preferred procedural police mysteries. But I am so glad I did! The writing is light but the imagery is rich and dense. I was immediately and completely immersed in a world I have never been but seemed very real from the page. The humor is dry and subversive - I caught myself several times laughing out loud when I least expected it. There is a spiritual component and at first I was skeptical of whether it would fit in with the wit and realism of the rest of the writing but the writer successfully melds both with a delicate deftness. When I finished this book I couldn't wait to read the next in the series! Thankfully, there are several more.

Colin Cotterill has created some wonderful characters which he weaves into a tale that is gripping, humorous, and culturally enlightening. I love how he uses Lao and Hmong beliefs, spririts, and traditions to add a supernatural flavor to his insight into solving cases and dealing with life as a wise, elderly coroner in Laos. These books are very easy to read in a day. I have read Cororner's Lunch and Thirty Three Teeth, both of which I read back-to-back. I am buying the rest in the series and look forward to more.

First of all, thanks to V.J.Canberra for recommending this historical/esoteric/ethnic series of crime novels around Dr.Siri.
Meet the hero: the man is 72 and reluctantly (he would rather retire) national chief coroner of the recently turned Republic of Laos under communist Pathet Lao rule. The time is 1976. Dr.Siri is insufficiently qualified as well as equipped and staffed. He makes that up by being the founding father of cynicism. He has odd green eyes. Dogs hate him (until a turnaround point in the plot when they begin to love him). His bosses are weary of his atttitude. Women seem to love him, but he has only recently begun to notice, his wife died 10 years ago. He has been a long time party member, but for the wrong reasons (chercher la femme! though Thai radio propaganda against the new regime claim that all Lao communists are ugly.) On top of all this, Siri is psychic. He sees dead people, "all the time". (saw that movie? it would help)
All Asian countries are heavily infested with ghosts and spirits. Probably the poorer, the more infested. As Siri is otherwise short of resources, he makes best use of his off-curriculum abilities (which actually go against his scientific mindset.)
The novel has three concurrent crime cases, which stretch poor Siri's skills to the limits.
First, a communist top cadre's wife has died under strange circumstances. While this case is the most normal of the three and easily seen through, it provides most of the suspense in this otherwise rather funny book.
Second, three shady Vietnamese turn up killed, which threatens to cause an international confrontation. Siri solves the case and saves peace, which however doesn't fully convince; it may not be fully thought through. Third, in an army project that wants to help minority people to substitute opium by other cash crops, the army commanders have been dying one after the other in strange circumstances. The story leads into realms of spirits that I am not familiar with and that make Siri become an unexpected exorcist's assistant.
I was considering to deduct a star for too much reliance on the other world and for a wobbly second case, but then, as I like the book a lot, I thought, what the heck. Go for it!

I was disappointed in this latest offering. I look forward to the latest addition to this series each year, but this one was disappointing. There was too much "cute baby" and not enough dog interaction. I hope she gets back to her previous format, if she continues this series, although the ending might indicate there will not be an addition. Not enough Poodle input!!

Laurien Berenson's latest entry in her Melanie Travis series shows the problems that arise in a series -- too many characters, too much back story to keep moving, not enough attention to the mystery. I've been an eager follower of this series from the start [A Pedigree to Die For]. The series is strongest when it focuses on Melanie, her aunt Peg, her son Davey, and their assorted, gorgeous, and well-trained poodles. It also needs a strong mystery, serious contenders for the "guilty" title, and a whiff of danger.

Her previous entry, Hounded to Death, was a tighter book, with suspects coming in and out of focus and a strong sideline with Aunt Peg and her rescue dog. That book benefited from taking Melanie, Aunt Peg, and Bertie out of their homes and into the confined area of a resort -- so there weren't so many extraneous characters and plot lines to keep moving. [Her ex-neighbors unseen husband? Really!] Here, the strongest suspense comes with Davey's venture into Junior dog handling. And while Melanie figures out the victim's fatal flaw that got him murdered, the killer announces him/herself rather than being tracked down by her.

Stronger entries show that the author can do much better. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the next entry.

Even though she moved out of her neighborhood after she married Sam, Melanie Travis remains in touch with her good friend Alice Brickman, who is returning to work after being a stay at home mom for years. Worried about her Golden Retriever being alone in an empty nest, Alice asks Melanie to investigate the Pine Ridge Canine Care Center to see if it would be a good place for her to leave her beloved dog Berkley while she works.

When Melanie goes to inspect the doggie day care center, she is taken aback to see the canines enjoying a luxurious lifestyle watching TV while sitting on couches and chairs and playing with toys. When she and Alice go to sign up Berkley, they find the co-owner of the facility Steve Pine shot to death. Melanie learns that Steve's partner his sister Candy inherits the doggie day care center. She also learns an irate neighbor Adam Busch loathes the Pine siblings blaming them for ruining their neighborhood. Finally the victim was a womanizer who hit on his female clients and Lila Bennington who is suing the facility. Suspects are everywhere.

Although Melanie's plate is full with her Aunt Peg and her newborn Kevin, and with a dog show coming up she cannot resist investigating the homicide; why she does so beyond the Nancy Drew obsession syndrome is an unanswered question. The number of suspects is enormous, which in turn makes this a great entry in the caper canine series. Fans will enjoy this fine cozy while wishing their lives went to the dogs, at least those pampered at Pine Ridge.

Harriet Klausner

The 15th in the Melanie Travis series, this outing finds new mom Melanie blissfully happy in her role as a stay-at-home Mom to new baby Kevin and son Davey, with the help of her husband Sam, who runs his software business out of their home.

Her friend Alice however, is going back to work as her children are both in school, and she needs to find a place to keep Berkley, her large, rambunctious dog, happy while she is gone during the day. She talks Melanie into checking out the Pine Ridge Canine Care Center, run by Steve and Candy Pine.

Melanie is impressed, the staff seems to really care about the dogs, the owners seem friendly and competent, and the setting is idyllic for a dog. When she goes back for a second visit, to check on details like on-call vets and food, she hears Candy scream from a back hallway, and they find Steve shot dead in his office.

Alice implores her to investigate, and Melanie does, simply because she feels sorry for Candy. Steve had been in charge of the books and business; Candy was in charge of the dogs. Melanie's cover is that she is hanging around asking questions because she is going to re-do the web site. She finds out about an angry neighbor who blames the Center for his neighborhood going commercial, some angry ex-girlfriends, a disgruntled former employee, and then she finds out about the silent partner, who seems on the surface to be happy with the set up.

Melanie's big question is: Why is handsome Cole Demarkian continually delivering supplies from Byram Pet Supply, if the memberships are down, and the storage closets are full? Melanie decides to search Steve's files after closing one night, but while she is alone in the office....

You will enjoy Melanie and her family and friends, and also the dogs. Melanie and Sam have five standard poodles. And you will enjoy the mystery-there are lot of suspects, an inventive setting, and a convincing bad guy. What more could you ask for?

Armchair Interviews says: Another fun cozy in the Melanie Travis series.

The newest, eagerly awaited, Melanie Travis mystery is as engrossing and enjoyable as expected. This book shows that a lot has changed in the Melanie's life lately....new house, new baby, new job status and a still-in-the-honeymoon-phase new husband. As I have said in a previous review, one of the best aspects of this series is that the characters are continually growing and developing. The changes in Melanie's life are realistic and interesting and the characters so likeable, that you will find yourself cheering them on. The setting of the doggie day care center is perfect for providing a diverse and often hilarious cast of characters/suspects. Melanie's interaction with the bratty receptionist is priceless. The mystery was unexpected with such a wide cast of suspects and I enjoyed the involvement of Alice Brickman, Melanie's best friend and the mother of Davey's best friend. It reminded me of Faith/Pix friendship in the Katherine Hall Page books and was a nice development in the series.

In general, this series avoids a number of pitfalls that drive me crazy in other series in this genre.....the angry, overprotective husband/boyfriend who doesn't want the heroine to investigate, the unrealistic, cheesy love life (usually a love triangle and/or the unlucky in love), the non-passage of time, etc. The tone and progression of this series is pitch perfect. The only thing I am kind of missing is the dog show backdrop, there is just so much atmosphere to enjoy at a dog show that the books that primarily take place at dog shows are my favorites. I do, however, understand that it would be pretty silly if someone dropped dead everytime Melanie went to a show. Also, I am ready for Aunt Peg to have another boyfriend :) All in all, another pick of the litter.

This is the first book in the James Lee Burke series with Detective Dave Robicheaux. Takes place in New Orleans, reads like a Dashiell Hammett or Raymond Chandler story - old fashioned, hard-boiled detective story. Rich in characters and a sense of Louisiana. Doesn't take long to read, but I highly recommend it!!

There's nothing like a James Lee Burke novel! Neon Rain is the beginning of the Dave Robicheaux series, and it is an excellent read. Burke's style is unique -- he likes to make the reader think. Nothing is ever spoonfed to us.

For example, there is this dark passage about a very bad man, the antagonist, dying from cancer, alone:

"Somewhere down inside him, he knew that his fear of death by water had always been a foolish one. Death was a rodent that ate its way inch by inch through your entrails, chewed at your liver and stomach, severed tendon from organ, until finally, when you were alone in the dark, it sat gorged and sleek next to your head, its eyes resting, its wet muzzle like a kiss, a promise whispered in the ear."

With no other description of the scene - the sterile hospital room, the nurses who lack compassion, the long nights, the brutal pain - the hopelessness of the character's situation is absolutely clear, encapsulated in this one metaphor. Death was a rodent. We have a taste of fear in our mouths that won't leave us when we put a marker in place and close the book. We know this wicked man's death was justice delivered, but we feel vulnerable to the rat ourselves. So there is some small element of conflict there as we sympathize with the dying man. Burke played on our fears, kept us intrigued to the very end, and then left us with just enough discomfort that the story will stay with us for a long time.

Burke's characters are complex, flawed, interesting. Life is messy and doesn't always treat them fairly, so my heart aches for these characters as they experience tragedies, abuses, mistakes, bad choices. But it's not just the characters that are intriguing. He knows how to make the scene come alive - literally.

I highly recommend any of James Lee Burke's novels. Neon Rain is top-notch.

James Lee Burke is not your average crime fiction writer. "The Neon Rain," the first Dave Robicheaux novel, is so full of atmosphere and real people that I felt like I was living in New Orleans while reading the book (I wasn't; I live in Northern California). Burke can describe settings like no one else I've read. The bayous are drenched in humidity; thunderstorms come alive and arc through your subconscious; even the cracks in the sidewalk cause you to mentally step over them. And his characters are so deep, so flawed, so human, that when you're introduced to them, you're almost compelled to greet them with a mental handshake.

Burke has a knack for not quite letting you guess exactly where he's taking you. In that regard, he's much like Michael Connelly and George Pelecanos. Simply put, Burke is a great writer, and Robicheaux is one of the more intriguing characters in fiction literature, joining my personal list of favorites which includes Harry Bosch, Jack Reacher, Matthew Scudder, John Corey, Nick Stefanos, Shane Scully, Mitch Rapp and Ridley Jones.

Buy it. Read it. Then do what I was forced to do. Buy the whole Robicheaux series. "The Neon Rain" will leave you no choice.

If this is the first book, of the Dave Robicheaux series you have read, then keep reading. This is the worst of the novels of this series. The others are better, oh a lot better! This one is over-the-top violent for no good reason. The rest of the series is Dave evolving into a more intelligent and clever detective, with great sensitivity to himself and humanity.

I got a bang out of 'Neon Rain,' and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys an engaging fast read. I especially like the character (Lieutenant Dave Robicheaux.)
The story points back to a time thats murky and full of tales and fables. Lieutenant Dave Robicheaux follows one of those tales and proves that the story is real. A good story...well done.

Death of a Cozy Writer by G.M. Malliet is a superlative English mystery. It's witty, the use of language is superb, and when one gets to the last 100 pages, it cannot be put down. I think this work belongs in the same category as Dorothy Sayers and Dame Agatha Christie. I can't wait for Malliet's next book, "Death and the Lit Chic." If it is anything like this first novel, I will be overjoyed.

Have to admit, I bought DEATH OF A COZY WRITER (in large part because it was reminiscent of the M.C. Beaton titles) and jumped the gun by skipping to the excerpt from DEATH AND THE CHICK LIT. This novel has a very cute opening, obviously parodying chick lit. Hope Kimberlee is the victim!! Anyway, the first pages promise a good, tongue-in-cheek excursion into the commercial publishing world. For a traditional British mystery a' la Agatha Christie with a contemporary twist and light romance, try Christmas is Murder: A Rex Graves Mystery by C.S. Challinor, by the same publisher.

G.M. Malliet's Death of a Cozy Writer is a good old-fashioned British drawing room mystery. The ill-fated writer of the book's title is Sir Adrian Beauclerk-Fisk, whose best-selling series of Miss Rampling mysteries has left him rolling in pounds. Sir Adrian's favorite sport is altering his will, disinheriting one or another of his four children in response to real or perceived slights, or for exhibiting questionable taste, among innumerable other possible offenses--torturing them by playing a sort of Russian roulette with their inheritances. Eager to see them all squirm simultaneously and in close quarters, he invites his brood to Waverly Court, Adrian's 18th-century estate in Cambridgeshire, to celebrate his impending nuptials to a woman all four assume will be a British version of Anna Nicole Smith. The invitations prompt the expected amount of shock and complaint. The get-together itself proves to be murderous.

Death of a Cozy Writer is the first in a new series featuring Detective Chief Inspector St. Just of the Cambridgeshire Constabulary and Sergeant Fear. The crime-fighting pair are not introduced, however, until we are some one hundred pages into the book, after a crime has been committed. And when St. Just and Fear do appear we are not told that much about them. Some details emerge: Fear has a daughter; St. Just has a cat aptly named Deerstalker. But while the other characters in the book are described in great detail--the malevolent Sir Adrian and his scheming brood, the help at Waverly Court--the detectives themselves are not fleshed out. This seems odd, as it is St. Just and his right-hand man who will have to anchor the series as its recurring characters, long after the Beauclerk-Fisks have been left on their own to run through their inheritances. It is interesting that the author has elected to breathe life into characters who will (presumably) be replaced in subsequent outings rather than beefing up her portrayal of St. Just.

Malliet's writing is lovely:

"Natasha admired the woman's self-possession. It was an excellent impersonation of aristocracy putting the revolting masses back in their place. Natasha, who had done her own research, found the act nearly pitch-perfect--for an act it was, she was certain. She wouldn't have put it past Lillian to have arrived at breakfast dressed in jodhpurs, cracking a whip against her highly polished boots, despite the absence of a stables for forty miles or more. Instead, Lillian had opted for the simple wool sheath bedecked with a king's ransom in pearls at neck and wrist: the uniform of the bored society matron. But not, Natasha recognized, quite the done thing for breakfast in a country manor house."

And the mystery certainly kept me guessing until all was revealed in the requisite drawing room scene at the book's end. (I am left confused about one issue I should have liked tied up, though, having to do with the identity of Sir Adrian's secretary.) All in all a delightful read. I look forward to more in the St. Just series.

-- Debra Hamel

G.M. Malliet is a professional journalist and copywriter with degrees from Oxford and

Cambridge Universities. DEATH OF A COPYWRITER is her first mystery and has already garnered the Malice Domestic Grant and the Romance Writers of America 2006 Stiletto Award in the thriller category.

Sir Adrian Beauclerk-Fisk is as phony as his title. He has also produced one of the truly great dysfunctional families. He is ensconced in his eighteenth-century Cambridgeshire manor, and has married a woman who was accused of murdering her first husband for his money. He delights in using Violet to torment his grown-up children, all of whom have their own foibles. The result naturally turns to murder, and it is up to Detective Chief Inspector St. Just and his sidekick, Detective Sergeant Fear, from the Cambridgeshire Constabulary to sort out the mess. The servants also have their own secrets to cover up, and the result is a jolly investigation marked by hilarious dialogue and commentary:

"The poor bugger really was dead, and he'd been dead awhile. St. Just thought it was little wonder the man who said he was his brother was in such sad shape. The body in the wine refrigerator or whatever it was called was a mess, the skull thoroughly crushed in. The face, itself, however, was intact: In profile, it retained the aristocratic, pampered visage of what the coroner would undoubtedly describe was a well-nourished, middle-aged man."

Malliet writes this little "cozy" with a sense of humor and an eye towards thoroughly confusing the reader. The connections made by St. Just are nothing short of Sherlock Holmes at his most coherent.

Malliet is not unaware of the perils of alcoholism to the family unit, and she uses this as a vehicle to produce the family secrets that would otherwise emerge as far-fetched. But in Ms. Malliet's able writing, it all makes a sordid type of sense. The result is a page-turner that is both entertaining and exhilarating. A most excellent first mystery!

Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer

Let us begin this review with a blunt declaration: G.M. Malliet can WRITE. And, more vitally, she can tell a story.

The plot of Death of a Cozy Writer revolves around a wealthy, aging aristocrat's will, a storyline harkening back to Kyd's Spanish Tragedy and Shakespeare's King Lear. Ms. Malliet's novel's central conceit is a British detective procedural that gently skewers the Cozy mystery sub-genre within an English country house setting. Familiar ground, brilliantly re-traversed. Moreover, Malliet manages to honor the sacred concord between mystery writer and reader by faithfully observing the requisite genre conventions, but in her own quirky, tongue-in-chic style.

The author uses the early chapters to depict the various characters with wit and unusual insight. She then deposits them at the nimbly executed meal en famille, a model of nuanced familial interaction and serial revelation. Once the estimable DCI St. Just and obligatory sidekick are introduced into the mix, the pace quickens and the reader is catapulted into a dizzying vortex of misdirection, surprise, and, echoing Greek tragedies, recognition and reversal. So sure, so authoritative is Malliet's grasp of character, plot, and convention as she propels the intricate plot to conclusion, I felt I had witnessed a display of narrative virtuosity equal to that of any first rate mystery writer's very best work.

Appetite whetted, I avidly await the gifted G.M. Malliet's next literary outing. Perhaps she will even include a "Death of an Amazon Reviewer" book in this promising series. Hmmm, I better hide the cutlery......

Not your average mystery. The infusion of the quilting makes this mystery a step above the rest. The characters are intriguing and I couldn't put the book down. It left me wanting to know more about the residents of Foggy Point. Hope there are more!

Quilt as Desired melds the world of quilting with the cozy mystery genre in a delightful way and is a must read for any quilter.

This was a super book! I thoroughly enjoyed it and any mystery lover would.

An engaging mystery, of special interest to quilters (I'm puzzled by the review from someone who refers to "arm quilting" which is really long-arm quilting, as any quilter would know), but certainly a mystery which stands on its own and has broad appeal. My 91-year old mother, who is an avid reader with an active and alert mind, loved it, and like Ms. Sachitano's other fans waits impatiently for the next book in the series.

Reviewed by J. Edwards for ReviewYourBook.com, 1/08
Harriet Truman began her new life five years after losing her husband to a terminal illness. She returned to Foggy Point, Washington to visit her aunt Beth. Beth gave her the house and the Long-Arm Quilting Studio. Aunt Beth planned for a long extended cruise to Europe. Harriet was shocked and upset; she had not planned to stay more than a month. Her Aunt's friend, Avanell Jalbert, introduces her to all of the members of their quilting group, "Loose Threads." She also meets Aiden, Avanell's youngest son, who has just returned from Africa and plans on opening a veterinarian clinic. Harriet is responsible for getting all of the shop's quilts entered in the quilting competition. Things began to happen, the shop was burglarized, quilts were damaged, and Avanell was murdered.
The plot of Quilt As Desired has great potential, unfortunately it is a stitch short. There were too many people introduced into the story line. Quilt As Desired is filled with details about arm-quilting and different quilt patterns. I like quilts but this was too much. The descriptive words were dull and choppy. Nothing flowed smoothly. I had trouble staying focused on this book. I wanted to know who committed the murder and had to restrain myself from just jumping to the end of the book. Quilt As Desired lacked some stitches...

This is the first book by Lisa Jackson that I have read. It took me awhile to get into the story, but once I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This is the first in the line of Detectives Bentz and Montoya, my two favorites of Lisa's detectives. You learn just what drives Bentz into being a good cop that trusts his instincts even if they have gotten him into trouble before. The story line of Dr. Sam and the mysterious Ty also makes for an interesting read. It will leave you wanting more of these detectives which Lisa Jackson provides for you.

Although Sam came across as stupid in many places, especially where Ty was concerned, the book was still a page turner that leaves you unable to put it down until you've finished the whole thing.

The only thing that kept me from giving it 5 stars was all the errors -- there were a lot of grammatical errors (such as quotation marks in the middle of someone's quote) and other things that should've been picked up by a competent editor. For example, Montoya tells Bentz that he needs to check out the patient list for Sam's ex-husband that he left on his desk and take note of one particular patient. However, when Bentz picks up the list, it's Sam's patient list, not her ex-husband's, and the patient in question was her patient, not his -- yet this was never even questioned by Bentz the next time he saw her.

Looking forward to reading "Cold Blooded."

I loved this book, and was so glad to finish it. This book will keep you guessing on who is actually "John". His way of killing is sick, but I loved every bit of it! It kept me wanting more! I'm on the sequel now "Cold Blooded". I can't wait to finish this book as well.

I LOVE HER BOOKS. CAN'T PUT HER BOOKS DOWN. READ EVERY ONE OF HER BOOKS I CAN GET MY HANDS ON.

The police kill two bank robbers... women.
The husband and brother of the two women,Dick LaChaise,
together with two buddies forms a gang to revenge their deaths.
The result is a bloody crime spree that includes hits of the police officer's relatives. Although well written and having no real sexual content, this for me is a very unpleasant book.
It seems to dwell on the worst elements of crimes.

Do not expect to enjoy reading this book. It almost seems to be an expansion of the most chilling crime headlines in a large city paper.The unrelenting climate of the north-central states serves as background to this bleak story of sudden sociopathic rage. Characters suffering from weak personalities and poverty are sucked into a tornado of violence which spreads outward to encompass the innocent bystanders at scenes of crime and police families who are targets of revenge by criminals who blame specific police officers for the deaths of friends and relatives caught in sting operations. Behind it all is a primitive sense of justicereminiscent of the "kicked dog" which remembers the black boot and consequently bites any boot wearer who is unlucky enough to stumble into sight.Of course all is evntually resolved, but the picture of corruption, threats, and fear is chilling. Sandford has dealt with a number of tricky issues in this series, for example means and ends, but this terror defies logic. Can we ever logically understand madness?

This is another page turning installment in John Sandford's Prey Series. In the beginning, the "prey" seems to be a pair of female bank robbers. Suddenly, the "hunters" become the prey and are hunted in a cruel, quick and shocking fashion. The family of the bank robbers hunt down the police responsible for their demise. Add into the mix a "bad" cop, and nobody is safe. The ending has a major impact on the next book in the series. If you are a fan of action and suspense, you won't be disappointed.

I've read several of the later books in the Prey series, and am going back and reading the ones I've missed. I only wish I had started in the beginning. It's a great series.

#8 of the Davenport series-From the book jacket "It begins with a death and ends with one". This was a fantastic book, full of suspense. This is probably the best of the series so far. It took off right from the start with the death of two thiefs. The brother and husband of the criminals, escapes from jail and goes after the cops that killed them. I think Sandford did a great job keeping the action going in this one. It never let up. I stayed up late to finish it. Davenport's character was not as stellar as previous books. Davenport is known to be on top of his game, always one step ahead of the criminal. In this book, you see a more vulnerable side of Lucas. I like the fact that Sandford showed this side. It is a nice change. Looking forward to continuing this series.

When the attempted arrest of bank robbers goes awry - leaving Georgie and Candy LaChaise dead in a shoot-out - it turns out the media firestorm resulting from it is the least of Minneapolis PD's concerns. Dick LaChaise - Candy's husband and Georgie's brother - has decided to make a break out of jail while attending their funeral and get revenge with the help of a couple of his friends by the name of Crazy Ansel Butters and Bill Martin. And they are going to begin with the spouses of the officers involved in the shooting.

As Lucas and Co. scramble to find LaChaise and his men, they are constantly thwarted - unaware that LaChaise has a man on the inside feeding him information.

Unremitting tension and an unrelenting pace make this a book that is almost impossible to put down once you pick it up. Each of the characters introduced is eventually humanized - although they are completely sociopathic, you get to the point where you feel a bit sorry for them toward the end; doesn't mean you don't want them put down like dogs, but you can't help but feel a little bit sorry for them at the same time.

Then there are Lucas' "women" - Jennifer and Weather. Often throughout the book I was left to wonder just how intensely stupid they could be. They were aware that these guys were gunning for the spouses of the officers they felt were "responsible" in the shooting deaths of Candy and Georgie; they knew that LaChaise and his men were aware of their existence. Yet they refused to change their habits and go into hiding. And it almost gets one of them killed (won't tell you which!) - because it is "boring" in the hotel and she has to do her job. Pfft. Then again, I suppose the plot line demanded it - not like this is real life, right? :-)

Any rate, a definite recommend from me for this most excellent addition to the Lucas Davenport adventures.

I just found this series (2006) and I love it.The stories are very real.
The only problem I had with the series, is book 2 is out of print.I did mange to get a copy from the libary, but it took two weeks for them to find it! Ebay had a copy for $99.00. Didn't want to read it that bad.

Lily Bard cleans the homes of some local residents in her Shakespeare, Arkansas town. Part of her success as a house cleaner is the fact that she keeps to herself and doesn't interfere with the private goings on she may be privy to cleaning private residences.

When the town trollop and one of Lily's clients, Deedra, is found murdered in her car on a remote road, the town of Shakespeare is once again turned upside down. With so many men that had been in and out of Deedra's bed, the list of suspects is lengthy. And for some reason Lily can't get this murder out of her head, no matter how hard she tries.

I was bothered a little by the insensitivity Lily shows towards the death of this woman. Yes she was 'easy', to put it nicely, but she didn't deserve her death and I thought Lily could have shown a tad more compassion for the woman.

I can honestly say the ending took me by complete and total surprise. I had an idea, a hunch, towards the end, but the way the mystery played out... while my suspect was correct, the reason behind it was a total fricken shock.

I was feeling a little under the weather today so I grabbed this book, curled up on the sofa with my favorite afghan and a couple hours later, here I am. I was so completely absorbed and engrossed in this book that the day just kind of slipped by me. Charlaine Harris in a very short time has cemented herself as a favorite author in my life and an automatic buy. I have yet to be disappointed by one of her books; instead with each book I am newly delighted.

Shakespeare's Landlord
Shakespeare's Champion (The Second Lily Bard Mystery)
Shakespeare's Christmas (Lily Bard Mysteries, Book 3)

Cherise Everhard, March 2008

Oops, this is the first Lily Bard mystery I have read and I realized when I was almost half-way through it (it's a quick read!) that I really should have waited until I had them all. Oh, well - I'm sure that will be easy enough to correct, and definitely pleasurable to have a new batch of Charlaine Harris books to enjoy. Wonderful mystery, great characters and I can't wait to learn more about them.

I was unable to obtain the previous three copies of the Lily Bard series and had to settle with starting with Shakespeare's Trollop. I don't like to read series books out of order, but I love Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series and wanted to give one of her mystery books a whirl. Shakespeare's Trollop was a fun, engrossing novel that kept me guessing until its final pages. Lily Bard is a thirty-something cleaning lady and karate expert who has discovered the dead body of a woman whose reputation was not the greatest one in Shakespeare, Arkansas. The townspeople are disturbed, albeit unsurprised about Deedra's awful demise. Lily has to find the man who raped and killed one of her employers. She hadn't anticipated opening an unexpected can of worms...

The mystery was well done and nicely presented. Charlaine Harris kept me guessing. I liked the southern town backdrop of the story. Harris has brought out the same southern charm she had done with the Sookie Stackhouse book. I only regret not having gotten reacquainted with the colorful characters with the earlier books. It seems that there has been a lot of history between Lily and various characters in the series. I hope to be able to read the first three parts at some stage in the future. Lily is a great character. I like the whole reluctant sleuth thing. She is someone I want to read more of. The overall story was well executed despite its shortness (only 194 pages). All in all, I enjoyed Shakespeare's Trollop and I only hope to be able to read all of the books so that I could get a better feel of this promising mystery series.

Poor Deedra Dean is Shakespeares latest victim in this 4th Lily Bard. And who better to find the body than Miss Lily herself?
Shakespeares Trollop was an entertaining read, but compared to the previous books in this series,I thought ST was a little predictable and not as gripping, but it did have some rather juicy moments such as a riveting little tidbit involving Bobo. I just love Bobo. I know hes just a college boy ,but wowee what a cutie. Anyways, back to the story...a quick enjoyable read, but nothing that got me wild. I of course plan on finishing the series, but for now, I think Im going to take a break from Shakespeare.

It's amazing to me how after so many years MM continues to turn out great installments of the best series I've ever read.

Unlike other series, where the characters don't age or progress, Sharon does both. I do wish she'd get a bit more back to her roots -- the Sharon with three homes and a plane who stays in five-star hotels is a bit more difficult to relate to than the old Sharon. However, that doesn't detract from the read at all -- actually, I blame it on Hy, who's the one character I've never been able to warm to.

This installment was fast-paced and exciting -- I read the whole thing in less than 24 hours because I couldn't put it down -- although towards the end, the culprit's identity became very apparent and it took Sharon a lot longer than me to figure the whole thing out. As usual, the whole cast is included in the story, but it doesn't feel forced, as if she's just trying to fit them in and sticking them wherever she can. And I love that we got another life-changing event for one of the characters -- MM certainly isn't afraid of changing things up, even in her long-running story arcs.

One little quirk though that drives me nuts -- why does Sharon always refer to her "cellular"? I don't know anyone who calls it that, rather than just their "cell" or "cell phone." Just a little thing I find annoying.

Can't wait to read "Burn Out!"

I am new to the Sharon McCone series. I am very glad I've discovered this wonderful series by Marcia Muller. The Ever-Running Man is an intense mystery with surprise twists and turns!

I had to get used to the rhythm of this book. I did think it was way too intense at first, so I put it aside. I planned on returning it to the library. But, I soon found myself wondering about the identity of the "ever-running man", as well as the problems in McCone's marriage to Hy Ripinsky. Obviously Muller crafted strong characters and plot.

I'm glad I finished the book. Muller kept me on my toes until the very end. I recommend this book for all people who are looking for a solid mystery series.

Very absorbing read.I constantly wonder where the author can take these characters next and how she can develop them and keep them and her stories fresh but she always manages it.The "Sharon McCone" she created all those years ago in her first book is essentially the same person but with subtle and not-so-subtle differences, just as we all are in real life as time passes.Skillful and spellbinding plotting as usual,highly recommend it.Enjoy.

When veteran detective Sharon McCone married Hy Ripinsky in her last adventure, VANISHING POINT, she knew she was marrying a man with a dark past. Ripinsky is a hostage release specialist with Renshaw & Kessell International, a security firm made up of two other partners who share a connection as cargo pilots from years past in Southeast Asia.

When a series of explosions damage several of RKI's branch offices, the partners at first suspect terrorism and hire Sharon McCone's firm to investigate. The violence grows personal as McCone narrowly escapes a deadly explosion at the San Francisco headquarters where an employee is killed as the bomb goes off in the lobby. Just before this occurred, she spotted a man running down the alley.

During her investigation, other witnesses describe a similar individual running away from the scene before each explosion. McCone turns her crew of computer and industrial espionage experts loose on the case. She decides to investigate the backgrounds of each of RKI's partners as she begins to suspect that the bomber carries a personal grudge against the company. This leads to delving into the past of the newest partner --- her bridegroom --- which threatens their relationship as questions surface about his connection to activities with the cargo firm while in Thailand. Suspicion mounts as the investigation uncovers some unsavory connections to drug and munitions running by the other partners.

As first one partner and then the second disappear, McCone is torn between concern for her husband's safety and suspicion of his activities. As she closes in on the bomber, both her marriage and her life are in jeopardy.

Marcia Muller has created a colorful cast of characters that weaves through each of her novels in an enduring family saga. Fans will remember McCone's shaky beginnings in San Francisco in the 1970s when she started the All-Souls Detective Agency with characters as hip and altruistic as the times. Her business and her lifestyle have changed since then, but she wears well with her readers. She has developed strong survival skills and pilots her plane, stakes out her suspects and takes them down like the pro she has become.

THE EVER-RUNNING MAN is as taut and finely honed a mystery as any of the preceding 24 Sharon McCone novels.

--- Reviewed by Roz Shea

I've now got the previous 24 Sharon McCone novels the read. I will enjoy both looking for them and reading them. How I missed this author is a mystery, but THE EVER-RUNNING MAN has developed a new fan for the series.
Sharon is hired by her husband to discover the identity of a man seen running away from terrosts type bombings of the facilities of his company. During the investigation one of Hy's partners disappears and the other is murder.
This is a fast moving mystery/thriller with all the twists and turns of California's Highway 1. If like us you are new to this series you won't find a better read.
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Nobody hits a homerun all the time. This author and his characters are usually so excellent they can certainly be forgiven a slip like this one. Several times I thought the lead character's ego got in the way of evidence and common sense and when one especially senseless death occurred I thought--remember Elvis they asked you to back off! Skip this one and continue on with this first rate series.

Like most fiction readers, I like to see good plots, good research by the author, and a little humor to lighten up some of the bloody action. Crais' gives you all of that along with his well developed characters Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. Good entertaining stuff.

Always get the audio books to listen to while driving. This is another winner by Robert Crais.

FREE FALL is the fourth entry in Robert Crais's "Elvis Cole" series about a private eye in Los Angeles. I'm currently reading this series in order, and this novel is the best of the four I've read.

I truly admire Crais's sharp prose style, which is remarkably clever and funny. All of his books are a pleasure to read at that level. In many ways, he reminds me of Robert Parker, whose crisp writing style is obviously a strong influence on Crais's work. I used to live in Los Angeles, and Crais's descriptions of the city are both hilarious and dead-on.

In my opinion, Crais's major weakness is his plotting style, which is often rigidly formulaic and over-the-top. For example, almost every one of Crais's books ends with a series of overblown action scenes and cartoonish confrontations that defy credibility. But in FREE FALL, Crais dials down the melodrama a bit, and produces a a more realistic story with characters that are more complex.

This novel deals with gang violence in LA, and Crais performs a solid job of exploring the consequences of such violence. While nobody would confuse this book with the work of Michael Connelly or George Pelecanos, it has a grittier, hard-edged quality that I found refreshing.

Overall, FREE FALL is another solid entry in the Elvis Cole series, and a first-rate entertainment. If you want to read a Cole novel, this is definitely a good place to start.

It's a shame that a writer as talented as Robert Crais fell into a rut so early in his career. I'm just now reading the entire Elvis Cole series, in order, and as I finished Free Fall, the 4th book, I felt like I was reading the same ending from the previous three books. Crais just can't come up with an ending that doesn't involve our two heroes Elvis Cole and Joe Pike in the middle of some huge shoot-out with dozens of heavily-armed bad guys, miraculously managing not to get killed or even badly hurt.

There are other plot points that carry over from the other novels as well; Elvis always seems like he's going to fall in love with his female client (or the wife of his male client, or the secretary of his male client, etc) but he normally manages to pull back just at the last moment. There is also the standard moment where Elvis is in big trouble, Joe Pike is nowhere to be found and suddenly, poof, Pike shows up to save the day. Another thing that made this book somewhat annoying was the very preachy tone about racial violence and the extremely unrealistic way Crais has his characters discussing it.

All in all, Crais is too good a writer and Elvis Cole is too hilarious a character for these books to suffer from so many little problems, and yet they do. I'm hoping things get better as I move slowly through the series...