Mystery Crime Books

This is the second entry into the Hannah Swenson amateur sleuth series.

Hannah is asked to be a judge in the first annual Hartland Flour Dessert Bake-off and she is happy to participate. Hannah believes that this will give her some free advertising for her own shop, The Cookie Jar.

After the first night of judging, Coach Boyd Watson, another of the judges is honest in his opinions about the entries. Hannah agrees with his critiscims but advises him to use some tact when offering his opinion. Later that night Boyd is found murdered in his own garage by his wife, Danielle, who calls Hannah before the police to come and help her.

Hannah doesn't believe that Danielle, the abused wife of Boyd, is the murderess despite the fact that the police think she did. She takes it upon herself to prove Danielle's innocence with the help of her sister Andrea.

As always, Hannah and Andrea have good instincts and uncover more than they bargained for.

I am so excited that I found this series! Joanne is a great writer and I have really enjoyed her wit and her recipes. The characters are and their interactions are believeable and enjoyable. I wish we could take a weekend jaunt to Lake Eden. This book was just as good as the first one!
As a teacher, I know my peers will enjoy sampling the recipes listed in her books.

This is such a cute and fun mystery series and the recipes sound really yummy as well. This is the second book in the Hannah Swenson series following Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder which was also a wonderful read.

In the second book of the Hannah Swensen Mystery series, a company called Hartland Flour chooses to host their first annual bake-off in Lake Eden. Lots of people come to Lake Eden to compete in the contest and hone their culinary skills. Because of the increase in Lake Eden's population, the local businesses are booming, including Hannah's bakery. Everything seems to be going great until Boyd Watson, the basketball coach of Jordan High, is murdered.

What I liked about 'Strawberry Shortcake Murder':
I liked all the recipes that were included in the book. I also liked the fact that there is somewhat of a romance going on between Hannah and Norman and also Hannah and Mike but it's not overdone. Joanne Fluke did a good job of including the romance without having it override the mystery plot of the book.

What I didn't like:
As I read through the book, I almost felt like I was re-reading 'Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder'. The storyline was very, very similar. First you have the murder victim, second, there's the authority figure telling Hannah not to get involved in the investigation but Hannah of course doesn't pay attention and gets involved anyway. Then there's the breaking and entering into a possible suspects house who just happens to be out of town at the time. After the breaking and entering is done Hannah and Andrea continue to investigate this possible suspect but later on in the book, the possible suspect's car is found in their garage and their dead body is found not too far away and they die from a gunshot to the head. The possible suspect then just becomes a second murder victim. Finally, within the last 10-15 pages of the book, it's made clear who the murderer is and the murderer then threatens Hannah with a gun and describes how they plan on killing her. Hannah then thinks of a way to save herself and someone comes to her rescue.

I just felt that the second book was too similar to the first book. The events of both the first and second books were alike and sequenced in pretty much the same order. The murder victims died in the same way (the only difference is that Boyd was hit over the head with a hammer) and the second murder victims in both books were in similar situations (expected to leave town but found murdered before they got the chance to leave).

I understand that this series is a murder mystery series but it seems like Joanne Fluke followed some sort of 'recipe' (pun intended) for a mystery book where the events that are to occur in the book are arranged in a template and sequenced in a specific order and she fills in the blanks with the names of different characters for each book. Joanne Fluke could have changed the order of events or made the situations different from the first book.
She could have maybe changed the way some of the murders were carried out. Instead of someone being killed by being shot in the head, maybe they could be decapitated instead? Something!
I'm not saying that the books should be overly gory but I think the shot-to-the-head murder scene gets a little boring and there needs to be more variety.

The characters also need more variety! I still feel like all of the characters have somewhat of the same kind of personality, everyone is very polite and friendly. There's no one different. Lucy was the only character that was different and she was only in the book for a short period of time.

I have only read the first two books so maybe the series gets better. I really do hope the next book is different/better than the first two books.

Book two of the series, and it's as good as the first - maybe even a little better. The character development is as good as before, and the mystery is a little more well-constructed. Hannah's person life and the relationships with those around her are portrayed well, giving you a real sense of the setting and personalities involved in this small, sleepy tourist town.

This volume of Criminal is arguably the best yet. While the characters aren't as immediately likeable as Leo, or desperately engrossing like Tracy, they are perfectly crafted and shoved into a delightfully broken morality tale.

I agree word for word with S. Curly in his above review, except for the deduction of one star for the lack of essays. You can't judge this product on what it lacks, but on what it presents. The essays are an incentive to the monthly readers, but they're not Criminal. The book doesn't deserve to be penalized for not reprinting them. That's like penalizing a DVD release because it doesn't have a special feature that interviews the director's friends about their favorite things about the genre. You may catch such an interview on TV, but to decide the product is worth less because they're not included is flawed thinking.

This third collection of stories coincided with "Criminal"'s relaunch as a new volume, with a new format, including more pages, though some of these are given over to the articles, which are, of course, not included in these collected editions, since they are meant as incentives to monthly readers. These trades feel somewhat incomplete for someone who reads the single issues, one of the few cases where a series debatably reads better in that format (for the record, these three issues featured: Duane Swierczynski, crime novelist and Marvel comics writer, on 'The Burglar' by David Goodis; Marvel/Vertigo writer Jason Aaron on his favourite film and TV tough guys; and Sony VP Michael Stradford on 'The Yakuza', a 70s Sydney Pollack/Robert Mitchum gangster drama). Brubaker and Phillips elect to take their new larger issue format to tell three one-shot stories, which nevertheless are indelibly linked by the story of one character, who appears in all three.

The first story ("Second Chance in Hell") details the origin of Gnarly, the bartender of the Undertow who appeared in the first two story arcs. We get his backstory as a down-on-his-lukc boxer with a childhood connection to Sebastian Hyde, the man we met in the preceding story as the aged, all-powerful underboss of the city. This may be the strongest of the three stories, though all are quite good (personally, I'd quite like to see a story about Gnarly set in the present day, to see what happened with him and the little girl Angie). The second story ("A Wolf Among Wolves") is about Teeg Lawless, the father of Tracy and Ricky Lawless, both featured in the preceding arc (aptly titled "Lawless"). Lawless is a drug-addicted Vietnam veteran who returns home to find himself indebted to the mob, and, in the course of trying to escape its clutches, may find himself relentlessly pulled in (much as his son Tracy was in the preceding story). Tracy is the least sympathetic of the three main characters (though characters in crime fiction don't need to be conventionally sympathetic; indeed, that's often the attraction). Phillips makes effective use of blacked-out panels to communicate Teeg's drug-induced stupor, and the ending has a rather bitter tone mixed with Teeg's parental sacrifice, knowing how his children will turn out. Finally, there is the story of Danica Briggs ("Female of the Species"), the first female main character in "Criminal"'s run so far (there is usually only one prominent female character per tale, the obligatory femme fatale). Danica is indeed a femme fatale of sorts, but, by the time she gets her solo tale, we already know her beginning (in Gnarly's story) and end (in Teeg's). It lends the finale a morbid poignancy.

Brubaker is a first-rate writer of crime fiction, and "Criminal" features him at the top of his game. The tone is brilliantly noirish, with a perfect atmosphere of desperation and sober immorality (with clearly levels, from those just out to survive to those who are out to dominate; the first story, in particular, gives an interesting spotlight on Sebastian Hyde, at the point where he was caught between entering the family business or staying out of it). Sean Phillips' art is perfect for the subject matter, bringing the properly grey sensibility to a noir world. This is probably a five-star collection, but I deduct one for the absence of the articles, which add a lot to the reading experience.

Deputy DA Carson Tanner's family was brutally murdered and they have finally caught the culprit... or have they? After a night of passion with a sexy stranger he discovers that she's under investigation by the Feds who hope to have her turn on her mentor. But Annette Baxter has a scarred past and doesn't tow the line quite so easily, as she draws Carson into a web of intrigue and questioning those closest to him. She is a "fixer" of sorts and knows just about every secret about the town patriarchs who will do anything to silence her. When she tells Carson that the serial killer who admitted to the crime is not the culprit and drops other clues, he is compelled to investigate and forced to question his loyalties. But at what cost?

After devouring Webb's previous two novels "Traceless" and "Nameless" I was a bit disappointed with this one. The writing is strong but I did not feel a connection to the story and never really felt the passion between the two characters. Annette is a difficult character to like and after awhile, I didn't find her a bit redeeming. When compared with other anti-heroines such as Andie in Linda Howard's latest "Death Angel," her transformation just isn't believable. I did like the twist to the story in the end, so that kept it from being a mediocre read. She's still an auto-buy for me - I chalk this one up to being a fluke.

Debra Webb is becoming one of my must have authors, and FACELESS continues her list of great reads. After a surfeit of urban fantasies I found it a wonderful change of pace.

Carson Tanner is a Deputy District Attorney, he is also a man on a mission. Fifteen years ago his family was murdered. Known as the Avenger, because of his dedication to his job, he has finally closed the murder of his family when a serial killer includes them in his final list. Unfortunately that is just the begining for Tanner. A beautiful woman seduces him one night and the next day he finds that she is the subject of an FBI investigation. Then she tells him everything is connected to his family's murder. He doesn't believe her but suddenly things are changing to quickly for him to understand.

Annette Baxter has come from nothing, from the foster care system to being a prostitute, to being the go to person for the movers and shakers in Alabama. She has fought and climbed out of the gutter into the afflunce of the rich and famous. She is the protoge of Otis Fleming and the FBI intended to use anything they could find to force her to testify against him. Annette isn't worried about the FBI, she is worried about the people she has helped. The very ones who should be helping her are setting her up. She knows too much about certain people and things. Esspecially the murder of Carson's family.

The story is intense and filled with action. The relationship between the characters is deeply emotional as Carson goes from hateing her to being unable to forget their interlude. Now he must use her and her knowledge, which she doles out piece by piece, to try to save their lives and bring the true killers to justice.

I loved it. It is everything you want a good mystery to be. I was shocked and surprised at the ending and as long as she writes like this I will be buying her books. Very good read.

Fifteen years have passed since the senseless slaughter of his family in Alabama, but in spite of his current position as a Deputy District Attorney, Carson Tanner has not received any closure; the case went cold a long time ago. He still thanks his girlfriend's father Senator Drake for taking care of him back then when he was a teenager suddenly alone with tragedy and trauma; however putting it behind him remains impossible. That is until apparently now when serial killer John Stokes confesses that he killed the Tanner family.

Carson does not feel like his nightmare is over. When he meets Annette Baxter, they fall into each other's arms for one wild night. However, he soon learns she is a problem fixer for the affluent, including someone under investigation by Tanner's office. Soon afterward, leaks suddenly appear re the Tanner family homicides that lend credence to a rumor of a false confession. Carson begins to wonder what role Annette has played while she understands the only survival to the threats to their lives means escorting the ADA into a world of dishonesty

This is a fascinating investigative romantic suspense thriller starring two opposites at least on how each sees justice. Carson was shaped by the deadly traumatic incident and goes out of his way to stay legal as he feels the law is above reproach; Annette has no qualms gleefully going outside the law and is proud to do so. They make the tale as together they might swim out of a small-town cesspool polluted with toxic corruption and murder; separately they will be the next two statistics.

Harriet Klausner

Have you ever doubted a friend or a coworker? If so, then you'll sympathize with Liz Carlyle when she's assigned to find a mole in the domestic intelligence organization where she works.

Liz is given a cover story that opens doors for her to ask questions, yet she finds direct honesty is hard won in some of the responses she gets. How can she tell truth from half-truth, lie from exaggeration, and opinions from simple truth?

What seems a simple job becomes mixed with false trails, murder, and clues to a terroristic plot. How will she sort things out?

Talented author Stella Rimington has created a cast of complex characters, each with a personal motive or agenda for doing what they do, often not what they seem. The reader gets an idea of what this sort of work is really like with a good look at the persistence needed for the job.

This is an enjoyable read for any mystery or thriller fan who wants an honest tale that doesn't depend on explosions, shoot-'em-ups, or the usual stereotypical villain. I'm pleased to recommend it as well worth the time. Enjoy. I did.

Shortly after returning from leave, MI5 agent Liz Carlyle learns that a terrorist cell is operating out of an Islamic bookstore in London and that an attack appears imminent. Before she can investigate, the Director of Counter-Terrorism reassigns her to a high-risk, secret mission: discover the IRA "secret asset" (sleeper spy) who's infiltrated one of the branches of British Intelligence and expose him/her before more of Britain's secrets are exposed. But more may be at stake than just secrets when it is revealed that the mole may have gone rogue, teaming up with British-born Al Qaeda sympathizers to plot a major strike intended to wreak total destruction. It's a race against time-but who can Liz trust?

Originally published in 2006 (reprinted in a new edition), Secret Asset, the second book in Stella Rimington's spy thriller series, continues the promise shown in At Risk. Rimington, the former Director General of Britain's MI5, knows of what she writes and that authenticity resonates in the procedural details of her novels. As most know, the "devil is in the details," and it is here that Rimington's insider knowledge shines. Her descriptions of functions such as "agent running," supervising undercover civilian informants, elevates her novels above the pack.

However, authenticity is not enough to make a must-read espionage thriller and, luckily for her readers, Secret Asset is built around a captivating plot of terrorist plots, double-dealings and hidden bombs. Peggy Kinsolving, the young research assistant assigned to work with Liz, is a great foil and allows Rimington to explore the rivalry between the branches of British Intelligence while delving into the psychological makeup and histories of the possible moles.

Secret Asset is a must read for anyone who has ever wondered what it takes to betray your country, what mixture of character traits or personality quirks a double agent must possess to carry out their task.

Armchair Interviews says: If you love thrillers, check out this author's work.

From our armchair to yours...

The plot centers around a mole in British Intelligence. That's not giving anything away -- the inside cover tells us so. In the end, all the plot machinations can be boiled down to one word: vetting.

Yet the discovery of a dastardly secret in the mole's past leads to one glaringly obvious question: how could British Intelligence have missed this very basic (i.e., immediate family) fact when the agent/mole entered their ranks 15 years earlier? This fatal flaw -- surprising given the author's strong background in intelligence (and where was her editor here? That person deserves some of the blame too) -- dooms the book and makes the whole story a disappointing waste of time.

In addition, the writing is pedestrian and the pacing is plodding. Back cover blurbs elevate her to the ranks of Graham Greene and John le Carre, but this book isn't even close to that rarified class. A "C-" would be generous.

This is the second of the novels written by Ms Rimington to feature MI5 Intelligence Officer Liz Carlyle. I've read them out of order and while this hasn't materially impacted upon my enjoyment of the novels, I would recommend new readers to start at the beginning.

In this novel, Liz is investigating a tip-off that a mole has been planted in one of the branches of British Intelligence. This is happening at the same time as Liz's colleagues are trying to encounter an impending terrorist strike and the juxtaposition of the two increases the tempo of the action considerably. Enter a world where perhaps no-one can be trusted and nothing is what it seems. Are there links between the possible mole and the impending terrorist strike? What is an effective balance between hard fact and intuition?

All three of the Liz Carlyle novels are enjoyable. While the character development is gradual, this seems appropriate for this series. Ms Rimington has succeeded in moving beyond the Cold War into a more contemporary world. She has done so in a way that is both entertaining but recognises that while old issues continue to age, they are never truly forgotten and in many ways never cease to be relevant.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

If forgetting you are being read to is the sign of a good audiobook narrator, then performer Emma Fielding hits the mark. Her soft voice lets the listener lose themselves in MI5 intelligence officer Liz Carlyle's hunt for an illusive IRA mole inside British Intelligence's counter-terrorism division. Although her voice is lyrical, Fielding doesn't convey the necessary tension and suspense of action sequences such as a car bomb that threatens to detonate in the middle of an Oxford graduation ceremony. Fielding's Irish accents are as believable as her own British speaking voice, but she struggles to sound realistic as other nationalities. Nevertheless, Rimington's mole manages to be more than a one note villain and his enactments of revenge have surprising motivations and unexpected outcomes.

With Dark of the Moon John Sanford, the author of the Lucas Davenport series, begins a new detective series with the central character being one Virgil Flowers. In this novel, the laconic Flowers tracks down the clues to solve a case that had the local police baffled. Dark of the Moon is an excellent mystery novel and as such Virgil Flowers is likely to become one of the hottest fictional detectives around.

This was my first audio book. I prefer the paper variety but enjoyed the listen. The reader was excellent and, of course, I just like John Sanford's stories. I recommend it especially if you want to 'read' a good book AND drive or crochet or knit.

This book is a good start to John Sandford's new series featuring Virgil Flowers. I enjoyed the Flowers character in the last Prey novel. In this book, however, it was as if the reader was supposed to know all about him. As for the actual mystery, I like how it evolved until the end. It wrapped up quickly and predictably. This is not one of John Sandford's better books however for a first book in the series it is just ok. I guess the thing that I found troublesome was that in the acknowledgments, Mr. Sandford states that he had a co-writer with this book. However that writer isn't listed on the cover and wasn't mentioned by Amazon. I'm not sure why Mr. Sandford would need to use a co-writer but maybe this is why the book isn't up to his usual standards. It didn't flow and have the sarcastic interplay between the characters that most of his books have. I'm going to give the second book in this series a shot just because it's John Sandford when it comes out later this fall, but I'm not sure I will stay with it.

Phantom Prey is an excellent book. As always, John Sandford has you sitting on the edge of your seat as you read this book. I could not put it down and read the book through the night. Absolutely worth a lost night of sleep! Check it out, because you won't regret getting this book!

Dark of the Moon is the latest book published by John Sandford, the author of the Prey Series featuring Lucas Davenport. In this case Virgil Flowers, one of Davenport's investigators, takes center stage. In investigational styles, Virgil and Lucas are polar opposites. While Lucas is edgy, with an in-your-face attitude, Vigil is laid back. Vigil understands the small town psyche and uses it to his advantage. He makes a point of getting to know the town and its people as he unearths the skeletons in their closets.

The story opens with Virgil arriving in Bluestem, Minnesota. He was sent to Bluestem to investigate the murder of an elderly couple. He arrives in time to witness a huge house fire. It was set in an effort to cover up the murder of the elderly and much hated Bill Judd. A few days later another two elderly citizens are executed. Fear overwhelms the town. They know the culprit is one of their own.

Everyone is a suspect. The Bill Judd's son, his illegitimate daughter, the newspaper editor, the Sheriff's sister, a ex-con, a born-again Christian who is using his church as a cover for Methamphetamine production and distribution, and a couple of deputies, all had a reason to hate the victims and something to gain from their deaths. It's up to Virgil to untangle the threads before the culprit dubbed The Man on the Moon, struck again.

Dark of the Moon is an excellent mystery with a host of entertaining characters. The pace alternated between `nail-biting suspense' and `settle back and enjoy the story'. The plot twisted one way and then the other before looping back around. It held my attention and kept me guessing right up until the end.

Like another reviewer here, this was my first Connelly novel and I went into it with no preconceptions as I was completely unfamiliar with his work. It grabbed me from the first page and kept me engrossed right up to page 500. I enjoyed the author's writing style: spare, yet sufficiently descriptive. It put me in mind of the show Dragnet, without the over-the-top posturing. Rather than go into too much detail, he gives the reader enough to get a good sense of the place and the people, and then moves the action along. His characters speak as real people would and they are smart and recognizable, without being cliche. The storyline was well plotted, a bit of murder, a bit of mystery, some romance and a few twists along the way.

****Spoilers Ahead****

If I have one criticism, it is the final act of the book with the major plot twist. I found it a bit forced and insufficiently justified. After setting the reader up with red herrings involving the female lead, Connelly seems to have felt the need to throw in a really off the wall surprise ending that was more unbelievable than surprising. It's as though he watched one too many M. Night Shyamalan movies. Though the book was terrific, it would have been even better without that ending, which isn't even a real ending as I learned when I saw there was a sequel! Oh well, guess I'll be reading The Narrows next.

I've read a number of Connelly books recently and this has been the most mindbending. I was really not prepared for the end and it took me some moments to wrap my brain around it. As in life, the answers still leave you with questions. I like that. It's also interesting to see Connelly writing in first person and in a much more narrative style than some of his more recent Bosch work - which is clean, lean, mean and finely edited by comparison. In my humble opinion, you don't have to read Connelly's books in order. Each can certainly stand on its own and you can recognize the characters emerging and developing over his years of outwitting us in print.

I absolutely loved this fast paced thriller and have read the rest of the series. It is so good that it was hard to put down. Everyone I passed it down to loved it too.

I thought this book was pretty interesting until the ending. It was so completely over-the-top, contrived, far-fetched, whatever else you want to call it. It tried way too hard and failed big time. It's like he was trying to picture it as a movie and was trying to make a spectacular twist on the twist on the twist...and it was just an eye-rolling inducing obnoxious ending.

Jack McEvoy is a reporter who works the crime beat. His twin brother, Sean, is a homicide cop. When Sean is found dead of an apparently self-inflicted gun-shot wound, with an Edgar Allen Poe quote written on the window where it was fogged up, Jack cannot accept that it was, indeed, suicide. He does his research and discovers an unsettling string of homicide detective "suicides" - each had an unsolved case that was consuming them, and each left as a "note" a line from an Edgar Allen Poe case. Of course, once the FBI became involved (since these killings occurred across several states), they wanted to shut him out - which he would not accept. He wanted the exclusive story and he wanted to know why his brother was dead.

An intense story with an intensely creepy antagonist, the Poet is an interesting break from the Harry Bosch series. It is MOST DEFINITELY worth your time to read. So, drop whatever you're doing, go buy the book and get reading!!

This book was one of those precious few where you just want the story to keep on going without end. This is not true of life or books. What a good read ! I didn't expect it to be so but was pleasantly surprised while mourning the end.I hope you have a similar experience. Read this book.

The author's compositional and writing skills can't be faulted, and are impressive for a first novel. However, character development never grows beyond the compositional surface of the story, which is largely defined by a number of plot threads typical of the mystery genre, some of which remain very tangential. Nor did I find the blending of genres -- historical, romance, mystery -- completely successful, beyond the limited basis of a minimal story.

Another reader compared this to a screenplay, and while that is not entirely justified, I understand the analogy: the narrative stays very much at the surface and thus, while intellectually engaging, fails to become fully satisfying. That this won one of Britain's most prestigious literary awards seems inexplicable, as this novel is not particularly memorable.

Despite what some of the other reviews said about having difficulty following the characters (this is true to an extent), the quality of the writing is such that I could overlook that flaw. The reader might be slightly confused as to who is narrating and which character is which, but the author's use of language (have a dictionary on hand!) and vivid descriptions are truly remarkable. This is a wonderful,if flawed, book.

"The Tenderness of Wolves" is Stef Penney's debut novel and is set in late 19th century Canada. It was first published in 2006, and went on to win that year's Costa Prize.

Laurent Jammet was around forty years old, French and had once been a voyageur for the Hudson Bay Company. However, he later settled in a small settlement called Dove River and made his living from the bounty paid on killing wolves. Fortunately for Dove River's wolves, he didn't make his forty first year - he was murdered in bad, having his throat cut and his scalp taken.

Jammet's corpse was discovered the following morning by Mrs Ross, his closest neighbour. She had arrived in Canada from Scotland with her husband, Angus, twelve years earlier. The couple have a single adopted son called Francis - himself, technically, an immigrant. Francis was born in Ireland, but had left the country as an infant to escape the Famine. Unfortunately, his parents had died on the journey, and, on arrival, he'd been placed in an orphanage. Francis is now seventeen, and hasn't really been able to fit in - he has become surly, taciturn, clearly doesn't get on with father and regularly disappears for two or three days at a time on fishing trips. Jammet, meanwhile, was the closest thing he had to a friend. Mrs Ross, naturally, reports the murder to Andrew Knox - the magistrate in the neighbouring settlement of Caulfield. Unfortunately, it seems that Francis has taken off overnight - and, although his mother claims it's a fishing trip, even she isn't entirely sure that's where he's gone. She is, however, certain he didn't kill Jammet though she knows he'll probably be considered a suspect. Knox promptly sends off to Fort Edgar for some company men to help with the investigation. Based on the scalping, Knox and Scott - an influential man in the area, having essentially founded Caulfield - initially assume the killer was an Indian outlaw. However, Knox isn't willing to rule anyone out on the grounds of race.

Three men arrive from Fort Baxter to take over the investigation. The most obviously qualified is McKinley, Fort Edgar's factor - however, he proves to be a thoroughly dislikeable character and a suspect is likely to fall down the stairs during an interrogation. Donald Moody, like Mrs Ross, is a Scottish immigrant - though he's an accountant, rather than a rugged outdoorsman. The third is Jacob, one of the Company's native employees - and, after an accident on the rugby pitch, also Donald's sworn protector.

Where some view Francis as the key suspect for Jammet's murder - Donald, in particular - he isn't the only suspect. The other key suspect is a trapper called Parker, a man who'd traded with Jammet in the past and who arrived at Jammet's home shortly after his death. While Mrs Ross is sure Francis is innocent, she's also convinced by Parker when he protests his innocence - which would mean a third suspect is required. There is a third possibility - Angus had tracked Francis to Swallow Lake, where he usually fished. It appeared that Francis had been that way, but had just kept going...though so had at least one other person. However, rather than continuing his search, Angus turned around and just came home. While his wife decides to take up the search, in order to prove her son's innocence, Donald and Jacob have also decided to go after him - believing they're chasing the killer.

While my sister said she was totally hooked within the first 50 pages, for me things just didn't warm up until a little later - not until Mrs Ross took up the search. Although the focus shifts from one character to another, Mrs Ross is essentially the book's central character. She is the only character to tell her own story - "Even now, I cannot remember that small without also thinking of fruit pies with cream or steak in brandy" -while everyone else has their story told - "Donald presses a hand to the window pane". I did find Donald to be a vaguely ridiculous character, and his attempts to romance Susannah Knox - Andrew Knox's daughter - were so pathetic, I'm still not sure if it was supposed to be funny. If this angle had been cut out altogether, and a little more attention had been paid to the Seton sisters, I think it may have led to a better book. (In a sub-plot reminiscent of "The Searchers", Amy and Eve Seton had disappeared fifteen years previously. Trackers and searchers were hired, but to no avail - both parents died, penniless and broken hearted, without ever seeing their daughters again. Naturally, the book sees some developments). A decent book overall, and certainly worth reading - but I have read better.

I loved this book. It pulled me into their world, made me feel what they were feeling, fear what they were fearing. It was almost a modern perspective of an olden time, to hear the thoughts of the characters, but then again it made me realize that deep down we're all the same, even back then. I was surprised that with so many things going on with so many different characters, I never felt lost and the plot was never convoluted. It didn't drag down with unnecessary details and kept me in the moment the whole time. For example, the term "historical fiction" turns me off since I assume the author is trying to prove something that is unprovable (pardon my ignorance of the genre, that is just my take) and this was not the case here. I honestly couldn't put this book down and thoroughly enjoyed it. Pretty much no novel gets 5 stars from me but I would have given it four and a half stars if I could. Great read.

I usually pride myself on being able to figure out the "culprit" before the end of the book; I was quite surprised!
I personally like that James Patterson writes short chapters because I can put the book down at the end of a chapter.....or if I want to read a little more, the next chapter won't be very long either.
I've passed this book along to friends and they were as surprised as I was at the ending.

I love Patterson, read all his work. I am a big fan.
this book, has a poor ending, and not believable.
disappointing.

Couldn't put it down. It takes a while to get the characters straight but is worth the effort. A tale of a group of guys on Long Island who get together to play basketball. Tempers flare and a tragedy is averted. Or is it? Not long after, some of the players turn up dead. Were the murders related to the game? As is characteristic of other books by Patterson, this collaborative work between James Patterson and Peter DeJonge has very short, quick moving chapters that leave the reader saying "just one more chapter" until you realize you are at the end.Poodlums, Boogeymen and Booglers: A Poetry CollectionMy Tongue Fell Out

First, there's a reason some authors like Twain and Tolstoy are taught in classic lit courses and authors like Patterson are found on bookshelves at airports. Second, my only thought upon finishing this book was, "There's about three hours of my life I'll never get back." Third, the ending was not, as some say, "stunning". Quite simply it was stupid. Absolutely unconnected with anything in the book which preceded it. Turned an already weak book into a horrible one. Fourth, I picked this book up at a thrift store for 25 cents. I overpaid. Lastly, if this book is indicative of his other books how does this guy continue to get published? More importantly, why do we as readers continue to buy his books?

This book has the positive attributes that made me a fan of Patterson. The character were real and the setting seeming genuine. The ending was worthy. I recommend this read.

This is the third novel I've read by Harlan Coben and he continues to impress me with wild plot twists that always take me by surprise. I don't know where or how Mr. Coben comes up with such story lines but I'm sold on this author and I'm off to read his next novel, The Innocent.

Harlan Coben is a good writer and excellent at plot development. Just One Look, however, felt like a great concept that Coben felt confident he could weave into a great plot. Not this time, and I think he knew it missed because it doesn't show the care of his other books. He pulls out some plot magic at the end, but it's not enough to salvage the other 350 pages. I highly recommend any Harlan Coben book, just not this one.
The Shut Mouth Society
The Shopkeeper

Much more complex plot line than other Coben novels I've read to date but still very enjoyable. Granted I listened to the Audio, so perhaps sitting down and reading it could have been a bit cumbersome and like navigating a labyrinth. Therefore I strongly recommend it as a mystery novel on audio format.

Despite poor reviews on this site, I really enjoyed Just One Look. Sure, it is not on the level of Gone For Good or Tell No One or a lot of the Myron Bolitar stuff, but what is? I think our expectations for Coben are so high that we naturally rate this one too low. I agree that the plot is a little bit too complex. I like having a clear idea of what happened at the end, and I do, but I feel like I needed to take notes and draw diagrams on a board in order to fully understand everything. Nontheless, it was a very solid thriller and I could not put it down as usual!

I bought this book on a whim & couldn't put it down. I just had to know how it ended. If you want to be engrossed for several hours, you can't go wrong with this book. I enjoy Harlan Coben's writing & style very much and plan to read the rest of his stuff before the year's end.

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.

I give this 4 stars because the beginning is rather slow and drags on a little too much.. From about pg. 100 or so on, things really get going and this novel turns into a real hot romantic psychological thriller. Ms. Jackson develops the characters well and the story is anything but predictable.

I hope Hot Blooded is not indicative of all her writing.
It was painfully derivative, with cookie cutter good guys and bad guys.
The heroine has no discernible qualities that would make you want to root for her.
The ancillary characters are one-dimensional and not very appealing.
I have a couple more of her books I picked up in the discount bin. I hope they have a little more umph to them.
I finished it, but it was by no means a good read. At all.