Mystery Crime Books

One of the most detailed and important psycho-thriller of all-time. Richly written, moving, and suspenseful, this novel delivers on all accounts. The film is not as bad as its reputation -- just different, but worth checking out after you've read this great novel from a master who sadly left us too soon.

I first came across of Lawrence Sanders in the early 90's through his McNally series. Having become a fan of those, I decided a couple of years ago to pick up "The 1st Deadly Sin" which by all accounts was Sanders' breakthrough novel.

For anyone that, like me before reading this, only know of Sanders' work through the McNally series, you're in for a surprise. I was impressed at how profoundly different his writing style is between the two. The McNally books are so light-hearted even though it usually involves a murder or two but "The 1st Deadly Sin" is so dark and so depressing. McNally is an easy-going chap while none of the character from this book seems very happy. Add in the setting of 1970's New York City which was the start of a real dark period for the city of NY (contrast to the sunny Florida setting of the McNally) and you have a very gritty novel.

I thought the character develop of the two main ones, Daniel Blank (who reminds me a bit of the Patrick Bateman character from "American Psycho") and Captain Edward Delaney was well done, with the secondary characters in each their lives really giving a hint at how these characters became molded to what we come to know in this book (I never saw the movie but according to IMDB, there doesn't seem to be the Celia and Tony character which I think would be a mistake in trying to adapt this book to a movie).

I'm not going to give any spoilers here but I thought the ending was a bit anti-climatic but I could be thinking in terms of 2007 and not 1972 or so when this was written. There were some movies from that era that had very good body but low key endings like "Rosemary's Baby" and in a way, I think the end here was sort of along that lines. But after spending around 400 pages (and it was not an easy read) in the development of Blank and Delaney and then seeing what kind of interaction they would ultimately have, it was a bit of a disappointment how it was all resolved.

Wow, where do I begin on this one. Although this novel is supposed to be considered a classic for it's time, I found the book to be horribly drawn out and boring. If you want a book that takes you on a journey into the mind of a serial killer, then skip this book! If you want a book that gives you an inside look into a tedious, boring, slow moving, and drawn out investigation, then this book could be for you. For most readers of the thriller/detective genre, I would recommend to skip this one. I by now means am trying to say that Sanders is a poor writer. I'm just saying that his imagination could use a little work. The ending is completely lame too. Horrible!

this is the first book that put lawrence sanders on the map. a murder mystery set in the early 1970,s in new york city the tales is dark,freakish and frightening. we know from almost the very opening lines that there is something wrong with daniel blank. hes obsessive, orderly and cold. as the story develops he gets down right freaky passing his time with a strange woman where he involves himself with bizarre sexual practices with her and with her younger brother. the man for some reason is driven to commit horrendous murders on manhattans upper east side. i am not giving anything away by letting you know that hes the murderer, you will learn that very quickly. the driven plot revolves around a retired police officer edward x. delaney ( known as OLD IRON BALLS by the men who know him in the police precint) who is trying to find the killer and what he has to do to flush him out. delaney is as obessive as daniel blank, using very questionable tactics to solve the crime but he beleives hes doing right against evil. delaney is also suffering through a terrible personal crisis as his wife is dying from a rare kidney disease. to make matters worse hes also caught up in new york city police politics between 2 factions who are battling it out to take control of the city. he channels all his frustrations into getting the killer.lawrence sanders' manhattan is the real manhaatan of the early 70,s when it was at its lowest. grafitti covers every inch of every subway car, murder and crime are way up and people look over theire shoulder as they walk through the streets of manhattan. dark and brooding a fascinating look at real detective work as cop and killer close in on each other. just reread the book for the second time after 30 years. it hasnt lost any of its terror or its punch. it was made in to a terrible movie in 1980 staring frank sinatra and faye dunaway. do the book. avoid the film

You'll love the writing of Lawrence Sanders. I first read "The First Deadly Sin" years ago, and have retrieved it for a good read more than once. Lawrence Sanders paints vivid portraits of his central characters, portraits so intimate and full of personal detail that you begin to form a relationship with the characters as you're reading. I was captivated by Edward Delaney, though I can't imagine casting Frank Sinatra in the part for the film. Sinatra aside, the character of Delaney is believable, complex, full of sagely wisdom and just plain likeable. His obsession with 'the' perfect sandwich was delicious. Sanders intricately weaves the plot amongst the character development, never slowing the pace for an instant. Not for those with a short attention span, rather for readers who love to savor every word.

This man's account of this part of his life is chilling. Well written. I felt as though I was suffering along with him and rejoiced with him on his release.

Journey Toward Justice, by Dennis Fritz.


Having previously read An Innocent Man by John Grisham and being a longtime supporter of The Innocence Project I started out reading Journey Toward Justice with interest, eager to hear Mr. Fritz's account of the case. I soon found myself reading this compelling piece of work on trains, buses, even elevators...it was nearly impossible to stop! Dennis tells his story with clarity of mind and awareness of purpose: he simply wants the world to share his experience of the nightmare it must be to be 100% innocent, wrongly convicted and sent off to rot in jail. This book is an American Classic that deserves to be read by millions. Oprah, are you listening?

Kevin McKiernan, Norway

This book is interesting and won't let you put it down. Following An Innocent Man, this tells Dennis Fritz's story. It's so sad, and one must think, how many innocent men are now serving time in Oklahoma's prisons?

Dennis Fritz's book is very insightful. He deserves much credit for not letting the prosecutor ruin his life. One character in his book is named Dennis Smith. He worked for the OSBI and contributed to the wrongful conviction of Williamson and Fritz. In the book, Dennis Smith, the corrupt cop, could just as likely be the DA of Custer County, Oklahoma. Is Dennis Smith really dead?
The prosecutor's name is Bill Peterson, which reminds people of Mike Nifong of Duke Lacrosse fame. You too Bill?

It is unfortunately true that many innocent people are convicted, sometimes by prosecutors who bend the law (often by hiding evidence) to gain those convictions.

There is significant documentation of such improper convictions, in a series by the Chicago Tribune, in a study by Columbia Law School, in the book "In Spite of Innocence," and in the marvelous work of Barry Scheck and his colleagues in the Innocence Project, and in "Journey to Justice" by Dennis Fritz.

It is a serious blemish on the American criminal justice system that too many prosecutors abuse their power, and get away with it.

My second novel, A Good Conviction, tells the story of a young man wrongfully convicted in a high profile Central Park murder, brought about by a prosecutor who knew the defendant was actually innocent and hid the exculpatory evidence that would have led to a not guilty verdict.

Several prosecutors and appeals attorneys helped me with the legal aspects of a Brady appeal in New York State, and all of them agreed that what I portrayed was both realistic and all too possible.

Readers have found it to be fast paced, exciting, and heartbreaking.

I'd be curious as to readers' opinion of whether a novel based on truth can be effective in drawing attention to the terrible wrongs done to so many people by prosecutors who abuse their power.

LEW WEINSTEIN

Anyone want to be a crimelord? 100 Bullets may well give you second thoughts. And third thoughts. Lots of money, lots of power, lots of girls/boys/booze/cars or whatever other things you might like. Also, lots of stress, heartache, and lots of loss of integrity of the physical being via the murderous actions of others.

Honestly, if you haven't read any of the 100 Bullets story before, don't even think about beginning here. It's just not accessible at this point, but it's well-worth picking up the first couple of trades and going from there. At this point, the series is a gigantic chessboard with pieces gradually being moved into their final positions, as the end of the series begins to come into sight. As the newly appointed warlord of the Trust, Lono really dominates the issues collected here. If you haven't read the last few story arcs recently, you might want to go over them again as a refresher before starting this volume. It's complex, no doubt, but all the more rewarding for it. One of the most enjoyable aspects of this series is that it makes you actually use your brain when reading it; not everything is spoon-fed to you. Basically, if you're already a fan of this series, you probably have this book. If you're interested in picking it up, this isn't the place to start. head on over to the listing for "First Shot, Last Call," and dive in.

Brian Azzarello, 100 Bullets: Strychnine Lives (Vertigo, 2006)

It took seven and a half months from the time I put this on hold at the library until the time it showed up in my hot little hands. Seven and a half months of waiting after the best volume in the ever-improving series. Seven and a half months of wondering where Azzarello and artist Eduardo Risso (and why, in nine introductions, has no one yet commented on the fact that Eduardo Risso is Frank Miller's spiritual heir?) were going to take this story.

Was it worth it? You betcha.

Lono, since Azzarello started developing his character, has always seemed to me to be the series' most intriguing guy. And in Strychnine Lives-- a book that marks that place in most series where all the political machinations and stuff have to happen, where the action fades into the background as everyone realigns for the final charge to the big battle that ends it all(TM)-- Azzarello gives us an in-depth look at Lono, who's at least a peripheral character in every tale here, and the central character in a couple. And we get to know Lono better than we ever have before. Oh, yeah, sure, there are developments in the larger story arc, as some previously disparate entities cement their alliances and a few characters we haven't seen for a while (remember Branch?) come back into play, but let's call a spade a spade-- this is a book about Lono.

Manuel Ramos, in his introduction, muses on the seeming disparity between Lono's unrepentantly violent nature and his ability to discourse on forgiveness. I don't see it as a disparity, per se; in fact, it's seemed to me since the third of fourth book that one of Azzarello's goals in creating and fleshing out the character of Lono is to give the reader something meatier than the stereotypical strongman with a heart of gold (and a head of lead). It could be argued, in fact, that Lono is the textbook sociopath, the kind who'd be stereotypical if crime writers and journalists actually read psychology textbooks and the DSM as part of their research.

Contrast him with the book's other main characters, old-timer Augustus and newcomer Spain. Spain is the psychotic, a diametric opposite of the sociopath, driven by impulse as opposed to the sociopath's cold, calculating split-second analysis of every situation. Spain's role here (aside from, given the voice-over dialogue between Lono and Augustus in Spain's crucial scene, setting something up a few books down the line-- another thing Ramos highlights about this series in his intro) is to provide a direct foil for Lono, even though the two never come into direct contact. They're both scary guys. Though we are never sure at any point that either is an out-and-out villain in this series that lacks anything even remotely resembling an actual hero, both of them are pretty low on the number line of deeds performed for the good of various and sundry. But contrasting Lono and Spain in the way he does shows us in no uncertain terms that Brian Azzarello has done a whole lot of thought on the nature of evil, and how much of "the nature of evil" is a situational, rather than a gestational, beast (one would not be at all surprised to find that Azzarello had just read Ian Brady's The Gates of Janus before conceiving this particular story arc, actually, as Lono and Spain could very easily be looked at as archetypes of Brady's dissection of the two types of serial killer).

Then there is Augustus, who would seem at first to sit in opposition to both Lono and Spain, when in fact that's an illusion; he's the same species of sociopath as is Lono. I think (with all due respect) this is the filter through which Ramos misreads the forgiveness dialogue; it's not Lono trying to convince Augustus to do something that goes contrary to Augustus' nature, it's Lono showing Augustus that what Augustus already knows in his gut is correct is, in fact, the way to go about solving a problem in front of him. In another world, Lono and Augustus would be friends, as much as sociopaths can be friends, instead of temporary allies united against (what we currently believe is) a common enemy (but 100 Bullets contains more twists and turns in the arena of who's on whose side than in any other aspect of its labyrinthine story). However, this is the unrepentantly noir world of Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso, where no one has friends. What they do have is a wonderful sense of self-awareness uncommon in both the world of the superhero comic and the world of noir. This is one of the things (one, mind you, along with everything mentioned above and more) that makes 100 Bullets such an astonishing, satisfying series, and one that truly improves with every issue. **** ½

It appears that Brian Azzarello has gotten bored with 100 Bullets. What once was a perfectly written tale of morality among the most immoral people on earth has turned into a bunch of rich people talking to each other. The series has gone from focusing on Agent Graves and the Minutemen to a group of families called "The Trust". They all hate each other, and they sure love to talk about it.

Now, dialogue-driven comics aren't inherently bad, but you have to care about the characters who are talking. With The Trust, you constantly wonder to yourself "why do I even care what these people are talking about?". It's unclear what The Trust does exactly, but it appears that they're some sort of organization that pulls all the strings for everything. The problem is, Azarrello doesn't use this to his advantage.

The series is just looking like an old dog on its last legs. Hopefully, in the next few books, Azarello can inject some life into the book and make it fun again. It's obvious that Azarello is getting lazy with the title and he is probably focusing on his acclaimed series "Loveless", but maybe he can revisit the world of 100 Bullets and give us another story we'll never forget

this was a great title. awesome story with tie-ins to current events. Highly reccomended.

This book departs from Frank Castle's anti-Mafia Jihad. Here, US super-spy Nick Fury recruits the Punisher to infiltrate a Russian ICBM silo to recover a very important package. The dark, cynical take on US intelligence and military command is well done, especially in this era of Bu$h lies about WMD, Iraq-9/11-Al Qaeda links.

Artist Dougie Brathwaite's work is a bit too sketchy for my tastes. The Punisher character is best rendered in a realistic Steve Dillon fashion or a moody, noirish Tim Bradstreet version. The art isn't bad, it's just not very good.

But the story is well paced and plotted with a killer twist at the end. Read it, you'll like it.

I don't want to give away the plot of this book, but The Punisher's mission in this one is a little different than in most. The story definitely won't disappoint you. Ennis' style is just as good as in any of his other books.

I was new to the punisher series...having bought the last episode of up is down and black is white i was a little curious about the title, so on my trip to the bookstore i picked up mother russia and bought it. It was an amazing read...garth ennis was born to write this book. Filled with action, humor...and in a weird way sentimentality...ennis's ideas sometimes feel recycled from preacher though...and its not altogether bad...but a little more would go a long way

the art was excellent....baithwraite's punisher seemed aggressive even in panels where there was no action...like a caged animal waiting to strike....there was a certain beauty to it, a certain grit to the faces and expressions...perhaps he is the best artist for this title after dillon. cant wait for more

Another great Punisher story arc written by Garth Ennis(Preacher, Hellblazer).

This TPB is about the Frank Castle aka the Punisher taking on a seemingly impossible mission which involves rescuing a 6 year-old-girl who's carrying a deadly virus. Punisher also comes face to face with the Mongolian(why do the villian names have to involve their nationalties, like the Russian from Welcome back, Frank....just wondering). It was a very well written story, which also shows us a softer side of old Frankie as he tries to save 6-year-old girl who reminds him of his own little girl died at a mobster shootout. But the usual humor I've seen in the previous Punisher series that Ennis wrote was little to none at times in the MAX series. I hope I see more of his humor in future Punisher books.

My only criticism for this book is the ark by Dougie Braithwaite, nothing personal, I just don't think his style really work with this story, then again, that's just me. I personally think Steve Dillon is the best man for the job, he draws the best Punisher.

This definitely worth buying if you're big fan of either Garth Ennis or Punisher, but if you are looking for the type of story and art in Welcome Back Frank, then you're out of luck.

Jim Qwilleran wakes up in the hospital and can't remember much. He keeps thinking he has forgotten to do something. It is a nagging thought in the back of his mind. He knew it was something important. He longtime friend Arch Riker shows up and fast forwards Qwill through his life. Luckily he remembers...the cats!

As it turns out the bike wreck that landed him in the hospial was no accident. His investigation (led by Koko) of a former housekeeper of the mansion, who vanished mysteriously five years before, leads to much mystery and intrigue.

I loved this edition of "The Cat Who..." books, especially where Koko played piano. A piano playing cat is a rare find. This book will not disappoint you.

These are great stories Lillian Jackson Braun does a wonderful job of writing. I hope to one day have all the Audio Tapes in the series. Amazon.com is a great company to do bussiness with.

This is number six in Lilian Braun's long running 'The Cat Who' series and marks the beginning of Jim Qwilleran's transplantation to the far northern town of Pickaxe. Qwilleran has managed to become the heir of the community's wealthiest resident and must stay in Pickaxe for five years in order to inherit. As we all know now, he lasted a lot more than five years, and may still be north of everywhere enjoying the foibles and gossip that play such an important part of the world's coziest cozies.

Qwill has just moved into the Klingenshoen mansion with his two Siamese cats - Yum Yum the delectable and arch-detective Koko. Koko, through various manipulations of his owner's behavior, manages to arouse Qwill's curiosity about the disappearance of a housemaid a few years previously. In the process of investigating, the newspaperman introduces us to many of Pickaxes residents for the very first time. When he isn't being his by trucks, that is. It is interesting in retrospect to meet these characters again, who often started out one way and then became something else as Braun added layer after layer to her confection of characters and mysteries (and cats).

I can only read so many of these in rapid succession before I have to stop. Lilian Braun has a tendency to let her characters run in a groove with very little development over a number of volumes. She makes up for this by using Qwilleran to create witty dialogue, but there are only so many Pickaxe witticisms that one can read before feeling a desire for something with a bit more meat to it. This volume is a change of pace (if you've been reading in sequence). There's a bit less sarcasm and a bit more story and that makes this one of the best of her early books.

Don't look for a complicated mystery here. Braun's villains tend to be obvious, and more often than not the means are just as visible. You read these tales for lightweight enjoyment and the zany characters that chitchat their way through the pages. And, of course, you read them because you can't resist Qwill's owners, the Siamese masterminds.

At first when I started to hear the tapes, I was thinking that the narrator's voice was not dynamic enough. But by the middle of the first tape, I was ok with it. I've just gotten so tired of listening to Los Angeles radio stations in the car (we sit in traffic a lot out here) that I thought it would be nice to be entertained by something I really love. I was glad I did. Even if you've read the books in the past, it's fun to let the narrator do the reading for you. AND... something I thought was neat and that made me laugh was... when the narrator would be talking about Koko and Yumyum and a noise they were making, he would sound EXACTLY like my own Siamese cat. So it made it funny, because I knew exactly the "language" he was referring to. (He must have studied Siamese cats before attempting this narration!)

Anyway, I will probably buy more "Cat Who" books on tape. I don't anticipate L.A. traffic to be letting up anytime soon. And for some strange reason, listening to it in the car makes me feel like my own cat is in there with me. I say if you live in a city with heavy traffic... buy the tapes!

In the 6th book in The Cat Who...series, James Qwilleran aka "Qwill", is just settling in to his new life as a millionaire in Pickaxe City (400 miles north of everywhere). He has moved his two beautiful Siamese cats (KoKo and Yum Yum) into the old Klingenschoen mansion and is settling in for a five year stay to fulfill the requirements of Aunt Fanny's will.

As the book begins, Qwill is lying in a hospital bed, suffering from amnesia caused by a bicycle accident. His old friend, Arch Riker, flies into town to assist Qwill in regaining his memory, and succeeds in bringing Qwill out of his fog. While beginning to heal, Qwill starts to have vivid dreams of the moments leading up to the mishap, and eventually remembers that it was no accident...a truck had purposefully run him off the road! While trying to piece together who may have meant to harm him, Qwill begins some renovations to his new home. During his explorations of the mansion, Qwill stumbles across the room of a former employee, Daisy. Her room was completely painted with a graffiti style mural of daisies, and it arouses Qwill's keen curiosity. He begins to ask questions about the former employee of Fanny, and finds that Daisy disappeared rather abruptly. And when everyone that Qwilleran speaks to about her begins to have "accidents", he becomes suspicious that someone will kill to keep Daisy hidden forever.

This is my favorite cozy mystery series! I had read all of the books in the past, and wanted to read them again for a second time. This time around, I have chosen to listen to them on CD, as I love the voice of George Guidall. I am happily rediscovering how Qwill became a resident of Moose County, and how many of the series regulars join him from "down below". In this installment, Qwill hires Iris Cobb as his house manager. She cooks for him (and the cats), and is in charge of cataloging all of the antiques in the old mansion. For those that have not read the series, I do recommend reading the first several first. Many others can be intermixed, but this book offers good insight as to how Qwill became associated with Moose County. This is a great series by my favorite author!

The first book in the series is called "The Cat who Could Read Backwards". Enjoy!

Warren Ellis never seems to run out of crazy, intelligent, thought provoking, and occasionally disgusting ideas throughout his various works, whether it be in the forms of Transmetropolitan, his short but memorable run on Hellblazer, Planetary, Orbiter, Ocean, or even his surreal novel Crooked Little Vein. Desolation Jones is no different, featuring ex-spook Michael Jones whose damaged body appears to be slowly decaying (a result from what is referred to as "desolation tests") as he treks across Los Angeles. He gets a job in the form of searching for a stolen reel of pornography said to star and be made by Hitler, and soon enough, Jones discovers that there is even more going on behind the scenes. Compared to some of Ellis' other works, Desolation Jones isn't as enjoyable, but it does offer some great ideas and snappy dialogue to boot. While the Jones character himself may come off as a little too much like a joint-smoking John Constantine, the character manages to make the reader care enough to wonder just what made him what he is. Featuring solid artwork from J.H. Williams III and stark colors from Jose Villarrubia, Desolation Jones gets off to a pretty good start, and this could very well be the beginning of the next great thing to come from Warren Ellis.

Warren Ellis is king of the bizarre and disgusting. His independent stuff demonstrates that perfectly (cf. his first novel). This was a creative take on the espionage/detective genre. It does have adult content and adult situations. I DEFINITELY disagree another reviewer who thinks that this might be appropriate for middle school kids. Definitely NC-17. But worth a read.

When consuming Desolation Jones it seems to eminate a vibe from a good Constantine story. It has several clever ideas, first and foremost that LA serves as an prison for ex-spooks. The art was good, however at times, it detracts from the story.

This book has an amazing feel for bitterly creative. A disturbingly fun ride. All that needs to be said is two words, "Hitler porn." Jones is one of those characters that you want to feel for but just you don't, you want to like him but you just don't. That sounds like a bad thing although it definitely adds to the tone and story of the book. I highly recommend this book.

Desolation Jones is an ex-spy from Britain living in a seedy underworld, located in Los Angelos, CA, which also home to other ex-spies. At the end of his career, Jones volunteered to be a guniea pig for an human-enhancement experiment called the Desolation program. This program has left him scarred and a shell of a man. Now, Jones does free-lance espionage in Los Angelos interacting with various allies/advisaries with a similar background as himself.

Due to the setting and the nature of espionage, there is some graphic action/situations that occur, mostly of a violent nature that is artfully and tastefully handled. I would say that this is not for children, but perhaps for those well-adjusted and mature-minded young adults (probably good for high school, maybe a little younger).

The fractured world that Jones views is very well interpretated by the vivid artwork of the book, some of the best I have seen. I've read my share of grahpic novels, and this graphic novel is very unique and exciting. I'm looking forward to reading more from this series. Highly recommended.

I cannot even begin to describe how much I love this book. The plot is clearly the work of a genius (you would never in a lifetime be able to guess that this is Kirsten Miller's first novel if it didn't say so on the back inside cover). I'm not going to go into the plot, because that is just an unnecessary ruiner to anybody who hasn't read the book yet, but I will say that you fall in love with all of the characters. This book will keep anyone at the edge of their chairs, reading for hours without wanting to stop for even a second. Through head-aches and eye-strain, I persisted reading, and that's saying something significant. For anyone, and I repeat: anyone, who is in search of a book, I would recommend this book. Really, if I haven't convinced you yet, the book itself surely will.
Now, I will admit that the first few chapters or so are good, but a little odd and perhaps confusing, but trust me, this book will not disappoint.

This is probably my all time favorite book! It's full of adventure, mystery, and advice for you to learn. I have to admit, in one part it got a little boring, but then it got right back into action again! The bottom line is to read this book!

My 9 year old daughter devoured this, and quickly after, the "Empress Tomb" sequel. I haven't yet read them but her fascination/identification with the characters, her expanded vocabulary (truly interesting words like "mausoleum") and her desire to share the books with all of her literary friends has me sold. Quick note: the kikistrike website is fantastic as well. Thank you to Kirsten Miller for creating complex, empowered girls and for kicking off what I hope will continue to be an unprecedented series!

Im not even finished with the book and im already in trance in the books "spell". If you love mystery this is the book for you .Its about a group of exceptionally different girls. Dont judge this book by the cover , it looks like its for a older group of girls but its not.Its a good read for mature 9 year olds and up.At first my mom would'nt buy it for me because it looked to old but if you asked me I'd say "this is one of the best books I've ever read.I like this book because its about smart, powerful ,strong girls...Girl with a plan

This book was like a breath of fresh air to me! Unlike the many different series of Chicklit for teen girls, this book is a great contribution to what's available for teen girls to read. I confess that I am a fan of the Eoin Colfer series of Artemis Fowl books and at times Kiki reminded me of the main character in the series i.e. Artemis Fowl.

One other major character is Ananka Fishbein, who is called upon to help Kiki with a certain mission. Together with a small group of other girls each of whom has a special ability to give to the 'team', Kiki and Ananka face smugglers and kidnappers to come out victorious if not a little bruised.
Ananka is the perfect main character because she is both courageous and smart but also not infallible.

There was little action in this book to recommend it and lots and lots of talk, much of if pretty mindless. I don't know if this book was really obvious or maybe I was just at the top of my game in deduction, because I had this thing pretty much figured out early in the book and the only real surprise was how right I was about the whole plot. Anyway, the plot concerns the near perfect world of Deborah and Steve with their two children. One day Steve disapears and the clues that begin to come out point to Steve being the 'Dark Alley Strangler'. Imagine Deborah's shock when she learns that her husband might be this vicious serial killer. Well, she struggled with it for sure, but in all honesty I thought she didn't take it all that hard. There was little in the amount of depth to any of the characters in the book and the friends around to assist Deborah in her time of need weren't much help and/or comfort. Joe was a mystery to me. Evan was shallow. Pete was shallower and Barbara...why was she even in the book? This is my first Carlene Thompson book and I was not completely turned off by it, so I will probably give her another chance, but I hope her other works are better than this. In my opionion, if ever a book modeled what a three star rating is all about, this is it. Not great - Not terrible, but nothing special. This is an okay read.

I always like to order from Amazon.com. I have never had a problem of any kind with Amazon or the sellers. The packages are always in good condition and arrive in a timely fashion. This order was no exception. Everything was great! Vicky McCollum

The first book I read of Carlene Thompson was "The Way You Look Tonight" and I was immediately hooked, I went to a used bookstore to find a couple of her books that were out of print and bought all the rest new. I am waiting for her next one. Her books are the only one's I have to pre-order. The only problem I have with her books is I loose a lot of sleep (I cannot put them down once I start).

This is the 5th book I've read by Thompson and it was great. I was surprised by the ending, and although the characters were without real depth, the plot and suspense make up for it. Also good by Thompson-In the Event of My Death, Black for Remembrance, If She Should Die, and Since You've Been Gone.

All of her books are great. One of the best things about her books,is that they are losely set in real towns.

I had just finished reading DEADLY DECISIONS by Kathy Reichs and was looking forward to reading BARE BONES, but it was kind of late at night and I thought: :Well, I can start this tomorrow." then after reading the back cover 5 or 6 times I decided to just start it, read a chapter or two and then get into it for real the next day. The next thing I knew I thought I should go to bed because I had to work the next day and I was on page 183. Holy smokes!!! This is the third book I've read in the Temperance Brennan series and I just ordered 3 more. Every one of these novels move along at a brisk pace. BARE BONES again has Tempe discovering bones where they shouldn't be and begins to unravel a mystery, This one has plenty of plot twists and a few times I thought I had it figured out just to find (as Tempe did too) that I was wrong. Again in this book, Brennan is required to work with a detective that she does not particularly like but again softens her opinion of him by the end of the story, showing that she too can be wrong. Oh yeah, Andrew Ryan is again on hand as the love interst. Another good plot by Reichs makes this an easy one to recommend. Can't wait to start the next one.

Book came in the time frame and in the condition specified.

I couldn't put it down and go to sleep, just had to know what happened next.

Bare Bones By Kathy Reichs is the story of a forensic anthropologist named Tempe Brennan as she uncovers the Mysteries surrounding the murders of two federal agents, a baby, and many other people. Even though this book sounds exiting I found it to be very boring because of the way the author tells you about every person that Tempe runs into, whether important or not, describing everything about them from what Tempe notices about the bone structure to what they smell like. I also did not like this book because the entire ending is a flashback along with information she was filled in on afterwards. Even though this book has its down sides, it still has a good plot and has many turns in events that surprise the reader. In the book there is also a lot of action, even though most of the action is watered down by the constant rambling of the author. An example of this is when Tempe is in a car with a group of gangsters surrounding her and intimidating her. This makes for high action, but the author starts talking about the bone structure of the group of gangsters and about the group's height and age, which waters down the action of the moment. So overall I thought this book was a boring, but someone who likes books with lots of details would like it.

Bare Bones, a non-fiction novel written by Kathy Reichs, describes the life of forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan. Brennan tries to solve cases involving a dead baby, a missing woman, a drug bust, and a group of uncovered mysterious animal and human bones. Every clue seems to lead to another as though they are all interconnected. The case begins with a plane crash that was said to have been a drug bust gone wrong. Doctor Brennan and her partner, Detective "Skinny" Slidell, are on the case trying to identify the passenger's bodies. In addition to the plane crash, the case of a baby that was burned to death by her former boyfriend has captured Brennan's attention. Along with all of her casework, Brennan is dealing with her daughter's new boyfriend and with her own personal relationship with Detective Andrew Ryan that is growing to be more than just a "business" relationship.
I had a hard time following the story line in this book because there is much information presented in this book that makes it difficult to understand. For example, the short and sarcastic conversations between Brennan and others were confusing because some of them were superfluous and technical. However, as the story progressed, the information began to tie together and when the story ended I had a clear idea of what was happening and I developed an appreciation for Reich's style. I would recommend this book for those who enjoy mysteries, like putting together pieces of a puzzle, and appreciate the surprises off personal relationships.

This book is well written. Always keep you on the edge of your chair. I love the Murder She Wrote Series of books. It is as good as the TV show.

When Jessica is asked by her love interest, George Sutherland, to come to his family castle in Wick, Scotland, Jess is thrilled. She invites some of her friends from Cabot Cove along too.
When Jessica arrives, she is greeted by a ghost. When an eccentric movie director wants to shoot there because of the ghost, it is all Jess can do to keep him off her back. But when a young girl is found slaughtered the same gruesome way the "ghost" was, the vacation is ruined.
Since Jessica is always investigating the murder, she has no time to spare with Sutherland. The reasons that I like this book are because you get your favorite Cabot Cove chararecters in an exotic setting. Second, the characters are all two dimevsional. A great read!

Jessica Fletcher is invited by her friend, George Sutherland, to visit his castle in Scotland. But the castle is rumored to be cursed by the witch executed centuries ago. Bizarre incidents happen one after another, and superstitious people blame George and his castle.

I like "Murder, She Wrote" TV series and I expected this novelization was also nice. But I am disappointed. This book's Jessica lacks the most important quality that makes her successful as a mystery writer and a sleuth; namely curiosity. Every time an incident happens, she dismisses it to enjoy her vacation. That's not an attitude of a sleuth. That's NOT Jessica Fletcher I like. Just an ordinary amiable lady.

And the truth is extremely easy to guess. I feel that the author deliberately keeps Jessica inactive to lengthen the story. Indeed, in the last 50 pages, Jessica gets suddenly active and easily solves the mystery. Disappointed.

Excellent! I was a little skeptical at first, but was wonderfully delighted. For those who loved the series, this is a great book!

My mom got me into the Murders She Wrote books. This by far is the best one! I have read them all and this is my all time favorite. This is an awesome book to have. If you love mysteries you will love this book.