Mystery Crime Books

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 been a Marcia Muller/ Sharon McCone fan since i read Wolf in the Shadowsin the late 90's, since i've read all the McCone books several times. This new book i couldn't put down, the clues kept me intrigued until the last page, Excellent! I can't wait until the next book comes out!

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.
Writing as a Small BusinessSins of the Fathers: A Brewster County NovelNatchez Above The River: A Family's Survival In The Civil WarUnder the Liberty OakGuns Across the Rio: A Texas Ranger in Old Mexico

Critic Jacques Barzun divided Rex Stout's career into three distinct phases. This begins the third phase, where Stout explores ethical frontiers and takes the insularity of Wolfe's west 35th-street enclave into the world at large.

These stories, which first were serialized in various magazines, either take the chaotic world into Wolfe's home, or take Wolfe out of his sanctuary into the chaotic world.

In one, Wolfe's own necktie (with a yellow pattern) is used in a most foul manner. Of these three, this one's my favorite.

Stout was a liberal and would have fit into the late 60s well, you'd think. However, Nero is a little harder-pressed to adapt to this world, and it starts to show with these stories.

Finally, perhaps because they were written for magazine serialization, these are not the strongest of Stout's work. But they're still good, and so-so Nero is certainly better than none at all...

This is an excellent collection of Nero Wolfe short stories--some of the best Stout ever wrote, but they are still short stories. While they are great introductory reading for the new Stout enthusiast (highly recommended if this applies to you), the stories seem rather abrupt for anyone who's read the novels. Just as Wolfe, the cantankerous, lazy, overweight, yet completely endearing detective, and Archie, the CLASSIC unflappable sidekick, seem to begin solving the murder, they've found the solution, and the story is over. Other than the general abruptness of the stories, the book is wonderful, and the stories themselves are some of the best Stout ever wrote--if only he had fleshed them out into novels...

In "Eeny Meeny Murder Mo," 'it's a wily killer who dares to strike on Nero Wolfe's hallowed turf--and leave a corpse strangled with Wolfe's own soup-stained tie.' This is the story that was turned into an A&E movie, and the one that got me started on Rex Stout's novels.

In "Death of a Demon," 'Wolfe faces a gun-toting wife who serves up a confession of homicidal intent--only to become the sole suspect when her husband's corpse is found.' This one is a little confusing, keeping all of the guns (some toted by the aforementioned wife) straight.

Finally, in "Counterfeit for Murder," 'a cop-hating landlady brings Wolfe counterfeit cash--that leads to genuine murder.' This story introduces a very likeable character in the landlady, one of the few women Wolfe (by no means a woman-hater; they just seem to get in the way of his orderly existence) moderately respects.

Stout somehow packs 3 novellas into 205 pocket-sized pages. Two concern rich Manhattanites, one working class down-to-earth ones. Although Nero Wolf is headlined, most of the investigating and narration falls to Archie Goodwin, his assistant. Wolf, according to Archie, is a genius, but to the reader appears overweight (he had his chair custom-made to accommodate him), self-indulgent (his chef prepares him gourmet meals), and irascible (voicing impatience with dull and uncooperative witnesses). There are enough surprises and twists (too many to summarize) to dizzy the reader. Entertaining.

A collection of three novellas featuring Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. After awhile, there's not really much one can say about Stout's mysteries. They are always well done--I remember reading someone saying that Rex Stout never wrote a bad sentence, and I have yet to prove that false. But there really isn't much here that distinguishes these novellas from any of the other collections.

This edition now boasts "As Seen on TV!" on its cover, alluding to the fact that 1 (so far) of the 3 short stories herein has been adapted by A&E. Apart from Stephen Greenleaf's forward and the afterward, the book is pure Stout.

All 3 are murder investigations.

"Eeny Meeny Murder Mo" - The A&E adaptation is faithful to the story, although it has a little extra trimming - specifically, A&E added a prologue, where Archie begins telling the story at the Thursday night poker game while Orrie is preparing to bet, as a bridge to the next A&E episode, "Disguise for Murder", which picks up with the poker game after Archie finishes the story.

Bertha Aaron, a valued employee of Otis, Edey, Heydecker, and Jett, fears to go to Otis with her problem because of his heart condition. She caught a member of the firm meeting secretly with the opposing client in a major case, confronted the offender, and doesn't know what to do. (She won't say which, hence the title of the story.) Unfortunately, the firm's client is Morton Sorrell, and the opposing client is his soon-to-be-ex wife Rita Ramsey Sorrell - a divorce case. And while Archie tries to persuade Wolfe that the divorce has nothing to do with Ms. Aaron's problem, somebody gets into the office and leaves her dead on the floor.

Strangled with one of Wolfe's neckties.

Oh, boy. :)

"Death of a Demon" - Lucy Hazen hires Wolfe just to hear her say, "That's the gun I'm not going to shoot my husband with." She wants a divorce, which he won't grant, and she hates him so much that she's taking this step to shake the idea - discussing in detail how much she's been obsessed lately with the idea of killing Hazen. Unfortunately, as Wolfe points out, this puts her in a bad position if (and as it turns out, when) somebody *else* shoots him.

Barry Hazen likes (or rather, liked) making people squirm. He was a PR guy who didn't seem to give value for money; as Theodore Weed, an employee who's fallen for Lucy, can confirm, he had clients who didn't need PR at all, or who had other firms provide PR for their businesses, but paid Hazen for 'personal publicity'. All of which begins to leave the aroma of a blackmailer who squeezed someone too hard, or too many times...

"Counterfeit for Murder" (a.k.a. "The Counterfeiter's Knife") - Alternate, older version of "Assault on a Brownstone" (see _Death Times Three_). Hattie Annis in this version is an aging, unkempt woman rather than someone who'd attract Archie's fancy - that's the major difference.

To a perfect series. They just get more and more great the farther into the series you get. I wasn't sure at first about this book but as I cracked open the second novel of the 1-800-Where-R-You series I was sure this was gonna be good.

Read this in one sitting. I enjoyed Jessica's narration immensely. Jess is a heroine to love, she's tough, defends her best friend and has a huge crush on a bad boy. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. Its a new concept on an life changing event where finding lost children is the reward. This book was easy reading and impossible to put down. Can't wait to read the next one.

"When Lightning Strikes" is one of the best books I've read in a long time. Worth the read. And as the series continues, the plot gets better. I'm on the third one right now. The main character, Jess, is admirable, a girl that every other teenage girl will love. Five stars. :D

This was a fantastic book meg cabot makes you beg for more with addictive book and all of it's crazy characters.

This is the first series by Meg Cabot that i have read. I loved it. Jess is funny and admirable, always standing up for people who dont do it for themselves. Jess is a regular girl with anger management issues who gets struck by lightning and wakes up knowing the location of missing kids. She has a crush on a guy named Rob (gotta love him) who is 2 years older than her and wont date her. Everything is ok until she finds someone who does not want to be found. The rest you have to read for yourself to find out.
Series is great. GO JESS!!!!!!! :)

For the first three-quarters of its length, "The Amnesiac" is a compelling and genuinely disturbing novel. The morbid introspection, deep loneliness, and dreamlike blurring of fantasy and reality are reminiscent of Kafka -- or, more recently, of Paul Auster. The odd situations are interesting in themselves, and it would have been fine for Taylor to end the book without explaining much of anything.

Unfortunately, Taylor introduces the running device of a Victorian "roman à clef" that comes close to derailing the entire book. These tedious interludes go on forever and become increasingly irritating as the book progresses. Worst of all, the thinly-veiled meaning of these sections is painfully obvious and stands in stark contrast to the wonderful ambiguity of the rest of the book.

Despite the gothic Victorian hoo-hah and the weak ending, most of the book is so strong that it still earns a four-star recommendation. I'm looking forward to Taylor's next novel.

The use of a novel within a novel too often distracts the reader, and in this story it becomes more complicated by the use of a Victorian mystery within a contemporary dilemma. In this book 29-year-old James Purdew, after breaking his ankle and remaining virtually homebound for six weeks, begins to recall his past--except he cannot remember three years.

He returns to the city where he attended university, where he finds both strange and familiar sights and fleeting glimpses of the past. He is fortunate when he is selected to live in and rehabilitate a house in which he had lived when in school. It is filled with tragic memories.

This is a haunting tale, and it is well-written. However, many readers no doubt will be overwhelmed by the prose and plotting, much less the above mentioned technique. Nevertheless, the book is more than worth the effort of plodding through all the metaphysics and philosophy and parables, and is recommended.

English expatriate James Purdew lives with his Dutch girlfriend Ingrid in Amsterdam. , The day before he turns thirty, James is climbing up the stairs in their apartment worried about a seemingly few seconds blackout he just suffered when he hears the phone shrilling. He rushes up the remaining stairs, but misses a step, trips and breaks his ankle. Soon afterward Ingrid walks out on him as he wears a plaster-cast.

Purdew has had some recall lapses so he keeps a journal and begins to read his last entries. He decides to fill the memory gaps of three years ago by writing his Memoirs of an Amnesiac working from the present back a few years. He also goes home to Great Britain where he obtains work on a house renovation project hoping to remember. There he finds a nineteenth century Confessions of a Killer hidden inside a wall.

THE AMNESIAC is an engaging character study starring a fascinating protagonist whose slowly recalling what he forgot and why his brain "erased" the memory. Readers will want to know what caused Purdew to go blank. The story line is fast-paced overall as James begins to learn the truth about himself and the manuscript he discovered, but when he turns reflective he slows down the proceedings. Still fans who appreciate a character driven thriller will want to read Sam Taylor's insightful look an amnesia victim trying to remember.

Harriet Klausner

Reading Sam Taylor's The Amnesiac is like experiencing someone trying to remember a dream. The book's protagonist, James Purdew, who's just turned 30, realizes in a vague way that he's forgotten things. He starts having flashbacks--or perhaps he's had them all along and forgot--of events he otherwise doesn't remember. There are several years of his life that he can't account for in any clear way. He kept journals during that time but for some reason locked them away in a box to which he doesn't have the key, and which can only be opened otherwise by explosive. He starts to investigate his past, haltingly, because sometimes time just slips away from him. And various clues start to coalesce. Eventually he and the reader come to suspect that someone is playing with him, controlling the clues, engineering his rediscovery of his past or attempting to prevent it. And certainly at least one person is watching him: our omniscient narrator sometimes surprises us by alleging that he is actually in the scene he's describing.

Taylor's story is both ingenious and confusing. Having finished it, you'll find yourself rethinking the complex plot, trying to fit pieces of the story into the puzzle. The novel is just shy of 400 pages, not unusually long, and yet it's one of those books that seem to take an inordinately long time to read. I don't mean by this that the book is dull: it's not (except for one chapter towards the end, which purports to be a biography James is reading and which slows the story down considerably). Perhaps the feeling of slowness is due to the story's complexity, or because reading it one feels some of the frustration of the protagonist, for whom understanding is tantalizingly near but elusive.

The book, both detective story and gothic romance, is at the same time an exploration into the nature of memory. (Be sure to notice the disclaimer on the copyright page, the one that usually reads, "Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.") It is in fact the very sort of book that James imagines might be written about his predicament:

"Someone should write a true-to-life detective story, James thought bleakly; an existential mystery in which the answer is not to be found, clear and logical, at the book's end, but only to be glimpsed, half-grasped, at various moments during its narrative; to be sensed throughout, like a nagging tune that you cannot quite remember, but never defined, never seen whole; to shift its shape and position and meaning with each passing day; to be sometimes forgotten completely, other times obsessed over, but never truly understood; not to be something walked towards but endlessly around."

As you can see, the author plays with blurring the boundaries between reality and text.

The Amnesiac is challenging and intriguing and would, I think, make a good film--part Memento, part Posession. It will be interesting to see if filmmakers show any interest in the book.

-- Debra Hamel

The Amnesiac by Sam Taylor is the story of James Purdew, a 30-year-old Englishman living in Amsterdam, who after breaking his ankle decides to write the story of his life in order to try and capture three years that are missing from his memory. But as he probes those missing years, pieces of his life gradually start to slip away: his girlfriend, job, apartment, and eventually his own idea of self. The tighter James tries to cling to world he knows, the less real it seems to be. Packed with stories within stories, this multi-layered story evokes Sartre's Nausea. Warning: reading this book can seriously mess you up! Turn off the TV, find a comfy chair, and retreat from the world to completely immerse yourself in this debut novel. What is the nature of memory? How much of what we remember is truly accurate or is it a construction of stories, pictures, and daydreaming? And if we lose part of our memories, do we lose a part of ourselves? Does it change who we are? Does memory mark us indelibly? Taylor asks all of these questions and more about the nature of hope and fear. Hope is fear unrealized, and fear is hope unrealized. They are opposite sides of the same coin. James is a tragic character of his own creation who is too afraid to face his own past giving him no future; his fear keeps him from hope. A novel like this is a precarious thing. If the author doesn't balance things just so and create a flawless ending, the entire book collapses upon itself. But Taylor writes this slippery, illusory novel with panache, and the ending (which I read twice) is perfect. This book was so good, it was difficult to pick up another book after it. I am spoiled by reading a book that so utterly engaged my mind.

The sad fact is that the stories that should receive the most coverage in the news often go practically ignored. Since 1993 an atrocity has been going on at the US-Mexican border that has left hundreds of women raped, mutilated and dead while very little has been done to solve the crimes and stop whoever is behind them. This is the setting that Gaspar De Alba has chosen for her Lambda Award winning novel as she tells the story of Ivon Villa, who is drawn into the situation when her sistr disappears in Mexico.


Desert Blood builds at a pace that leaves the reader feeling the growing terror Ivon experiences as she faces the idea that she may find her sister too late. There is so much to this plot that it almost becomes one of the book's weaknesses. There are three stories that run at once - the disappearances of Irene and the other women, Ivon's quest to adopt a child and her relationship with her family over her lesbianism. The stories of the women would have been enough to make a complete book and the other two strains sometimes distract from that. That could actually be a plus though because the one story is so horrific that the reader needs some release time away from it. One irritating aspect of the book is that De Alba includes a lot of comments in Spanish. Given the setting of the book, it's appropriate, but there are no translations for those readers who do not speak the language and the impression is left that parts of the story are being missed or not understood. A glossary of some time would have been helpful.

The compelling nature of this story makes it a book that should be read. Anyone looking for a romance with steamy sex scenes won't find that here, but they will find an issue that will move them to anger and an extremely well written novel.

You won't be able to put this one down, and once you're done reading it, you'll want to help the women of Juarez. A great read, but an even greater source of vital information. Too many people are still unaware of the massive murdering of innocent young women along the U.S.-Mexico border, and Desert Blood sheds light on this horrible situation. I encourage you to read it and to take action informing others of the femicides in Juarez as well!

Now this one was full of so many turns and kept pulling you in deeper, good read.

"historical fiction" (what on earth does that mean?)

At the end, she lacks much knowledge of Mexican history to get this together.

I'm sure she's really smart. But she was bound to fail here; too political and too many stereotypes)

This book made the hair on my neck stand straight up! But I couldn't stop reading. The fact that it is fiction centered around real events made it even more horrifying and compelling. But even if the Juarez murders had not and were not taking place, this is still an incredible book. It's well written, the story riveting, and the characters (very important to me) are drawn with great reality. The protagonist, Ivon Villa, is a strong but flawed gay woman, fiercely loyal to her family in spite of her mother's hatefulness, and her iron will and determination make her a perfect vehicle for the non-fictional message of this book. BRAVO ALICIA!

This is the first time that I've read a Matthew Scudder novel, and I must say that I enjoyed it. Matt Scudder is one of the most human hard-bitten detectives that I've ever come across. And Block does not shy away from hard and dismal topics. This book is about drinking friendships. He points out throughout the book that people really don't know the people that they drink with. It is also about betrayal, greed and it even has a cold-blooded killer. Block really knows his city, and that comes across in these pages. It reminded me of "The Maltese Falcon". Block knows New York and its people in this setting (which is 1970's New York) like Hammett knew 1920's San Franscisco. This is high praise indeed because The Maltese Falcon is such a perfect detective story. This one measures up just as well. I will have to read more of Matt Scudder, I think.

"When the Sacred Ginmill Closes" is one of my favorite books ever. The way Block looks back and remembers things and doesn't remember things and the kind of perspective he puts all of it in is very close to home. It is one of those rare things in a book that really makes you feel like you have a kinship with the author. Lots of us have lived through not just a few booze soaked years. And sometimes it is natural to have, if not fond memories of these crazy times, then at least not a fatalistic view of them either. It is hard to say why some books are so important to some people, this is one of those.
Had this not been the first book of this series that I read, I probably wouldn't have read any more of it. That's not to say that the other books in this series aren't good, but this was certainly the right one to get your attention. Speaking of the series, this book could easily have been a cliche, since it is the transition between drunkenness and then muddle and then sobreity. It seems like most series have to have that one book that is a device to introduce different moods or relationships for the character. The way it was done here was taking the alcoholic side of it to a new level. It seemed like a brief moment of clarity that some alcoholics have years down the road. When something that happened back then all of a sudden comes back into your conciousness and it is clearly remembered and considered as it just happened a few days ago. Sometimes these moments are the greatest thing in the world, even if they are about something which is all to forgettable. What a book.

In my opinion the best of this series. Block at times is a formulaic machine, almost a hack. Not in this book however. There is nuance and real texture, pretty close to literature if you will. Block nails the NYC of the early 70's, the corruption, the IRA "lads" running about, a true sense of danger that could flare from the most mundane source. This is "Hell's Kitchen" pre gentrification. Well worth the time and effort.

I am writing this because I was looking to see what others were saying about my favorite mystery/crime character. The latest few reviews were pretty hard on Block and I just want to put a few things straight.

First of all, Block is a very hit or miss author. He has written dozens of books and maybe only 25% of them are Scudder novels. He has written just as many 'Burglar' books that are more akin to Agatha Christy than Dashiel Hammett, and I am not their biggest fan. Besides that, Block has written countless short stories and started a few other series' that are in comparison to Scudder, uninspired.

What Block has done here is not write just one book and then continue to revise the same plot over and over as so many mystery writers do. Instead, as a reader you should start at the beginning of this series 'Sins of our Fathers' where you will find a Matthew Scudder, moderately in control of his alcoholism. This is not the best Block, but it is pretty important to follow the development of this amazing character from one book to the next.

By the time you come to 'Ginmill,' '8 Million Ways to Die,' or others further along in the series, you will have found yourself keenly aware of the small developments of Matthew Scudder as a character. 'Ginmill' is a key Scudder novel in that it marks a transitional point that opens up new horizons in coming books and acts as a bridge in many ways. If you have not read the preceding books, and don't wait to judge 'Ginmill' until reading a few more, this will not be apparent.

Secondly, 'Ginmill,' like all of the Scudder novels, is not earth shattering. After you have read hundreds of thrillers where the earth hangs in the balance every time, it is refreshing to pick up a Scudder book that is all about smaller mundane everyday occurrences. These pages are all the more satisfying due to the fact that Block is using this book to really explore a character that he has already spent a great deal of time and energy with.

I would highly recommend this series as a whole, it is one of two that really follow a primary character through a lifetimes worth of changes. The other that I am keenly thinking of as I write this would be by John Fante, and I would even recommend his work over Blocks (high praise). If you have read most of Block's work and would like to find another author who treats a character this way, start with Fante's 'Arturo Bandini' books (Fante's alter ego) and then pick up the rest of them. They all fit nicely together portraying a life from infancy to senility.

I think there was a possiblity of a great plot in there somewhere with some great characters but it read more like an authors notes than a book. If you think show not tell is over rated in writing then this is a book you'll love. It is a flash back of a drunk telling you what he remembers which "ain't" much.

The characters are only seen thru the eyes of the speaker who does a lousy job of telling you what they are like. The speaker, Matt Scrudder, does nothing to involve us in his life or plight. Anger, love, hate, are all missing from the feelings he evokes. Sheer boredom is not. "Well you see I tied one on all year and to the best of my memory here is what I remember before the brain damage." Whoop time to go get the coffee while this speaker talks.

Matt Scrudder comes across as a joke. James Lee Burke carrys it off and involves us with Dave. Kellerman has us hoping Milo stays straight. Block does not with Scudder.

There are several plots going on at the same time none of which tie into each other or at least tie in well except in his recall of the summer of 75. It should have stayed there. Let me know when he's done speaking. I'll come back with my coffee.

Peter O'Donnell created a rarity in Modesty Blaise. She is fully as believable and engaging in her novels and stories as she is in the long-running comic strips. She and her partner Willie cross back and forth as easily as they go from daily life to the beginning of a caper. The strips are classics. I'm collecting all of them, and I already have all the books. Modesty is just irresistable.

Violet Dawn was pretty predictable, Coral Moon was not. The murderer is well concealed until the last minute and that makes this book, very, very good.

The town of Kanner Lake has begun to settle down and return to its old routine. They're out of the headlines and back to be the sleepy little small town its residents love. But are things really as they appear, or is there an evil lurking in town?

A well loved citizen brutally murdered and left in Leslie's car. A second woman strangled and left on the street outside Leslie's home. A dead man's spirit seen and his hair found on both bodies. What is going on? Are Leslie's articles covering a proposal to build a controversial hotel to blame or has someone's past come back from the dead to haunt them?

Wonderfully suspenseful comes easily to mind. Collins has written quite a gripping mystery with Coral Moon. Mixing supernatural elements with reality, she's created a story that's both believable and mind bending. She's done a great job of not revealing who's really to blame while at the same time keeping everyone as a suspect. Additionally, Collins has written characters that are interesting and keep you wanting to find out more of their lives.

While the story is a murder mystery and most of what happens can be explained through what we know and see, I very much like that Collins has left some things beyond our understanding. She gives great insight into the spiritual realm and its reaches, but also is clear in letting the reader know, we don't have all the answers.

Collin strongly emphasizes Jesus' presence and power in defeating evil. Spiritual warfare books are extremely popular right now and while Coral Moon takes some of the ideas presented in many books, it goes a bit further and portrays a more concrete form for demons. Combining it with senesces, she has created a book both gripping and deeply spiritual .

This book is the second of great new series (Kanner lake) I really love this book also. This suspense was intense but took a little longer getting there, than the first book, but once it got there...there was no PULLING YOU BACK!!!

In Coral Moon Collins brings us a fascinating tale laced with supernatural chills and gut wrenching suspense. Leslies Brymes, reporter for The Kanner Lake Times, has her world turned upside down when she discovers a dead body in her car. Suddenly, a typical workday turns into a nightmare for Leslie and the other citizens of Kanner Lake. Police Chief Vince Edwards searches diligently for the culprit, only to be floored when his best suspect turns out to be the dead husband of the victim. As the truth is slowly uncovered, the citizens of Kanner Lake are faced with a dark truth and their faith will be challenged at every revealing turn.

Brandilyn Collin's Kanner Lake Series is hands down her best work. The fictional town of Kanner Lake is a delightful creation, full of cleverly crafted characters that are quirky, loveable, and memorable. From the twisting and turning plots to the shocking revelations, Collins proves she is a master of the suspense genre. Each story in the series is vastly different and yet all are equally entertaining and riveting. Embedded in the suspenseful storylines we find nuggets of hope and faith that are both insightful and encouraging. This series is highly recommended for fans of suspense thrillers and mystery. (Originally reviewed as a series for Christian Library Journal)

Clear your calendar before you even open this book. Brandilyn Collins has woven another spellbinding tapestry of story, suspense and characterization. Book two in the Kanner Lake Series does not disappoint.

Leslie Williams strives to be a great journalist. Her role in solving the Edna Sans murder six months ago catapulted her career into new directions. The quiet little mountain vacation spot of Kanner Lake was also catapulted into a grander focus of tourism. Battle lines against change are drawn. Leslie determines to investigate both sides.

Her plans alter the morning she walks out to her car and discovers a dead body with a note and a number attached. Her life spirals into a whirlwind of murder and séances as both human and spiritual forces that threaten to destroy her peaceful community and her self-confidence.

Brandilyn Collins has created a town in Idaho where you may wish you lived, but not until it's solace returns. From the first sentence you will be hooked. Be sure to leave a light on, because things happen in the night. And, if by chance, you look into the sky and see a crescent moon the color of coral, think of the folks in Kanner Lake and remember to breathe.

Leslie Brymes, reporter for the Kanner Lake Times has dreams of going national. Hoping her coverage of actress Edna San's murder last year would raise her to the stardom she dreams of. But when she awakens one morning to find seventy something year old Vesta Johnson, a woman loved by all murdered and put in her car she has second thoughts about being a reporter.

Police Chief Vince Edwards is at a lost as to who would murder Vesta. But all clues point to one person and that is impossible, that person being Henry Johnson, Vesta's late husband who passed away fourteen months ago! But what of the eerie feelings he has experienced? And even Leslie feels an evil presence is trying to kill her.

With a police department of only five men and with the Idaho State Police looking for clues at the crime scene Vince must figure this out, does he have a serial killer on his hands, a ghost or a one time murder? But what of the note found pinned on Vesta's chest? Vince is racing against time will the murderer strike again and what does Leslie have to do with all of this?

Leslie feels that she can't trust anyone but has to find out if in someway Vesta's murder is her fault. The second body appears and the notes begin to appear what does all this have to do with the new proposed hotel? And what about the teenager that calls Leslie with information that Leslie has to pursue? What of the evil that seems to have fallen on Kenner Lake? After all the twists and turns the climax will have you seating on the edge of your seat.

If you love mystery, intrigue and suspense than hold onto your seat as author Brandilyn Collins gives you a glimpse of the unseen realm of demonic forces and how God places prayer on the hearts of His people even those who question who He is and has everyone looking to the pastor for guidance.

Coral Moon is the second book of the author's new series, the first being Violet Dawn all revolve around the sleepy little Town of Kenner Lake. Brandilyn Collins has a way with words so much so that you find yourself not being able to put down this awesome page turner. The characters jump right off the page at you, characters or people you feel you know and become entangled in their lives.

If you're new to Brandilyn Collins as this reviewer is you'll find yourself wanting to read all ten of her other 3 series of books, while waiting in anticipation as to what is in store next for the people of Kenner Lake in the third book Crimson Eve. Word of advice don't read Coral Moon alone on a dark and stormy night!

The book was in great shape upon receipt and arrived in 2 days. I have been pleased with the service I get from Amazon.com.

This is the book I have been waiting for, she finally get's it on with Ranger!

If you were left holding your breath or picking your jaw off the floor at the conclusion of Seven Up, then you are in for a real treat in Hard Eight. Fugitive Apprehension Agent (aka Bounty Hunter) Stephanie Plum is back trying to make the streets of Trenton, New Jersey a little safer. Her parents neighbor Mabel Markvitz approaches Stephanie to try to enlist her help to find her daughter Evelyn and her granddaughter Annie. Mabel fears this has something to do with Evelyn's ex-husband Steven Soder. Unfortunately for Stephanie, she soon learns that Steven's business partner Eddie Abruzzi wants something for Evelyn too. Abruzzi declares war on Stephanie, leaving his goons to make her life miserable and dangerous. Stepanie, LuLu and Evelyn's attorney Albert Kloughn are on the hunt for Evelyn, Annie, and the FTA Andy Bender. After losing several pairs of handcuffs, a few cars not to mention a rabid rabbit on the loose Stephanie is forced to enlist the aid of Ranger, Bounty Hunter extraordinaire. Ranger is more than willing to help and collect on his debt, which leaves Stephanie panting and nervous. Not to mention Joe Morelli, her on again off again boyfriend/ fiancé etc. around every corner. Once again Janet Evanovich uses well-executed storylines and witty character narratives to pull the reader on an exciting roller coaster. Full of laughs, twists and a night alone with Ranger, Hard Eight delivers everything the reader wants and then some.
Valerie Jones
mrsvaljones@netzero.net

THe Stephanie Plum series is just great fun! I am so entertained when I listen to these books, and it makes my commute (45 min to an hour each way) something I actually look forward to! IT's laugh out loud funny, sexy, (but NOT vulgar.. it leaves a lot to your imagination, which is a rare treat these days), and the characters are really well developed. It's like you know them personally and can't wait to hear what they will get into next. While often times predictable, it doesn't take away the fun. And who doesn't love Lula?!

Normally, every book in the series is about equal. This is the first book that really stands out.

Plum is of course as good in this one as normal. It is nice to see Ranger having a bigger part in this book that earlier ones. He doesn't just show up to save the day, but works with Stephanie quite a bit. The addition of Kloughn to the regular cast of characters is welcomed. He definitely falls on the hapless side of her friends.

The bad guys are more entertaining in this book that previous as well. The guy in the rabbit suit is, well, interesting. He seems as dangerous as any of the people who have tried to kill her in the past, but more interesting.

The story is about what we've come to expect from the series. Through a series of luck breaks and coincidences, Plum stumbles her way through to success. Hapless but effective.

This book is as funny as any of its' predecessors, and a little more interesting. For fans of the series, I would definitely recommend it.

Michael Jenks is a talented writer. His myteries are generally full of atmosphere, well paced and populated with believable characters. This is one of the exceptions.

If "Master and Commander" and a Regency bodice ripper had a retarded (...)child, this would be it.

The first quarter of the book is devoted to a ship wreck and the repetitive whining of the "unserviced" and insatiable wife, the angst suffered by her floppy hubby, repeats of every euphemism known for male genitalia and constant references to what the wife needs "between her aching loins." The wife sues for divorce as the marriage has never been consumated. The events are based on a true case from the 1300's.

Given the title, you might wonder what this has to do with the story. Not much. Yet this rather thin back story takes up a substantial part of the book. You'll also learn more than you ever wanted to know about customs taxes in medieval England. I suppose the objective was to build atmosphere. It doesn't work and it's quite annoying.

There are better mysteries out there, many by the same author. Don't waste your time on this one!

I have previously reviewed this author. He is superior and my only regret is that once I found his works that I read everything he has written within two months. I only wish he could write faster. British film and TV would be well advised to base a series on this mystery series rather than some of the current work they produce (stated by an American).

Michael Jecks gave up a career in the computer industry when he began writing the internationally successful Templar series. Well all I can say is the Computer Industries loss is the reader's gain. He has now written about a score of the Knights Templar mystery books featuring Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and Bailiff Simon Puttock and there are more to follow. Michael's books are full of intrigue and mystery and they are particularly well researched. Mr. Jecks lives in the area he writes about and I am sure this must assist him a great deal with his background research.

If my memory serves me correctly this is the first time that Sir Baldwin and Simon have been taken out of their Devon surroundings. I am not sure whether it is coincidence but I did not enjoy this book quite as much as the others.

Baldwin and Simon are returning from a Pilgrimage to Spain when their ship is attacked by pirates. After trying to fight their way out of the trouble Simon is distraught when he sees Sir Baldwin swept overboard.

Simon is washed ashore on the island of Ennor and but cannot get over the fact that his friend must surely be dead, but he has to put aside his grief when he is asked to investigate the murder of the Island's tax man. Meanwhile unbeknown to Simon Sir Baldwin has been saved, washed up on the neighbouring island of St. Nicholas. He is nursed back to health by the beautiful Tedia and forgets that he has a wife waiting for him at home.

Baldwin also begins to investigate the murder of the tax man and soon begins to realise that there is no love lost between the two local communities. Will their parallel investigations bring Baldwin and Simon together again?

Fans of this author's Medieval mysteries will be thrilled with yet another: a story of Baldwin and Simon's shipwreck and Simon's loss of a good friend in its aftermath. When a castle's master demands Simon investigate the murder of one Robert, a hated tax collector, he must put aside his grief and finds himself in the middle of a heated battle. Realistic settings and a fast-paced plot keep this inviting and fresh.

I am a huge fan of this series, but not of this book. It seemed to take a departure from others in the series in several ways. It spent much time on philosophical issues like marriage, friendship, taking lives, etc. If i wanted that, I wouldn't be reading mysteries. Even his foreword is long and tedious! And one of his steadfast characters reveals a major character flaw, which I found very disheartening, and quite odd after 15+ novels. A long and unsatisfying book.