Cadillac Beach by Tim Dorsey:  Tim Dorsey has really hit his stride with Cadillac Beach, another maniacal ride through the Florida scene. Serge the psychopathic history buff, has found his niche as a historical tour guide in Miami. Murph the Surf, the Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan show in Miami Beach and of course, just 92 miles across the sea, Fidel Castro. All are grist for Serge's mill.
    This time out, the ever-obsessive Serge is making a list - launch business, solve grandfather mystery, embarrass Castro, restore CIA pride (after the Bay of Pigs invasion), decimate mob, find gems. It is quite a list. But Serge has help - his sidekick Lenny Lipowicz, still smoking dope at 48 and still living with his parents - and the two cocaine "party girls," Town and Country.
    Just like Santa Claus, in his heart, Serge knows who is naughty and who is nice. Unlike Santa, the outcome for those who are not nice in Serge's universe is far worse than a lump of coal.
    Dorsey's pace is non-stop and each page is funnier than the next. Buy two copies of this book - one for yourself and one to send someone from out of state. Neither of you will regret it. 03/04 ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

A CALCULATED RISK by Katherine Neville:  If you enjoyed the 1999 film Entrapment starring Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones, you will love this one.  Verity (True) Banks is a 32 year old “bankette” who specializes in bank systems security and whose career path has just been short circuited by her bumbling jealous boss.  This leads her to accept a challenge from her former mentor, a reclusive computer genius/Renaissance man, Dr. Zoltan Tor.  Which of them can steal $1 billion, and invest it to earn $30 million in only three months? (Of course, the money will be returned, and no one will be injured.)  And so, the race is on.  I didn’t complete this one in a single night, only because #1 USC was playing and getting beaten by Oregon State.  I loved it. 10/08 Jack Quick   

CALIFORNIA FIRE & LIFE by Don Winslow:  My second Don Winslow.  Is he ever good.  Captures the California surfing scene as well as producing great procedurals.  Jack Wade is "basically a Dalmatian" - when a fire happens he's there.  Jack, who works to live and lives to surf, was a sheriff's department fire investigator until he got caught planting evidence in a warehouse arson to protect a witness, and is now the top claims adjuster for California Fire and Life.  When Pamela Vale passes out drunk and accidentally burns down the west wing of her Dana Point mansion, along with half a million dollars of her husband's antique furniture, Jack thinks maybe it wasn't an accident.  It turns out the victim was the half-sister of his ex-girlfriend which made it really personal.  Jack’s opponent is Pamela's estranged husband, Daziatnik Valeshin, now known as Nicky Vale, who has survived a Russian prison camp to make himself over into the model of a perfect Southern California gentleman.  The more Jack learns the dirtier it gets and the more danger for him. A great read. 02/10 Jack Quick 

CALIFORNIA GIRL by T. Jefferson Parker: Back in 1954, the Becker brothers, David, Nick, Clay and Andy, win a fight with the Vonn brothers at the Sunblesst orange packinghouse. Afterwards, the Vonns' little sisters, Lynette and Janelle, show up to throw rocks at the Beckers. In 1968, Janelle is back at the packinghouse, only now she's lying dead on the floor, her decapitated head several feet from her torso. Nick is with the county sheriff's department working his first case as lead detective, brother Clay has been killed in Vietnam, Andy is a reporter on a local newspaper and David is a minister. More twists and turns than a back mountain fire trail – can you believe Richard Nixon as a cameo? One of Parker’s best. 03/06 Jack Quick

CALCULATED LOSS by Linda L. Richards:  Madeline Carter's ex-husband committed suicide, or so she was told.  But her ex, the chef, certainly wouldn't have done it by preparing a poisonous duck à l'orange.  But the real giveaway that this suicide was really a murder?  The wine that was served with the duck was a shiraz, a definite no-no to any self-respecting chef.  Madeline goes to the police with her suspicions, but they blow her off.  Since theirs was an amicable divorce, Madeline feels determined to figure out what really happened to her ex.  This is a fun, fast mystery and book three of the series.  Hopefully, there will be more to come.  09/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

CALCULATED LOSS By Linda L. Richards: Madeline Carter is a former New York stockbroker turned day trader, now living in Malibu. In this third outing she learns that Braydon, star of the Food Network and her former husband, is dead, officially a suicide. When she goes to Vancouver to the funeral, her ex-mother-in-law asks her to look into the business Braydon has built, thinking something is amiss. Those initial suspicions are confirmed when Madeline learns Braydon supposedly killed himself through dining on a poisoned duck a l'orange and beef Shiraz. Knowing Braydon would never have had that type of combination meal because of the conflicts in taste, she begins seriously investigating. This brings out all kinds of suspicions regarding possible financial malfeasance that led to the murder of Braydon and might even precipitate a second “suicide” if she isn’t careful. Well plotted and well written.  10/06 Jack Quick.

CALIBRE by Ken Bruen:  Using the same mechanism as Ed McBain’s 87^th Precinct outing, FAT OLLIE’S BOOK, Bruen has Inspector Brant writing his first crime novel, to be called CALIBRE.  Although Brant can’t write, he can pick up stories from his peers, and he can, in his own, blundering take-no-prisoners fashion catch criminals.  In this case, the “Manners Killer” (Jim Thompson’s THE KILLER INSIDE ME) who thinks anyone misbehaving in public is fair game to be added to his victim list.  With anyone else, this all might be derivative, but you can always count on Bruen to give it his own special nuance and with his unique sparse prose, pull it all together.  VIXEN was good but CALIBRE is better. 01/08 Jack Quick

CALLING MR. LONELY HEARTS by Laura Benedict:  Everyone knows that teen girls can be cruel. When friends Roxanne, Del, and Alice plot against one man in particular, they can’t possibly imagine how it will come back to bite them in the end. Playing at witchcraft and Santeria, the girls thought they brought back an angelic being in the form of the perfect man. They were wrong. This man was very real and now this man is very angry. All grown up now, Del is happily married with her very own young step-daughter. But still, Del yearns for more. Roxanne is a successful artist, living the single life and seemingly loving it. And Alice, poor Alice, her marriage is falling apart and her husband is having a child with another woman. But then Alice meets a man who changes everything. She doesn’t know that Varick, her new lover, has been meeting with Del and Roxanne as well. She doesn’t know that man from all those years ago is finally having his revenge and Varick is the one who will bring it all about. Calling Mr. Lonely Hearts is quite a bit darker than Benedicts debut, Isabella Moon. Benedict tears down her characters, displaying their emotions and motivations with agonizing accuracy. Calling Mr. Lonely Hearts is a chilling read about the darkness that lives in us all. 12/08 Becky Lejeune  

CALUMET CITY by Charlie Newton:  What a great name for a mystery.  The book itself supports the title with cool artwork and pages that feel gritty and dirty.  Patti Black is Chicago's most decorated cop, with a secret past.  Several unrelated cases threaten to reveal her horrific childhood as an abused runaway and teenage rape victim, so Patti goes on the hunt for Roland Gantz, who she suspects is behind the crimes.  She must also find her adopted son whom she thinks Roland is also trying to find.  From Chicago to Calumet City to Arizona, a houseboat on Lake Michigan, a disintegrating slum building – a shoot out, a tornado.  I mean, what more could you possible expect.  If you can’t deal with violence, don’t even start. 08/08 Jack Quick

CANDLES BURNING by Tabitha King and Michael McDowell: On Calliope Carroll Dakin’s seventh birthday, her father is found murdered in a very “unpleasant” way. Upon the reading of his will, it is discovered that the family fortune is gone. Fearful, Calley and her mother flee to Merrymeeting, a boarding home in Pensacola Beach, Florida. Here, a rotating round of regular visitors, along with owner Merry Verlow, provide Calley with a sort of supportive family unit. The supernatural elements of this story are more peripheral than anything -- Calley is occasionally visited by ghosts but the purpose of these visits is usually unclear. There is talk of her large ears that enable her to hear the dead, an element that is not fully developed until the story is almost through. More than anything this is a strange sort of coming of age story. The pacing is somewhat slow, but deliberate, and forces you to savor the book. Though we can never know how the story may have progressed had the McDowell completed it prior to his death, I think King did a fantastic job. The transition between authors is, to me, seamless. Readers more familiar with either of these authors’ past works may be able to discern their individual styles but it won’t effect the overall enjoyment of the book. 11/06 Becky LeJeune

CANDY APPLE DEAD by Sammi Carter: Abby Shaw is a snoop. However, she has a good reason. When the owner of a men’s clothing store in Paradise, Colorado dies in a fire, Abby’s brother is the primary suspect. Abby isn’t as familiar with town politics as she thought, since she just moved home and took over Divinity, her aunt’s candy shop. She butts heads with some of the other store owners, as well as with the policeman investigating the case. This is a fun mystery with an intriguing main character. Abby has problems and weaknesses in her personal life, but she is strong enough to try to prove to the community that her brother is not a murderer. As has become common, Carter includes a few candy recipes in this debut mystery. Abby Shaw is an interesting new addition to the mystery field in the first “Candy Shop Mystery.” 12/05 Lesa Holstine

CANDY FROM STRANGERS by Mark Coggins:  Veteran P.I. Augustus Riordan is trying to help his cross-dressing friend and assistant, Chris Duckworth, avoid a beating when he discovers the fresh corpse of a missing teenage girl in a San Francisco alley.  Then Ellen Stockwell calls.  Her husband is a Palo Alto police lieutenant and their daughter Caroline, an 18-year old art school student, hasn’t been seen in three weeks.  Riordan’s search for Caroline leads him to additional gruesome discoveries and into the undercover world of Internet sexual predators.  Is Riordan San Francisco’s version of Robert Parker’s Boston PI, Spenser?  Could be, could be.  At least this is his third strong outing so far.  12/07 Jack Quick

CAPE PERDIDO by Marcia Muller: Muller steps outside her Sharon McCone series for a new adventure in Northern California’s Soledad County – this one pitting environmental interests against the plans of developers. In this case international developers want to harvest water from the Perdido River and transport it in huge bladders down the coast to the Southern California cities that need it. The locals know this will destroy the remnants of their tourist-based economy. This book is interesting in that succeeding chapters are written from the standpoint of different characters, and today’s events are the natural outcome of a single night many years ago. A different pace but still the same strong talent. 08/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

CAPTAIN FREEDOM: A SUPERHERO’S QUEST FOR TRUTH, JUSTICE, AND THE CELEBRITY HE SO RICHLY DESERVES by G. Xavier Robillard: It just goes to show that even a world-renowned superhero is no match against corporate sabotage. When Captain Freedom finds himself suddenly laid-off by Gotham Comix, there’s nothing left for him to do but enter therapy and begin writing his memoirs. Readers will laugh out loud as the unemployed superhero tells his tale and analyzes his inability to find an arch-nemesis. From his transformation as a sidekick into the superstar of his own comic, Captain Freedom takes you on a rollicking trip through the stand-out events of his life (you know, the ones that make for the best blockbuster flicks). This witty satirical read pokes fun at just about every aspect of pop culture including illegal pirating, pop music, politics, and even cars. Robillard, already a hilarious web presence, should be huge. I just dare you not to crack up and fall out of your chair while you read his debut.  02/09 Becky Lejeune  

CAPTIVE OF SIN by Anna Campbell: Sir Gideon Trevithick is viewed by his fellow countrymen as a hero, but his survival of the ordeal that dubbed him so has left him a troubled man. This doesn’t keep him from coming to the rescue of Lady Charis Weston, though. Hiding out from her malicious stepbrothers, Charis knows that she only needs to make it to her twenty-first birthday. When Gideon finds her beaten and bedraggled, she purposely hides her identity, fearing that he will return her to her guardians. She couldn’t be more mistaken. Gideon is determined to help the woman, but it the end, it just might be Charis who helps him. Anna Campbell adds her own twist to the classic damsel-in-distress tale in Captive of Sin. As romance goes, Captive is about as escapist as you can get—it certainly moves quickly and keeps the reader interested throughout. Not being a regular historical romance reader, however, I had expected a much darker story based on other reviews of the book. Perhaps for romance, this is the case. As a regular reader of darker genres, though, Captive was only so-so in this department. 11/09 Becky Lejeune  

CARNAL SIN by Allison Brennan: The newest release in Allison Brennan’s combination police procedural/paranormal romance series finds Rafe, Moira, and team up against the second of the recently released Seven Deadly Sins: the demon Lust. The Los Angeles PD has had a chain of recent murders that at first seem to be unconnected, but when a morgue employee discovers identical birthmarks on three of the recently deceased, she puts in a call to Santa Louisa. The markings are strikingly similar to those found on the demon Envy’s victims, so Moira, Rafe, and Sheriff Skye McPherson travel to the City of Angels to investigate Though they are not exactly welcomed by the locals, Moira plans a quick trip to the scene of the latest crime and ends up invoking the wrath of more than just the demon itself. As Moira and Rafe prepare for battle, Anthony travels to Venice where he makes some startling discoveries about the coming war between good and evil. Carnal Sin is a great follow up to Original Sin: Brennan definitely set readers up for a whirlwind of a series and has delivered just that so far. As the series continues to build, Brennan weaves a world of amazing detail and plots with fantastic cross-genre appeal. 06/10 Becky Lejeune

CARNIVAL by Elizabeth Bear: I don’t mind books that are challenging to read, as long as they reward you for your hard work. This book, though, just seemed difficult for no reason.
    It has a great premise—two gay men are sent as diplomats from Earth to a planet that is entirely run by women, since they will not allow any straight men from outside to visit. All them men on the planet are more or less slaves, most required to fight in gladiator-style tests until they retire to father children for the women. The women are the political and business leaders, and they’re really badass—they fight duels and wear pistols and get involved with all kinds of political machinations.
    Then there’s this whole other thing, where the city they live in is kind of a sentient entity, and there are these dragon things that…protect them? Or something? And the earth government is run by computers that were invented by environmental extremists who killed off almost the entire population except for the creative geniuses, I think.
    The main problem I had was that there was just too much going on, and I couldn’t tell what the characters were even trying to do, much less what their loyalties were. Even the ending was confusing. Still, I did finish it, and I would probably read something else by the author, since I like her ideas. 05/07 Jenne Bergstrom

CARPE DEMON: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom by Julie Kenner: Carpe Demon had a great deal of potential. Kate Connor retired from her career as a demon hunter to raise a family in San Diablo, CA. She let her hunting skills lapse, and she’s perfectly happy throwing cocktail parties, raising a toddler and carpooling for a teenage daughter. She’s not prepared when a demon attacks her in her own kitchen. As much as I wanted to like this book, there’s too much suburban mom and not enough demon hunter. Kate’s fears for her family cloud her judgment, but too much family clouds the story. 08/05 ~This review contributed by Lesa Holstine.

THE CARRIE DIARIES by Candace Bushnell: Hot on the heels of the blockbuster Sex and the City 2 movie comes a new book, this time offering us a glimpse into Carrie's background. Aimed at the young adult market but being read by women of all ages, this is the story of Carrie's last year of high school in a small New England town and how she made her way to her beloved New York City. As a long time fan of the show and the films, it was important to me that the Carrie I know be portrayed in this book, and she really was. We can see how she developed into the woman that we know, right up until the last page when the timeline goes awry - at least my memory of it. Nitpicking aside, it's a good look at how Carrie developed her fashion sense, her feminism, and her belief in the power of friendship. 06/10 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

A CARRION DEATH by Michael Stanley:  Michael Stanley is the pen name of the writing team of Michael Sears and Stanley Trollop.  Sears lives in South Africa and Trollop divides his time between South Africa and Minneapolis.  I include this information because there is no trace of Minnesota in this first outing by the duo.  Its strictly Africa and you can feel the heat, smell the dank vegetation and acrid animal smell on every page.  This is home for Detective David “Kubu” Bengu of the Botswana Criminal Investigation Department.  Like the hippopotamus ("Kubu" is Setswana for "hippopotamus") that lives in his native land Bengu conceals a deceptively dangerous streak beneath a placid exterior.  His large size is in keeping with his presence, whether it is on the sun-baked and blood soaked plains of the Kalahrai riverbeds or the plush and lavish offices of international conglomerates, Kubu will follow the trail to its end.  A welcome addition to the likes of Kaminsky’s Porfiry Rostnikov, Martin Cruz Smith’s Arkady Renko, and even Ian Rankin’s John Rebus as larger than life, imminently entertaining but also flawed detectives who can’t be bought, or scared off.  Looking forward to the next outing. 06/08 Jack Quick  

CARROT CAKE MURDER by Joanne Fluke: Family reunions can be deadly, especially when the black sheep returns. Hannah Swensen’s business partner took time off for a family reunion, but no one expected Uncle Gus to return to Lake Eden, Minnesota. When he does show up, it turns out there are a number of people with reasons to hate him, from the women he dumped, to the men he borrowed money from. After he’s killed, though, the women turn to Hannah for help in the investigation. Fluke’s latest mystery has terrific looking recipes, as usual. However, Hannah still can’t decide if she’s in love with Norman or Mike, and this is starting to become an issue for Fluke’s readers. This cozy mystery series is starting to drag. 04/08 Lesa Holstine

CASANEGRA by Blair Underwood, Steven Barnes, Tananarive Due: Casablanca is Spanish for white house, casanegra means black house. In this black oriented adventure Actor Underwood (Sex and the City, etc.) teams up with accomplished authors Due and Barnes to produce a romp through Hollywood. Tennyson Hardwick, a semi-successful actor, ex-gigolo and incipient sleuth has to clear himself from a murder charge using his good looks and charm, a $2.5 million house inherited from a devoted client, martial arts skills and connections on both sides of the law. All the elements are there to create an on-going series -- the sex for pay industry, the grind and glitz of Hollywood and the rap biz, some black film history, and a cool dude with a future. Could this be the John Shaft of the new millennium? 09/07 Jack Quick 

CASE HISTORIES by Kate Atkinson:  Private detective Jackson Brodie is trying to resolve three old London cases.  Two sisters are looking for their missing sister, a retired lawyer is seeking the killer of his adult daughter, and the sibling of a killer is trying to reunite with a niece who witnessed the murder as a baby.  Brodie’s efforts heat up all three cases in this tale of family dysfunction and random fate.  To me, the book suffers from too many characters.  Although well-written, you have to maintain a scorecard to keep up with the shifting cast.  A case of too much spice and not enough stew. 01/06 Jack Quick

A Case of Imagination by Jane Tesh: Madeline Maclin Investigations is floundering, so the former beauty queen turned detective agrees to accompany her “psychic” friend Jerry to the house he inherited in Celosia, North Carolina. Despite her distaste for anything related to beauty pageants, Madeline immediately accepts a job to determine who is trying to sabotage the local contest. At the same time, she worries about Jerry, whose failing relationship brings out the oddest suggestions from him. Together, they investigate his house, and the “haunted house” of a local poet. Tesh’s first mystery features a unique voice, a divorced beauty queen who became an investigator. Madeline’s struggles with her relationships will be welcome features in future books. 03/06 Lesa Holstine

CASTAWAYS by Briane Keene: If you like Survivor, you’ll like Castaways. Even if you hate Survivor, you’ll love Castaways. Contestants on a reality survival show find that they are fighting for much more than prize money in Keene’s latest horror release. First, a massive storm is headed straight for the island where they are shooting. The producers admit that while they can’t force anyone to stay on the island, anyone who chooses to leave will forfeit the game. No one who has lived through the grueling challenges thus far is ready to give up now. Then they find that the so-called uninhabited island is very much inhabited and the locals are not so welcoming to the contestants. In fact, the locals are downright bloodthirsty and the competitors are beginning to look like pretty good eating to them. Keene throws in one more wrench for his characters, but I don’t want to give it all away too soon. This gruesome and chilling “beach read” comes from a tale Keene wrote as tribute to the late, great Richard Laymon. A must read for today’s horror fans. 01/09 Becky Lejeune 

THE CAT DANCERS by P.T. Deutermann:  Two lowlifes escape punishment after robbing a gas station, murdering the attendant, and incinerating bystanders when they shoot up the gas pumps, because the Manceford County, North Carolina, police failed to read the suspects their rights. Soon thereafter, a mysterious e-mail arrives in the department, a link to a video of one of the murderers being executed in a homemade electric chair, ending with a voice announcing, “That’s one.” The shocking video spreads throughout the Internet, drawing the attention of local, state, and federal authorities and national media, and putting intense pressure on these same authorities to find the vigilante before he claims his second victim. Outstanding.  05/06 Jack Quick

The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell by Lilian Jackson Braun: Pickax City is celebrating it’s sesquicentennial in the latest book in the series featuring a newspaper man, Qwilleran, and his two Siamese cats, Koko and Yum Yum. As in recent books, the mystery is so slight that it’s not even important. This is just a return to familiar territory and beloved characters for all of us who faithfully read this fluffy series just for that. How will Koko indicate a crime has been committed? What are Qwill, Polly, Arch, Mildred and the rest of the residents of Pickax City doing this year? It’s a light, one night, comfort story when that’s all the reader needs. 01/06 Lesa Holstine

Cattery Row by Clea Simon: Theda Krakow, freelance journalist, music and cat lover, returns in the successful sequel to Mew Is For Murder. As Theda struggles with a flagging career and problems with her relationship with her boyfriend, she realizes she still has her friends and love of music. Those interests collide with her new magazine assignment, to update the profiles of four career women. Theda learns that two of those women have been threatened, and then she discovers the body of her friend Rose, breeder of pedigreed cats. When she probes further, she learns pedigreed cats have been stolen lately from catteries. Simon’s story is more polished in this sequel, as Theda struggles to bring her worlds together in an intriguing mystery for cat lovers or mystery readers who appreciate interesting characters.  09/06 Lesa Holstine

CELEBUTANTES by Amanda Goldberg and Ruthanna Khalighi Hopper: Hollywood's newest generation takes a swipe at life in La La Land; Goldberg is the offspring of über-producer Leonard Goldberg, and Hopper is Easy Rider Dennis Hopper's progeny. Together they've penned the story of Lola Santisi, daughter of a powerful director who's up for his second Oscar.  The story is set during Oscar week, and each chapter counts down the days and hours until the big event.  Every party, picnic and religious event is documented with inside dirt, dish and name dropping galore, along with some thinly veiled pseudonyms - even though I was completely out of my element, I managed to pick up on the "Uncle Jon"/Jack Nicholson reference.  After flopping big in her acting debut, Lola turns her talents to helping her Best Gay Forever friend Julian Tennant, wannabe fashion designer to the stars, by getting one of the A-List celebrities to wear one of his gowns on the red carpet at the Oscars.  If you read People magazine religiously and channel surf between ET, Showbiz Tonight or whatever celebrity gossip shows there are out there, then this is the book for you.  For me, reading this book was rather like watching a train wreck; I was disturbed, shocked, even horrified at times, but couldn't stop looking.  03/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

CEMETERY DANCE by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child: In the latest Pendergast thriller, the illustrious detective must team up with D’Agosta to investigate what appears to be a killing by zombie. Worse yet, the victim is someone the two men consider a close friend. All evidence points to the killer being one of the vic’s own neighbors, a man who turned up in the morgue prior to the killing. Pendergast calls on the help of his childhood tutor, a man who specializes in Obeah and vodou, when the search leads to a strange cult centered in Manhattan. Public sentiment regarding the group in question has always been on the negative side, but the link to this recent murder is just what certain protest groups need to feed the fire. Soon it seems as though all of Manhattan is watching, just waiting to see what will happen, and Pendergast and D’Agosta are right in the middle. Preston and Child have done it again. Pendergast is as good as ever and, as usual, readers will be dying to know what comes next for this strange and fascinating character and his friends. 05/09 Becky Lejeune 

CERTAIN GIRLS by Jennifer Weiner:  Weiner writes good chick-lit.  She's the author of In Her Shoes, which became a blockbuster movie with Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette.  Weiner's first novel was the chick-lit bestseller Good in Bed and Certain Girls is the sequel. In Good in Bed, our heroine Candace "Cannie" Shapiro gets dumped and reads about it in a magazine article written by the dumper.  In retaliation, she writes a very angry, very funny novel that becomes a huge bestseller.  Now we meet up with Cannie about 10 years later, as she's getting ready for her daughter Joy's bat mitzvah.  The story is told in alternating first person chapters between Joy and Cannie, so we get both perspectives of the coming-of-age, mother-daughter relationship in all its glory.  Being a mother of a 15 year old who went through the bat mitzvah process not that long ago, I could easily relate.  Cannie has been pseudonymously writing a young adult sci-fi series for years and reveling in being a wife and mother.  The angst arises when Joy gets hold of a copy of her mother's bestseller, which raises all sorts of questions about her family.  Certain Girls has lots of angst, lots of laughs and a very bittersweet ending - I loved it. 05/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

CERTAIN JEOPARDY by Captain Jeff Struecker:  Fairly routine thriller about a team of six Special Ops soldiers who attempt to confirm the existence of an Al Qaeda base in Venezuela.  In the process they stumble upon a plan to transport a kidnapped nuclear weapons expert from that camp to Iran.  Labeled as Christian fiction, the action ebbs and flows around discussions of family and faith, which can be unsettling when juxtaposed with firefights and murder.  Reminds me of the local anti-gambling folks who insist that Jesus likes Bingo but doesn’t approve casino gambling.  Think Rambo, but “G” rated. 09/09 Jack Quick 

CHAIN OF COMMAND by Caspar Weinberger and Peter Schweizer: A former Secretary of Defense working with an experienced author yields a debut political thriller of the first magnitude. The weapon of Secret Service Special Agent Michael Delaney is used to killed the President and wound the Vice-President. The new President declares a state of national emergency, putting the entire nation under martial law, and then prepares to take out a right-wing militia he claims is responsible. Delaney and others have doubts that quickly grow in proportion to the new President’s actions. All the action takes place in a hectic nine-day span. Maybe the dialogue isn’t the greatest but what a plot. 02/06 Jack Quick

CITY OF FIRE by Robert Ellis:  It is the first “lead” homicide for newly promoted homicide detective Lena Gamble.  A Hollywood housewife is sexually assaulted and brutally killed.  Initial evidence points toward the husband, but when this turns out to be only the first of a series of grisly crimes, it become obvious there is a serial killer, dubbed Romeo by the press, on the loose. Gamble knows she has to solve this case and also deal with the aftermath of her brother being gunned down on a dark Hollywood street five years ago.  As time passes, Lena suspects that the LAPD colleagues she has come to trust and admire are conspiring against her in the interest of closing a troubling case.  Evocative of early Wambaugh, its real life COPS on the gritty streets of Los Angeles.  02/09 Jack Quick

City of Light by Lauren Belfer: Historical mystery set at Niagara Falls, fascinating read! 

CITY OF SOULS by Vicki Pettersson: This fourth in the Zodiac series proves that Pettersson just keeps getting better and better. The balance in this world has been upset after the events of The Touch of Twilight and it’s Joanna Archer’s fault. Zodiac Troop 175 is losing strength and support after Joanna borrows energy from one of the changelings. In the end, Joanna’s own soul splintered, leaving the child with growing powers and the girl set to take her place now living a slow death. Joanna knows of only one other agent to have made this same mistake, but has no way of finding him without access to the manuals that tell the tales of Light and Shadow. Then Warren, leader of their division, reveals a secret that has long been kept hidden from agents of both sides. There is a world other than our own. A world where women rule and rogue agents hide. It is here that Joanna might track down the missing agent and learn the secret to setting things right. But entering this world comes with a very heavy price and Warren has been keeping many more secrets that could affect not only the war between Light and Shadow, but could put Joanna herself at risk. Though there is some catch-up material in this book, the series is quite intricate and I wouldn’t recommend reading them out of order. This is one of the most original urban fantasy series out there and it’s one of my absolute favorites in the genre. Highly recommended. 06/09 Becky Lejeune  

CITY OF THE SUN by David Levien: Jamie Gabriel lives in a community where boys still have paper routes; that is, until he and his bike vanish while delivering papers early one morning. His parents, Paul and Carol, report his disappearance to the police, but after a brief search leads nowhere, the authorities move on to other cases. More than a year later, on the advice of one of the deputies, the parents hire private investigator and former cop Frank Behr. Behr brings some baggage to the table; he's divorced, and his son is dead. While he empathizes with the tragedy of not knowing what happened to Jamie, he is hesitant to take the case, warning that closure will undoubtedly be ugly. Tormented by the strain of having a missing child, Paul and Carol each try to cope in their own way, and their marriage suffers for it. Eventually, Paul starts working with Behr, and despite the cold trail, their quest leads them to some very troubling answers and a somewhat predictable ending. Nevertheless, in his fiction debut screenwriter Levien (who cowrote Ocean's Thirteen, Runaway Jury, and Rounders) captures the hopelessness of the situation well, the pacing is relentless, and the story gripping and altogether disturbing. Highly recommended. 03/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch Copyright © 2008 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.  Reprinted with permission. 

CITY OF THE SUN by David Levien:  United States statistics show that 2,300 people are reported missing every day. The first 24-72 hours of these cases are critical. Often, if the person is not recovered in that time period, they never will be. Jamie Gabriel is one of these people. He left this morning, just like every morning - picking up the papers for his route and riding off on his bike. Unlike every other morning, though, something happened to Jamie. A year later, his parents are ready to give up the search for their missing son. The police have no leads and have never made any progress on the case. In a last ditch effort, the couple hires PI Frank Behr. Behr initially refuses the case, but his guilt over the death of his own son compels him to try. Amazingly, he makes progress, but his investigation has stirred up a hornet’s nest of trouble. While both shocking and disturbing in subject matter, this thriller is wholly rewarding. I can imagine a grizzled Bruce Willis playing Behr in the movie. 03/08 Becky Lejeune 

CITY OF THE SUN by David Levien:  Twelve-year old Jamie Gabriel disappears while delivering newspapers in a suburb of Indianapolis.  After over a year with no results from the police, his parents Paul and Carol hire PI Frank Behr, an imposing ex-cop with a checkered past.  Behr has a special empathy for their situation as he also has lost a son, which led to his marriage dissolving and his departure from the Indianapolis police force.  Behr soon discovers enough to begin to trace Jamie and the trail isn’t a pretty one.  Child abuse is an ugly subject and this is a gritty but well written portrayal of how it affects not only to the children but also to their families.  If you are a Harry Bosch fan, then make sure you grab this one.  Bosch and Behr share some common DNA. 04/09 Jack Quick  

CITY OF THIEVES by David Benioff:  Benioff follows up The 25th Hour with this novel supposedly based on his grandfather's surviving WWII in Russia.   Seventeen year old Lev Beniov has elected to stay in Leningrad with his friends during the German siege, rather than leaving with his mother and sister. Everything changes when Lev is caught looting the corpse of a dead Luftwaffe pilot who unsuccessfully parachuted from his plane at altitude and froze to death before reaching the ground.  Normally, the penalty for Lev’s conduct would be execution, but instead, he and newly made friend and Russian Army deserter Koyla, are spared at least temporarily, by Colonel Grechko, on the condition they come up with a dozen eggs for the colonel’s daughter’s wedding cake.  They quickly learn this is no small task in the terrible conditions of the siege. But then they take on an even more daunting mission - to kill the commander of the local occupying German forces.  While Benioff’s first book would have made a neat color film, this one would be starkly portrayed in black and white only, but still quite good. 06/10 Jack Quick 

CITY OF TINY LIGHTS by Patrick Neate: Tommy Akhtar claims to be the best Ugandan Indian private eye in London and he probably is. After all, he was also a mujahideen in Afghanistan. He likes Wild Turkey and Benson & Hedges and cricket. His current case involves finding a missing hooker but quickly escalates with MI5 and CIA involvement. Speaking of hookers, Tommy imparts this knowledge to us: black hookers are always Melody, Harmony, Bianca, Ebony, Naomi or Tyra. Blonde ones are inevitably Marilyn, Caprice, Helene or Elle. Hispanics are Sandra or Salma or else named for cars - Fiesta, Sierra or Cleo. Petite girls? Kylie, always Kylie. Akhtar is truly one-of-a-kind, and the terrorist threat plot is right out of today's newspapers. Although Neate calls this "Another Tommy Akhtar Investigation" it is apparently the first in a series. Let us hope so anyway. 08/06 Jack Quick

Claire Marvel by John Burnham Schwartz, Nan A. Talese:  If you aren't in love with our heroine Claire Marvel within the 40 pages or so of Schwartz's new novel you are heartless. I also haven't loved Cambridge, MA and Harvard this much since LOVE STORY and some of Kaysen's work. However, I wouldn't mind taking a swing at the nose of our hero (?) Julian Rose. Julian is . . . well exasperating to begin with, also a democrat who quickly puts aside his convictions to take a job in the republican world (during the Reagan Years to boot), and a boy who isn't nice to his mother (alright, he has good reason for that). There is terrific writing here! Great characters too! So here is what I would do - - - wait to buy this when it comes in paperback. Then get all your friends buy it and read it. Then duke it out over WHEN Julian became a wimp. Then let me know why they needed to go all the way to France.  PS: Schwartz wrote BICYCLE DAYS and RESERVATION ROAD (just too sad a premise for me to read). Both received great reviews. His publisher seems to look to this as his commerical breakout book. ~This review contributed by Ann Nappa

CLEA’S MOON by Ed Wright: After being blacklisted, sent to jail on an assault rap, and abandoned by his wife, Ray Horn is a long, long way from his early success as a hero in B-movie westerns. Now he works as a debt collector for his former faithful Indian sidekick turned casino owner. It's a short jump to sleuthing, and when an old friend approaches him with a problem, Horn is ready to go. The friend's father, a real estate mogul, has died, leaving behind boxes of disturbing photos of young girls, one of whom is Horn's stepdaughter. The friend gets pushed out a window, Horn's stepdaughter goes missing, and Horn is forced into finding the link between the pictures, the girl, and the friend. A first rate first outing. 04/06 Jack Quick 

A CLEAN KILL by Leslie Glass: Lieutenant April Woo of the NYPD is planning a delayed honeymoon with new husband Captain Mike Sanchez in this latest installment. Their plans face a major disruption 5 days before they intend to leave when two socialites are killed on consecutive days. While the cause of death is different, the victims are best friends and in both cases the bodies and their surroundings have been meticulously cleaned. April and Mike soon find other common denominators – the same personal trainer, nannies from the same upscale service, the same drug habits. April gets pulled into the investigation although the crimes are outside her precinct. Balancing duties, trying to have a private life, worrying about subordinates and the political ramifications of the “not by the book” investigation keep April on edge. Add in Skinny Dragon mother’s openly stated desire for her daughter to immediately become pregnant and get out of police work and you can see why April and Mike really could use the honeymoon. Will they get it? Who will be the next victim? And why? 08/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

THE CLEANUP by Sean Doolittle: Matthew Worth has been relegated to security detail at a local grocery store after punching another cop – a cop that just happens to be sleeping with his wife. Worth spends his days helping bag groceries at the checkout, waiting for his probation period to end. When Gwen Mullen comes into work one day covered in bruises, Worth is reminded of a case from early in his career. The murder of Tiffany Pine has haunted Worth for years. As a result, Worth is determined to help Gwen at any cost. Gwen won’t have to worry about suffering any further abuse at the hands of her boyfriend, though. She’s taken care of that problem herself. Against his better judgment, Worth decides to protect Gwen from the inevitable fallout she would suffer as a result of killing her abusive boyfriend. Doolittle’s dark tale of crime and cover-ups is an engrossing and satisfying read. 03/07 Becky Lejeune

CLICK TO PLAY by David Handler:  Tim Ferris is dying and the former child TV star claims to know the truth behind an infamous Hollywood murder spree.  He contacts the world’s oldest living Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist with a plea to come talk to him.  Ernest Ludington Thayer is much too old to chase fire engines anymore so he sends his protégé, Hunt Liebling, not knowing that he would never see Liebling again.  Ferris’ secret has the power to destroy a beloved US Senator who is on the path to the Presidency.  With such high stakes everyone is at risk, including Leibling who is falsely accused of an all-new Hollywood massacre, and becomes the prime suspect himself. This has some interesting insights into current day Internet journalism and overall is a decent read.  10/09 Jack Quick

CLOSE CASE by Alafair Burke: District Attorney Samantha Kincaid is back in her third outing (Judgment Calls, Missing Justice) in this twisty tale of law and order. A white police officer, Geoffrey Hamilton, shoots an African American woman to death during a routine traffic stop, bringing some stepped up racial tension to Portland politics. Then local hero, Oregonian newspaper reporter Percy Crenshaw, is bludgeoned to death in his own driveway, the same night the race riots heat up. Caught on TV are two young men doing some damage with a baseball bat, and Samantha’s new live-in boyfriend, Detective Chuck Forbes, watches his partner, Detective Mike Calabrese, wrangle a confession to the Crenshaw murder out of one of the boys, using questionable methods at best. Samantha has to deal with the suspicious shooting and the quasi-confession, causing Chuck to wonder where her loyalties lie. Junior reporter Heidi Hatmaker has Crenshaw’s notes and is trying to put together a story for herself but is unwittingly endangering everyone involved. The first person narration works beautifully but alternating with occasional third person narration for the Hatmaker storyline feels awkward in this otherwise superb legal thriller. Highly recommended for all fiction collections. Copyright © 2005 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.  Reprinted with permission.  07/05

CLOSE CASE by Alafair Burke: With each new outing, Burke grows stronger. Although her main character Samantha Kincaid still seems a bit naive to be thirty-two years old, she is acquiring some of the toughness she will need to succeed as a prosecutor. She can stand up to those within her office but still has problems relating to outsiders. In this episode seemingly unrelated cases come together at a terrible cost, in bodies and destroyed friendships. A murdered reporter, a “forced” confession, and an officer-involved shooting all swirl around Kincaid. Confessed murder suspects have airtight alibis and possibly corrupt police are difficult to identify. At each step more and more of her associates are alienated, some permanently. Yet in the end, the outcome is not only believable, but also seemingly inevitable. Recommended. 07/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

THE CLOSERS by Michael Connelly: This is the 11th entry in the Harry Bosch series and it's still working.  Harry has his badge back and is working with his old partner, Kiz Rider, for the Open-Unsolved Unit, working on cold cases.  First up is a 17 year old murder that was never solved, but DNA evidence has moved the case to the top of the pile.  But nothing is as easy as it first seems, and this case is no different.  I guess I hold Connelly to a higher standard than most because I know how tremendously talented he is, but while this is a very good book and an enjoyable read, it's just not his best.  The book plods along in places, and the writing is clunky at times.  I expect more.  05/05 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE CLOSERS By Michael Connelly: "Leave it to Michael Connelly to reinvent the police procedural... He artfully reclaims the genre." NY TIMES.  Detective Harry Bosch has been on a self imposed 3 year exile from police work. The new Chief of the LAPD summons him to his office via a "26" call, and hands him back his badge. He's assigned to the Open/Unsolved unit and reunited with his old partner, Kiz Rider. The case they're tasked with solving is a years old murder of a young girl dragged to her death and left on Oat mountain.  As per the Chief's edict, Harry has to play within the rules this time. Both he and Kiz go back through the murder book, and find discrepancies and errors. Meanwhile, Harry has a chance run in with his old nemesis, Deputy Chief Irving. Harsh words are exchanged, and the stage is set for battle.  All great stories have a beginning, middle, and an end; Connelly has broken this tale down into three separate books: you could call them facts, problems and resolution. This case evolves as Harry and Kiz chase down what they think are leads, but as usual, things are not what they seem. And, as usual, innocent people end up dead. But Harry and Kiz press on to the solution of the matter, no matter where it takes them. The ending here is alternately one of the most satisfying, and tragic, ever penned.  Connelly hits a grand slam here.  I hope he writes more of these... 03/06 DOC

THE CLOSERS by Michael Connelly: LAPD detective Harry Bosch is back on the force assigned with former partner Kiz Rider to the Cold Case unit. Their first case back involves the killing of a bi-racial high school girl 17 years before, reopened because of a DNA match to blood found on the murder gun. The blood on the gun belongs to Roland Mackey, a local lowlife white supremacist. Connelly meticulously leads the reader along with Bosch and Rider as they explore the links to Mackey and along the way connect the initial investigation of the crime to a police conspiracy. In the process Bosch and Rider gain a better understanding of their own purposes in life. One of Connelly’s best and Bosch is back on the job, thank goodness. As he says, without the weight of his gun, he limps.  05/06 Jack Quick

The Clothes They Stood Up In by Alan Bennett:  Adorable fable about dealing with the loss of possessions.  Zen with a twist!

THE CLOVIS INCIDENT by Pari Noskin Taichert: At page 20 I didn't care for this book -- aliens, UFO's and hallucinations. At page 40, as the plot began to thicken, I began to change my mind. At page 64 I hit the paragraph that convinced me this was a good book worth reading to the end. "If aliens were so advanced, with technology that far exceeded our own, why did they make a habit of snatching dowdy girls and pasty boys for their experiments? Why didn't they go for nuclear physicists or Nobel Prize winners! And why was it always small town hicks?" Sasha Solomon, PR consultant and amateur sleuth, goes to Clovis looking for a job, only to learn her friend Mae not only has discovered a dead body on her dairy farm but has also been "abducted" by aliens. As Sasha gets drawn deeper and deeper into the case it seems every government agency and half the town's leading citizens are already involved, all with different agendas. The ending is satisfying and startling, you might even say unreal. A must read. 06/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

CLUBBED TO DEATH by Elaine Viets: In this latest addition to the Dead-End Job series, Helen Hawthorne is working at the Superior Country Club in the customer service, AKA the complaint department.  At one time this was a club that catered to old money, but hard times has fallen on the club and now they let anyone who can afford their dues in - drug money is welcome.  Helen is still in hiding from her ex-husband, so she's shocked when she runs into him in the parking lot of the country club.  His new wife, known as the Black Widow due to her string of dead husbands, has docked her yacht at the club.  Helen and her ex get into it, she socks him in the nose in front of her ambitious boss, and takes off.  When he turns up missing, Helen is the prime suspect.  Anyone who has ever worked in customer service will appreciate the lament of the clientele at the club: "Do you know who I am?" Lots of laughs in this twisty mystery, along with a dose of reality.  Another winner from Viets. 05/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

COAL RUN by Tawni O’Dell: O'Dell returns to the dreary world of a tiny Pennsylvania coal-mining town in her second novel (after BACK ROADS). The book opens with a bang in a flashback that recalls the tragic underground explosion that took the life of the father of Ivan Zoschenko and 96 other men from Coal Run. Some 15 years later, just after college football hero Zoschenko is drafted by the Chicago Bears, his knee is crushed in an accident in the same mines. Zoschenko can’t deal with the result and he ends up in Florida, an alcoholic pest exterminator. When he learns that a former schoolmate, Reese Raynor, serving time for beating his wife into a coma, is being released, he returns to Pennsylvania. In spite of his drinking problem, Zoschenko is hired as a deputy by the local sheriff, leading to the inevitable brutal collision with Raynor. Hard folks surviving hard times in this gritty portrayal of life without much hope. Miss O’Dell has improved as a writer from her introductory work, but still too grim for many. I liked the book, but wouldn’t want a steady diet of this type. 12/06 Jack Quick

THE COAST ROAD by Peter Corris:  Ace private detective Cliff Hardy is working on two cases in this outing.  The daughter of a wealthy retired real estate maven is convinced her father’s death in a cottage fire was not accidental and hires Hardy to prove her stepmother was responsible.  Hardy finds the police strangely uncooperative as he tries to find the truth.  At the same time, he is searching for the precocious daughter of Marisha Karatsky, who has gotten into drugs and who knows what else.  Its typical Hardy - corrupt coppers, compromised insurance agents, bikers as well as a few good guys.  People get disturbed and people get killed as Hardy plods along seeking justice and resolution.  Reading Corris is like reading Ed. McBain, you really know what to expect, but it manages to be refreshing and maintains your attention throughout. 11/07 Jack Quick   

CODEBREAKER by Katherine Myers: Meg Parrish is the subject of the book’s title. She is working undercover at Portland, Oregon’s Signet Corporation software firm. She penetrates computer security and copies a database so valuable that the company’s CEO sends his security chief to kill her and recover the information. Co-worker Ross Eckland saves her from rape and murder and the two take flight from Signet, from federal intelligence agents, and from threatening strangers who seem to have their own agenda. The two survive multiple car chases, pursuit by helicopter and various other dangers. In the process they also fall in love. It’s definitely a suspense thriller even with the romance angle and a first rate read. Before its over you will find out more than perhaps you really want to know about electronic surveillance and tracking, encryption, DNA and genetics research, the federal intelligence community and the ethics of cloning. Lets hope its all fiction. 11/06 Jack Quick

CODEX by Lev Grossman:  Edward Wozny, a 25 year-old “golden boy” investment banker is on a two-week vacation before he heads for a new post in London when he gets called into a strange task.  The Wents, the duchess and duke of Bowmry, two of the firm's biggest clients, wish him to catalogue a collection of ancient books in the attic of their New York apartment.  As he gets deeper into this strange assignment he learns there is the possibility of finding a mythical codex by 14th-century monk Gervase of Langford.  Most scholars believe that the text—which predicts the coming of the apocalypse and may conceal Went family secrets—never existed.  At the same time Wozny becomes equally preoccupied with MOMUS, an intricate, frighteningly vivid computer game. Edward eventually comes to realize that cyberworld and real world are more connected than not.  A twisty tale that starts slowly and gathers speed along the way. 02/09 Jack Quick

CODEX 632 by Jose Rodrigues dos Santos: Historian Martinho Toscano has been hired by a certain organization to research the original discovery of Brazil. In his studies, he comes across some surprising information in regards to Christopher Columbus and his voyage to the Americas. Unfortunately, Toscano passes away due to natural causes before he can reveal his discovery. It seems the historian was an extremely careful and paranoid man since he kept all of his notes in code. So, the organization approaches scholar and professor Thomas Noronha, a specialist in cryptography, to decode the notes and finish Toscano’s research. Noronha discovers that there is some question as to Columbus’s true identity and he is soon thoroughly enmeshed in the same mystery that so consumed Toscano. Codex 632 is touted as the “book that outsold Harry Potter in Portugal.” Unfortunately, I can’t really see why. At best the book reads like an interesting history lesson. At worst, it is a meandering and repetitive story with flat characters. The last few chapters seem like an attempt to finally flesh out Noronha and his family, but it is both awkward and too little too late.  04/08 Becky Lejeune 

COFFIN COUNTY by Gary A. Braunbeck: Cedar Hill, specifically the area of town nicknamed Coffin County, has seen more than its fair share of human tragedy and misery. This is thanks to the fact that an ancient harbinger of death has taken a particular liking to the area. This entity has caused so many disastrous events, and yet no one has ever been able to make a connection – course, after centuries of mass killings, who would possibly suspect the same “person” would be behind them? Officer Ben Littlejohn is about to become one of the privileged few who learns the truth. It begins with a mass murder at a local diner; fingerprint analysis and video footage of the killing yield some pretty strange results. Before the local cops know it, they’ve got a multitude of crimes on their hands and Ben may be the only one who can put a stop to it. Braunbeck delivers an intensely creepy and truly original tale that’s guaranteed to give you chills late at night. Coffin County also comes with two additional Cedar Hill tales, I’ll Play the Blues for You and Union Dues.  06/08 Becky Lejeune  

THE COIL by Gayle Lynds: Although the name Gayle Lynds may not be top of mind, its hard to have missed her work. She has ghosted and co-authored many adventures including three Robert Ludlum’s and has four other thrillers out in her own name. In this, possibly her best work ever, Professor Liz Sansborough is trying to let bygones be bygones. She is no longer associated with the CIA and her father, a notorious Cold War assassin nicknamed Carnivore, is long dead. So why is everyone trying to kill her? It starts with the kidnapping of her cousin, Sarah. The ransom soon becomes apparent. Someone is looking for the files of the Carnivore. Just what is The Coil? Who are its members? How can Liz save her cousin and her own life? A high-speed version of The Davinci Code as Liz and her undercover companion, agent Simon Childs, try to escape death and The Coil. The ending will leave you breathless. Recommended. 07/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

COLD DAY IN HELL by Richard Hawke: This second outing, following Speak of the Devil, from the pseudonymous Richard Hawke (Tim Cockey), brings back New York City private investigator Fritz Malone in a slower paced, darker venue.  Marshall Fox is the star of a New York City based late night TV show, but his star has fallen since his arrest for the murders of two women he was having affairs with.  While he’s jailed, two more murders occur, causing speculation as to Fox’s guilt and the possibility of a copycat killer.  The newest victim was a neighbor of Fritz’s girlfriend Margo, and Fritz had been investigating some hate mail she had received prior to her murder.  NYPD detective Megan Lamb isn’t quite up to par since both her police and life partners were killed, so the police department is happy to have Fritz investigating the murders along side her as long as he shares what he finds.  Despite an attempt on his life, Fritz keeps on digging through Quaker meetings, Fox’s clandestine  affairs, kinky sex and the backstage maneuverings of the late night TV show.  Recommended. 03/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch. Copyright © 2007 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.  Reprinted with permission. 

COLD DAY IN HELL by Richard Hawke: Hawke brings back Fritz Malone, the private investigator who first appeared in Speak of the Devil. Malone is a rogue investigator who chooses to poke into problems, even if he doesn’t have a client. It angers his girlfriend, Margo, when he seems too interested in Robin Burrell, a woman who had turned to Fritz when she had hate mail. When Robin is murdered, Margo objects to Fritz’ investigation. But Robin was an important witness in a murder trial. Her lover, talk show host Marshall Fox, is on trial for murdering two former lovers. Robin’s copycat slaying means problems for the trial. When Fox’ attorney is killed, the media grows more excited. Fritz teams up with a homicide detective, Megan Lamb, who has her own issues. It’s a complicated storyline, with a number of characters, and four victims. What do they have in common, except for their link to Marshall Fox? Hawke keeps the suspense high, and even leaves Fritz’ fate dangling for chapters as he focuses on Megan. The reader will be left guessing right up to the end of this exciting thriller. 03/07 Lesa Holstine

A COLD DAY IN HELL by Richard Hawke: Marshall Fox is the new darling of late night television until he is arrested and jailed for the murder of two women with whom he was having affairs. The case looks pretty solid until two more bodies show up, both connected to Fox and the earlier murders. But how could Fox have committed the last two while he was behind bars?  It is up to New York City PI Fritz Malone to sort out the details.  The cops claim they need to no help but have no problem is using the leads Malone turns up.  Somewhat darker than Malone’s debut in Speak of the Devil, which hopefully, is a sign of character growth and a portent of future outings. All in all, a very nicely done sophomore outing. 07/09 Jack Quick

COLD GRANITE by Stuart MacBride: Another Ian Rankin?  Scottish Detective Sergeant Logan McRae has returned to his Aberdeen beat after a year’s medical convalescence to tackle a case that makes even his most callous colleagues cringe: the strangling and mutilation of a four-year-old boy.  More children turn up missing and, then, dead and it is obvious the press has a pipeline into the police investigation.  Complicating the case is the fact that the forensic pathologist assigned to work with the investigators in McRae’s ex-girlfriend.  All in all, an impressive first outing. 02/06 Jack Quick

THE COLD MOON by Jeffery Deaver: The latest in the Sachs/Rhyme series finds the teams a bit at odds these days. Amelia is lead of her first investigation, the assumed suicide of a New York businessman. Based on the evidence, Amelia becomes convinced that this was no suicide, but rather a murder. Her investigation leads her to some very unexpected suspects when a request from on high forces her case to the back burner. A killer called the Watchmaker has left his mark on not one, but two crime scenes on the same night; a pier with a trail of blood leading to the water and an alleyway with a victim that has been strangely tortured. A strange moon faced clock, the Watchmaker’s calling card, is found at each scene. Rhyme and his team are joined by the amicable Kathryn Dance, a California cop whose specialty is reading body language. Deaver has always been a master of page turning suspense; do not read this book if you plan on getting any sleep.  09/06 Becky LeJeune

Cold Pursuit by T. Jefferson Parker: Terrific new thriller from the author of the Edgar Award winning Silent Joe.  San Diego homicide detective Tom McMichael is on rotation when Pete Braga is murdered.  The Portuguese Braga's and the Irish McMichael's have much in common with the Hatfield's & McCoy's, and the Montague's & Capulet's.  Despite all the bad blood, McMichael chooses to remain on the case and an intriguing case it is.  Braga is found bludgeoned to death by his nurse, who becomes the chief suspect and in an interesting twist, McMichael's love interest.  Conflict for sure, but that's only the tip of the iceberg as the clues start contradicting each other until the surprise ending.  But as always with Parker, it's the writing that grabs hold and won't let go.  For instance, after watching the autopsy of the murder victim, we get this fabulous line:  "McMichael left the building feeling like his soul had been cut out, weighed and thrown away."  This is visual, powerful writing. Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

COLD PURSUIT by T. Jefferson Parker: The Portuguese Braga family and the Irish McMichael family have a rivalry going back two generations. Now old Pete Braga, a one time tuna fisherman who now moves in the city’s top financial circles, is murdered. Homicide detective Tom McMichael is “next man up” and draws the case. The history of the two families is a rich tapestry upon which the current story actually pales. Still a good read but not one of Parker’s best. 03/06 Jack Quick

THE COLDEST BLOOD by Jim Kelly:  Today is the seventh consecutive day with temperatures above 100 degrees and the forecast is for at least four more days of the same.  What better time than now to tackle this tale of an English cold snap, which causes a series of seemingly, weather related deaths.  Former Fleet Street Journalist Philip Dryden picks up on the fact that a pair of the victims is connected by more than just the cold. Both recently filed abuse charges against an orphanage where they lived as children. Dryden, now working at a lesser paper in the city of Ely, explores whether these two plaintiffs may have been murdered.  Kelly’s descriptions of the city and its inhabitants is bleak and reminiscent of works from a much earlier era.  This one caused a welcome shiver or two and kept me intrigued to the end.  08/07 Jack Quick 

Coldwater by Mardi McConnochie: I was disappointed in this novel that had a fictionalized family of three novel writing sisters, Charlotte, Ann and Emily, at it's center.  The only thing they had in common with the Bronte's were their names and the century in which they lived.

COLLISION by Jeff Abbott:  Two unlikely figures collide violently and then work together to save their lives. Ben Forsberg, a widower whose wife was assassinated by a sniper while on their honeymoon.  Pilgrim, a shadow warrior with an invisible covert-ops group called the Cellar. They are brought together by another assassination in Forsberg’s native Austin, Texas, where Pilgrim was supposed to be one of the victims, and Forsberg is suspected of being involved.  Throw in Sam Hector, head of a vast private security firm à la Blackwater;  Jackie, a sadistic Irish assassin crazed with grief at the loss of his older brother; and Khaled, zealous associate of a group called Blood of Fire, and you have a pot which takes little stirring to bring to a boil. Who is on which side for what reason for how long?  Afterwards you may want to read a Lee Child or Tom Clancy to cool down. 06/09 Jack Quick 

The Colonel’s Tale by S.H. Baker: In 1924, Dassas Cormier is Chief of Police in his hometown of Marshall’s Bayou, Louisiana. Family and community have become the most important part of Dallas’ life, since his love for a friend is unrequited. When his only sister writes that she’s stuck in Lake Charles, Texas, accompanied by the journalist Colonel Jedidiah Gilmore, Dallas makes the trip to bring them home for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Upon arrival, Cormier finds that Gilmore witnessed a bank robbery, and became the victim of muggers. Back in Marshall’s Bayou, Cormier listens to Gilmore’s tall tales, and begins to doubt his version of the robbery story. When prowlers and violence follows them home, Cormier starts to look into things. It’s easy to figure out the solution to this mystery. However, the story’s appeal lies in the character of Dallas Cormier. He’s a man who loves his family and his home. The relationships between people help him deal with crime in his hometown. And, the relationships between Dallas and his family members make this a warm, charming mystery. 10/06 Lesa Holstine

THE COLOR OF LAW by Mark Gimenez:  When I first moved to Dallas in the early 1980's, we passed a huge football stadium on the way to our new home.  We assumed it was where the Cowboys played and wondered why it was stuck in the middle of the suburbs.  We very quickly learned that it was, in fact, the high school football stadium, and thus we were introduced to Texas football, and Texas culture. 

    I was quickly brought back to that memory as I read The Color of Law.  Our hero, Scott Fenney, is a high-priced lawyer with a high-powered Dallas law firm.  Fenney has a poster sized enlargement of the record-breaking moment of his school football career plastered on his office wall; the record that has made him a Texas legend.  Those boys take their football seriously!  Fenney is not the easiest guy to like; he's all about the money, epitomizing all the bad lawyer jokes.  In his run for president of the Texas bar, Fenney makes a campaign speech espousing the lofty legal ideals of Atticus Finch, none of which he means, but a judge in the audience decides that this is the man he will appoint as counsel to a black indigent hooker who is accused of murder.  The victim is the good-for-nothing son of a Texas state senator who has a hankering to be President, and with $200 million of his own money to put into a campaign, he's got a good shot at it.  That is, unless his son's lifestyle comes out in the murder trial.  Fenney has to deal with a client he has no interest in defending until he starts getting pressured from every direction, forcing him to re-evaluate his morals, his priorities, and his life.  This is a top notch legal thriller from a Texas lawyer who knows his stuff about law, and writing.  12/05 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE COLORADO KID by Stephen King: I've got to share this line from Bookmarks Magazine because they said it best: "There’s nothing like a good noir crime novel, and The Colorado Kid is nothing like a good noir crime novel". It's a fast read, it's almost a sweet story, it's a prime example of the ease with which Stephen King can spin a yarn. But it was published under the Hard Case Crime series, as noir, as pulp fiction, with a cover depicting pulp fiction, and it is not. As King himself points out in the afterward, not all mysteries are solved and so it is with this one. Two old newspapermen from a small seaside town in Maine tell their protégé the story of a man who was found dead on the beach. Told primarily in dialogue, we learn that a good story needs a beginning, a middle and an end and this story really only has a middle. Despite all that, I liked it, which I guess just comes down to I like the way Stephen King writes.  01/06 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

COLORADO KID by Stephen King: Number thirteen in the Hard Case Crime series, this is not so much a mystery as a reasonably well-told tale. Intern Stephanie McCann gets the owner and the managing editor of her weekly newspaper in an obscure corner off the coast of Maine to share with her the story of two high school sweethearts who find a dead body on the beach. There was no identification, and only a few items found with the body gave any hope of telling where he was from. Eventually we learn the dead man was from Colorado, hence the name of the book. The good news is that the Hard Case Crime imprint can attract authors with King’s reputation. The bad news is this is a really weak outing for him, and for the series. 11/06 Jack Quick

Columbus Slaughters Braves by Mark Friedman: Very satisfying novel about two brothers, one of whom is a superstar athlete, and the other, the narrator, just a regular guy.   Their relationship, their lives, are described in almost embarrassingly, painfully honest, beautifully written prose.  This one is staying with me.

COMFORT & JOY by Kristin Hannah: Kristin Hannah kicks off the holiday reading season with the story of a woman who has lost her way. It’s Christmastime, and Joy Candellaro, a school librarian, realizes she has nothing to enjoy over the school break. She divorced her husband when she found him sleeping with her sister. Her house is up for sale. On a whim, she ends up on a charter flight to Canada. When the plane crashes, she finds her way to Comfort Fishing Lodge where she discovers a young boy and his father trying to make it together after the boy’s mother died. Joy immediately bonds with Bobby, but has a hard time breaking through to Bobby’s father. By the time she realizes how much she loves Bobby, his father, and the lodge, she’s jolted out of her new reality. Somehow, Joy must find her way back to peace. It’s a sentimental, magical story. What more do you want this time of year?  12/05 ~This review contributed by Lesa Holstine.

THE COMMISSION by Michael Norman: Norman’s debut introduces Sam Kincaid, Chief of the Special Investigations Branch of the Utah Department of Corrections. When the Chairman of the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole is found shot down in his driveway, Kincaid teams up with Lt. Kate McConnell, a homicide detective with the Salt Lake City Police Department. Their investigation into the life of the victim leads them first into a world of strip clubs and prostitution. However, when their primary suspect is found dead, they realize the murder wasn’t the killing of an angry parolee. Soon, Kincaid and McConnell are forced to look even closer to home, inside the Department of Corrections itself. Norman brings his background as an ex-police officer and a state parole board member to this intriguing police procedural. I’ll be waiting for the sequel. 02/07 Lesa Holstine

THE COMMONER by John Burnham Schwartz:  This book is being favorably compared to Arthur Golden's brilliant Memoirs of a Geisha, but I'm going to have to go with Memoirs of a Geisha-lite. The Commoner is quite interesting.  Set in Japan, it opens in the 1950s during the search to find a wife for the future Emperor of Japan.  He meets Haruko, a lovely young woman from an upper class family, when she beats him in a game of tennis.  He is enchanted, but her bloodline is scandalously low for a future Empress.  Nonetheless, the story follows their lives and the next generation as well, making for fascinating reading.  Schwartz knows how to tell a story, hooking the reader a few pages in and not letting go until the last page is turned.  History, love, and royalty generally make for a good story and The Commoner is no exception - I couldn't put it down.  Think Diana, Charles & the royals with a Japanese twist and there you have this thoroughly enjoyable book.  03/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

COMPANY MAN by Joseph Finder: Finder is back with a new thriller that is almost as good as Paranoia, one of my favorite books last year.  This time out we meet Nick Conover, CEO of a low tech company - an office furniture manufacturer that has been bought out by a behemoth corporation.  Conover is forced into laying off several thousand of his employees, which pretty much affects everyone in this small town and makes him their least favorite resident.  He becomes the victim of harassment - someone is breaking into his house and leaving the cryptic message "No Hiding Place".  Meanwhile his wife has recently passed away, his house is a mess due to the renovation of his kitchen that she had started, his kids are having adjustment issues and there is something unsavory going on at the corporate level above him.  When someone is found trespassing on the property, Nick feels his family is threatened and reacts.  He calls in the head of security, an old friend, to help him and things just start spiraling out of control from there.  The good guy/killer dichotomy is a fascinating study in an intense story about the good and evil in all of us, and Finder twists a couple of storylines and keeps those pages turning.  Great read. 04/05 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

CONCRETE MAZE by Steven Torres: This is dark, terrific story about a Puerto Rican family in crisis in New York City.  Often called the "concrete jungle," the maze is more than just the concrete streets of NY, but rather the circuitous route that needs to be followed when a 13 year old girl goes missing.  Her father and cousin drop everything and will do anything to find her and get her back unharmed, while the police aren't too concerned about another teenage runaway.  Their search takes them into the world of runaways, drug addicts, sexual slavery, dirty cops and murder, making this a riveting ride through a complex, haunting tale. 08/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE CONFESSION by Domenic Stansberry:  Industrial strength is a good way to describe Hardcase Crime #6 by Edgar-nominee Domenic Stansberry.  Forensic psychologist and compulsive womanizer Jake Danser alternates between his day job — interviewing murder suspects and testifying about their mindset — and his other passion, seducing as many women as possible without letting his beautiful wife catch on.  Then she finds out, one of his mistresses is murdered, and the entire focus is turned on Danser.  Written in pulp style with modern trappings, this basically psychological thriller is not lacking blood and guts.  In fact, as another reviewer remarked, upon finishing this one, a long shower is necessary to erase the impact of the book’s thoroughly steamy atmosphere. Definitely recommended for neo-noir fans. 06/07 Jack Quick

CONFESSIONS OF A TEEN SLEUTH: A Parody by Chelsea Cain:  The word that kept coming to my mind as I read this book was 'silly'; but it's also nostalgic and clever and laugh out loud funny at times, and is definitely geared towards the adults who grew up with the original Nancy Drew books. The book is written as if Nancy Drew was a real person and that Carolyn Keene was an old college roommate who stole her "stories" and wrote the books.  This book is Nancy's way of setting the record straight.  All the series characters from that era make an appearance: the Hardy Boys (turns out Nancy really had the hots for Frank Hardy, although she ended up with Ned Nickerson), Cherry Ames, Judy Bolton, Tom Swift, Trixie Belden, etc. to more current ones like Encyclopedia Brown.  There are several little mysteries scattered throughout the book as it moves from the 1920's to the 1990's, with these different characters showing up and helping solve each mystery by chapter's end.  It's just a fun read. 07/05 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

A CONFIDENTIAL SOURCE by Jan Brogan:  Hallie Ahearn is a down-on-her-luck reporter who has left Boston for Rhode Island.  There she lands right in the middle of a fatal convenience store robbery.  Barry Mazursky gets a bullet in his forehead, and Ahearn becomes involved as friend, eavesdropper, reporter and investigator. It seems there are problems everywhere including Mazursky's family, corrupt Providence mayor Bill Lopresti, talk-radio show host Leonard Marianni and state-lottery honcho Gregory Ayers. Someday I will learn not to even begin any book which feature reporters or broadcasters as amateur sleuths.  This on isn’t bad but contains just enough inaccuracies to set my teeth on edge.  No more Ms. Ahearn for me. 03/09 Jack Quick

Consigned to Death by Jane K. Cleland:  Cleland’s debut mystery introduces Josie Prescott, an antiquarian appraiser and dealer in New Hampshire. The reader is immediately sucked into this fast-paced story, as Josie finds herself the primary suspect when an elderly client she was working for is found murdered. Josie is still in the process of rebuilding her life after she left a job where she was a whistle-blower, and her father died. She’s lonely, in mourning, fearful and angry that she’s a suspect, so she’s determined to prove her innocence and her honesty. With its cliff-hanger chapter endings and the sympathetic character, Consigned to Death will have the intrigued reader racing to the end. 05/06 Lesa Holstine

The Conspiracy Club by Jonathan Kellerman: Jonathan Kellerman has put Dr. Alex Delaware aside in his new book, along with the good doctor's Cadillac and the West Coast life style, but has not abandoned the role of psychology in his story. In Conspiracy Club, his hero is a young Dr. Jeremy Carrier, a staff psychologist at Central City Hospital in an unnamed Midwestern city. Dr. Carrier's girl friend was brutally slain not so long ago and he has thrown himself into his work as an outlet.
    Strangely, the clinic detachment afforded by the grieving process seem to make him even more effective than ever. This detachment is first dented and then crushed by the advent of two people into his life, Dr. Arthur Chess, a senior pathologist colleague, and a young resident, Angela Rios.
    Dr. Chess lures Carrier into revisiting his girl friend's death with pointed comments about the nature of evil and the possibility of it being passed from generation to generation. At the appropriate point, he introduces Carrier to the members of his club, who also feed his curiosity.
    At the same time, Angela is teaching Carrier that love and happiness are real possibilities for him.
That is, if he can solve the mystery of the unknown killer and persuade the police that he is not the culprit.
Another solid effort from Dr. Kellerman. Just remember, people with WASP names like Jeremy and Arthur are good. All others are suspect. 12/03 ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

Conspiracy.com by R.J. Pineiro:  Thriller much like Grisham's THE FIRM, updated from the ubiquitous law firm to a software company.  A too-good-to-be-true job offer from a small, privately held company that keeps churning out millionaires thrusts our protagonist into the middle of a vast conspiracy involving, of all agencies, the IRS.  Fast paced and fun.

CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE by Martha Powers:  Clare Prentice had everything going for her. With her wedding just five months away, a routine check-up leads to a disturbing discovery about her family. It turns out that Clare was adopted. Her mother having died just a few years ago, Clare is left to find out from her family physician who assumed she already knew. The wedding is called off and Clare begins a search to find out who she is, who her birth parents were, and why there was so much secrecy behind the adoption. With only a high school class ring to go on, Clare ends up in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. It doesn’t take long to find out the identities of her birth parents, or to figure out why her past was kept hidden from her for so long. When Clare was only four years old, her father shot and killed her mother. Her aunt, Rose, raised her as her own from that day forward. Clare is determined to learn all that she can about her family, but someone in Grand Rapids doesn’t want her stirring up old trouble. The question is if the case of her mother’s murder is so open and shut, what could anyone possibly want to keep hidden? Martha Powers, aka Martha Jean Powers and Jean Paxton, creates a great light mystery that’s still packed with plenty of suspense.  10/08 Becky Lejeune

CONSPIRATOR’S ODYSSEY: THE EVOLUTION OF THE PATRON SAINT by A.K. Kuykendall:  “We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex…” President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Farewell Address to the Nation, January 17, 1961.  It all started July 3, 1947 in Roswell, New Mexico with a bright saucer, shaped object with glowing lights moving across the sky.  From that day forward a vast government conspiracy has been responsible for the Vietnam War, the Kennedy Assassination, the attack on the World Trade Center, etc, so on and so forth.  Super soldier Captain Kalista Flaker is the product of this conspiracy, a hard-nose Army Ranger of the 4th Battalion, 76th Ranger Regiment, who through genetics and DNA manipulation is now of another race – one appearing to be human but with much greater physical and mental capacities.  It is now 2015, and Captain Flaker relates her story.  I assume this is the first of a proposed series and it may work.  The problem I had with this outing was related to timing jumps.  The author has a tendency to cover an event then jump back to show the preceding action that caused the event.  Unless you check the date/time at the start of each segment you will end up totally confused.  Hopefully the next outing can be presented in sequential form. 10/08 Jack Quick   

CONTACT ZERO by David Wolstencroft: Newly minted spy Ben Sinclair survives an attempt on his life and learns that other classmates from Britain’s Spy School haven’t been as fortunate. Framed for a crime of which he is innocent and abandoned by his handlers, Ben teams up with a couple of his surviving classmates trying to reach the safety of Contact Zero, a legendary (and possibly mythical) sanctuary for people in their plight. Well written, twisty and probably down right scary if you are a Brit. You hope it really is a work of fiction. 02/06 Jack Quick

CONTAGIOUS by Scott Sigler: In the follow-up to his explosive Infected, Sigler continues his tale of alien invasion on Earth. “Scary” Perry Dawsey has survived his horrific ordeal (see Infected) and now works with the government to help identify new infected and to locate more gates. No one is quite sure yet what the gates’ purposes are, but it can’t be good, so destroying them is of the utmost importance. Perry has his own agenda as far as the infected are concerned thanks to having been one himself. While the government would love to get their greedy hands on one for themselves, Perry has been systematically eliminating them, something his superiors are not pleased with. Their problems with Perry become the least of their worries, however, when the infection mutates and becomes airborn. Plus, there seems to be a new boss in town, one who is beginning to block the signal that has been leading Perry to the infected. Could it be the end for human kind as we know it or will Perry and his team pull through and come out on top once again? Sigler’s cringeworthy attention to detail and his unique combination of horror, sci-fi, and medical thriller make for some great reading. With one book left to the trilogy, readers will be waiting anxiously to see what happens next. 01/09 Becky Lejeune 

CONVICTION by Richard North Patterson:  No one would ever accuse Richard North Patterson of avoiding hot topics: previous novels considered gun control (Balance of Power) and late term abortion (Protect and Defend), while Conviction takes a look at both sides of the death penalty issue.  Fifteen years ago, brothers Rennell and Payton Price were sentenced to death for the brutal murder of nine-year-old Thuy Sen.  Now as Rennell’s scheduled execution approaches, Theresa Peralta Paget (Eyes of a Child) takes up his final appeal, along with her attorney-husband and attorney-stepson, digging up fifteen year old information on her client, his family, the victim, and the lawyer that originally represented the brothers.  Paget pursues the appeals process all the way to the Supreme Court while also dealing with her troubled teenaged daughter and her own guilt, until the final, stunning conclusion.  While it is apparent that the author opposes the death penalty, Patterson nevertheless provides compelling evidence for both sides of the argument. In his sure hands, this fascinating and often agonizing in-depth look at the death-penalty process becomes a very personal journey as well; for the lawyers, the convicted, and the reader. 02/05 Copyright © 2005 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.  Reprinted with permission.

A COOL BREEZE ON THE UNDERGROUND by Don Winslow: Young Neal Carey starts as a New York City pickpocket to support himself since his mother is a junkie and prostitute.  He comes to the attention of Joe Graham when he tries to steal Graham’s wallet.  Graham takes Carey under his wing, grooms and trains him to become an operative for Friends of the Family, a discreet, private investigation agency owned by the Kitteredge Bank.   Neal is directed by, to find Allie Chase, the teenage, drug-addicted daughter of a U.S. senator and presidential hopeful. Allie is somewhere in England and must be returned to the States before the 1976 Democratic Convention nine weeks away. Neal finds Allie but is forced to use his cunning to bring her home; at the same time he suspects someone from the agency is trying to kill him. Outstanding first in a series. 03/10 Jack Quick

COP HATER by Ed McBain:  In the first book of the much beloved 87th Precinct series, McBain broke new ground and is generally credited with inventing the police procedural.  Originally published as a paperback, it was later reissued as a hardcover with an introduction by Ed McBain.  He discussed the concept of a "conglomerate hero", a police force as hero, not just one cop.  He invented a city called Isola, based on New York City without the complications of getting every geographical detail right.  And in this first book, he wrote a mystery featuring Detective Steve Carella, his deaf-mute girlfriend Teddy, and a few other members of the force who would later go on to become the center of other books.  By rotating his protagonists, he kept the series fresh and interesting.  In Cop Hater, we meet these cops during a brutally hot summer in the city.  A detective is gunned down on his way to work.  A few days later, another cop is killed.  An obnoxious reporter decides to do a little investigating on his own that results in another cop being injured.  The lieutenant tells his men to do their job and find this cop hater.  And they do.  Cop Hater was published in 1956 and it was followed by 54 more terrific books of the 87th Precinct. 10/05 BookBitch

THE CORAL THIEF by Rebecca Stott: Daniel Connor is just one of many young students arriving in Paris with aspirations of greatness. His work back home in Scotland earned him a recommendation for an apprenticeship with the famous Georges Cuvier at the Jardin des Plantes. Daniel is sent to Cuvier with his hard-won letters of introduction, his own notes and research, and some rare and valuable fossils to be delivered to Cuvier himself. But Daniel makes a terrible mistake when he lets his guard down and falls asleep during the ride. When he awakens, his precious materials and fossils have been stolen. Daniel is sure that all is lost: how can he show his face at the Jardin after having lost such irreplaceable material? His only option is to recover his possessions, but he doesn’t even know the name of the mysterious woman who stole them in the first place, and he is a stranger with no connections in this post-Revolution city. Stott’s latest is a combination historical fiction and mystery with a touch of romance. Characters are based in actual fact—Cuvier, Napoleon, and even the infamous Vidocq in the form of Jagot the inspector. 09/09 Becky Lejeune  

Coronado by Dennis Lehane: Lehane’s story collection shows the reader exactly why he is a master of the English language. His stories are dark and gritty, but the words just roll through your mind. Included in the book is a short story, and then the play that Lehane wrote for his actor brother, along with the background of the play. Days after reading it, the characters and story still linger in memory. Lehane, author of Mystic River, is a true master.  09/06 Lesa Holstine

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen:  This tale of a dysfunctional family has been called a masterpiece which probably explains the difficulty I had getting through it.  The first 30 pages are torturous, the few hundred that followed somewhat easier and the final couple of hundred make it all worthwhile.  These characters will be staying with me for some time to come. This was postmodernist writing brought to the masses with wicked humor. Very well done.  Oprah selection, October 2001, but don't let that or the ensuing brouhaha discourage you.  Winner of the 2001 National Book Award.

COTILLION by Georgette Heyer: The Regency romances by the Queen of the Regencies have been unavailable for quite a while, but Sourcebooks, Inc. has started to republish them, beginning with Cotillion, and An Infamous Army: A Novel of Love, War, Wellington and Waterloo. It’s easy to see why Heyer is so respected and loved when you read this book. Heyer cleverly mixes an entertaining plot, witty dialogue, and interesting cast of characters with the historical background and information about class differences while telling a good story. Kitty Charing is the ward and adopted daughter of a man who determines to leave his money to her, with the understanding she will marry one of his great-nephews. Jack, who Kitty thinks she loves, fails to show up, so Freddy, who has no interest in marriage, agrees to a sham betrothal so Kitty can at least spend some time in London. Freddy is a gentleman and member of fashionable society, who observes Kitty’s schemes, and rescues her when her plans go awry. If you haven’t read a Regency romance in a while, start with one of Heyer’s books, such as Cotillion. 01/08 Lesa Holstine

COUNTDOWN by Michelle Maddox:  The last thing Kira Jordan remembers is stealing a new pair of shoes. Now here she is, chained to a wall in a darkened room. When the lights go on they reveal a man sitting across the room, also chained to the wall. His name is Rogan Ellis, a convicted rapist and murderer. Kira and Rogan have become a part of the Countdown, a reality show like no other. The two must work together through six levels of challenges in order to escape with their lives. Losing is not an option; losing means death. Kira soon finds that there is much more to Rogan Ellis than the show announcer would have her believe. In fact, could it be that everything she’s been told about this man is just another ploy for increased ratings. Could it be that her reaction to being paired with a violent criminal is what the viewers really want to see? Could it be that Rogan Ellis may indeed be the only person left who she can trust? It’s Running Man with a romantic twist. Maddox’s futuristic romantic action novel is a fun, fast, and intense read – it’s everything I’ve come to expect from Dorchester’s Shomi imprint. Another hit that’s sure to appeal to today’s generation of savvy romance fans.  08/08 Becky Lejeune

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN by Don Lee: Lisa Countryman is a half-Japanese, half black Berkeley graduate student who is working as a hostess girl at a men's club when she disappears in 1980 Tokyo. Tom Hurley is a half-Korean, half-white junior diplomat at the US Embassy who first looks into the case. Kenzo Ota, a divorced Japanese police inspector who grew up in Missouri is assigned to the case. Who’s on first, what’s on second, I don’t know – to quote Abbott and Costello, but the story does tell a lot about race, identity, the Japanese sex trade, social conventions and law. Whether it needed to be so convoluted is another question. 08/06 Jack Quick

THE COURIER by Jay MacLarty: The Courier's Motto: the package always arrives unopened, undamaged, and in one piece. In this e-book, Simon Leonidovich is the owner of an international courier service that he operates with his sister, Lara. Par Olin is a Swedish scientist who discovers that millions of people who are taking a new weight loss drug are actually “killing themselves” by taking the drug. When Olin tries to report his research to the owners, the owners kill him to prevent his findings from becoming public. Before his murder Olin gets a copy of the disks containing his research to Simon. Simon tries to survive the ensuing efforts to retrieve the disks from him and get them to the authorities. He doesn’t know what the disks contain and, in fact, Simon himself is one of those taking the drug. Fast paced international adventure made even timelier by the current lawsuits regarding VIOXX, Fen-Phen, etc. Also available in paperback.  08/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

COVENANT by John Everson:  Reporter Joe Kieran has been dying for a great story ever since he left behind his career in Chicago to start over in the small town of Terrell. Church bake sales and fund raising events seem to be the most exciting things that ever happen in the little coastal village, until Joe receives a report of a local teen suicide. Joe’s boss is cagey about the event and orders him to do nothing more than print a simple death notice. Joe’s reporters’ instincts are buzzing, though, and he soon uncovers a rash of suicide reports that date back over fifty years. Joe’s digging is making Terrell’s citizens none too pleased, something that only encourages him more. Could it be that these “accidents” are linked to the town’s own urban legends regarding evil spirits that are said to dwell in the local caves and roam the cliffside? Joe’s not too keen on the supernatural, but he’s determined to expose the truth behind Terrell’s terrible secret. Everson’s twisted and original tale earned him the coveted Horror Writers’ Association’s 2004 Bram Stoker award for Best First Novel. Although Covenant and it’s sequel, Sacrifice, were previously available as collector’s edition hardcovers, this is the first time that they have appeared as paperbacks. Sacrifice is set for publication in May of 2009. 08/08 Becky Lejeune 

COVER THE BUTTER by Carrie Kabak: Kate Cadogan walks into her home in Wales to find the remnants of a teenage party gone wild.  Her husband's and son's complete indifference push her over the edge and she tumbles back and relives her life, starting with her childhood with her domineering, control freak of a mother and her proportionately weak father.  We follow Kate as she makes friends, loses her first boyfriend, gets pregnant, and eventually marries Rodney, a man her mother is wild about.  "Rodders" comes from a good (read: wealthy) family, and while Kate feels more or less ambivalent about him, she marries him anyway.  After a twenty year loveless, almost sexless marriage in which she learns to despise her husband and his indifference to her while he's totally preoccupied with playing squash and golf and so forth, she learns to stand up on her own two feet.  And that's despite her mother, her husband and her child - you just can't help rooting for this woman who is trying so hard to please everyone else and still find herself.  More than just a warm and funny coming of age story, this well written debut novel is charming, sensitive and thought provoking.  It also has one of my favorite titles this year, and a beautiful cover - and sometimes you really can judge a book by its cover. 06/05 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

COVER-UP by Michelle Martinez: Melanie Vargas, federal prosecutor in NYC, returns in this latest thriller from the oh-so-talented Martinez.  While dining out with her boyfriend, hunky FBI agent Dan O'Reilly, she is dragged along to the scene of a murder when he is paged to respond.  Vargas had been laying low, taking low profile cases in order to recover from some rough cases and spend more time with her daughter.  But being that she is in the right place at the right time - the murder scene of a celebrity, tabloid TV reporter Suzanne Shephard, Vargas realizes that this is an assignment she can't walk away from.  Shephard had plenty of enemies, and law enforcement has their work cut out for them to try and find the murderer.  Terrific pacing in this legal thriller along with some hot romance makes this another fast, fun read from this author, who has turned into one of my favorites.  04/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

COVER-UP by Michele Martinez: Federal prosecutor Melanie Vargas is back in this third installment to the series. Melanie and FBI agent Dan O’Reilly were enjoying a quiet evening together when the call came that TV personality Suzanne Shepard had been found brutally murdered, in Central Park. As luck would have it, Melanie is picked not only to lead the investigation for the U.S. Attorney’s office, but also to hold an emergency press conference at the scene. Unfortunately, the killer just happens to have watched the conference and has chosen Melanie to be his next victim. As an investigative reporter for a popular series, Suzanne Shepard uncovered dirt on some of the city’s most prominent figures, the latest of which is mayoral candidate Clyde Williams whose own son is a close friend and coworker of Melanie’s. With the killer threatening her and the press claiming that she may be giving Williams special treatment, Melanie’s own life, and possibly her career, now depend on cracking this case. This is a great follow up to Most Wanted and Finishing School. I highly recommend Michele Martinez. Her stories are fresh and interesting and her characters are wonderfully engaging. Anyone who enjoys Lisa Scottoline will love the Melanie Vargas series. 03/07 Becky Lejeune

COVER-UP: MYSTERY AT THE SUPER BOWL by John Feinstein: In a timely juvenile mystery, Feinstein takes his fourteen-year-old journalists to the Super Bowl. The two young people have already covered the Final Four and U.S. Open in previous mysteries. The current story thrusts Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson into a complicated mess. During Super Bowl week, a doctor accidentally reveals to Susan that the entire offensive line of one team failed a drug test. Stevie and Susan discover a cover-up that goes through the entire team. Feinstein’s latest mystery is a fascinating look behind the scenes at a major sporting event and the problems caused by greed. Steroids, secrets, and attempted blackmail all surface in this intriguing story. In addition, Feinstein shows that innocent people can get hurt, and the complications of revealing the truth. His mysteries are always topical, involving problems and people right out of the headlines. The third mystery in this series is an enjoyable one for any mystery fans who enjoy sports.  01/08 Lesa Holstine

COWARD’S KISS by Lawrence Block: The tale starts with New York City private investigator Ed London removing the body of his brother-in-law’s mistress from an apartment that he pays for. When the body is later found and identified London’s problems increase exponentially. It seems there is a missing briefcase that at least two different people want, both think London has it, and he doesn’t. He must find the killer before the killer and/or the police find him. Excellent Block stand-alone. 11/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

THE CRACKED EARTH by John Shannon: Actress Lori Bright has lost something very important to her – her fifteen year old daughter Lee, who has synthesia, a condition where she “sees” sounds in color. Interestingly, the main character in T. Jefferson Parker’s new book The Fallen, has the same condition. The case will take former aerospace worker, now PI, Jack Liffey, hunter of lost children, into the collision of the Old City of Angels and the new. Both are dangerous to your health, and to his, along with Jamaicans and periodic earth tremors. My first Liffey, but certainly not the last. 03/06 Jack Quick

CRAZY FOOL KILLS FIVE by Gwen Freeman:  No longer unemployed, bi-racial twenty-something Fifi Cutter and her half-brother Bosco Dorff (who is partial to women with big bazongas) are back.  Cutter is now the Girl Friday to Reginald Wong, a legendary Chinatown trial attorney, of the firm Wong, Wu & Chu.  He is handling a $60 million wrongful death suit against SkyBlu Charter Jet Service after a deranged ex-employee, well let Fifi tell it:  “That crazy fool iced five people and offed himself.  Now he’s gonna show up at the pearly gates at the exact same time as all those dudes he just killed.  What’s gonna happen? I’ll tell you what’s gonna happen, (she) said, crossing her arms. He ain’t getting in “  Well, that may take care of heaven but there is still much to do here on earth as Fifi uncovers extortion, kidnapping, and murder along with double crossing attorneys, a drunken judge and insurance companies gone bad.  It’s all in a days work for our heroine and her “giant food and beer-sucking swamp creature” of a brother who has never met someone he didn’t try to con. 06/08 Jack Quick 

THE CRAZY SCHOOL by Cornelia Read: The critically acclaimed author of A Field of Darkness brings back Madeline Dare, in a complex, troubling novel. After moving to the Berkshires, Maddie found a job teaching at the Santangelo Academy, a therapeutic boarding school for troubled teens. However, she soon finds out that the founder and the faculty may be more disturbed than the teens. Since she’s not that much older than the students, she soon finds herself looking for allies when two teens confess a secret, and their subsequent deaths appear to others to be suicides. Maddie’s convinced they’ve been murdered, but the tables are turned when she becomes a suspect.  This is a difficult novel, and when the reader knows that it has autobiographical elements, it’s even more disturbing. However, it’s a powerful novel that people should read. 03/08 Lesa Holstine

CREATION IN DEATH by J.D. Robb: Even if you haven’t read the previous twenty-six “in Death” novels by J.D. Robb, you’ll be able to pick up the latest bestseller with no problem. This is an intriguing police procedural in which Lieutenant Eve Dallas faces a killer she was not able to find nine years earlier. She wasn’t able to find the man who tortured and killed women, leaving the length of time they lasted carved into their bodies. Now, he has returned to New York City. This time, “the Groom,” has picked out women who worked for Eve’s husband, Roarke. With Roarke’s business knowledge and skills at her disposal, along with that of a large task force, Eve is determined to bring the man to justice before he can kill again. Even after all of those books written as J.D. Robb, and the numerous bestsellers under her own name, Nora Roberts, Robb still writes fascinating novels that keep the reader quickly turning pages. 12/07 Lesa Holstine

CREEPERS by David Morrell:  Journalist Frank Balenger, former Army Ranger and Iraqi war vet, hooks up with a group of "Creepers," urban explorers who infiltrate old, abandoned buildings, to see what they do and how they do it.  Or so he says.  The group is led by college Professor Robert Conklin, a high school teacher, Vincent Vanelli, and grad students Cora and Rick Magill.  They decide to explore the old Paragon Hotel, which is scheduled to be demolished.  The Paragon has some interesting history, built at the turn of the century by an eccentric millionaire who happened to be a hemophiliac and never left the building - until he killed himself outside the hotel on the beach.  They approach the hotel at dusk, planning on exploring during the night and taking off at daybreak.  But things start going awry almost from the beginning; not all the Creepers are who they appear to be, and worse yet, they are not alone.  This is a genre-defining thriller written by a master wordsmith, alternately scary, creepy, violent, and emotional - and always excellent.  I loved it and stayed up half the night to finish it!

CRIES AND WHISKERS by Clea Simon: Simon tugs at the heartstrings in the third Theda Krakow mystery. Theda is a freelance journalist who covers the club scene in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Despite her busy life, she has a hard time accepting change. Her boyfriend, a homicide detective, seems too dependent on her since he’s recuperating from a broken leg. Her best friend is talking about dropping out of school. One friend is pregnant, and one is avoiding her. Her work is her refuge, as she does a story on a new band, and looks into the death of woman who was trying to save feral cats. Even more than her work, her cat, Musetta, is her refuge. As everything else falls apart around her, Musetta is there. Then, one day, something goes horribly wrong with Musetta. Theda becomes a desperate investigator, as she searches for the truth. Cat lovers, in particular, will identify and root for Theda Krakow in this book, the best in the series so far. 11/07 Lesa Holstine

CRIME AND SUSPENSE ANTHOLOGY NUMBER 1, 2005-2006:  This nicely done paperback from Wolfmont Publishing features fifteen short stories from the first fifteen months of Crime and Suspense e-zine.  Edited by Tony Burton, the stories range from 3 pages to 30 pages and cover a wide range of styles, but all in the genre.  Burton selected these from over 113 stories published on site and they are good.  Check out their website at www.crimeandsuspense.com.  While you are there you may want to order your own copy of this neat little sampler. 06/07 Jack Quick

THE CRIME WRITER by Gregg Hurwitz:  Andrew Danner is a mystery writer whose life takes an ironic twist when he is found with a bloody knife in his hand, and accused of murdering his fiancée.  The problem is, he doesn't really remember what happened because, as the prosecution points out, he had a convenient brain tumor that required emergency surgery just as he was arrested for murder.  Danner is found guilty by a jury of his peers, but the legal system works here and he is acquitted on the grounds of temporary insanity due to the tumor.  He goes home in a daze, determined to find out what really happened.  Luckily, his best friend, a former pro baseball player, doesn't believe he did it, and one of the cops is also troubled by the case, so they both lend a hand to try and help Danner figure it out.  Just to complicate things a bit more, it appears that Danner is being set up in another, similar murder case.  It's an interesting premise, but the first part of the book seemed slow and repetitious, although the rest of the book did move a lot more quickly.  The Los Angeles setting lends some humor that lightens the tension now and then, and it ended up being a very enjoyable read.  10/07 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

THE CRIMES OF JORDAN WISE by Bill Pronzini:  In a departure from the Nameless series Pronizini tells the story of Jordan Wise, a mild-mannered thirty four year old accountant with a large San Francisco engineering firm.  Wise meets and falls in love with Annalise Bonner, an ambitious young woman who craves excitement, money and the good life.  To win her affections, Wise steals more than half a million dollars from his firm.  They escape to the Virgin Islands, but their plans to live a life of quiet luxury are beset by unexpected pitfalls and Wise is forced to carry out two more ingenious schemes as a result.  All three of his crimes are perfect or are they?  A man, a woman, and the wages of sin.  Pronzini covers all the bases. 07/06 Jack Quick

Criminal Intent by Sheldon Siegel:  The third outing in this marvelous legal series just proves that Siegel keeps getting better and better.  Ex-priest Mike, & his ex-wife Rosie, boutique lawyers sharing a practice while no longer sharing a marriage, have a new client, Angel Chavez, a movie star accused of killing her much older, very wealthy husband, producer Richard "Big Dick" MacArthur.  Unfortunately, her only alibi is a lot of "I don't know", which makes Aunt Rosie's job ever so much harder.  Yes, this movie star is Rosie's niece, and that's not all the familial trouble heading their way.  The different threads are skillfully woven throughout this story, building suspense along the way until the very last page.  Another winner. 

CRIMINAL INSTINCT by Kelly Lynn Parra: Over the top tale about a group of five prisoners given the choice of five years in prison or five years working as undercover agents Ana Moreno, who has a history of B and E convictions and a problem with authority, decides that she has nothing to lose, but quickly learns that her Narcotics handlers consider her and her fellow “volunteers” as dispensable, disposable, and now worth even the most basic decency. Ana's team is sent to stop a deadly shipment of Ecstasy headed for San Francisco. Ana's task is to get close to the handsome and dangerous Jonas Saven, right-hand man of a suspected drug dealer with a deadly agenda.. The deeper Ana goes the worse it gets, as she begins to fall under the spell of Saven. Which will it be – her mission or her man? 07/10 Jack Quick

CRIMINAL PARADISE by Steven M. Thomas:  Interesting first effort that reads like a classic noir.  Robert Rivers and his partner Switch rob the Cowtown, a restaurant owned by Orange County California entrepreneur Lewis McFadden.  As part of the loot they find a photograph of a naked Vietnamese girl who looks like an underage teenager, which suggests McFadden is into the flesh trade.  Rivers and his biker friend Reggie England break into McFadden's house, where they find the Vietnamese girl, Song, tied to a bed.  At this point you are generally sympathetic towards Rivers but the story goes downhill from here as overblown sex and violence hijack the plot   Hopefully, Thomas’ next effort will be able to stay on track as he writes very well, as in this description of Rivers landlady “…carrying her 130 pounds lightly on a five-and-one-half foot frame.  She gardened and did housework competitively, outcleaning her friends and tending a large vegetable patch…. “  Another interesting note.  The typeface selected for this book actually looks like manual typewriting, which further enhances the book.  Still you may want to wait for Thomas’ next one. 01/09 Jack Quick

The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber:  I spent the summer reading Victorian literature, including Charles Dickens and Wilke Collins, and I enjoyed the references to the writers of the day sprinkled throughout this book.  This is a big honker of a Victorian novel that is a page turner due to all the explicit sex and the terrific characters that move this story forward.  There was nothing erotic here, however, despite all the sex, and problems abound, the most insurmountable being that there is no ending; we are led down the primrose path and abandoned there.  

The story is rich with description of the time and place; we are taken to England of the late 1800's, and we can smell the streets.  But it's the characters that draw us in, chief of which are Sugar, a prostitute, and William Rackham, heir to a perfumery.  William's wife Agnes is mad, yet he refuses to put her away, instead keeping her home and drugged.  Agnes refuses to acknowledge the existence of their daughter, Sophie, and William helps her keep up that pretense.  William has a brother, Henry, who dreams of becoming a Parson, but secretly lusts after the widow Emmeline Fox, a woman determined to help prostitutes rise up from their lowly lives to positions of servitude in upper class homes.  But the story revolves around William's obsession with Sugar, although as in most Victorian novels, class distinctions and struggles are paramount to the plot. 

At over 800 pages, this book needed some serious editing; there were huge chunks that could have been eliminated without any loss to the story, yet there are questions I still have about what I read.  Maybe I'm just being cranky or obtuse, but I don't understand the title, nor what William Rackham's perversities were.  Although to be perfectly honest, I think the major problem I had here was that I am resentful of reading a book I didn't love for eight days in lieu of the four or five others I could have read in that same time.  Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

CROSS by Ken Bruen:  Amazingly Jack Taylor made it all the way through THE PRIEST with neither a smoke nor a drink.  Whether he will be able to continue in this fifth entry in the series is questionable.  A Galway boy is crucified and Taylor’s Garda friend Ridge, seeks his help in the search for this killer.  Meanwhile, the surrogate son Jack found in THE PRIEST lies in a coma in hospital.  Its enough to make him throw it all in and leave Galway for good, but then the sister of the murdered boy is burned to death and Jack knows he will find no peace until these crimes are solved and those responsible are brought to justice, Jack Taylor’s justice.  Bruen just gets better and better.  01/08 Jack Quick

CROSS by Ken Bruen: The sixth Jack Taylor book begins with Cody, Jack’s surrogate son, lying comatose in the hospital after the events of Priest. Jack is trying to kick the drinking and the smoking, but his daily struggle with depression is making it difficult. To make matters worse, his friend Ridge, a member of the Guards, has asked for his help with her latest case. Someone crucified a boy from Claddagh. Days later, the boy’s sister is discovered dead as well. Dripping with sarcasm and wit, this book goes down just as smooth as the Jameson whiskey Jack has a taste for. But talk about diving into the deep end with your eyes closed. This is my first Jack Taylor book and while I was not totally lost, I can see where the books should be read in order.  03/08 Becky Lejeune 

CROSS COUNTRY by James Patterson:  I had quit reading Patterson, Inc. output but thought since this was an Alex Cross, it would be worth a try.  Wrong again.  This has all the makings of a contract requirement to be met with minimal effort to meet a page count.  There is blood on most pages as Cross goes after a new type of killer – Tiger, a merciless hit man with ties to Africa.  Tiger, and a group of teenage thugs kill Ellie Cox, a former girlfriend of Cross, and entire family.  This is the first of a series of killings in the Washington, DC area and in Africa which causes Cross to pursue Tiger in Nigeria.  It’s Bond, bad Bond, and pretty much a waste of time. 02/09 Jack Quick

Cross Current by Christine Kling:  I've been waiting for this sequel since I read Surface Tension last year.  It once again features tugboat captain Seychelle Sullivan and the Fort Lauderdale waterways.  Seychelle is on her way to rescue a boat with a dead battery when she sees a little girl clinging to a damaged boat.  She finds a dead woman who she assumes is the little girl's mother, and is hesitant about what to do.  The child is Haitian, and will undoubtedly be put on a plane back to Haiti.  Seychelle decides to try and do better for her, which takes her through South Florida's Haitian community; Voodoo, violence and child slavery.  Much more than just a mystery, Kling had something to say about the Haitian refugee problems and did it beautifully.  A fascinating glimpse into something the tourists and locals alike don't hear much about.

CROSS CURRENT by Christine Kling:  Salvage boat captain and sometime sleuth Seychelle Sullivan (think Tug Boat Annie as Travis McGee) is plying the South Florida waters on her tugboat, the Gorda, with her mechanic/lover, B.J. when she discovers Solange on a swamped boat and makes saving her, both from danger and from immigration officials, a personal crusade.  The recent murder of some Haitian refugees and a creepy visitor to Solange's hospital room convince Seychelle that the frightened girl is in peril.  More challenges come from tough guys with various agendas including Detective Victor Collazo and Border Patrol Agent Russ Elliott.  Although there are a lot of people, Kling presents them in a colorful fashion so that you don’t feel overwhelmed by the mob. 04/06 Jack Quick

CROSSING THE CENTER LINE by Allan E. Ansorge:  The first attempt to kill Carl Fletcher cost him the life of his fiancée, the full use of his right leg, and his career in law enforcement.  The second attempt endangers Michael McCaffery, Carl's ex-partner in the Sheriff's Department of Lake County, Wisconsin, who survives only because the would-be killer was dumb enough to wear leather-soled shoes on a slippery boat deck.  Now it’s up to Carl and Michael assisted by Carl’s gun-toting Internet addicted mother and a cast of other volunteer amateur sleuths to find out what is going on before more bodies turn up.  There are shoot-outs, legal shenanigans, and even a few moments of romance, in this somewhat off beat police procedural.  Not bad, not bad. 06/09 Jack Quick

CRUEL CUTS by J. R. Lindermuth:  CRUEL CUTS is the second in the Sticks Hetrick mystery series.  Hetrick, the retired police chief of the rural community of Swatara Creek, Pennsylvania, has been called back to duty as a consultant by the new, less experienced chief.  A vicious poison pen campaign directed against an ambitious young lawyer appears to link the lawyer to a rash of animal mutilations plaguing the area.  Perhaps if you had read SOMETHING IN COMMON, the first in this series, this one would be more enjoyable.  Without having read the first one this seems to ramble and there is too much “back-story” from book one.  If the book had been edited more tightly without so many intertwining story threads it would have been a much better read.  Better editing would also have eliminated lines like “Fortunately, overindulgence in beer had made him flaccid before he found the crevice he sought and Vic had passed out with the first thrust of moist flesh against her thigh.  She didn’t know what he had told his friends the next day but Flora remained a virgin...”   11/07 Jack Quick  

A Cruel Season for Dying by Harker Moore: Cruel Season is more a thriller than a mystery, but that is what seems to be selling these days. It opens with a graphic murder and then alternates between gore and lengthy bouts of tortured sensitivity.
    The gore is provided by a murderer deranged by a near death experience. He now believes, with the regular fortification of LSD, that he is a fallen angel. Armed with this knowledge and his military training, his new purpose is to create an army of similarly fallen angels who, after their deaths, will assist him in reclaiming a rightful place in heaven.
    He selects his recruits by their "aura," which seems to be especially strong in homosexual men. After filling his victims with LSD so that they can appreciate their "release," he kills them and then inserts wings into their backs. This makes for an eerie crime scene, which he further enhances with other apocryphal touches and a smidgen of incense.
    The sensitivity is provided by the hero, police Lt. James Sakura, raised in both America and Japan, who is assigned track down this delusional killer. Assisting him are his profiling instructor from the FBI Academy and his even more sensitive former partner. Along with the blind, pregnant, (and need I say, sensitive) Japanese sculptress wife of Lt. Sakura, all are placed in jeopardy as the plot unfolds.
    While I wish that Lt. Sakura would massage his brow a little less often, this book works hard at being different and meets the requirements to be a best-selling thriller. It will be especially enjoyed by Peter Strauss/Richard Chamberlain fans and those readers who like TV movies on the Lifetime Channel.  ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

A CRUEL SEASON FOR DYING by Harker Moore: Japanese-American detective James Sakura of NYPD has a challenge – someone is creating angels, literally. The killer is attaching the white wings of swans to the shoulders of each victim after he kills them and positioning them in a peaceful pose. At first, it’s gay adults, but then a child is killed the same way. Moody and melancholy, reflecting the streets of the city he serves, Sakura must not only match wits with the killer, he must get ahead of him. The chase consumes him to the exclusion of everything else. Very well written, albeit a little slow at first. The tension and pace pick up as first one, then another suspect is identified and eliminated. The ending is a shocker. Recommended. 06/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

THE CRUELEST MONTH by Louise Penny: Once again, Penny takes Inspector Armand Gamache back to the Quebec village of Three Pines, in a deep, wonderful mystery. When a séance leads to tragedy in the old Hadley house, Gamache revisits the scene of previous crimes. How would anyone know that the friendly village could be hiding such villainy? Gamache finds the same sort of villainy haunting his career, as events of the past still reverberate throughout the country. This time, his family and his reputation are attacked, in an effort to get to him. Despite the attacks, Gamache is secure in his beliefs, secure enough to continue his investigation in Three Pines. It’s another wonderful, traditional mystery from a master. 03/08 Lesa Holstine

THE CRUSADER’S CROSS by James Lee Burke: I don’t know why people think Harry Potter is so special when you’ve got Dave Robicheaux. He can work all kinds of miracles. In this new adventure, Dave gets involved chasing after an incident that occurred when he and his brother were teens. Dave’s brother falls for a prostitute named Ida, who they thought was killed. Now they learn she may be alive. Dave’s involvement leads to a vicious attack on him, his restoration to the New Iberia Police Force, followed by an unsuccessful attempt on the lives of Dave and former police partner Clete Purcell. Along the way he finds a new woman – a nun named Molly - and he and Purcell skirt the edges of society once again. Oh, did I mention Robicheaux gets arrested for murder. Burke has become my favorite author and his Robicheaux series represent Burke at his best. Lets all hoist a Dr. Pepper and read on. 08/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

CSI: BINDING TIES by Max Allan Collins:  Ten years ago, Las Vegas was terrorized by CAST, a vicious serial killer responsible for nearly half a dozen brutal murders.  Now Gil Grissom and his CSI team are called in to investigate a homicide that perfectly fits the notorious criminal's modus operandi, but all hell breaks loose when a reporter made famous by the original cases receives a letter from someone claiming to be CAST, and who says he has nothing to do with the latest slaying. 07/06 Jack Quick 

CSI: DOUBLE DEALER by Max Allan Collins:  Even in Las Vegas, Wednesday, 5:30 AM, in an out of the way hotel should be fairly quiet.  This one is until a room service waiter discovers a corpse and a killer.  This brings homicide detective Jim Brass, CSI team leader Gil Grissom and his team - Catherine Willows, Warrick Brown, Nick Stokes, and Sara Sidle.  Their efforts toward solving this murder lead them to re-look at a case that occurred some fifteen years ago that bears the same double-tap signature.  This draws the attention of FBI agent Rick Culpepper.  With this much horsepower combined with cutting edge scientific technology, you know it won’t take long to solve the crime, or will it? 07/06 Jack Quick 

CSI: MIAMI CULT FOLLOWING by Donn Cortez:: Miami Dade Crime Lab Lieutenant Horatio Caine has a truly mysterious death at an organic eatery. The victim, waiter Phillip Mulrooney, is bent over a stainless steel toilet, his clothing shredded, burn marks on his face, cell phone fragments scattered around, and his shoes blown off his feet. Incredible as it seems, the initial evidence points to death by lightning strike. The staff at The Earthly Garden believe Mulrooney's death is an act of God -- punishment for straying from the Vitality Method, their own spiritual philosophy. Or could it be a cellphone bomb? Or even something else? A bit far fetched but a good escape read.  05/06 Jack Quick

CSI: MIAMI FLORIDA GETAWAY by Max Allan Collins: Thomas Lessor left Las Vegas for Miami to get away from it all, including a charge of murder. Gil Grissom calls his counterpart in Miami, Lieutenant Horatio Caine, to assist in the return of Lessor to Las Vegas. Before Caine can make the connection, someone else connects with Lessor who disappears. Hot on his trail, the Miami CSIs are called to the scene of an abandoned limousine with a body in the truck. Its not Lessor, but his corpse soon shows up. From there on its sorting out the bad guys from the worse guys, and surprise, surprise, CSI prevails. 07/06 Jack Quick

CSI: MIAMI HEAT WAVE by Max Allan Collins: Miami crime boss Kurt Wallace won many battles before losing to a couple of well placed bullets. Since nature and the mob abhor a vacuum, a host of interested businessmen begin to move in, trying to take over Wallace’s former empire. CSI Lieutenant Horatio Caine and his crack team of forensic scientists must use all their skills to discover who committed the crime that all of Miami had a motive to commit. Not bad, if you are a CSI fan, otherwise, there are better Miami (and Florida) offerings. 08/06 Jack Quick

CSI: NEW YORK DEAD OF WINTER by Stuart Kaminsky:  Detective Mac Taylor and his partner, Detective Stella Bonasera, lead a team of experts through the gritty streets of New York City piecing together clues and eliminating doubts along the way to solving cases.  This time they have the body of a middle-aged man in the elevator of a ritzy doorman building on the Upper East Side with no motive, no bullets and no DNA.  A few blocks away a witness being held in protective custody is murdered although the law enforcement officers on duty swear that the victim spent the night in a locked hotel room -- only to be found dead in the morning.  Just two more stories of the thousands from the city that never sleeps. 05/06 Jack Quick

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon: This stunning debut novel is the best book I've read this year. You know you are in for something different when you open the book to the first chapter, but it is numbered "2." And the next chapter is 3, then 5, then 7, and so on until it is explained that Christopher, our 15-year-old protagonist, is autistic. As some differently-abled children are, he is a savant, in his particular case with prime numbers and the ability to name every country and its capital, and he has an extremely logical mind, but he also has other issues like he can't stand to be touched, won't eat brown or yellow food, and finds comfort in curling up in a corner and groaning. When he finds his neighbor's dog has been killed, he decides to solve the mystery à la his favorite sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, and that is ostensibly what the book is about.  But the reality is a beautifully written book with amazing characters and a great storyline - everything a book is supposed to have but seldom does. A truly remarkable book. Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch

CSI BODY OF EVIDENCE by Max Allan Collins:  I am not a fan of the television show, but Collins has used the show formula to produce a good read.  Las Vegas executive assistant Janice Denard discovers evidence of horrific crimes, shocking photographs left abandoned in a computer printer.  Now, with the help of the LVPD's computer forensics experts, the CSI team must track through hardware and software, deception and deceit to find the perpetrators.  At the same time they uncover new and disturbing evidence in a high-profile media case - the brutal murder of the Mayor's long-missing secretary.  I’ll be back for more. 01/06 Jack Quick

CUBAN DEATH LIFT by Randy Wayne White:  Before there was a Randy Wayne White and a Doc Ford and a Tomlinson, there was Randy Striker who wrote about the adventures of ex-Navy SEAL Dusky MacMorgan.  Fortunately, Signet Books has seen fit to republish this series from the early 1980’s that gave Randy Wayne White the opportunity to become the great author he is today.  In this latest reprint, Fidel Castro has allowed thousands of Cubans to depart for America in the Mariel Boatlift, including Cuba’s worst criminals and undesirables.  The CIA isn’t up to the challenge so Dusty MacMorgan is called on to handle the situation.  A one evening read but a darn good one. 09/07 Jack Quick 

A CURE FOR NIGHT by Justin Peacock:  Joel Deveraux is not the high-minded, do-gooder type usually found in the Public Defender’s office.  He landed there only after being caught in a drug scandal at his first job with a prestigious law firm, and he’s lucky he was only asked to resign and wasn’t disbarred in the process.  He spends his days pleading out drug dealers until he is asked to second chair one of the office stars, Myra Goldstein, who isn’t told why this Ivy-league lawyer is now working for her.  Goldstein is handling a hot potato, a murder case involving Lorenzo Tate, a drug dealer accused of murdering a white college student in a street shooting. There’s an eye witness, the media is all over this one, and it’s not looking good for Lorenzo.  While the story is set in New York City, it takes place in Brooklyn, one of the boroughs, which is a nice change of venue for a legal thriller.  Deveraux is a damaged lawyer, adding interest to this smart, fast and thoroughly entertaining debut.  09/08 Stacy Alesi, AKA The BookBitch. Copyright © 2008 Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.  Reprinted with permission.

Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter by Blaize Clement: Clement’s first mystery is a promising debut. She introduces Dixie Hemingway, a former deputy with the Sarasota County (FL) Sheriff’s Dept., who is now a pet sitter. Following tragedy in her life, Dixie retreated from people, and finds refuge dealing with animals. Unfortunately, while tending a cat named Ghost, she discovers a body in the home of Ghost’s absent owner. Dixie rejects her initial needs for privacy to ask questions about the murder. As she digs around in the neighborhood, she’s supported by her brother and his partner, and Detective Guidry who pushes her past her tendencies to retreat. This is not a cutesy cat mystery, and no animals are injured in the course of the book. The book marks the debut of a character with a great deal of depth, and a strong supporting cast. Dixie Hemingway is a character to watch. 01/06 Lesa Holstine

THE CURSE OF THE HOLY PAIL by Sue Ann Jaffarian: After 40 years of marriage its obvious sweet wife and I are somewhat compatible, although our reading tastes do differ. On this one, however, we both agree. A funny read, with off the wall characters, a twisty plot and not a surplus calorie to be had. Every succeeding owner of the vintage Happy Wheeler lunchbox has died and now wealthy Sterling Price (what a name for a wealthy client) has joined the list of late owners. Plus-size, middle-aged paralegal Odelia Grey goes looking for the lunch box which is worth a bunch of money and for the killer. There are plenty of suspects -- Sterling's loyal secretary, his discarded fiancée, his money-grubbing relatives, fellow collectors, and overzealous environmentalists. In the middle of the chase Odelia also has to deal with a surprise marriage proposal and the continuing challenge of an ill-fitting bra. The book is best summed up by its obligatory recipe: Odelia’s Favorite Cookie Recipe..1. Go to market when uniformed girls are outside. 2. Buy 12 boxes of thin mint Girl Scout Cookies. 3. Place in freezer. 4. The following year, repeat steps 1 – 3. Recommended. 03/07 Jack Quick

CURSE OF THE SPELLMANS by Lisa Lutz:  Isabel and all those crazy Spellmans are back in the follow-up to last year’s hilarious debut, The Spellman Files. As in Files, Curse begins towards the end and, through Isabel’s narrative, works its way back to the beginning. Isabel has been arrested now for the fourth time in just a matter of weeks – but really it’s the second time because she’s not counting times two and three. As she tells her tale to her poor friend and lawyer, Morty, it becomes clear that Izzy’s suspicious nature – purely a result of working for a PI firm from a very young age – has once again gotten her into a world of trouble. Izzy has become convinced that her parents’ new next-door neighbor is hiding something. Who can blame her really, the man has a locked door in his own apartment and his name is John Brown. She launches a full-scale investigation into the man, resorting to breaking and entering, trash searches, and even dating the man to try and learn his secrets. Of course, this ends with restraining orders, cracked ribs, eviction from her parents’ house, and much, much worse before it’s all over. Again, Lutz had me in tears from all the laughter. I love the footnotes and appendices outlining all the crazy family antics as well. Both Spellman books are light-hearted and fun mysteries. Lutz finally has provided Janet Evanovich with some competition – giving us all something to read while waiting for her next book to come out.  03/08 Becky Lejeune 

CURSE THE DARK by Laura Anne Gilman: In a satisfying follow-up to STAYING DEAD, Laura Anne Gilman continues to develop both the world she's created - one where magic exists and the relationship she created between Wren Valere and Sergei Didier. While I admit to befuddlement on occasion regarding the baroque politics of various organizations, it wasn't really essential for me to understand them to enjoy the book.

Wren and Sergei escape Manhattan's awful summer to track down a missing 10th century manuscript which, of course, is more than it appears. When their contact doesn't meet them in Italy, it's a hint at a darker problem involving a strange monastery with an even odder history. Returning to the city, they're still on the trail of a powerful….something.

The romantic and sexual tension in the first book is realized here and it's done well; Sergei and Wren both respect each other and have tried their damndest not to give in to the attraction they feel. And of course, story lines often fail once the tension goes out of the narrative but I don't think that'll happen here. There are strange creatures, power both obvious and subtle, and two really interesting people in the middle of it all. 08/05 ~This review contributed by Andi Shechter.

A CURSED INHERITANCE by Kate Ellis: Detective Inspector Wesley Peterson returns to the scene of a brutal family killing after finding a body in a river. Potwoolstan Hall is now a healing center, but at one time it was home to a family whose housekeeper supposedly killed four people and then herself. However, to Wesley, it looks as if someone might have missed some clues twenty years earlier.  Now, someone is trying to cover up those clues and do away with those still connected to the hall. As Wesley digs into those murders, his friend, Neil Watson is in Virginia, working on an archaeological dig. That far away, Neil's findings about deaths in a Virginia settlement, still connect to Potwoolstan Hall. As always, Ellis' combines historical and modern crimes into a fascinating mystery. 08/07 Lesa Holstine

CUT AND RUN by Ridley Pearson: Witness Protection Marshal Roland Larsen did the unthinkable – he fell in love with Hope Stevens, a protected witness, but their love was not to be. Hope is absorbed into the Witness Protection Program, and now six years later Larsen is called in when the architect of the computer program containing all the Program’s data disappears. He also learns that Hope has also gone AWOL. Larsen’s job – find the missing computer master and save Hope. Things get complicated very quickly when Larsen learns Hope has a five-year old daughter. Could she be his daughter as well? Fast paced and intriguing look at just how much a determined investigator can learn about you – whether you want him to or not. 10/05 ~This review contributed by Jack Quick.

CUT, PASTE & KILL by Marshall Karp:  Another book likely to be in my top ten for 1010.  This one is built around scrapbooking but is far from being a cozy.  It starts with Lomax and Biggs, my two favorite LA cops, investigating the demise of one Eleanor Bellingham-Crump who turns up murdered on the floor of a Hollywood hotel bathroom.  It turns out that the late Ms. Bellingham-Crump, now lying dead with a pair of scissors in her spleen, was the wife of a British diplomat, and that, as a consequence, her diplomatic immunity allowed her to skate when she, in a drunken state, ran over and killed a young boy getting off his school bus.  All this was detailed in the meticulous scrapbook left with her body. Additional bodies yield equally intricate scrapbooks and send our intrepid heroes after a vigilante stalking unpunished criminals. Great police procedural with first rate dialogue and laugh out loud funny lines, but would you expect any less from the author who cast a pedophile as Rambunctious Rabbit in Wally World back in the first Lomax and Biggs caper. With each outing Karp just gets better and better. Oh, don’t overlook the screenplay Biggs gets roped into writing based on a concept from Lomax’s Dad – Two ex-cops; one eighteen wheeler, dispensing – SEMI-JUSTICE. This has all the makings of a future outing for the new Jack Webb and Sergeant Friday. 06/10 Jack Quick

CUT TO THE BONE by Shane Gericke:  Prepare for an adrenalin deficit after reading this one.  After all, when you find out at the end of the first chapter that the execution by electric chair you’ve just read about from the POV of the condemned is really only a practice for the real thing, then you know its tighten up the seat belts time.  Naperville Illinois, detective commander Martin Benedetti and detective Emily Thompson have brought down a serial killer, Corey Trent, who is scheduled to die in the electric chair.  No clemency is expected from Governor Wayne Covington whose younger brother was killed along with others back in the 1960’s.  Benedetti and Thompson are now investigating a Napierville homicide and find at least nine others with the same modus operandi.  Also the victims were the grandchildren of Naperville residents.  As the killer makes his way back to Naperville and the scheduled execution, Martin and Emily are racing the clock to prevent other murders and to determine whether, in fact justice is to be done.  A combination police procedural and thriller, CUT TO THE BONE will leave you exhausted, but satisfied.  Give me a week of rest and I’ll be ready for another one, Mr. Gericke. 07/07 Jack Quick 

CUT TO THE BONE by Shane Gericke: Naperville police officer Emily Thompson first appeared in Gericke’s award-winning novel, Blown Away. She’s back in a non-stop thriller, set two years later. The governor of Illinois built a Justice Center in Naperville, a facility designed to execute death row inmates in the electric chair. Tension in the city builds up in the week before the first execution. While the eyes of the country are on the Justice Center, a killer has his eyes on the town. Identified only as the Executioner, he kills a receptionist at a spa, while Emily and her lover, Martin Benedetti are there, enjoying the mud baths. When he kills a policeman while escaping, the town’s focus turns from the Justice Center to him. A joint task force is formed, which is vital to the hunt for a serial killer. The week flies by in this action-packed novel that focuses all attention on the governor and his Justice Center by the target date for execution. James Patterson fans might want to try this riveting non-stop story. 05/07 Lesa Holstine

THE CUTIE by Donald Westlake:  Hardcase crime #53 is a reprint of Donald E. Westlake's debut novel under his own name.  Billy-Billy Cantell, a stuttering dope user/seller is the prime suspect in the murder of Mavis St. Paul, mostly because he was found at the scene of the crime.  Only his friend and colleague Clay thinks Billy is not guilty and, following orders from their boss, gangster Ed Ganolese, he is trying to clear Billy’s name because the police aren't interested in another suspect.  Clay’s regular job is creating "accidents" for people who cross Ganolese, but now he has to play detective and discover who the "cutie" (as Ganolese refers to him) is that killed Mavis and framed Billy-Billy.  Even in this relatively early outing the talent of Westlake is apparent. He did know how to tell a tale. 02/09 Jack Quick

THE CUTTING by James Hayman: Detective Sergeant Michael McCabe always thought that moving his daughter from New York to small-town Portland, Maine, would mean that he wouldn’t have to worry about her safety. He was wrong. When the body of a missing teenager is discovered brutally murdered and a second woman goes missing, McCabe must face up to the fact that no place is truly safe anymore. The girl is found dumped in a scrap metal yard, her heart expertly cut from her chest. McCabe is sure that this points to someone in the medical profession and has his eye on a very specific suspect, but this man’s position in the community leads to some difficulty in the investigation. Then McCabe learns that this may not be the first time the killer has struck. A cold case in Florida with striking similarities only cements his theory, but it may mean his career in proving it. Hayman’s debut works on many levels, but best of all, it’s a real page-turning read. Readers will never tire of this kind of thriller as long as authors like Hayman keep spinning such gripping tales. I do hope this is the first in a series, though, as McCabe’s own backstory leaves plenty of room for more. 06/09 Becky Lejeune 

Cyanide Wells by Marcia Muller: Ms. Muller, along with Sue Grafton, helped to carve out the territory of the woman private eye in contemporary American mystery writing. However this time out, she has left Sharon McCone in abeyance, while spinning a yarn of mystery and suspense set in Northern California. Her affection for the area is evident in her comfortable evocation of local color.
    The protagonist of this book is Matthew Lindstrom, a happily-married photography instructor at a college in Minnesota...until his wife disappears. He is suspected of killing her, but the authorities are unable to prove up their suspicions. Nonetheless, the accusation is sufficient to cost him his job and he finds that the community has turned against him.
He embarks on a new life as a fishing captain in British Columbia and is successful and content...until he gets a telephone call advising him that his wife is alive and that she too, has assumed a new name and a new life. Seeking vindication and closure, Matt sets out for Soledad County, California to find out if this is true.
    His arrival in California, under an assumed name, plunges him into revisiting of the grisly death of two homosexual men. In the process, he solves the enigma that was his former wife, solves the crime and lays the foundation for a final and hopefully happy new chapter in his life.
    This is a good story by a good story teller and I have no qualms about recommending it.  ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

Cypress Grove by James Sallis: In a famous essay, Raymond Chandler argued that the detective novel can be literature. James Sallis proves it. Most recently, in his latest novel, Cypress Grove.
Mr. Sallis writes hard-nosed fiction, but his affinity for poetry can be seen in his careful use of language. The first paragraph of his novel is almost always memorable and Cypress Grove is no exception.

"I heard the jeep a half mile off. It came up around the lake, and when it hit the bend, birds took flight. They boiled up out of the trees, straight up, then, as though heavy wind had caught them, veered abruptly, all at once, sharp right. Most of those trees had been standing forty or fifty years. Most of the birds had been around less than a year and wouldn't be around much longer. I was somewhere in between."

    The hero of Cypress Grove is a complicated man in search of a simple life and a place to call home. Turner is a Viet Nam survivor, a former policeman, an ex-convict and a retired psychotherapist. He has retreated to a small southern community where he is living in peaceful isolation. He is pulled, gently, from his shell by the local sheriff who requests his assistance in solving a bizarre murder.
    His experiences, education and training have given Turner a real insight into the human heart. Flashbacks to incidents in Turner's past alternate with the progress of the investigation. The lessons of this book are simple, but profound. Human beings are human and place is important. Surely, one of the purposes of literature is to remind us of such truths.
    Mr. Sallis is not very well known, although the best contemporary mystery writers are familiar with his work and honor it.  The major chains will probably not carry this book. But it is worth the search and if you do locate it, you will have in your hands one of the best-written mysteries of our time. (If you are lucky, you may also find a copy of Black Hornet, one of his Lew Griffin mysteries, which has recently been republished.) ~This review contributed by Geoffrey R. Hamlin.

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