2008 # 149

Robert B. Parker - Resolution - Finished - 11/30/2008

Set in the early west of sodbusters, gunslingers and frontier settlements this story pits two pairs of gunslingers first against each other and then working together against the unscrupulous boss of the town of Resolution. Typical Parker dialogue, as seen in the Spenser books. Moderately interesting, but not enough to read its predecessor Appaloosa.

ISBN - 978-0-399-15504-8, Western, Pages - 292, Print Size - R, Rating - 3.5

2008 # 148

Robert B. Parker - Rough Weather - Finished - 11/29/2008

Spenser is hired as a companion at an exclusive wedding on a private island off of Boston. As the service is concluding a group of armed men invade the chapel led by the "Gray Man" and old foe of Spenser. The groom is killed and birde faints. The Gray man picks Spenser to carry her to a waiting helicopter. While this has been happening a storm as blown up and the chopper can't take off. While Spenser is being taken back to the chapel he leads his guard astray in the driving rain and gets away. Feeling that he did not quite fulfill his job, Spenser takes it upon himself to find the bride and her kidnappers. Typical Spenser book, short sentences and a quick read.

ISBN - 978-0-399-15519-2, Suspense, Pages - 394, Print Size - R, Rating - 4.25

2008 # 147

Stuart Woods - Hot Mahogany - Finished - 11/29/2008

Where in Stone Barrington gets involved with a case of a missing secretary (valuable American antique furniture), modern copy ( indistinguishable from the real), Several young ladies, an irate business man over a stolen girlfriend and an irate husband over same. A quick read and typical of the Barrington books.

ISBN - 978-1-60751-025-3, Mystery, Pages - 448, Print Size - L, Rating - 4.5

2008 # 146

Jeffery Deaver - Bodies Left Behind - Finished - 11/28/2008

Whew. Was tired just reading parts of this. Brynn McKenzie is a cop in a small town in Wisconsin and she is called out to check on a 911 call from an isolated house on a lake some miles away. The house is on a dirt road with only 2 other properties and up against a State Forest. When she arrives at the house she discovers a man and woman both shot then she hears a conversation outside, the killers are still there. There is a confrontation but she manages to get away in her car but is hit by shotgun fire and crashes down slope in into the lake. Struggling out of the car she crawls into the brush and starts to make her way up towards the road before running into another woman who is also fleeing the killers. What follows is a cat and mouse chase of the two women through the wild forest trying to stay away from the killers who are in pursuit. This book is filled with twists and turns, action and Brynn's personal troubles with her son and husband. It kept me reading till I finished.

ISBN - 978-1-4165-9561-9, Suspense, Pages - 350, Print Size - R, Rating - 4.75

2008 # 145

Iris Johansen - Dark Summer - Finished - 11/26/2008

Veterinarian Devon Brady is on a search team with her dog on Santa Maria Island when another searcher comes into the clinic with his dog who has been shot. Jude Marrok is not officially on the search team and he leaves in the early morning leaving his dog and a note asking Devon to bring the dog back to the US where he will pick him up. Jude is off to get the shooter who it seems has been hired to get the dog and Jude. Its the beginning of a twisted tale of Jude, part Spanish, part Apache and his 4 dogs, Devon, her vicious ex policeman husband, and several shadowy people who want the dogs and the secrets they posses that seem to have allow them to heal in certain instances. A good read, plenty happening and towards the end links back to previous books and the family with special powers.

ISBN - 978-1-60751-033-8, Suspense, Pages - 594, Print Size - L, Rating - 4.75

2008 # 144

James Patterson - Cross Country - Finished - 11/24/2008

I have liked all the Alex Cross books although at times in this one Alex seems to have a charmed life. When he is called to a murder scene he finds a family with small kids brutally murdered and butchered and the house torn up. It turns out the wife was an old friend from his college days. Within days there are several more slayings with similar MOs. The killers are led by a huge man, but the rest a all young kids 8-9 and up. They seem to be coming from Nigeria & Sera Leone from the refugee camp s in that part of Africa and from the camps of Darfur. Alex takes off for Africa on his own against all advice to try to track down the leader "Tiger". He very soon finds out that Africa is not DC and finds himself grabbed and tossed in a prison and beaten up. Here is where the charmed life comes in as he is freed, grabbed, beaten freed and grabbed, threatened several times, but manages to keep going. It takes a while and he has to return to DC under guard before the case is finally closed. (no giving away the ending here)

ISBN - 978-0-316-01872-2, Suspense, Pages - 406, Print Size - R, Rating - 4.75

2008 # 143

J. D. Robb - Salvation in Death - Finished - 11/22/2008

The latest Eve Dallas adventure. A Priest is poisoned in the middle of a funeral Mass, a few days later a Evangelist is poisoned in the middle of a revival meeting. Are the cases related? Eve and the crew have the task of finding out.

ISBN - 978-1-59722-788-9, Suspense, Pages - 564, Print Size - L, Rating - 4.55

2008 # 142

Leonard S. Goldberg - Deadly Harvest - Finished - 11/21/2008

PB - This is my second book by this author and it featured the same characters as the first one. Joanna Blalock , forensic pathologist and Detective Lt. Jake SInclair are caught up in another murder investigation which leads them into the under world of organ transplants. Meanwhile Joanna's sister is fighting for her life having contracted an unknown virus in Latin America while on an archeological expedition. The case gets more involved with more murders and fights over victim's estate, but eventually there is a convergence and a resolution. I will be keeping an eye out for more of Goldberg's books.

ISBN - 0-451-18743-1, Suspense, Pages - 416, Print Size - R, Rating - 4.5

2008 # 141

Leonard S. Goldberg - A Deadly Practice - Finished - 11/18/2008

PB - Pathologist Dr. Joanna Blalock is a defendant in a malpractice trial and is called in when one of her codefendants is fond murdered in the hospital soon followed by two more of her codefendants. Who and why is doing the killing is the meat of this book which moves along at a good pace till the culprit is uncovered.

ISBN - 0-451-17945-5, Suspense, Pages - 318, Print Size - R, Rating - 4.25

2008 # 140

Peter Robinson - Friend of the Devil - Finished - 11/16/2008

From the author's web site. "One morning in March, on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea, a woman named Karen Drew is found in her wheelchair with her throat slit. Back in Eastvale on that same morning, in a tangle of narrow alleys behind a market square, the body of Hayley Daniels is found raped and strangled." Definitely a British mystery and quite "current" time wise. It was good with 3 investigations slowly merging and several "I bet it was him/her" which it wasn't. I will be on the look out for some more of his books.

ISBN - 978-0-06-054437-9, , Pages - 371, Print Size - R, Rating - 4.5