Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday


Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection are:







Stake & Eggs (A Cackleberry Club Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs presents the best way to start your day — with a hearty breakfast and a side of hard-boiled murder.

Suzanne, Toni, and Petra found a second life after losing their husbands—opening their own successful business, the Cackleberry Club cafè. But the three women never expected sleuthing to be the special of the day…

A KILLER HAS THE TOWN WALKING ON EGG SHELLS

When a snowmobile crashes into the woods behind the Cackleberry Club cafè, Suzanne finds her town’s most-hated banker beheaded by a wire staked in the snow. Now some of her best customers are prime suspects with a bushel of motives, and the murder investigation is snowballing. An elusive young runaway may be the Cackleberry Club’s only way to crack the case … provided Suzanne can keep her head long enough to track down the cold-blooded killer.


Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley (November 6, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425255573
ISBN-13: 978-0425255575

Happy Halloween





Happy Halloween Everyone!

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Beautiful Sacrifice LP: A Novel [Large Print] [Paperback]



I've finished "Beautiful Sacrifice" by Elizabeth Lowell.

According to Maya legend, December 21, 2012, will mark the end of the world as we know it. Is it myth   or will their prediction become reality?

Archaeologist Lina Taylor has devoted her life to studying ancient Maya artifacts, splitting her time between digs in South America and the classroom teaching college students. But the professor's structured, academic life is about to spin out of control. Some extremely valuable and important Maya artifacts have gone missing. Are the culprits fanatics determined to create chaos and usher in annihilation?

Helping out a friend, former immigration and customs enforcement officer Hunter Johnston is determined to recover the missing pieces and he needs Lina's help. A man used to calling the shots and working alone, he isn't comfortable letting anyone get close, especially a beautiful and brainy woman like Lina. His gift for reading people tells him there's a lot going on below that professional exterior, and he's more than a little curious to probe her depths.

About the Author

Elizabeth Lowell's acclaimed suspense novels include the New York Times bestsellers Death Echo, Blue Smoke and Murder, Innocent as Sin, The Wrong Hostage, Always Time to Die, The Color of Death, Die in Plain Sight, Running Scared, and Moving Target, as well as the four books featuring the Donovan family: Amber Beach, Jade Island, Pearl Cove, and Midnight in Ruby Bayou. Lowell has more than thirty million books in print. She lives in Nevada with her husband, with whom she writes mystery novels under a pseudonym.

Product Details
Paperback: 528 pages
Publisher: HarperLuxe; Lgr edition (May 22, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0062128302
ISBN-13: 978-0062128300


My Review:

Lina Taylor is an Archaeologist and college professor who has dedicated her life to studying ancient Mayan artifacts at South American digs.

Hunter Johnston is a former immigration and customs enforcement officer who helps his friend being accused of stealing some priceless and rare artifacts.  During a recent arrest some rare and priceless artifacts went missing that would guarantee it's owner a wealthy lifestyle and an importance in the social world.   If he can't locate the artifacts he will be fired but there is a complication he is married and his wife Ali is pregnant and they have five kids already.  Hunter enlists Lina's help in recovering the artifacts.

We learn these artifacts are used in a blood sacrifice ritual which revolves around the Mayan calendar prophecy.  As they investigate further blood sacrifices are being conducted and Lina becomes a target of a man named El Maya.  He will make sure nothing will stop him from bringing her to him.

This was a great action romantic suspense mystery with graphic violence and sexuality.  The author did a great job of researching the Mayan culture and it had a lot of edge of your seat suspense.

4/5  

New Releases 2012 (Oct 30)




Stalked (Lucy Kincaid Novels) [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

Stalked

Allison BrennanLucy Kincaid returns — as a killer’s obsession.

IN THE GAME OF CRIME


A new trainee at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Lucy Kincaid has already seen more than her share of murder and mayhem. Still reeling from the sex-crime case that sealed her reputation, she’s found a true friend and mentor in Agent Tony Presidio. No matter what goes down at the Bureau, Tony’s got her back — until he’s called to New York to help investigate the murder of a reporter with ties to Lucy.

NEVER PLAY THE VICTIM

But the reporter may not be the first victim of a patient killer with a penchant for revenge, and she’s definitely not the last. Connections between closed cases, a missing person, and Tony himself lead Lucy to fear for those she cares for most. When the FBI is rocked by the death of one of their own, Lucy seeks the help of her boyfriend, private investigator Sean Rogan, to help put together the puzzle — and puts her career in jeopardy. But the harder she pushes for answers, the clearer the truth becomes: There’s a killer inside Quantico. Watching her every move. Waiting to kill again …

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books (October 30, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1250005965
ISBN-13: 978-1250005960








Scorched [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

Kelsey Quinn set out to trace a murder victim. Now she may become one.

The dead don’t speak, but Kelsey knows their secrets. As a forensic anthropologist at the Delphi Center crime lab, Kelsey makes it her mission to identify bodies using no more than shards of bone, and her find at a remote Philippines dig hints at a sinister story. When Kelsey’s search for answers puts her at the scene of her exfiancé’s murder, only one man can help her. The same man who broke her heart just months before, and who is also a prime suspect. Faced with an ultimatum — Kelsey or his job — Gage Brewer did the only thing a Navy SEAL could . . . but that doesn’t mean he stopped wanting Kelsey. Now Kelsey is running for her life and Gage is her last line of defense. As the threats escalate, Kelsey realizes this conspiracy goes deeper and higher than they could have guessed. With the clock ticking down on a madman’s plot, the slightest misstep will have unthinkable consequences . . . .

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books (October 30, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1451617399
ISBN-13: 978-1451617399






Stolen: A Novel of Romantic Suspense [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

This thrilling and super sexy novel from bestselling romantic suspense author Shiloh Walker will appeal to fans of Allison Brennan and Linda Howard.

Shay Morgan has stayed hidden for a long time. Living a reclusive life in Earth’s End, Alaska, she’s as far away as she can get from the trauma of her childhood and the man who hurt her long ago. But terror takes over Shay’s life yet again when an unknown stalker steals away the fragile peace she’s built for herself — targeting not only her but the one man who’s ever managed to get past the walls she’s built around herself.

Elliot Winter has lived through being falsely accused before — it ruined his military career. Now it’s happening all over again. And this time, his accuser is a twisted impostor who’s targeting his ex-girlfriend, Shay. Despite a fierce mutual attraction, Shay and Elliot broke up because Shay couldn’t let her guard down, couldn’t let Elliot in. But now they both need to trust each other to confront a psycho who seems to know all their secrets.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (October 30, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0345531906
ISBN-13: 978-0345531902

Monday, October 29, 2012

Its Monday! What Are You Reading? (Oct 29)


What Are You Reading is a weekly Monday Meme that is hosted by Sheila from One Persons Journey: http://bookjourney.wordpress.com

Post the books you read last week, book currently being read and books you plan on finishing this week.

Last week I read:

1.  The Other Woman - Hank Phillippe Ryan
2.  Beautiful Sacrifice - Elizabeth Lowell

I’m currently reading:

1.  Last Wool and Testament - Molly MacRae

Here's the link:

http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/2012/10/28/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-162 

Saturday, October 27, 2012

The Other Woman [Hardcover]



I've finished "The Other Woman" by Hank Phillippe Ryan.

Product Description

Jane Ryland was a rising star in television news … until she refused to reveal a source and lost everything. Now a disgraced newspaper reporter, Jane isn’t content to work on her assigned puff pieces, and finds herself tracking down a candidate’s secret mistress just days before a pivotal Senate election.

Detective Jake Brogan is investigating a possible serial killer. Twice, bodies of unidentified women have been found by a bridge, and Jake is plagued by a media swarm beginning to buzz about a “bridge killer” hunting the young women of Boston.

As the body count rises and election looms closer, it becomes clear to Jane and Jake that their cases are connected … and that they may be facing a ruthless killer who will stop at nothing to silence a scandal.

Dirty politics, dirty tricks, and a barrage of final twists, The Other Woman is the first in an explosive new series by Hank Phillippi Ryan. Seduction, betrayal, and murder — it’ll take a lot more than votes to win this election.

About the Author

A former US Senate staffer and political campaign aide, HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN is the investigative reporter for Boston's NBC affiliate, and has won twenty-seven Emmys and ten Edward R. Murrow awards. A bestselling author of four mystery novels, Ryan has won the Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. She’s on the national board of directors of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.


Product Details
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Forge Books; First Edition edition (September 4, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0765332574
ISBN-13: 978-0765332578

My Review:

Jane Ryland loses her TV newspaper reporter job when she refuses to give up her source.  Her friend Detective Jake Brogan recommends her name at a Boston newspaper.  It is far away from her old job but it gives her a pay cheque.

Her first job assignment is to find and interview Moira Lassiter wife of the former Governor who is now a candidate for Senate.  She is given the run around from Lassister's lackey's who would either not or can't tell her where Moira is which makes her think a scandal is involved.

Jake Brogan is the lead detective on a case where attractive young women's bodies are found near or under major bridges by water located in Boston.  Not one of the bodies have identification on them and Jake and his partner are determined to find out their identity, who killed them and why.  Several newspaper articles are covering the killings done by a serial killer they are calling the Bridge Killer.

As both Jane and Jake investigate further they find out both their cases overlap.  To make matter worse Jane realizes her interest in Jake turns romantic which would result in her unhappiness and disaster to her already broken life.

This book had lots of twists and turns with would result in your thinking a certain person was involved, etc and it was very intense.

4/5

Thanks Tor Forge books for sending me this book to review, greatly appreciated!

In the Mail Saturday 2012 (Oct 27)


In the Mail Saturday is hosted every Saturday at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews.

I received this in the mail this week.

For Review:





NYPD Red [Hardcover]

Product Description

It's the start of Hollywood on Hudson, and New York City is swept up in the glamour. Every night, the red carpet rolls out for movie stars arriving at premieres in limos; the most exclusive restaurants close for private parties for wealthy producers and preeminent directors; and thousands of fans gather with the paparazzi, hoping to catch a glimpse of the most famous and beautiful faces in the world. With this many celebrities in town, special task force NYPD Red is on high alert-and they can't afford to make a single mistake.

Then a world-renowned producer fatally collapses at his power breakfast, and top NYPD Red Detective Zach Jordan is the first one on the scene. Zach works with his beautiful new partner, Detective Kylie MacDonald-who also happens to be his ex-girlfriend-to discover who the murderer might be. But this is only the beginning: the most brutal, public, and horrifyingly spectacular crimes they've ever encountered are about to send all of New York into chaos, putting NYPD Red on the ropes.

Zach and Kylie know there's no way of telling what a killer this deranged will do next. With the whole world watching, they have to find a way to stop a psychopath who has scripted his finale down to the last explosive detail.

Product Details
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; First Edition first Printing edition (October 8, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316199869
ISBN-13: 978-0316199865

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday


Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection are:






Stalked (Lucy Kincaid Novels) [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

Stalked

Allison BrennanLucy Kincaid returns — as a killer’s obsession.

IN THE GAME OF CRIME


A new trainee at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Lucy Kincaid has already seen more than her share of murder and mayhem. Still reeling from the sex-crime case that sealed her reputation, she’s found a true friend and mentor in Agent Tony Presidio. No matter what goes down at the Bureau, Tony’s got her back — until he’s called to New York to help investigate the murder of a reporter with ties to Lucy.

NEVER PLAY THE VICTIM

But the reporter may not be the first victim of a patient killer with a penchant for revenge, and she’s definitely not the last. Connections between closed cases, a missing person, and Tony himself lead Lucy to fear for those she cares for most. When the FBI is rocked by the death of one of their own, Lucy seeks the help of her boyfriend, private investigator Sean Rogan, to help put together the puzzle — and puts her career in jeopardy. But the harder she pushes for answers, the clearer the truth becomes: There’s a killer inside Quantico. Watching her every move. Waiting to kill again …

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books (October 30, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1250005965
ISBN-13: 978-1250005960








Scorched [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

Kelsey Quinn set out to trace a murder victim. Now she may become one.

The dead don’t speak, but Kelsey knows their secrets. As a forensic anthropologist at the Delphi Center crime lab, Kelsey makes it her mission to identify bodies using no more than shards of bone, and her find at a remote Philippines dig hints at a sinister story. When Kelsey’s search for answers puts her at the scene of her exfiancé’s murder, only one man can help her. The same man who broke her heart just months before, and who is also a prime suspect. Faced with an ultimatum — Kelsey or his job — Gage Brewer did the only thing a Navy SEAL could . . . but that doesn’t mean he stopped wanting Kelsey. Now Kelsey is running for her life and Gage is her last line of defense. As the threats escalate, Kelsey realizes this conspiracy goes deeper and higher than they could have guessed. With the clock ticking down on a madman’s plot, the slightest misstep will have unthinkable consequences . . . .

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books (October 30, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1451617399
ISBN-13: 978-1451617399






Stolen: A Novel of Romantic Suspense [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

This thrilling and super sexy novel from bestselling romantic suspense author Shiloh Walker will appeal to fans of Allison Brennan and Linda Howard.

Shay Morgan has stayed hidden for a long time. Living a reclusive life in Earth’s End, Alaska, she’s as far away as she can get from the trauma of her childhood and the man who hurt her long ago. But terror takes over Shay’s life yet again when an unknown stalker steals away the fragile peace she’s built for herself — targeting not only her but the one man who’s ever managed to get past the walls she’s built around herself.

Elliot Winter has lived through being falsely accused before — it ruined his military career. Now it’s happening all over again. And this time, his accuser is a twisted impostor who’s targeting his ex-girlfriend, Shay. Despite a fierce mutual attraction, Shay and Elliot broke up because Shay couldn’t let her guard down, couldn’t let Elliot in. But now they both need to trust each other to confront a psycho who seems to know all their secrets.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (October 30, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0345531906
ISBN-13: 978-0345531902

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Robert B. Parker's Fool Me Twice (A Jesse Stone Novel) [Hardcover]



I've finished "Fool Me Twice" a book in the Jesse Stone series originally by Robert B. Parker but now written by Michael Brandman.

Product Description

Summer in Paradise, Massachusetts, is usually an idyllic season — but not this time. A Hollywood movie company has come to town, and brought with it a huge cast, crew, and a troubled star. Marisol Hinton is very beautiful, reasonably talented, and scared out of her wits that her estranged husband's jealousy might take a dangerous turn. When she becomes the subject of a death threat, Jesse and the rest of the Paradise police department go on high alert.

And when Jesse witnesses a horrifying collision caused by a distracted teenage driver, the political repercussions of her arrest bring him into conflict with the local selectment, the DA, and some people with very deep pockets. There's murder in the air, and it's Jesse's reputation as an uncompromising defender of the law — and his life — on the line.


About the Author

Robert B. Parker was the author of more than fifty books. He died in January 2010. Michael Brandman is the author of the New York Times bestseller Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues. He is the award-winning producer of more than thirty motion pictures, and collaborated with Robert B. Parker for years on movie projects, the Spenser TV movies, and the Jesse Stone series of TV movies starring Tom Selleck. Brandman cowrote the screenplays for Stone Cold, No Remorse, and Innocents Lost, and supervised the screenplay adaptations of Night Passage, Death in Paradise, and Sea Change. He lives in California.

Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Putnam Adult; First Edition edition (September 11, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399159495
ISBN-13: 978-0399159497


My Review:

A big movie crew has arrived in town to shoot a film with popular actress Marisol Hinton.  Marisol has recently divorced her husband (he's also an actor) and uses this opportunity to get away from him (he's been stalking her).  He has no money and he is determined to get revenge by killing her and receiving the life insurance.  Jesse has suggested a bodyguard and Wilson Cromartie (aka Crow) is hired by his recommendation.

Meanwhile Jesse has witnessed a car accident between a young debutante teenager who is on the phone texting instead of paying attention to the road.  He decides to go all out to get her while everyone around him to leave her alone since her family is wealthy.  He soon realizes she is troubled and hopes he is able to reach out to her and tear down her walls.

Also Jesse has received some phone calls their water bills have been higher than usual.  The thing is there is no mention of any rate increases.

This is a very fast read with a lot of dialogue which kept the plot moving.  Jesse seems more caring and sensitive in this one.

3.5/5

New Release 2012 (Oct 23)




The Waterfall [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

Three years after the sudden death of her husband, Lucy Blacker Swift has finally got things under control. Leaving behind the cutthroat world of Washington, Lucy and her two children move to a Vermont farmhouse and start to rebuild their lives. But a string of unexplained events — late-night hang-ups, a bullet through a window — threatens her new life.

Unwilling to turn to her powerful father-in-law, Senator Jack Swift, Lucy tracks down Sebastian Redwing, an international security expert her late husband asked her to contact if she ever needed help. Sebastian, though, wants nothing to do with her problems … or with a woman he's been half in love with since her wedding day.

But Sebastian knows he has no choice, and reluctantly he becomes drawn with Lucy into a dangerous tangle of blackmail, vengeance and betrayal, with Lucy's powerful family — and Sebastian's troubled past — smack in the middle.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA; Reissue edition (October 23, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 077831393X
ISBN-13: 978-0778313939

Monday, October 22, 2012

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Oct 22)


What Are You Reading is a weekly Monday Meme that is hosted by Sheila from One Persons Journey: http://bookjourney.wordpress.com

Post the books you read last week, book currently being read and books you plan on finishing this week.

Last week I read:

1.  Now You See Me - S.J. Bolton
2.  The Guardian - Catherine Mann

I’m currently reading:

1.  The Other Woman - Hank Phillip Ryan

Books I’m planning on reading this week:

1.  Beautiful Sacrifice - Elizabeth Lowell

Here's the link:

http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/2012/10/21/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-161 

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Library Haul 2012 (Oct 21 - 27)


Here's the list of books I picked up from the library this week:

Softcover:

1.  Beautiful Sacrifice - Elizabeth Lowell

What did you pick up from the library this week?

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Guardian (Dark Ops) [Mass Market Paperback]


I've finished "Guardian" the 5th book in her Dark Ops series by Catherine Mann.

Product Description

THEY’D DO ANYTHING FOR COUNTRY.

AND EVERYTHING FOR EACH OTHER.


After a dark ops malfunction, Major David Berg finds himself dead center in a military trial. It’s a race against time to root out the truth, and Major Sophie Campbell isn’t making that any easier. The hot JAG wants to bring down David’s unit and fast. His testimony is crucial to winning a case that will make her career. All Sophie has to do is ignore this witness’s unflappable charm, his unnerving good looks, and a strong, solid presence that commands her attention.

It’s not easy for David, either. His attraction to this take-charge beauty is turning him inside out. But these adversaries have more in common than secret, mutual desire. There’s a traitor somewhere in the dark ops and now, to find him, David and Sophie must work together — relentlessly, tirelessly, and so intimately it could be damn near fatal.

Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley; Original edition (September 4, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425250997
ISBN-13: 978-0425250990


My Review:

Major Sophie Campbell is a JAG lawyer determined to find out the truth behind a tragic shooting which result in a young boy being shot and crippled.  If she wins this case it would help the boy but ruin the career of the pilot involved with a spotless record.  She believes she has no time for a real relationship but Major David Berg revs up her engine and she is determined to ignore her attraction.

Major David Berg is the director in charge of the unit that was testing the military guns and knows his pilot didn't cause the gun to malfunction.  He can't figure out what caused the gun to misfire by itself and decides to team up with Sophie to find out the truth.  He has had feelings for Sophie for awhile and when she is put in danger he takes it personally.

As they investigate further the attraction between them is harder and harder to ignore and they finally give in to it.  As they get closer to the truth someone doesn't want them to find out the real truth and resorts to murder to accomplish that.

I really like how there were red herrings that would cause to think a certain person was to blame and when we finally find out who the culprit is - I was quite surprised and never would have guessed it would be that person.

The attraction between Sophie and David was very hot, sizzling and steamy.  When they finally give into their desire it was really hot and loving.

In the Mail Saturday 2012 (Oct 20)


In the Mail Saturday is hosted every Saturday at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews.

I received this in the mail this week.

For Review:








Scorched [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

Kelsey Quinn set out to trace a murder victim. Now she may become one.

The dead don’t speak, but Kelsey knows their secrets. As a forensic anthropologist at the Delphi Center crime lab, Kelsey makes it her mission to identify bodies using no more than shards of bone, and her find at a remote Philippines dig hints at a sinister story. When Kelsey’s search for answers puts her at the scene of her exfiancé’s murder, only one man can help her. The same man who broke her heart just months before, and who is also a prime suspect. Faced with an ultimatum — Kelsey or his job — Gage Brewer did the only thing a Navy SEAL could . . . but that doesn’t mean he stopped wanting Kelsey. Now Kelsey is running for her life and Gage is her last line of defense. As the threats escalate, Kelsey realizes this conspiracy goes deeper and higher than they could have guessed. With the clock ticking down on a madman’s plot, the slightest misstep will have unthinkable consequences . . . .


Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books (October 30, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1451617399
ISBN-13: 978-1451617399

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Now You See Me [Mass Market Paperback]



I've finished "Now You See Me" the 1st book in her Lacey Flint series by S.J. Bolton.

Product Description

Lacey Flint is a London policewoman with a secret past, a morbid fascination with serial killers and a curiously empty flat. On the job she's quiet and plainly dressed. At night she has an unusual social life.

When Lacey returns to her car one evening to find a woman fatally stabbed right by it, she is taken in for questioning, but then a hand-delivered letter suggests the killer has a special interest in Lacey herself.

Suddenly she is at the centre of a terrifying murder hunt, working with the smart but damaged DI Dana Tulloch and the hostile DI Mark Joesbury, another person who seems curiously fascinated with Lacey.

Is Joesbury's interest in Lacey personal or professional? Will Lacey cope as the case pushes her into the limelight? And does the team have the skill to outwit one of the nastiest serial killers Londoners have fallen prey to since the killer's infamous role model ... Jack the Ripper.

About the Author

S. J. BOLTON was born in Lancashire. Her debut, Sacrifice, was nominated for the International Thriller Writers Award for Best First Novel, and in France the prestigious Prix Polar SNCF Award. Awakening won the Mary Higgins Clark award for thriller of the year. Blood Harvest has been shortlisted for the 2010 CWA Gold Dagger. Now You See Me is her fourth novel. She lives near Oxford with her husband and young son.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Corgi (May 21, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0552159808
ISBN-13: 978-0552159807


My Review:

Lacey Flint is a young London police officer who happens to stumbled upon a woman stabbed just moments again right next to her car.  Within 24 hours a freelance journalist receives an anonymous letter describing the similarities between this stabbing to the Jack the Ripper's first murder and it also mentions Lacey's name.

As Lacey and the detectives investigate further more bodies start showing up similar in fashion to the five cationic Jack the Ripper victims.  We learn that Lacey has dark secret that she doesn't want anyone to find out and it's quite ugly.

I've always been fascinated by the Jack the Ripper legend and was really glad how S.J. Bolton interwoven the myths and legends into her modern day mystery.  It was interesting to learn that Jack could have even been a women and that is why the victims didn't cry out.


4/5

New Releases 2012 (Oct 16)








Sleep No More: An Eve Duncan Novel [Hardcover]

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen comes a new thriller that will have Eve Duncan questioning everything she thought she knew about her family and her past

One woman held captive for decades …

Another one freed by the truth …


Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan knows what it's like to be haunted by the past. For years after her daughter Bonnie was stolen from her, she fought for closure. But now as she's striving to begin anew, she can't shake the feeling that something terrible is about to happen — or maybe already has. When her mother, Sandra, asks for help in finding a missing friend named Beth Avery, Eve is sure that she's hiding something. It’s odd that Sandra would get involved at all, and the fact that she adamantly refuses to go to the police for help reinforces Eve’s suspicions that something is very wrong.

Eve learns that Beth has been locked away in a mental hospital for years, which makes it even harder to understand how she could have disappeared. As Sandra reluctantly reveals small pieces of the truth about Beth's identity, Eve is shocked to discover that their lives are strangely entwined, and Beth's disappearance now puts them all in grave danger.

Desperate, Eve enlists a secret weapon to pick up Beth's trail: rogue profiler, Kendra Michaels. With an uncanny ability to detect clues and solve puzzles, Kendra begins to uncover the bizarre circumstances of Beth's escape from what should have been the safety of her hospital room. Beth is on the run, and as her mind clears -- detoxing from the drugs that have held her prisoner -- she begins to see the threads of a twisted plot within the powerful Avery family, threatening to destroy Beth and anyone else who might jeopardize the high-stakes game that is already in play. Sleep No More is Iris Johansen at her absolute best.


Product Details
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (October 16, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312651244
ISBN-13: 978-0312651244









The Bone Bed (A Scarpetta Novel) [Hardcover]

A woman has vanished while digging a dinosaur bone bed in the remote wilderness of Canada. Somehow, the only evidence has made its way to the inbox of Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta, over two thousand miles away in Boston. She has no idea why. But as events unfold with alarming speed, Scarpetta begins to suspect that the paleontologist’s disappearance is connected to a series of crimes much closer to home: a gruesome murder, inexplicable tortures, and trace evidence from the last living creatures of the dinosaur age.

When she turns to those around her, Scarpetta finds that the danger and suspicion have penetrated even her closest circles. Her niece Lucy speaks in riddles. Her lead investigator, Pete Marino, and FBI forensic psychologist and husband, Benton Wesley, have secrets of their own. Feeling alone and betrayed, Scarpetta is tempted by someone from her past as she tracks a killer both cunning and cruel.

This is Kay Scarpetta as you have never seen her before. The Bone Bed is a must read for any fan of this series, or an ideal starting point for new readers.

Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Hardcover: 480 pages
Publisher: Putnam Adult (October 16, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399157565
ISBN-13: 978-0399157561

Monday, October 15, 2012

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Oct 15)





What Are You Reading is a weekly Monday Meme that is hosted by Sheila from One Persons Journey: http://bookjourney.wordpress.com

Post the books you read last week, book currently being read and books you plan on finishing this week.

Last week I read:

1.  Iced Chiffon - Duffy Brown
2.  Delusion in Death - J.D. Robb
3.  Robert B. Parker's Fool Me Twice - Michael Brandmann

I’m currently reading:

1.  Now You See Me - S.J. Bolton

Books I’m planning on reading this week:

1.  The Guardian - Catherine Mann

Here's the link:

http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/2012/10/14/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-160 

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Delusion in Death [Hardcover]



I've finished "Delusion in Death" the book in her In Death series by J.D. Robb.

Product Description

It was just another after-work happy-hour bar downtown, where business professionals unwound with a few drinks . .  .until something went terribly wrong. And after twelve minutes of chaos and violence, eighty people lay dead.

Lieutenant Eve Dallas is trying to sort out the inexplicable events. Surviving witnesses talk about seeing things — monsters and swarms of bees. They describe sudden, overwhelming feelings of fear and rage and paranoia. When forensics gives its report, the mass delusions make more sense: It appears the bar patrons were exposed to a cocktail of chemicals and illegal drugs that could drive anyone to temporary insanity — if not kill them outright.

But that doesn’t explain who would unleash such horror — or why. And if Eve can’t figure it out fast, it could happen again, anytime, anywhere. Because it’s airborne . . . .


About the Author

J. D. ROBB is the pseudonym for a number-one New York Times–bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including the futuristic suspense In Death series. There are more than 400 million copies of her books in print.


Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Putnam Adult; BOOK CLUB edition (September 11, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399158812
ISBN-13: 978-0399158810


My Review:

The book opens with happy hour at a downtown bar with people meeting and relaxing after a hard day at work.  Than all of a sudden the customers and staff first get a headache and then suddenly something horrible happens.  Twelve minutes later more than eighty people are dead by horrendous means.

Lieutenant Eve Dallas thought she has seen everything but nothing quite like this.  All of the victims killed each other with whatever was close by and it's not a pretty sight.  Only a few survivors were recovered and then all report seeing delusions.  Eve discovers that everyone was exposed to a deadly cocktail of drugs that is distributed though the air to cause homicidal tendencies.

Eve has to rely heavily on Rorke's computer skills and we see how their relationship has evolved since the beginning to now.  Eve has grown so much since then and she listens to Roarke when he finally confronts her about her nightmares and how it affects him.

5/5

In The Mail Saturday 2012 (Oct 13)


In the Mail Saturday is hosted every Saturday at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews.

I received these in the mail this week.

For Review:






Sleep No More: An Eve Duncan Novel [Hardcover]

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen comes a new thriller that will have Eve Duncan questioning everything she thought she knew about her family and her past

One woman held captive for decades …

Another one freed by the truth …


Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan knows what it's like to be haunted by the past. For years after her daughter Bonnie was stolen from her, she fought for closure. But now as she's striving to begin anew, she can't shake the feeling that something terrible is about to happen — or maybe already has. When her mother, Sandra, asks for help in finding a missing friend named Beth Avery, Eve is sure that she's hiding something. It’s odd that Sandra would get involved at all, and the fact that she adamantly refuses to go to the police for help reinforces Eve’s suspicions that something is very wrong.

Eve learns that Beth has been locked away in a mental hospital for years, which makes it even harder to understand how she could have disappeared. As Sandra reluctantly reveals small pieces of the truth about Beth's identity, Eve is shocked to discover that their lives are strangely entwined, and Beth's disappearance now puts them all in grave danger.

Desperate, Eve enlists a secret weapon to pick up Beth's trail: rogue profiler, Kendra Michaels. With an uncanny ability to detect clues and solve puzzles, Kendra begins to uncover the bizarre circumstances of Beth's escape from what should have been the safety of her hospital room. Beth is on the run, and as her mind clears -- detoxing from the drugs that have held her prisoner -- she begins to see the threads of a twisted plot within the powerful Avery family, threatening to destroy Beth and anyone else who might jeopardize the high-stakes game that is already in play. Sleep No More is Iris Johansen at her absolute best.

Product Details
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (October 16, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312651244
ISBN-13: 978-0312651244












Stalked (Lucy Kincaid Novels) [Mass Market Paperback]

Stalked

Allison Brennan


Lucy Kincaid returns — as a killer’s obsession.

IN THE GAME OF CRIME


A new trainee at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Lucy Kincaid has already seen more than her share of murder and mayhem. Still reeling from the sex-crime case that sealed her reputation, she’s found a true friend and mentor in Agent Tony Presidio. No matter what goes down at the Bureau, Tony’s got her back — until he’s called to New York to help investigate the murder of a reporter with ties to Lucy.

NEVER PLAY THE VICTIM

But the reporter may not be the first victim of a patient killer with a penchant for revenge, and she’s definitely not the last. Connections between closed cases, a missing person, and Tony himself lead Lucy to fear for those she cares for most. When the FBI is rocked by the death of one of their own, Lucy seeks the help of her boyfriend, private investigator Sean Rogan, to help put together the puzzle — and puts her career in jeopardy. But the harder she pushes for answers, the clearer the truth becomes: There’s a killer inside Quantico. Watching her every move. Waiting to kill again …

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books (October 30, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1250005965
ISBN-13: 978-1250005960

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Iced Chiffon (A Consignment Shop Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]



I've finished "Iced Chiffon" the 1st book in her Consignment Shop series by Duffy Brown.

Product Description

There’s always something to gossip about in Savannah, Georgia, and Reagan Summerside always seems to be in the middle of it. She’s busy enough running her consignment shop, The Prissy Fox, with her vivacious Auntie KiKi, but now the gossip — and the sales — are about to pick up after a gruesome discovery …

Reagan’s messy divorce has left her with nothing but a run-down Victorian and a bunch of designer clothes. Strapped for cash, Reagan makes use of the two things she has left, turning the first floor of her home into a consignment shop and filling it with the remnants of her rich-wife wardrobe.

Thanks to his cunning lawyer Walker Boone, her ex got everything else, including the Lexus — not to mention a young blond cupcake. When Reagan finds the cupcake dead in the Lexus, she’s determined to beat Boone to finding the murderer. As it turns out, the gossip fiends flooding Reagan’s shop will give her a lot more than just their unwanted clothes — they have information more precious than a vintage Louis Vuitton.
 
About the Author

Duffy Brown loves anything with a mystery. While other girls dreamed of dating Brad Pitt, Duffy longed to take Sherlock Holmes to the prom. She has two cats, Spooky and Dr. Watson, and works at a consignment shop when she’s not busy conjuring up who-done-it stories. 
 
Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley; Original edition (October 2, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425251608
ISBN-13: 978-0425251607
 
My Review:
 
Reagan Summerside is in the middle of a messy divorce and the only thing she got out of it is her Victorian house Cherryhill.  She is in desperate need of money to pay off the bills so she has decided to convert her side of the Victorian house into a consignment shop called Prissy Fox.
 
When she borrows her ex's Lexus to deliver a water fountain she finds the dead body of his new girlfriend in the trunk.  Now Hollis (her ex) is the major suspect and has decided to sell Cherryhill to pay his attorney Walker Boone. Reagan decides to find out who the killer is to keep Walker's bill down to the bare minimum.  

This was a very funny cozy with some quirky and hilarious characters for ex:  Elsie and AnnieFritz, and Reagan's Aunt Kiki.
 
4/5

Waiting on Wednesday


Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection are:







Sleep No More: An Eve Duncan Novel [Hardcover]

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen comes a new thriller that will have Eve Duncan questioning everything she thought she knew about her family and her past

One woman held captive for decades …

Another one freed by the truth …


Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan knows what it's like to be haunted by the past. For years after her daughter Bonnie was stolen from her, she fought for closure. But now as she's striving to begin anew, she can't shake the feeling that something terrible is about to happen — or maybe already has. When her mother, Sandra, asks for help in finding a missing friend named Beth Avery, Eve is sure that she's hiding something. It’s odd that Sandra would get involved at all, and the fact that she adamantly refuses to go to the police for help reinforces Eve’s suspicions that something is very wrong.

Eve learns that Beth has been locked away in a mental hospital for years, which makes it even harder to understand how she could have disappeared. As Sandra reluctantly reveals small pieces of the truth about Beth's identity, Eve is shocked to discover that their lives are strangely entwined, and Beth's disappearance now puts them all in grave danger.

Desperate, Eve enlists a secret weapon to pick up Beth's trail: rogue profiler, Kendra Michaels. With an uncanny ability to detect clues and solve puzzles, Kendra begins to uncover the bizarre circumstances of Beth's escape from what should have been the safety of her hospital room. Beth is on the run, and as her mind clears -- detoxing from the drugs that have held her prisoner -- she begins to see the threads of a twisted plot within the powerful Avery family, threatening to destroy Beth and anyone else who might jeopardize the high-stakes game that is already in play. Sleep No More is Iris Johansen at her absolute best.


Product Details
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (October 16, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312651244
ISBN-13: 978-0312651244









The Bone Bed (A Scarpetta Novel) [Hardcover]

A woman has vanished while digging a dinosaur bone bed in the remote wilderness of Canada. Somehow, the only evidence has made its way to the inbox of Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta, over two thousand miles away in Boston. She has no idea why. But as events unfold with alarming speed, Scarpetta begins to suspect that the paleontologist’s disappearance is connected to a series of crimes much closer to home: a gruesome murder, inexplicable tortures, and trace evidence from the last living creatures of the dinosaur age.

When she turns to those around her, Scarpetta finds that the danger and suspicion have penetrated even her closest circles. Her niece Lucy speaks in riddles. Her lead investigator, Pete Marino, and FBI forensic psychologist and husband, Benton Wesley, have secrets of their own. Feeling alone and betrayed, Scarpetta is tempted by someone from her past as she tracks a killer both cunning and cruel.

This is Kay Scarpetta as you have never seen her before. The Bone Bed is a must read for any fan of this series, or an ideal starting point for new readers.

Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Hardcover: 480 pages
Publisher: Putnam Adult (October 16, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399157565
ISBN-13: 978-0399157561

Monday, October 8, 2012

New Release 2012 (Oct 8)








NYPD Red [Hardcover]

Product Description

It's the start of Hollywood on Hudson, and New York City is swept up in the glamour. Every night, the red carpet rolls out for movie stars arriving at premieres in limos; the most exclusive restaurants close for private parties for wealthy producers and preeminent directors; and thousands of fans gather with the paparazzi, hoping to catch a glimpse of the most famous and beautiful faces in the world. With this many celebrities in town, special task force NYPD Red is on high alert-and they can't afford to make a single mistake.

Then a world-renowned producer fatally collapses at his power breakfast, and top NYPD Red Detective Zach Jordan is the first one on the scene. Zach works with his beautiful new partner, Detective Kylie MacDonald - who also happens to be his ex-girlfriend - to discover who the murderer might be. But this is only the beginning: the most brutal, public, and horrifyingly spectacular crimes they've ever encountered are about to send all of New York into chaos, putting NYPD Red on the ropes.

Zach and Kylie know there's no way of telling what a killer this deranged will do next. With the whole world watching, they have to find a way to stop a psychopath who has scripted his finale down to the last explosive detail. With larger-than-life action, relentless speed, and white-knuckle twists, NYPD Red is the next mega-blockbuster from "The Man Who Can't Miss."

Product Details
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (October 8, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316199869
ISBN-13: 978-0316199865



What Are You Reading is a weekly Monday Meme that is hosted by Sheila from One Persons Journey: http://bookjourney.wordpress.com

Post the books you read last week, book currently being read and books you plan on finishing this week.

Last week I read:

1.  Against the Storm - Kat Martin
2.  A Wanted Man - Lee Child
3.  Zoo - James Patterson

I’m currently reading:

1.  Iced Chiffon - Duffy Brown

Books I’m planning on reading this week:

1.  Delusion in Death - J.D. Robb
2.  Robert B. Parker's Fool Me Twice - Michael Brandmann

Here's the link:

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Oct 8)


What Are You Reading is a weekly Monday Meme that is hosted by Sheila from One Persons Journey: http://bookjourney.wordpress.com

Post the books you read last week, book currently being read and books you plan on finishing this week.

Last week I read:

1.  Against the Storm - Kat Martin
2.  A Wanted Man - Lee Child
3.  Zoo - James Patterson

I’m currently reading:

1.  Against the Storm - Kat Martin

Books I’m planning on reading this week:

1.  A Wanted Man - Lee Child
2.  Zoo - James Patterson

Here's the link:

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Zoo [Hardcover]



I've finished "Zoo" by James Patterson.

Product Description

Once in a lifetime, a writer puts it all together. This is James Patterson's best book ever.

Total


For 36 years, James Patterson has written unputdownable, pulse-racing novels. Now, he has written a book that surpasses all of them. ZOO is the thriller he was born to write.

World

All over the world, brutal attacks are crippling entire cities. Jackson Oz, a young biologist, watches the escalating events with an increasing sense of dread. When he witnesses a coordinated lion ambush in Africa, the enormity of the violence to come becomes terrifyingly clear.

Destruction

With the help of ecologist Chloe Tousignant, Oz races to warn world leaders before it's too late. The attacks are growing in ferocity, cunning, and planning, and soon there will be no place left for humans to hide.

About the Author

James Patterson has had more New York Times bestsellers than any other writer, ever, according to Guinness World Records. Since his first novel won the Edgar Award in 1977, James Patterson's books have sold more than 240 million copies. He is the author of the Alex Cross novels, the most popular detective series of the past twenty-five years, including Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider. Mr. Patterson also writes the bestselling Women's Murder Club novels, set in San Francisco, and the top-selling New York detective series of all time, featuring Detective Michael Bennett. He writes full-time and lives in Florida with his family.

Michael Ledwidge is the author of The Narrowback and Bad Connection, and the coauthor of several books with James Patterson, including the Michael Bennett series. He lives in New York City.


Product Details
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (September 3, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316097446
ISBN-13: 978-0316097444


My Review:

This book opens with a couple of brutal lion attacks against people (pretty gruesome stuff).  This book shows you what happens when animals are tired of being locked up in a cage, tired of being stuck in a house and eating really bad food.

The main character is Jackson a brilliant scientist who is complete smart ass.  He has hot sex-buddy who is with him even though he is known as a joke among the scientist world.  No one believes him about the animals being crazy - the ones that are still living.  He lives with a three-year old chimp named Attila who he stole from the research company he formerly worked for.  While working in Africa studying lion attacks his life is forever changed when he arrives home to find his former lover brutally murdered by Attila.

It was pretty shocking to hear what is causing all the animals to become murderous and dangerous.  It has to do with pheromones that triggers their killing instincts to attack in brutal fashion.

This book was a fast paced chilling and scary ride which will keep you up all night.
 
3/5

Saturday, October 6, 2012

In the Mail Saturday 2012 (Oct 6)



In the Mail Saturday is hosted every Saturday at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews.

I received these in the mail this week.

For Review:

The Other Woman [Hardcover]
Jane Ryland was a rising star in television news … until she refused to reveal a source and lost everything. Now a disgraced newspaper reporter, Jane isn’t content to work on her assigned puff pieces, and finds herself tracking down a candidate’s secret mistress just days before a pivotal Senate election.

Detective Jake Brogan is investigating a possible serial killer. Twice, bodies of unidentified women have been found by a bridge, and Jake is plagued by a media swarm beginning to buzz about a “bridge killer” hunting the young women of Boston.

As the body count rises and election looms closer, it becomes clear to Jane and Jake that their cases are connected … and that they may be facing a ruthless killer who will stop at nothing to silence a scandal.

Dirty politics, dirty tricks, and a barrage of final twists, The Other Woman is the first in an explosive new series by Hank Phillippi Ryan. Seduction, betrayal, and murder — it’ll take a lot more than votes to win this election.
Fallen Masters [Hardcover]
What do you get if you combine William Young’s The Shack with Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons? The answer is Fallen Masters, by New York Times bestselling author John Edward.

In the near future, signs and portents have begun to appear that point to a rushing cataclysm. Both political and religious world leaders see the patterns, and the scientific community confirm evidence of what they call “a dark matter” that is expanding into our universe, threatening the very fabric of our world.

But it will not be governments or religions upon whose actions the fate of the world rests. Rather it will be up to a small diverse group of men and women who will have to decide to use their free will to aid in the last great cosmic battle between good and evil as these apocalyptic forces clash — both here on Earth and on the Other Side.

An internationally renowned psychic, John Edward has helped millions of people to connect with loved ones on the Other Side. In Fallen Masters, Edward has written a riveting novel of metaphysical suspense, a final confrontation between good and evil as it unfolds on both the Earthly plane and the Other Side.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

A Wanted Man: A Jack Reacher Novel [Hardcover]



I've finished "A Wanted Man" the 17th book in his Jack Reacher series by Lee Child.

Product Description

Reacher is back! A Wanted Man is a new masterpiece of suspense — from #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child.

Four people in a car, hoping to make Chicago by morning. One man driving, eyes on the road. Another man next to him, telling stories that don’t add up. A woman in the back, silent and worried. And next to her, a huge man with a broken nose, hitching a ride east to Virginia.

An hour behind them, a man lies stabbed to death in an old pumping station. He was seen going in with two others, but he never came out. He has been executed, the knife work professional, the killers vanished. Within minutes, the police are notified. Within hours, the FBI descends, laying claim to the victim without ever saying who he was or why he was there.

All Reacher wanted was a ride to Virginia. All he did was stick out his thumb. But he soon discovers he has hitched more than a ride. He has tied himself to a massive conspiracy that makes him a threat — to both sides at once.

In Lee Child’s white-hot thriller, nothing is what it seems, and nobody is telling the truth. As the tension rises, the twists come fast and furious, keeping readers guessing and gasping until the explosive finale.


About the Author

Lee Child is the author of seventeen Jack Reacher thrillers, including the New York Times bestsellers Persuader, The Enemy, One Shot, and The Hard Way, and the #1 bestsellers The Affair, Worth Dying For, 61 Hours, Gone Tomorrow, Bad Luck and Trouble, and Nothing to Lose, as well as the short stories “Second Son” and “Deep Down.” His debut, Killing Floor, won both the Anthony and the Barry awards for Best First Mystery, and The Enemy won both the Barry and Nero awards for Best Novel. Foreign rights in the Reacher series have sold in more than forty territories. All titles have been optioned for major motion pictures. A native of England and a former television director, Child lives in New York City, where he is at work on his next thriller, Never Go Back.


Product Details
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press; First Edition edition (September 11, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385344333
ISBN-13: 978-0385344333


My Review:

A murder has taken place in middle of nowhere and the police already have a description of the car the two killers were seen driving off in.  The killers believe a third man in the car would help them get past the police road blocks.  They spot a hitchhiker on the road but unfortunately it's Jack Reacher who wants a ride out of Nebraska to Virginia.  As they get further away Reacher realizes there is something more about the people inside the car.  Back at the crime scene various agencies have gathered with different levels of skills and agendas with a female FBI agent as the key player (she's a female version of Reacher).

Finally the agents catch up with Reacher who was abandoned and when another murder takes place which gives them a clue to the killers.  Reacher teams up with a two female FBI agents to bring down the baddies with fatal results. We learn the reason who and why the first murder took place as Reacher closes on the killers.

The car scenes were very intense and suspenseful.

3/5

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday


Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:







NYPD Red [Hardcover]

Product Description

It's the start of Hollywood on Hudson, and New York City is swept up in the glamour. Every night, the red carpet rolls out for movie stars arriving at premieres in limos; the most exclusive restaurants close for private parties for wealthy producers and preeminent directors; and thousands of fans gather with the paparazzi, hoping to catch a glimpse of the most famous and beautiful faces in the world. With this many celebrities in town, special task force NYPD Red is on high alert-and they can't afford to make a single mistake.

Then a world-renowned producer fatally collapses at his power breakfast, and top NYPD Red Detective Zach Jordan is the first one on the scene. Zach works with his beautiful new partner, Detective Kylie MacDonald - who also happens to be his ex-girlfriend - to discover who the murderer might be. But this is only the beginning: the most brutal, public, and horrifyingly spectacular crimes they've ever encountered are about to send all of New York into chaos, putting NYPD Red on the ropes.

Zach and Kylie know there's no way of telling what a killer this deranged will do next. With the whole world watching, they have to find a way to stop a psychopath who has scripted his finale down to the last explosive detail. With larger-than-life action, relentless speed, and white-knuckle twists, NYPD Red is the next mega-blockbuster from "The Man Who Can't Miss."

Product Details
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (October 8, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316199869
ISBN-13: 978-0316199865

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Against the Storm (The Raines of Wind Canyon) [Mass Market Paperback]



I've finished "Against the Storm" the 4th book in her The Raines of Wind Canyon series by Kat Martin.

Product Description

Redheads like Maggie O'Connell are nothing but trouble. But Trace Rawlins, a former army ranger turned private investigator, takes the case anyway. After all, he knows a thing or two about women.

Trace can sense that something is wrong — Maggie isn't telling him everything. If these menacing calls and messages are real, why won't the police help her? And if they aren't real, what is she hiding?

As Trace digs deeper to find the source of Maggie's threats, he discovers a secret that no one was meant to uncover. And the only puzzle left to be solved is whether the danger comes from an unknown stalker … or from the woman he's trying his hardest not to fall for.

About the Author

Currently living in Missoula, Montana, Kat Martin is the bestselling author of over fifty Historical and Contemporary Romance novels. Before she started writing in 1985, Kat was a real estate broker. During that time, she met her husband, Larry Jay Martin, also an author. Kat is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara, where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History. "I love anything old," Kat says. "I love to travel and especially like to visit the places where my books are set. My husband and I often stay in out-of-the-way inns and houses built in times past. It's fun and it gives a wonderful sense of a by-gone era."

To date, Kat has over twelve million copies of her books in print. She is published in twenty foreign countries, including Germany, Norway, Sweden, China, Korea, Bulgaria, Russia, England, South Africa, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Japan and Greece.


Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Mira; Original edition (October 25, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0778312925
ISBN-13: 978-0778312925

My Review:

Maggie O'Connell is well respected professional photographer with a great life and a very successful future.  She is wondering why someone is stalking her and leaving cryptic creepy notes.  She turns to Trace Rawlins a former Army Ranger now a private investigator to find out who is breaking into her house and leaving those creepy notes.

Trace has weakness for redheads but there is something about Maggie that stirs his I really want her libido.  He is quite dedicated to his job and realizes mixing business with pleasure would be major mistake.  As he investigates further he realizes Maggie has withheld some important information from him.  She hasn't told him the whole truth about an incident in her teenage years when she accused a senator's son of rape.  That is the reason why she can't go to the police and besides they don't believe her.  Trace has been burned harshly by his ex-wife with her cheating ways all through their marriage so he now believes all red heads are liers.

When the security system that was installed at Maggie's home fails her house is burned and tracking devices are found.  Trace decides to amp up and set up a trap to lure the stalker.  The plan will go brilliantly only if Maggie plays her part as they practiced.

The romance between Trace and Maggie was very steamy and hot.  The love scenes were plenty full and a treat for the senses.  Hmm but I didn't really think the relationship between the two would last because Trace couldn't really get over the fact that Maggie was quite truthful with him (he kept calling her a liar) and Maggie made some very stupid mistakes and she didn't believe anyone in her past is the culprit (ex: Trace asked her to stay in the house but she left and didn't think anyone would find out).


4/5

New Releases 2012 (Oct 2)






Mad River (A Virgil Flowers Novel) [Hardcover]

Bonnie and Clyde, they thought. And what’s-his-name, the sidekick. Three teenagers with dead-end lives, and chips on their shoulders, and guns.

The first person they killed was a highway patrolman. The second was a woman during a robbery. Then, hell, why not keep on going? As their crime spree cuts a swath through rural Minnesota, some of it captured on the killers’ cell phones and sent to a local television station, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigator Virgil Flowers joins the growing army of cops trying to run them down. But even he doesn’t realize what’s about to happen next.

Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Putnam Adult; First Edition edition (October 2, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399157700
ISBN-13: 978-0399157707








Postcards from the Dead (A Scrapbooking Mystery) [Hardcover]

New Orleans is in the throes of another fantastic Mardi Gras celebration when the party gets crashed by a murderer. Now a scrapbooking sleuth is going to have to stop the partying to catch the killer …

There’s a parade rolling through the historic French Quarter, with gigantic floats, silver beads, and dizzying lights—and Kimber Breeze of KBEZ-TV is broadcasting live from a small balcony on the fourth floor of the Hotel Tremain, interviewing locals and capturing the spectacle down below. Her next subject will be Carmela Bertrand, owner of Memory Mine scrapbooking shop. Carmela has never been a fan of Kimber, but she isn’t about to turn down the chance of good publicity for her shop.

But before Carmela’s shop gets its five minutes of fame, a killer slips onto the balcony and strangles Kimber with a cord, leaving her body dangling above the parade. Carmela is horrified, but she quickly discovers the nightmare isn’t over. Because someone is now leaving strange postcards at Carmela’s shop—signed by the dead Kimber. Now Carmela and her friend Ava will have to risk their own necks to find out who’s posing as a ghost—and to expose a killer…

INCLUDES SCRAPBOOKING TIPS


Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Berkley Hardcover; First Edition edition (October 2, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425252752
ISBN-13: 978-0425252758









Deadly Patterns: A Magical Dressmaking Mystery (A Dressmaker's Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]

Bliss, Texas, is gearing up for its annual Winter Wonderland festival, but when a mysterious Scrooge ends the merriment with murder, it’ll take more than a ghost from Christmas past to set things right.
Designing a holiday fashion show set in the town’s most prominent historic mansion seems like a job tailor made for dressmaker Harlow Jane Cassidy. But with the mansion’s restoration still in progress and threatening weather on the horizon, she’s feeling on pins and needles more than reveling in holiday cheer.

Having volunteered to play Santa in this year’s festival, Dan Lee Chrisson was ready to move on after his divorce—until Bliss became his final resting place. Discovering his body puts Harlow at the scene of the crime. She’ll need plenty of help from friends and even her late great-grandmother’s spirited sleuthing if she’s to have a ghost of a chance of catching a killer who’s just jumped to the top of the naughty list ….

INCLUDES SEWING TIPS

Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Signet; Original edition (October 2, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0451238249
ISBN-13: 978-0451238245 






A Grid for Murder (A Mystery by the Numbers) [Mass Market Paperback]

Savannah Stone makes her living creating puzzles for logic lovers. But when a novice puzzle maker’s number is up, Savannah has to fill in the blanks to solve a murder ...

Savannah would almost rather drink poison than have tea with Joanna Clayton. Not only is the unpleasant woman one of the worst gossips in Asheville, North Carolina, over tea she flaunts her new assignment creating logic puzzles for a local newspaper — one that has repeatedly turned down Savannah’s work.

But when Savannah’s retired police chief husband, Zach, calls her later to tell her Joanna has actually been poisoned, she is more than puzzled — she’s troubled. Will the police consider puzzle envy a strong enough motive and think she decided to eliminate the competition? It’s time for Savannah to sort through Joanna’s long list of enemies to find out who was bitter enough to poison the prospective puzzle maker . . .

Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Berkley; Original edition (October 2, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425251640
ISBN-13: 978-0425251645






If Mashed Potatoes Could Dance (Berkley Prime Crime) [Mass Market Paperback]

At Gram’s Country Cooking School in Broken Rope, Missouri, Isabelle “Betts” Winston and her grandmother share the secrets of delicious home-style recipes. But there’s one secret they keep from their classes — their ability to talk to ghosts from the town’s colorful past …

Betts and Gram agree to help their friend Jake at Broken Rope’s Historical Society by accommodating some foodie tourists for the night and occupying them with cooking lessons. It couldn’t be worse timing when the pair encounter the ax-wielding ghost of Sally Swarthmore, one of Broken Rope’s legendary murderers, who pleads with Betts to help find her diary--a diary that could prove that Sally was really a victim, not a villain.

But they soon have a modern-day murder on their hands when one of the tourists turns up dead with a noose around his neck and two other tourists are nowhere to be found. Now Betts needs to put the cooking classes on the back burner to untangle two knotty mysteries and rope in a cold-blooded killer.

Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley; Original edition (October 2, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425251616
ISBN-13: 978-0425251614