Merciless (Zebra Romantic Suspense) [Paperback]

I've finished "Merciless" the sequel to "Senseless" by Mary Burton.

Product Description

Each skeleton is flawless - gleaming white and perfectly preserved, a testament to his skill. Every scrap of flesh has been removed to reveal the glistening bone beneath. And the collection is growing. When bleached human bones are identified as belonging to a former patient of Dr. Dillon Dixon, Detective Malcolm Kier suspects the worst. Dixon was recently acquitted of attempted murder, thanks to defence attorney Angie Carlson. But as the body count rises, Kier is convinced that Angie is now the target of a brutal, brilliant psychopath. Angie is no stranger to the dark side of human nature. But nothing has prepared her for the decades-long legacy of madness and murder about to be revealed - or a killer ready to claim her as his ultimate trophy.
 
Product Details
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Zebra; Original edition (February 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1420110209
ISBN-13: 978-1420110203

My Review:
 
Angie Carlson known as the Barracuda has made a name for herself as a no-nonsense, tough as nails defense attorney. Angie got plastic surgeon, Dr. Dillon Dixon off on charges of raping a prostitute (see Senseless), having ripped the victim to shreds on the witness stand, after proving she lied about her drug use. As a favor to her sister Eva, the same prostitute now wants Angie to help her get her child back, swearing she is clean and no longer hooking. But when the client doesn't show up for her court appearance, something doesn't sit right with Angie. After more bones are found, and they are believed to be that of Angie's client, it doesn't take long for the pieces of the puzzle to fall into place. Adding in a slew of other prostitute murders and a 30-year-old murder, it becomes quite clear that there are three common denominators - Angie, Dr. Dillon Dixon, and once again, the Cross Family. 
 
Malcolm, fighting his attraction to Angie because of his involvement with another woman, knows he must do whatever it takes to protect Angie from this obviously incredibly bright killer before he takes her as his final prize. 
 
Wow some of the names Malcolm calls Angie are quite harsh and hurtful!  But she sure could give it back to you!
 
We got to see the same scenes from the eyes of the cops viewpoint to the possible victim trying to save herself and the devious minds of two sick and demented killers.  Really enjoyed how the viewpoints were switched from Angie to Malcolm and the two killers!
 
Glad to see the romance between Malcolm and Angie slowly formed and they got to know each other and dealing with their issues before jumping into a relationship.

5/5

Thanks Joy from Joan Schulhafer Publishing and Media Consulting for sending me this book to review, greatly appreciated!

White Heat [Mass Market Paperback]

I've finished "White Heat" the 1st boo in her Heat Department 6 series by Brenda Novak.

Product Description

A dangerous cult has recently taken over the desert ghost town of Paradise, Arizona. Members worship at the feet — and in the bed — of its charismatic leader, Ethan Wycliff, and obey his orders blindly. They've already tried to murder one woman and they're implicated in the disappearance of another.

Nate Ferrentino, who works for private security contractor Department 6, has been assigned to infiltrate this group. It's a challenge he welcomes — until he learns that colleague Rachel Jessop will be going undercover with him. Thanks to their shared history, he'd much rather go alone….

The problem is, only married couples can participate in cult rituals. So, like it or not — and they don't —Rachel and Nate must pretend to be husband and wife.

There's no choice. Because if Wycliff isn't exposed, if he isn't stopped, more people will die. And Rachel might be one of them.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Mira (July 27, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0778327957
ISBN-13: 978-0778327950

My Review:

Former Navy SEAL Nate is paired with former cop and security newbie Rachel. They have been tapped to infiltrate a mysterious cult lead by the handsome and charasimatic sociopath Ethan. Ethan and his followers have made an Arizona ghost town their base and are suspected of nefarious doings including the attempted stoning of a woman and the disappearance of another. The catch is that the cult only accepts married couples leading Nate and Rachel to address their undeniable attraction for each other.

Rachel had a one night stand with her superviser Nate. He was more than willing to jump her bones but freaked when she blurted out that she loved him. In his past he had a lover who attempted suicide after he broke off with her and since then has been afraid of "love".  It's unbelievable that Rachel, a woman who is supposedly intelligent and familiar with the sexual politics in law enforecement, would bed down her superior based on some subliminal cues. Nate, as a superviser would be so foolish to bed a subordinate in these day of ages is equally unbelievable. Factor in Rachel's own fanatacal religioius upbringing,

The homosexual courtship of Ethan and his ugly, evil and scary henchman Bartholomew was more interesting than the main hero/heroine.
 
This book is quite disturbing, scary, sick and twisted especially if you are against cults, etc.!
 
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:

Breaking the Rules: A Novel (Troubleshooters) [Hardcover]


Product Description

Izzy Zanella wasn’t looking for another reason to butt heads with his Navy SEAL teammate, and nemesis, Danny Gillman. But then he met Danny’s beautiful younger sister, Eden. When she needed it most, he offered her a place to stay, a shoulder to cry on — and more. And when she got pregnant with another man’s child, he offered her marriage. But Eden’s devastating miscarriage shattered their life together — and made the intense bad blood between Izzy and Danny even worse.

Now Eden’s back, and she’s on a mission to rescue her teen brother, Ben, from their abusive stepfather. Even if she and Izzy can prove that their broken marriage is still in one piece, winning legal custody of Ben is a long shot. But they’re not alone: Danny and his girlfriend, Jenn, offer to help, and he and Izzy agree to bury the past and fight for Ben’s future.

As they plan their strategy, Izzy and Eden grapple with the raw passion that still crackles between them —while Danny and Jenn confront new depths in their own rocky relationship. But events take a terrifying turn after Ben befriends a girl fleeing a child prostitution ring. When the young runaway seeks refuge with Eden and Izzy, her pursuers kidnap Ben — and a deadly standoff begins. Now they must all pull together like never before and strike back, swift and hard, to protect their unconventional little family and everything they hold most precious.

Product Details
Hardcover: 528 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (March 22, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0345521226
ISBN-13: 978-0345521224

New Releases 2011 (Feb 22)

Treachery in Death [Hardcover]

Product Description

In the latest from the #1 New York Times bestselling phenomenon, Eve Dallas tracks down those who break the law-including the ones sworn to uphold it.

Detective Eve Dallas and her partner, Peabody, are following up on a senseless crime-an elderly grocery owner killed by three stoned punks for nothing more than kicks and snacks. This is Peabody's first case as primary detective-good thing she learned from the master.

But Peabody soon stumbles upon a trickier situation. After a hard workout, she's all alone in the locker room when the gym door clatters open; and-while hiding inside a shower stall trying not to make a sound-she overhears two fellow officers, Garnet and Oberman, arguing. It doesn't take long to realize they're both crooked-guilty not just of corruption but of murder. Now Peabody, Eve, and Eve's husband, Roarke, are trying to get the hard evidence they need to bring the dirty cops down-knowing all the while that the two are willing to kill to keep their secret.

Product Details
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Putnam Adult (February 22, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399157034
ISBN-13: 978-0399157035

Kiss Me, Kill Me: A Novel of Suspense [Mass Market Paperback]


Product Description


KISS THE GIRLS AND MAKE THEM DIE

Lucy Kincaid has firsthand experience dealing with deadly criminal predators, and she’s fully prepared to share her many talents with the FBI. But when her career plans are derailed, her boyfriend, security expert Sean Rogan, asks for help on his latest private investigation. Using her well-honed cyber-hunting skills, Lucy is soon on the trail of a missing teenage girl with a penchant for disappearing — and a shocking secret life.

FBI Agent Suzanne Madeaux is also tracking someone: a serial killer on the loose in New York City. Dubbed by the press the Cinderella Strangler, he cruises seamy underground sex parties, where drug-fueled women make for easy pickings. As Lucy and Sean’s desperate search collides with the FBI’s hunt, Lucy isn’t about to step aside. Haunted by painful memories of her own harrowing encounters with evil, she’s determined to keep any more innocents from meeting the fate she so narrowly escaped. Delving deep into the twisted psyche of a remorseless killer, Lucy must confront her own fears — even if it means risking a future job with the FBI and future happiness with Sean.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (February 22, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0345511697
ISBN-13: 978-0345511690

Deadly Vows (Hqn) [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

On the morning of her wedding to Calder Hart, amateur sleuth Francesca Cahill is lured away to a private viewing of a portrait that could destroy her entire family: the nude Hart commissioned of her. Her desperate quest to recover the scandalous portrait leads her into a dangerous trap with no way to escape — until it's too late. And when Francesca finally arrives at the church, it's vacant. She has unintentionally jilted Hart at the altar.

When Hart tells her their estrangement is for the best, Francesca is devastated. With a blackmailer intent on destroying her reputation, Francesca turns to Rick Bragg, the city's powerful police commissioner. Together they scour the sordid streets of lower Manhattan, following a deliberately laid trail of clues in a race against the clock. And once it becomes clear that Bragg's marriage is failing, Francesca must war with her feelings for him, battle Hart's jealousy and escape a killer—all as she fights to win Hart back. But sometimes, passion just cannot be denied….

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: HQN Books (February 22, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0373775512
ISBN-13: 978-0373775514

Strong, Sleek and Sinful [Mass Market Paperback]

I've finished "Strong, Sleek and Sinful" the 3rd book in her FBI series by Lorie O'Clare.

Product Description

Special Agent Kylie Donovan knows the evil that men do. After her sister’s murder went unsolved, she decided to work undercover for the FBI. Now, posing as a college student, she hopes to track down an Internet predator who is murdering teenage girls. Using herself as bait, Kylie is sure she can lure the killer out of the shadows…until her fascination with a drop-dead gorgeous cop threatens to blow her whole case.

With a rock hard body and seductive smile, Lieutenant Perry Flynn is a hard man to ignore. He makes it very clear that Kylie’s fierce attraction is mutual. But Kylie can’t afford to let Perry cloud her judgment, especially when she begins to suspect that his dark obsession with the case runs deeper than it should. Then, when disturbing new evidence points to a cop, Kylie wonders if her sinful thoughts about Perry have thrust her into the strong, sleek arms of a killer…

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; First Edition edition (March 30, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 031294344X
ISBN-13: 978-0312943448

FBI agent Kylie Donovan is undercover to catch an online child predator. Because of her youthful appearance, she is able to pretend to be a college student doing a thesis on teen behavior. Perry Flynn is a police detective that knows there is a connection between the teens popping up missing or murdered in his town but for some reason his chief is blocking him from fully investigating this.

Perry is a dedicated hero and he will do anything to prevent his nieces from ending up a victim. In the age of twitter, blogs and other social websites, he knows his four nieces are vulnerable to the sexual predators who use the internet to lure out young females. He is immediately suspicious of Kylie a college student from Kansas who has befriended Dani, his most rebellious niece.

This has exciting police procedural that focuses on some of the modern day dangers with Internet enticements and stalking.

I liked Perry but he could be a little overprotective of his nieces and shoving the heroine against the wall in anger ( a little too violent for me).

I liked Kylie because she overcame the issues she had and she was a tough girl who could take care of herself and willing to use herself as bait for the rapists/killers.

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:

The Night Season [Hardcover]

Product Description

With the Beauty Killer Gretchen Lowell locked away behind bars once again, Archie Sheridan — a Portland police detective and nearly one of her victims — can finally rest a little easier. Meanwhile, the rest of the city of Portland is in crisis. Heavy rains have flooded the Willamette River, and several people have drowned in the quickly rising waters. Or at least that’s what they thought until the medical examiner discovers that the latest victim didn’t drown: She was poisoned before she went into the water. Soon after, three of those drownings are also proven to be murders. Portland has a new serial killer on its hands, and Archie and his task force have a new case.

Reporter Susan Ward is chasing this story of a new serial killer with gusto, but she’s also got another lead to follow for an entirely separate mystery: The flooding has unearthed a skeleton, a man who might have died more than sixty years ago, the last time Portland flooded this badly, when the water washed away an entire neighborhood and killed at least fifteen people.

With Archie following the bizarre trail of evidence and evil deeds to catch a killer and possibly regain his life, and Susan Ward close behind, Chelsea Cain — one of today’s most talented suspense writers—launches the next installment of her bestselling series with an electric thriller.

Products Details
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (March 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312619766
ISBN-13: 978-0312619763

Living on the Edge: An Edge Novel [Paperback]

Product Description

With her thrilling Sentinel Wars series, Shannon K. Butcher pushed readers to the very edge of their imaginations. Now, with the first in her new action romance series she takes them to the very edge of their seats, following the loves and lethal lives of a group of hardened mercenaries who live on the edge - and beyond ...

Product Details
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Signet (March 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0451232747
ISBN-13: 978-0451232748

Scones and Bones (A Tea Shop Mystery) [Hardcover]
 
Product Description

Savor the latest from the New York Times bestselling author of The Teaberry Strangler.

Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning is lured into attending the Heritage Society's "Pirates and Plunder" soiree. But it's an antique diamond skull ring that gets plundered by someone who murders a history intern in the process. Theodosia knows she'll have to whet her investigative skills to find the killer among a raft of suspects.

Product Details
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Berkley Hardcover (March 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425238962
ISBN-13: 978-0425238967

Body Heat [Mass Market Paperback]

I've finished "Body Heat" the 2nd book in her Department 6 series by Brenda Novak.

Product Description

Twelve people have been shot at point-blank range and left to rot in the desert sun. It's Sophia St. Claire's job to do something about it. She's Bordertown, Arizona's new chief of police — and she's out of her depth.

Help arrives in the form of Department 6 hired gun Roderick Guerrero. As far as Sophia's concerned, his involvement only makes things worse. Maybe he's managed to turn his life around. And maybe he's a good investigator. But as the bastard son of a wealthy local rancher, he has a history he can't get past. A history that includes her.

Rod refuses to leave town until the killer is caught. He's not worried about the danger posed by some vigilante. It's Sophia who threatens him. Because he's used to risking his life — but his heart is another story.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Mira (August 31, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0778328031
ISBN-13: 978-0778328032

My Review:

Storyline:  Sophia is the new chief of police in Bordertown and need to find out who has shot twelve people point-blank range and left their bodies in the sun to rot.  The thirty-year-old Chief turned her life around and went from nearly becoming a Hell's Angels member to a career in law enforcement, but her history uniquely qualifies her to understand the people with whom she works. However, Sophia is short on experience with this type of criminal activity, and the investigation founders with few results until Department 6 ex-SEAL Rod Guerrero is called in to help. Rod goes reluctantly, but he cannot turn his back on his father's plea. Rod's mother was an undocumented alien and Rod is the bastard son of a wealthy Bordertown man. He owes it to his mother and her people to find the killer. However, when Rod arrives in Bordertown, he runs smack into Sophia, the teenage girl who humiliated him many years ago. He has never forgiven her for this and tensions run high on both their parts.

They must work together after a rocky beginning.  Some members of the town council, a detective from the Sheriff's office and an ex Police Chief want Sophia to fail.

Characters: All of the characters were well written and it felt like you really knew them in real life.  She's still friends with her ex-boyfriend who's a member of the Hell's Angels and still in love with her. 

Romance: I really liked the romance between Sophia and Roderick because you definately could see and feel the sparks between them everytime they were together.  Really loved their idea of foreplay (snarking at each other) since it was such a hoot.

Killer: Never figured out one of the killers was until near the very end and that was scary because that person acted so normal during the whole book!

3.5/5

Library Haul 2011 (Feb 13 - 19)

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

Softcover:

1. White Heat - Brenda Novak
2. The Other Side - Anthology

What books/manga did you pick up from the library this week?

The Bodyguard [Mass Market Paperback]

I've finished "The Bodyguard" by Cherry Adair, Gena Showalter and Lorie O'Clare.

Product Description

“Temptation on Ice”

When paranormal operative Sebastian Tremayne heads to the Arctic Circle to keep an eye on red-hot physicist Michaela Giese, the polar ice cap isn’t the only thing in danger of melting. This beautiful brainy woman could spark a nuclear disaster he cannot stop — even with magic — and ignite a fiery passion he cannot resist…

“Temptation in Shadows”

Tall, lean, muscular — and definitely rough around the edges — Sean Walker is not your typical nightclub bodyguard. He’s a controller of shadows, able to wield darkness at will. But when a mysterious woman at the club turns out to have powers greater than his own, he has no choice but seduction…

“Hunting Temptation”

A manhunter by trade, Seth is on the trail of his most dangerous prey yet: a living, breathing, maneating werewolf. But the last thing he expects to catch in his trap is a beautiful, beguiling woman — with some wild animal urges of her own…

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; 1 edition (June 29, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312943237
ISBN-13: 978-0312943233

My Review:

"Temptation on Ice" by Cherry Adair is a short story in T-FLAC series. Time is running out for kidnapped scientist Michaela when Sebastian, the man she's dreamt of for years arrived to 'rescue' her. But Sebastian's assignment is to take out the sexy woman, he believes faked her own death and is working for the enemy on a bomb that will destroy the world

I liked the characters' back-story and thought that Sebastian's ability to borrow others' paranormal powers was neat, the next thing I know Sebastian is having sex with Michaela and then plans to kill her afterwards. (3 stars) 

"Temptation in Shadows" by Gena Showalter was my favorite story of the bunch.  Gabby is a survivor of an experiment that has left her with very dangerous powers. Sean is an operative in a paranormal agency working undercover as a bodyguard in order to get close to Gabby - his job is to determine if Gabby is a threat which needs to be neutralized.
 
Sean is a great character and I loved his power of manipulating the shadows and the chemistry between him and Gabby is hot. (3.5 stars)
 
Hunting Temptation" by Lorie O`Clare is about bounty hunter hero, Seth, tracking down a serial killer goes to his favorite 'source' - who unknown to Seth is a werewolf - for info and catches the attention of his informant's sister Jenna. Jenna is intrigued by the human and decides to evade her protective pack to entice Seth to scratch her itches - and inadvertently sets herself up as the next target for the killer.  Seth was a  good character but Jenna was naive and never listened to her brother - she always found herself in situations. (3 stars)

Ghost Moon (Bone Island Trilogy) [Mass Market Paperback]

I've finished reading "Ghost Night" the 2nd book in her Bone Island" trilogy by Heather Graham.

Product Description

A slasher movie turns real when two young actors are brutally murdered on a remote island film set. Their severed heads and arms are posed in macabre homage to a nineteenth-century pirate massacre.

Two years later, survivor Vanessa Loren is drawn back to South Bimini by a documentary being made about the storied region. Filmmaker Sean O'Hara aches to see how the unsolved crime haunts her…and Sean knows more than a little about ghosts.

Lured by visions of a spectral figurehead, Vanessa discovers authentic pirate treasures that only deepen the mystery. Are the murders the work of modern-day marauders, the Bermuda Triangle or a deadly paranormal echo of the island's violent history? As Vanessa and Sean grow closer, the killer prepares to resume the slaughter…unless the dead can intervene.

About the Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Heather Graham has written more than one hundred novels, many of which have been featured by the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild. An avid scuba diver, ballroom dancer and mother of five, she still enjoys her south Florida home, but loves to travel as well, from locations such as Cairo, Egypt, to her own backyard, the Florida Keys. Reading, however, is the pastime she still loves best, and she is a member of many writing groups. She’s currently the vice president of the Horror Writers’ Association, and she’s also an active member of International Thriller Writers. She is very proud to be a Killerette in the Killer Thriller Band, along with many fellow novelists she greatly admires.
 
Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Mira (July 27, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0778328155
ISBN-13: 978-0778328155

My Review:
 
On Haunt Island near Bimini, writer Vanessa Loren is part of a crew filming a low-budget horror movie. As they complete the final wrap, someone gruesomely murders two actors Georgia Dare and Travis Glenn. Their heads are decapitated and posed in a frightening manner in the sand. The case is unsolved. For the next two years, Vanessa remains frightened and unable to sleep as she suffers nightmares from the grisly scene she saw on the Bahamas' island beach.

Filmmaker Sean O'Hara hires Vanessa to work on a documentary he is filming in the area where the cold case homicides that haunt her occurred. Hoping to get closure, she agrees. Sean can see ghosts and Vanessa fall in love, but a deranged killer stalks them anxiously waiting for a rerun of what happened two years ago.
 
This book had great suspense, romance and characters.
 
3/5

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:

Deadly Vows (Hqn) [Mass Market Paperback]


Product Description

On the morning of her wedding to Calder Hart, amateur sleuth Francesca Cahill is lured away to a private viewing of a portrait that could destroy her entire family: the nude Hart commissioned of her. Her desperate quest to recover the scandalous portrait leads her into a dangerous trap with no way to escape—until it's too late. And when Francesca finally arrives at the church, it's vacant. She has unintentionally jilted Hart at the altar.

When Hart tells her their estrangement is for the best, Francesca is devastated. With a blackmailer intent on destroying her reputation, Francesca turns to Rick Bragg, the city's powerful police commissioner. Together they scour the sordid streets of lower Manhattan, following a deliberately laid trail of clues in a race against the clock. And once it becomes clear that Bragg's marriage is failing, Francesca must war with her feelings for him, battle Hart's jealousy and escape a killer — all as she fights to win Hart back. But sometimes, passion just cannot be denied….

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: HQN Books (February 22, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0373775512
ISBN-13: 978-0373775514

Kiss Me, Kill Me: A Novel of Suspense [Mass Market Paperback]


Product Description


KISS THE GIRLS AND MAKE THEM DIE

Lucy Kincaid has firsthand experience dealing with deadly criminal predators, and she’s fully prepared to share her many talents with the FBI. But when her career plans are derailed, her boyfriend, security expert Sean Rogan, asks for help on his latest private investigation. Using her well-honed cyber-hunting skills, Lucy is soon on the trail of a missing teenage girl with a penchant for disappearing — and a shocking secret life.

FBI Agent Suzanne Madeaux is also tracking someone: a serial killer on the loose in New York City. Dubbed by the press the Cinderella Strangler, he cruises seamy underground sex parties, where drug-fueled women make for easy pickings. As Lucy and Sean’s desperate search collides with the FBI’s hunt, Lucy isn’t about to step aside. Haunted by painful memories of her own harrowing encounters with evil, she’s determined to keep any more innocents from meeting the fate she so narrowly escaped. Delving deep into the twisted psyche of a remorseless killer, Lucy must confront her own fears — even if it means risking a future job with the FBI and future happiness with Sean.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (February 22, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0345511697
ISBN-13: 978-0345511690

 

Treachery in Death [Hardcover]



Product Description

In the latest from the #1 New York Times bestselling phenomenon, Eve Dallas tracks down those who break the law-including the ones sworn to uphold it.

Detective Eve Dallas and her partner, Peabody, are following up on a senseless crime-an elderly grocery owner killed by three stoned punks for nothing more than kicks and snacks. This is Peabody's first case as primary detective - good thing she learned from the master.

But Peabody soon stumbles upon a trickier situation. After a hard workout, she's all alone in the locker room when the gym door clatters open; and-while hiding inside a shower stall trying not to make a sound-she overhears two fellow officers, Garnet and Oberman, arguing. It doesn't take long to realize they're both crooked-guilty not just of corruption but of murder. Now Peabody, Eve, and Eve's husband, Roarke, are trying to get the hard evidence they need to bring the dirty cops down-knowing all the while that the two are willing to kill to keep their secret.

Product Details
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Putnam Adult (February 22, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399157034
ISBN-13: 978-0399157035

Worth Dying For [Hardcover]

I've finished "Worth Dying For" the 14th book in his Jack Reacher series by Lee Child.

Product Description

#1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child follows the electrifying 61 Hours with his latest Reacher thriller — a story that hits the ground running and then accelerates all the way to a colossal showdown.

There’s deadly trouble in the corn country of Nebraska . . . and Jack Reacher walks right into it. First he falls foul of the Duncans, a local clan that has terrified an entire county into submission. But it’s the unsolved case of a missing child, already decades-old, that Reacher can’t let go.

The Duncans want Reacher gone — and it’s not just past secrets they’re trying to hide. They’re awaiting a secret shipment that’s already late — and they have the kind of customers no one can afford to annoy. For as dangerous as the Duncans are, they’re just the bottom of a criminal food chain stretching halfway around the world.

For Reacher, it would have made much more sense to keep on going, to put some distance between himself and the hard-core trouble that’s bearing down on him.

For Reacher, that was also impossible.

About the Author

Lee Child is the author of fifteen Jack Reacher thrillers, including the New York Times bestsellers Persuader, The Enemy, One Shot, and The Hard Way, and the #1 bestsellers 61 Hours, Gone Tomorrow, Bad Luck and Trouble, and Nothing to Lose. 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.
 
Product Details
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press; 1st Printing edition (October 19, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385344317
ISBN-13: 978-0385344319

My Review:

This book starts off soon after 61 Hours.  Reacher is alive but you don't find out how he survived until later in the book!

Reacher is in rural Nebraska. He's on his way to Virginia and only intends to stop for a night, when he is drawn into what initially looks like a domestic dispute but ends up being something much bigger. The town is under the control of a very unpleasant family called the Duncans, who own a transportation company. The local farmers are dependent on the company and therefore live in fear of them. The Duncans have an important shipment coming in, which has been delayed. This is causing problems for their customer and for the customers of their customer. Consequently a food chain of increasingly nasty villains gets involved, with lots of double crossing and mind games going on. Tied into all this somehow is the mystery of a local girl who disappeared 25 years ago and whose body has never been found.

This book reminded me of Nothing to Lose because of the endless driving in a small community and getting rid of a clan of bad people!

3/5

Library Haul 2011 (Feb 6 - 12)

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

Softcover:

1.  Sudden Death - Allison Brennan
2.  Ghost Night - Heather Graham
3.  Body Heat - Brenda Novak
4.  The Bodyguard - Anthology
5.  Strong Sleek and Sinful - Lorie O'Clare

What books/manga did you pick up from the library this week?

Senseless [Mass Market Paperback]

I've finished "Senseless" by Mary Burton.

Product Description

The vicious burns scarring the victims' flesh reveal the agony of their last moments. Each woman was branded with a star, then stabbed through the heart. With every death, a vengeful killer finds a brief, blissful moment of calm. But soon it's time for the bloodshed to start again. Ten years ago, Eva Rayburn and her sorority sisters were celebrating the end of the school year. That party turned into a nightmare Eva can't forget. Now she's trying to start over in her Virginia hometown, but a new nightmare has begun. Every victim is linked to her. And Detective Deacon Garrison isn't sure whether this mysterious woman needs investigating - or protecting. Only Eva's death will bring peace. Only her tortured screams will silence the rage that has been building for ten long years. Because what started that night at the sorority can never be stopped - not until the last victim has been marked for death.

Product Details
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Zebra; 1 edition (January 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1420110195
ISBN-13: 978-1420110197

My Review:
 
Storyline:  Ten years ago Eva while partying with her sorority sisters she was raped and branded with a star-shaped pendant.  She barely escaped when a fire started and her rapist Josiah Cross is killed.  She is charged with his murder but she doesn't remember much what happened that night (she's certain she didn't kill Josiah).  Her sorority sisters testified she was the one who killed Josiah and she was convicted for ten years.  Now she's in her late twenties but looks 15 or 16.  Now bodies are turning up with the same star-shaped branded onto them so she teams up with Deacon to find out who the killer is and why they are killing?  She doesn't tell her sister Angie that she has moved back to the town she grew up in.  She works as a bartender at Kings, an attendant at a half way house and as a process server in between. 

Characters: All the characters were well written so it feels like you know them in real life.  Eva is such a great character because she is determined to prove she didn't kill Josiah and to find out what really happened that night.  Deacon makes a great hero beacause he's determined who the killer is and why they are killing.  He doesn't really want to believe that Eve is a killer and involved in the recent killings of her sorority sisters.

Romance:  I really liked the romance between Eva and Deacon because he's extremely attracted to her but she's a suspect in the recent murders (a conflict of interest) and he's fighting it.  Their romance didn't start until half way though the book and it was slowly built up.

Killer:  Never figured out who the killer was until the end and that was such a delight.  The killer is able to function in the real world as a normal person and that is really scary!

5/5
 
Thanks Joy from Joan Schulhafer Publishing and Media Consulting for sending me this book to review, greatly appreciated!

New Releases 2011 (Feb 1)

Merciless (Zebra Romantic Suspense) [Paperback]


Product Description

Each skeleton is flawless - gleaming white and perfectly preserved, a testament to his skill. Every scrap of flesh has been removed to reveal the glistening bone beneath. And the collection is growing. When bleached human bones are identified as belonging to a former patient of Dr. Dillon Dixon, Detective Malcolm Kier suspects the worst. Dixon was recently acquitted of attempted murder, thanks to defence attorney Angie Carlson. But as the body count rises, Kier is convinced that Angie is now the target of a brutal, brilliant psychopath. Angie is no stranger to the dark side of human nature. But nothing has prepared her for the decades-long legacy of madness and murder about to be revealed - or a killer ready to claim her as his ultimate trophy.

Product Details
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Zebra (February 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1420110209
ISBN-13: 978-1420110203

Twice Dead (Fbi Thriller Series) [Paperback]


Product Description

For the first time: the FBI thrillers Riptide and Hemlock Bay together in one volume.

Catherine Coulter's FBI series "twists at every turn" (San Diego Union-Tribune). In two of her most gripping books-Riptide and Hemlock Bay- FBI agents Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock face dangerous threats in both their professional and personal lives.

In Riptide, trouble follows an intrepid reporter to the quiet coastal Maine community, and Savich and Sherlock must face down a KGB agent to find the truth.

In Hemlock Bay, the two travel to Maryland to take down the satanic child-killing Tuttle twins.

Product Details
Paperback: 560 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade (February 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425240037
ISBN-13: 978-0425240038

Blood Stains (Searchers) [Mass Market Paperback]


Product Description

At the reading of her father's will, Maria Slade receives shocking news—as a four-year-old, she'd witnessed her prostitute mother's murder and been taken into hiding by the well-meaning preacher who'd raised her as his own.

Maria remembers none of that. But now she's determined to flush her mother's killer out of hiding and discover the identity of her birth father. She heads to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she meets Detective Bodie Scott.

Empathizing with this beautiful woman looking to find out who she really is, he opens the decades-old case file. Their investigation leads them down a dangerous path, where no one is what they seem. Where a father does not want to be found. And a murderer has "like mother, like daughter" in mind for Maria.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Mira (January 18, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0778329410
ISBN-13: 978-0778329411

Deadly Heat [Mass Market Paperback]


Product Description


She wants revenge . . .

Six months after her lover died in an arsonist's blaze, firefighter Lora Spade calls in the FBI's elite Serial Services Division to track the elusive killer. When Special Agent Kenton Lake is lured into a violent inferno, Lora pulls him to safety and is stunned - not by the fire, but by her own searing attraction to Kent. For the first time in months, she longs for something other than vengeance.

He wants her . . .

Kenton's interest in Lora should be purely professional. But one fleeting kiss and he can't get her out of his mind. Her combination of strength and vulnerability makes him want to protect her, and that means solving this case - and fast. For even the passion igniting between them can't hide a terrifying truth: Lora is the next target in a murderer's sadistic, fiery game.

A vicious killer wants only . . .

DEADLY HEAT


Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Forever (February 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446559261
ISBN-13: 978-0446559263

Product DescriptionSplit Image (Jesse Stone) [Paperback]

After a high-ranking crime figure is found dead on Paradise Beach, Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall realize just how much they really have in common with their victims, their suspects-and each other.

Product Details
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Berkley; Reprint edition (February 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 042523973X
ISBN-13: 978-0425239735

February Releases 2011 (Feb 1)

1st
Twice Dead (Riptide and Hemlock Bay)- Catherine Coulter
Blood Stains - Sharon Sala
Deadly Heat - Cynthia Eden
Merciless - Mary Buton
Split Image (pp) - Robert B. Parker
Wicked Lies (hb) - Lisa Jackson

22nd
Treachery in Death - J.D. Robb
Deadly Vows - Brenda Joyce
Kiss Me Kill Me - Allison Brennan