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:

Sweet Tea Revenge (A Tea Shop Mystery) [Hardcover]

In the latest novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Agony of the Leaves, Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning may always be a bridesmaid, never a bride, but this groom is never going to make it to the altar.

Theodosia Browning’s dear friend, Delaine Dish, has asked her to be a bridesmaid for her wedding. But when the big day arrives, everything seems to be going wrong. First, a massive storm is brewing over Charleston. A bad omen? Second, Delaine’s maid of honor is late for the ceremony. And finally, the groom not only has cold feet—his whole body is cold. A murderer has crashed the wedding.

As Theodosia comforts a devastated Delaine, she needs to sort out the suspects on the groom’s side from the suspects on the bride’s side. One thing soon becomes apparent—revenge won’t be the only dish served cold at this wedding. And if Theodosia doesn’t watch her step, a cold-blooded killer may have a rude reception in store for her.

INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES AND TEA TIME TIPS!

Trouble in the Tarot (A Fortune Teller Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]

For psychic Sunshine Meadows, sometimes fortunes can be deceiving.

Lately Sunny has been experiencing a period of big opportunity: her business in Divinity, New York, is thriving, and Detective Mitch Stone has finally agreed to take Sunny on a date. But thanks to her clairvoyant abilities, Sunny knows better than anyone that life deals out bad cards along with the good.

When Sunny agrees to read tarot cards at the annual Summer Solstice Carnival, she meets her Granny Gert‘s “arch nemesis” Fiona Atwater, and is overcome by a vision of Fiona in a violent argument. Sunny knows trouble is brewing when Granny and Fiona start having squabbles all over town. But the fighting comes to a head when a local baker gets run over by a big white Cadillac — and Granny and Fiona are found at the crime scene.

Sunny knows she should step aside and let Mitch handle the investigating, but she’s not about to ignore her visions and leave her granny’s life in fate’s hands. 

Bowled Over (Berkley Prime Crime) [Mass Market Paperback]

Stirring up trouble
Vintage kitchenware and cookbook collector Jaymie Leighton has been estranged from her high school best friend Kathy Cooper since they were teenagers, but she never knew what turned Kathy against her. After fireworks at a Fourth of July picnic, Jaymie discovers the body of her former friend in the park. On the ground nearby is Jaymie’s own Depression-era glass bowl, broken in two.

With her fingerprints all over the bowl and a troubled history with the victim, Jaymie suddenly finds herself at the top of the list of suspects. Did the killer intend to frame her for the murder? If so, she is ready to mix it up, because solving crimes is vintage Jaymie Leighton.

Peach Pies and Alibis (A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]

Ellery Adams serves up a mystery that’s a real peach
Ella Mae LeFaye’s Charmed Pie Shoppe is wildly popular in Havenwood, Georgia — which is not surprising since Ella Mae can lace her baked goods with enchantments. The shop’s extraordinary success seems destined to continue when Ella Mae meets an engaged couple who hire her to handle the dessert buffet at their wedding.

But Ella Mae has a lot on her plate. She is also searching for the origin of her magical powers — and hoping to determine if the spark of attraction she feels for the handsome Hugh Dylan is authentic or just her new abilities gone awry.

Then Ella Mae discovers a high-standing member of the community dead, and a wedding guest becomes seriously ill at the event she’s catering. Now she’ll have to use all her sleuthing skills and culinary talents to prove her pies don’t contain a killer ingredient.

Hit Me (Keller) [Hardcover]

I've finished "Hit Me" the 5th book in his Keller series by Lawrence Block.

Product Description

BESTSELLING AUTHOR AND GRAND MASTER LAWRENCE BLOCK RETURNS TO HIS DEADLIEST HITMAN

A man named Nicholas Edwards lives in New Orleans renovating houses, doing honest work and making decent money at it. Between his family and his stamp collection, all his spare time is happily accounted for. Sometimes it's hard to remember that he used to kill people for a living.

But when the nation's economy tanks, taking the construction business with it, all it takes is one phone call to drag him back into the game. It may say Nicholas Edwards on his driver's license and credit cards, but he's back to being the man he always was: Keller.

Keller's work takes him to New York, the former home he hasn't dared revisit, where his target is the abbot of a midtown monastery. Another call puts him on a West Indies cruise, with several interesting fellow passengers-the government witness, the incandescent young woman keeping the witness company, and, sharing Keller's cabin, his wife, Julia. But the high drama comes in Cheyenne, where a recent widow is looking to sell her husband's stamp collection.

About the Author

Lawrence Block is a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master, has won multiple Edgar and Shamus awards and countless international prizes. The author of more than 50 books, he lives in New York City.

Product Details
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Mulholland Books; First Edition edition (February 12, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316127353
ISBN-13: 978-0316127356

My Review:

Keller had to retire after the events that happened in "Hit and Run" and is now living in New Orleans with his wife Julia and his daughter Jenny.  He is now known as Nicholas Edwards and renovates home and in his spare time collects stamps to add to his collection.  Then Katrina hits and the construction business is on the skids and his partner and good friend has taken another job on another construction site.

Then his old friend Dorothea Harbison now known as Dot calls him up for the blue asking him to take a job to eliminate someone for a hefty sum he agrees.

This book deals with unfaithful spouses, dirty old men, devious priests, criminal scums among other low lifes. 

4/5

New Releases 2013 (Feb 26)

Calculated in Death [Hardcover]

On Manhattan's Upper East Side a woman lies dead at the bottom of the stairs, stripped of all her valuables. Most cops might call it a mugging gone wrong, but Lieutenant Eve Dallas knows better.

A well-off accountant and a beloved wife and mother, Marta Dickenson doesn’t seem the type to be on anyone's hit list. But when Eve and her partner, Peabody, find blood inside the building, the lieutenant knows Marta's murder was the work of a killer who's trained, but not professional or smart enough to remove all the evidence.

But when someone steals the files out of Marta's office, Eve must immerse herself in her billionaire husband Roarke's world of big business to figure out who's cruel and callous enough to hire a hit on an innocent woman. And as the killer's violent streak begins to escalate, Eve knows she has to draw him out, even if it means using herself as bait.

Scent to Kill: A Natural Remedies Mystery (Natural Remedies Mysteries) [Paperback]

A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO SOLVING CRIME? AT THE NATURE’S WAY MARKET AND CAFÉ, A GENTLE TOUCH, A DOSE OF AROMATIC HERBS, FRESH EVIDENCE, AND INSPIRED INVESTIGATING ARE THE ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS TO CATCHING A KILLER!

When naturopathic doctor and shop owner Willow McQuade’s ex-boyfriend Simon Lewis invites her to a party for the cast and crew of a new television show at Long Island’s scenic Bixby Estate, she’s most excited to visit the property’s exclusive lavender farm. But a whole field of her favorite stress-reducing herb can’t provide enough soothing support to calm the effects of a murder!

Even the show’s psychic star didn’t predict the demise of Roger Bixby, the estate’s owner and estranged husband of Simon’s new girlfriend. Now Simon, who’s been collared by police, needs Willow’s help to remedy the situation. As Willow snoops about the mansion, offering natural cures to ease the mounting tension, a strange energy — and the discovery of an eerily similar unsolved murder decades earlier — makes her wonder whether the alternative source of the crime might actually be supernatural. Can she find harmony between mind, body, and possibly even spirits before somebody else goes up in smoke?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Feb 25)

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 Seventh Victim - Mary Burton
2.  Last to Die - Karen Roses

I’m currently reading:

1.  Hit Me - Lawrence Block
2.  Alex Cross Run - James Patterson

Here's the link:

http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/2013/02/24/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-177 

Die for Me [Mass Market Paperback]

I've finished "Die For Me" the 1st book in her Vartanian trilogy series by Karen Rose.

COME TO ME

The first victim is found in a snow-covered Philadelphia field. Detective Vito Ciccotelli enlists the aid of archaeologist Sophie Johannsen to determine exactly what lies beneath the frozen ground. Despite years of unearthing things long buried, nothing can prepare Sophie for the matrix of graves dug with chilling precision. The victims buried there haunt her. But the empty graves terrify her - the killer isn't done yet.

SCREAM FOR ME

He is cold and calculating, the master of a twisted game. Even with Vito and Sophie hot on his trail, he will not stop. One more empty grave must be filled, and one last scream must be heard - the scream of an archaeologist who is too close for comfort and too near to resist.

DIE FOR ME

About the Author

Karen Rose is a RITA Award-winning author who fell in love with books from the time she learned to read, with Jo from Little Women and Nancy Drew becoming close childhood friends. She started writing stories of her own when the characters in her head started talking and just wouldn't be silenced. A former chemical engineer and high school chemistry and physics teacher, Karen lives in Florida with her husband of twenty years, their two children, and the family cat, Bella. When she's not writing, Karen is practicing for her next karate belt test! Karen would love to receive your e-mail at karen@karenrosebooks.com.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 584 pages
Publisher: Vision; First Edition edition (September 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446616915
ISBN-13: 978-0446616911

My Review:

When Detective Vito Ciccotellia and Detective Nick Lawrence find a young women's body posed and killed in by a religious ritual killing in a snow-covered Philadelphia field and find other massive graves in the field they believe a serial killer is on the loose.

They hire archaeologist Sophie Johannsen who uses ground penetrating equipment which unearths 16 graves some filled and some not filled yet.  As they investigate further they realized the killer is meting his own medieval torture on his victims before killing them.  Then he incorporates their scenes into a video game cut scenes which is quite realistic and gory.

5/5

In the Mail Saturday 2013 (Feb 23)

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:

Hit Me (Keller) [Hardcover]

Product Description


BESTSELLING AUTHOR AND GRAND MASTER LAWRENCE BLOCK RETURNS TO HIS DEADLIEST HITMAN

A man named Nicholas Edwards lives in New Orleans renovating houses, doing honest work and making decent money at it. Between his family and his stamp collection, all his spare time is happily accounted for. Sometimes it's hard to remember that he used to kill people for a living.

But when the nation's economy tanks, taking the construction business with it, all it takes is one phone call to drag him back into the game. It may say Nicholas Edwards on his driver's license and credit cards, but he's back to being the man he always was: Keller.

Keller's work takes him to New York, the former home he hasn't dared revisit, where his target is the abbot of a midtown monastery. Another call puts him on a West Indies cruise, with several interesting fellow passengers-the government witness, the incandescent young woman keeping the witness company, and, sharing Keller's cabin, his wife, Julia. But the high drama comes in Cheyenne, where a recent widow is looking to sell her husband's stamp collection.

Alex Cross, Run [Hardcover]

Product Description

DON'T LOOK, ALEX CROSS

Top plastic surgeon Elijah Creem is renowned for his skills in the operating room, and for his wild, no-expense-spared "industry parties," bringing in underage exotic dancers and models for nights of drugs, champagne and uninhibited sex. That is, until Detective Alex Cross busts one of Creem's lavish soirees and ruins his fun. Now Creem is willing to do anything to avoid going to jail.

DON'T THINK, ALEX CROSS

But Alex doesn't have time to dwell on that case. A beautiful woman has been found murdered in her car, a lock of her hair viciously ripped off. Then a second woman is found hanging from a sixth-floor window with a brutal scar slashed across her stomach. When a third mutilated body is discovered, rumors of three serial killers on the loose send Washington D.C. into an all-out frenzy.

JUST RUN

Alex is under so much pressure to solve these three grim cases that he hasn't noticed that someone else investigating him - someone so obsessed and so twisted that they'll do anything - ANYTHING - to get the vengeance they require.

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:

Calculated in Death [Hardcover]

On Manhattan's Upper East Side a woman lies dead at the bottom of the stairs, stripped of all her valuables. Most cops might call it a mugging gone wrong, but Lieutenant Eve Dallas knows better.

A well-off accountant and a beloved wife and mother, Marta Dickenson doesn’t seem the type to be on anyone's hit list. But when Eve and her partner, Peabody, find blood inside the building, the lieutenant knows Marta's murder was the work of a killer who's trained, but not professional or smart enough to remove all the evidence.

But when someone steals the files out of Marta's office, Eve must immerse herself in her billionaire husband Roarke's world of big business to figure out who's cruel and callous enough to hire a hit on an innocent woman. And as the killer's violent streak begins to escalate, Eve knows she has to draw him out, even if it means using herself as bait.

Scent to Kill: A Natural Remedies Mystery (Natural Remedies Mysteries) [Paperback]

A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO SOLVING CRIME? AT THE NATURE’S WAY MARKET AND CAFÉ, A GENTLE TOUCH, A DOSE OF AROMATIC HERBS, FRESH EVIDENCE, AND INSPIRED INVESTIGATING ARE THE ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS TO CATCHING A KILLER!

When naturopathic doctor and shop owner Willow McQuade’s ex-boyfriend Simon Lewis invites her to a party for the cast and crew of a new television show at Long Island’s scenic Bixby Estate, she’s most excited to visit the property’s exclusive lavender farm. But a whole field of her favorite stress-reducing herb can’t provide enough soothing support to calm the effects of a murder!

Even the show’s psychic star didn’t predict the demise of Roger Bixby, the estate’s owner and estranged husband of Simon’s new girlfriend. Now Simon, who’s been collared by police, needs Willow’s help to remedy the situation. As Willow snoops about the mansion, offering natural cures to ease the mounting tension, a strange energy — and the discovery of an eerily similar unsolved murder decades earlier — makes her wonder whether the alternative source of the crime might actually be supernatural. Can she find harmony between mind, body, and possibly even spirits before somebody else goes up in smoke?

The Seventh Victim [Mass Market Paperback]

I've finished "The Seventh Victim" by Mary Burton.

It's been seven years since the Seattle Strangler terrorized the city. His victims were all young, pretty, their lifeless bodies found wrapped in a home-sewn white dress. But there was one who miraculously escaped death, just before the Strangler disappeared.  Lara Church has only hazy memories of her long-ago attack.

What she does have is a home in Austin, a job, and a chance at a normal life at last. Then Texas Ranger James Beck arrives on her doorstep with shattering news: The Strangler is back. And this time, he's in Austin.  He's always craved her, even as he killed the others. For so long he's been waiting to unleash the beast within. And this time, he'll prove he holds her life in his hands - right before he ends it forever.

About the Author

Mary Burton is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of several historical romance and romantic suspense novels, including Senseless, Dying Scream, and Dead Ringer. Her novella Christmas Past appears in the 2008 New York Times bestselling anthology Silver Bells. Her commitment to realism has led to eye-opening interviews with law enforcement, to forensic seminars and to the firing range. She is a graduate of the Henrico County Citizens Police Academy and the Richmond FBI Citizen's Academy, and has participated in Sisters in Crime's Forensic University program. Mary lives in Virginia with her family.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Zebra (January 29, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1420125052
ISBN-13: 978-1420125054

My Review:

Seven years ago in Seattle a killer nicknamed "The Seattle Strangler" left his calling card young pretty women were found wearing home-made white dresses.  Lara Church just barely got away before the Strangler disappeared and her memory is very hazy about the attack.

Lara has moved to Austin Texas with a nice paying job, a home, has adopted a dog and is living a normal life.  Now the Strangler has resurfaced in Austin, Texas and Lara finds out when Texas Ranger James Beck arrives on her doorstep. James believes Lara is the key to solve the case and he vows to protect her to the very end!

This book focused more on the suspense then the romance but you can feel the chemistry between Lara and James.  The characters were well-written and I really enjoyed reading about all the Tex-Mex food that was eaten.

4/5

New Release 2013 (Feb 18)

Alex Cross, Run [Hardcover]

Product Description

DON'T LOOK, ALEX CROSS

Top plastic surgeon Elijah Creem is renowned for his skills in the operating room, and for his wild, no-expense-spared "industry parties," bringing in underage exotic dancers and models for nights of drugs, champagne, and uninhibited sex. That is, until Detective Alex Cross busts one of Creem's lavish soirees and ruins his fun. Now Creem is willing to do anything to avoid going to jail.

DON'T THINK, ALEX CROSS

But Alex doesn't have time to dwell on that case. A beautiful woman has been found murdered in her car, a lock of her hair viciously ripped off. Then a second woman is found hanging from a sixth-floor window with a brutal scar slashed across her stomach. When a third mutilated body is discovered, rumors of three serial killers on the loose send Washington D.C. into an all-out frenzy.

JUST RUN

Alex is under so much pressure to solve these three grim cases that he hasn't noticed that someone else investigating him-someone so obsessed and so twisted that they'll do anything - ANYTHING - to get the vengeance they require. Alex Cross, Run is James Patterson's most unrelenting story yet - a white-hot, sensational thrill ride with the most extreme and gripping characters Patterson has ever brought to life.

Product Details
Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (February 18, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316097519
ISBN-13: 978-0316097512

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Feb 18)

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.  Suspect - Robert Crais
2.  Carolina Moon - Nora Roberts

I’m currently reading:

1.  The Seventh Victim - Mary Burton
2. Last to Die - Karen Rose
Here's the link:

http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/2013/02/17/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-176

Carolina Moon [Mass Market Paperback]

I've finished "Carolina Moon" by Nora Roberts.

Product Description

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts — an utterly spellbinding tale about a woman who, though battered in both body and spirit, can never lose Hope.

Tory Bodeen grew up in South Carolina, in a small run-down house, where her father ruled with an iron fist and a leather belt — and where her dreams and talents had no room to flourish. But she had Hope, who lived in the big house just a short skip away and whose friendship allowed Tory to be something she wasn’t allowed to be at home: a child.
After young Hope’s brutal murder, unsolved to this day, Tory’s life began to fall apart. And now, as she returns to her hometown, with plans to settle in and open a stylish home-design shop, she is determined to find a measure of peace and free herself from the haunting visions of the past. As she forges a new bond with Cade Lavelle — Hope’s older brother and the heir to the family fortune — she isn’t sure whether the tragic loss they share will unite them or drive them apart. But she is willing to open her heart, just a little, and try.

Living so close to those unhappy memories will be more difficult and frightening than Tory could ever have expected, however. Because Hope’s murderer is nearby as well.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 470 pages
Publisher: Jove (April 1, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0515130389
ISBN-13: 978-0515130386

My Review:

Tori (Victoria) Bodeen grew up in South Carolina with a religious fanatic father who would beat her to get rid of her psychic powers (she can sense people and their circumstances) and her mother who didn't protect her.   Hope Lavelle was her only friend who helped her escape her troubled home by letting her be a regular kid by having fun, etc.  Hope was eight when she was brutally murdered and raped and Tori experienced the event which has affected how she interacts with people.  The case has never been solved and she has decided to come home to confront her troubled childhood and to learn the truth of Hope's murder and who did it.

Hope's older brother Cade tries to get close to Tori but she rejects him.  She doesn't like getting close to people because they don't appreciate her gift and they get offended by it.  Cade doesn't give up and eventually melts Tori's heart with his charming self and his looks.

All of the characters were well developed with their own interesting story lines. 

3/5

In the Mail Saturday 2013 (Feb 16)

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:

Sent to Kill: A Natural Remedies Mystery (Natural Remedies Mysteries) [Paperback]

Product Description

A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO SOLVING CRIME? AT THE NATURE’S WAY MARKET AND CAFÉ, A GENTLE TOUCH, A DOSE OF AROMATIC HERBS, FRESH EVIDENCE, AND INSPIRED INVESTIGATING ARE THE ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS TO CATCHING A KILLER!

When naturopathic doctor and shop owner Willow McQuade’s ex-boyfriend Simon Lewis invites her to a party for the cast and crew of a new television show at Long Island’s scenic Bixby Estate, she’s most excited to visit the property’s exclusive lavender farm. But a whole field of her favorite stress-reducing herb can’t provide enough soothing support to calm the effects of a murder!

Even the show’s psychic star didn’t predict the demise of Roger Bixby, the estate’s owner and estranged husband of Simon’s new girlfriend. Now Simon, who’s been collared by police, needs Willow’s help to remedy the situation. As Willow snoops about the mansion, offering natural cures to ease the mounting tension, a strange energy — and the discovery of an eerily similar unsolved murder decades earlier — makes her wonder whether the alternative source of the crime might actually be . . . supernatural. Can she find harmony between mind, body, and possibly even spirits before somebody else goes up in smoke?

Murder and Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction [Paperback]

Product Description 

Murder and Mayhem In Goose Pimple Junction is a humorous southern mystery set in a unique town full of quirky residents. Grab a glass of sweet tea and settle in. You'll be laughing and guessing until the very end of this thoroughly entertaining novel.

When Tess Tremaine starts a new life in the colorful town of Goose Pimple Junction, she thinks she's moved to a quiet little burg. Curiosity leads her to look into a seventy-five-year-old murder, and suddenly she's learning the foreign language of southern speak, resisting her attraction to local celebrity Jackson Wright, and dealing with more mayhem than she can handle.

If brains were dynamite, Willy couldn't blow his nose. Could a murderer be that stupid? Jack can charm the dew right off the honeysuckle. Surely a fine southern gentleman isn't a murderer. But Tess is determined to find out, and Goose Pimple Junction will never be the same.

A bank robbery, murder, and family tragedy from the 1930s are pieces of the mystery, which Tess attempts to solve in this cozy mystery. As she gets close to the truth, she encounters danger, mystery, a lot of southern charm, and a new temptation for which she's not sure she's ready.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

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:
 

Alex Cross, Run [Hardcover]

Product Description

DON'T LOOK, ALEX CROSS

Top plastic surgeon Elijah Creem is renowned for his skills in the operating room, and for his wild, no-expense-spared "industry parties," bringing in underage exotic dancers and models for nights of drugs, champagne, and uninhibited sex. That is, until Detective Alex Cross busts one of Creem's lavish soirees and ruins his fun. Now Creem is willing to do anything to avoid going to jail.

DON'T THINK, ALEX CROSS

But Alex doesn't have time to dwell on that case. A beautiful woman has been found murdered in her car, a lock of her hair viciously ripped off. Then a second woman is found hanging from a sixth-floor window with a brutal scar slashed across her stomach. When a third mutilated body is discovered, rumors of three serial killers on the loose send Washington D.C. into an all-out frenzy.

JUST RUN

Alex is under so much pressure to solve these three grim cases that he hasn't noticed that someone else investigating him-someone so obsessed and so twisted that they'll do anything - ANYTHING - to get the vengeance they require. Alex Cross, Run is James Patterson's most unrelenting story yet-a white-hot, sensational thrill ride with the most extreme and gripping characters Patterson has ever brought to life.

Suspect [Hardcover]

I've finished "Suspect" by Robert Crais.

Product Description

The explosive new masterpiece of suspense from the #1 New York Times – bestselling author.

LAPD cop Scott James is not doing so well. Eight months ago, a shocking nighttime assault by unidentified men killed his partner Stephanie, nearly killed him, and left him enraged, ashamed, and ready to explode. He is unfit for duty — until he meets his new partner.

Maggie is not doing so well, either. A German shepherd who survived three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan sniffing explosives before losing her handler to an IED, her PTSD is as bad as Scott’s.

They are each other’s last chance. Shunned and shunted to the side, they set out to investigate the one case that no one wants them to touch: the identity of the men who murdered Stephanie. What they begin to find is nothing like what Scott has been told, and the journey will take them both through the darkest moments of their own personal hells. Whether they will make it out again, no one can say.

About the Author

Robert Crais is the author of many New York Times bestsellers, most recently Taken, which debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and The Sentry. He lives in Los Angeles.

Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Putnam Adult; First Edition first Printing edition (January 22, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399161481
ISBN-13: 978-0399161483

My Review:

One night LAPD officer Scott James is left for dead and his partner Stephanie is killed which has left him feeling angry, guilty and he's about to explode.

Maggie is a ex-military work dog who was injured in the line of duty and lost her handler Pete in Afghanistan. 

8 months later Scott is reassigned to K-9 division and he hooks up with Maggie who also suffers from PTSD.  They both work together to overcome their disabilities and to learn to work together and trust each other.  I really enjoyed the strong bond that grows and strengthens between them as Scott investigates to uncover who were involved in Stephanie's murder.

I really enjoyed Maggie's point of view and how she would all she could to protect her Alpha/pack even give up her life if need too.  It was very informative to read about all the excessive training the K-9 went through and the commitment .

4/5

New Release 2013 (Feb 12)

Hit Me (Keller) [Hardcover]

Product Description

BESTSELLING AUTHOR AND GRAND MASTER LAWRENCE BLOCK RETURNS TO HIS DEADLIEST HITMAN

A man named Nicholas Edwards lives in New Orleans renovating houses, doing honest work and making decent money at it. Between his family and his stamp collection, all his spare time is happily accounted for. Sometimes it's hard to remember that he used to kill people for a living.

But when the nation's economy tanks, taking the construction business with it, all it takes is one phone call to drag him back into the game. It may say Nicholas Edwards on his driver's license and credit cards, but he's back to being the man he always was: Keller.

Keller's work takes him to New York, the former home he hasn't dared revisit, where his target is the abbot of a midtown monastery. Another call puts him on a West Indies cruise, with several interesting fellow passengers-the government witness, the incandescent young woman keeping the witness company, and, sharing Keller's cabin, his wife, Julia. But the high drama comes in Cheyenne, where a recent widow is looking to sell her husband's stamp collection.

In HIT ME, legendary Edgar Grandmaster and New York Times bestselling author Lawrence Block returns to one of his most beloved characters. Welcome back, Keller. You've been missed.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Feb 11)

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.  Wait Until Dark - M.L. Buchman
2.  Acadian Waltz - Alexandria Weis
3.  Parlor Games - Maryka Biaggio

I’m currently reading:

1.  Suspect - Robert Crais
2.  Carolina Moon - Nora Roberts

Here's the link:

http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/2013/02/10/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-175 

Parlor Games: A Novel [Hardcover]

I've finished "Parlor Games" by Maryka Biaggo.

Product Description

A sweeping historical novel about a beautiful con artist whose turn-of-the-century escapades take her around the world as she's doggedly pursued by a Pinkerton Agency detective

The novel opens in 1917 with our cunning protagonist, May Dugas, standing trial for extortion. As the trial unfolds, May tells her version of events.

In 1887, at the tender age of eighteen, May ventures to Chicago in hopes of earning enough money to support her family. Circumstances force her to take up residence at the city’s most infamous bordello, but May soon learns to employ her considerable feminine wiles to extract not only sidelong looks but also large sums of money from the men she encounters. Insinuating herself into Chicago’s high society, May lands a well-to-do fiancé — until, that is, a Pinkerton Agency detective named Reed Doherty intervenes and summarily foils the engagement.

Unflappable May quickly rebounds, elevating seduction and social climbing to an art form as she travels the world, eventually marrying a wealthy Dutch Baron. Unfortunately, Reed Doherty is never far behind and continues to track May in a delicious cat-and-mouse game as the newly-minted Baroness’s misadventures take her from San Francisco to Shanghai to London and points in between.

The Pinkerton Agency really did dub May the “Most Dangerous Woman,” branding her a crafty blackmailer and ruthless seductress. To many, though, she was the most glamorous woman to grace high society. Was the real May Dugas a cold-hearted swindler or simply a resourceful provider for her poor family?

As the narrative bounces back and forth between the trial taking place in 1917 and May’s devious but undeniably entertaining path to the courtroom — hoodwinking and waltzing her way through the gilded age and into the twentieth century — we're left to ponder her guilt as we move closer to finding out what fate ultimately has in store for our irresistible adventuress.

Product Details
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Doubleday (January 15, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385536224
ISBN-13: 978-0385536226

My Review:

The book opens in 1917 with May a cunning extortionist awaiting trial.  As the trial goes on we learn the events leading up to the trial.

When May was 18 years old she traveled to Chicago in hopes to make money to send to her family back home.  Unfortunately things do go as well as she thought and she is forced to work at a infamous bordello where she learns to use her feminine wiles to swindle men from their money.  She lands a rich fiance but a Pinkerton agent Reed Doherty puts a stop to the engagement.

May rebounds back while traveling the world using her wiles and social climbing and evidently marrying a rich Dutch Baron.  Reed Doherty is on her steps and isn't too far behind the newly minted Baroness chasing her from San Francisco to Shanghai to London and places in between.

May's character development was well written from her childhood to mature adulthood.  The author did a great job in researching the fashion, environment, food, architecture and describing them in great detail.

In the Mail Saturday 2013 (Feb 9)

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 Seventh Victim [Mass Market Paperback]


It's been seven years since the Seattle Strangler terrorized the city. His victims were all young, pretty, their lifeless bodies found wrapped in a home-sewn white dress. But there was one who miraculously escaped death, just before the Strangler disappeared.Lara Church has only hazy memories of her long-ago attack. What she does have is a home in Austin, a job, and a chance at a normal life at last. Then Texas Ranger James Beck arrives on her doorstep with shattering news: The Strangler is back. And this time, he's in Austin.He's always craved her, even as he killed the others. For so long he's been waiting to unleash the beast within. And this time, he'll prove he holds her life in his hands-right before he ends it forever.

Suspect [Hardcover]

The explosive new masterpiece of suspense from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author.

LAPD cop Scott James is not doing so well. Eight months ago, a shocking nighttime assault by unidentified men killed his partner Stephanie, nearly killed him, and left him enraged, ashamed, and ready to explode. He is unfit for duty—until he meets his new partner.

Maggie is not doing so well, either. A German shepherd who survived three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan sniffing explosives before losing her handler to an IED, her PTSD is as bad as Scott’s.

They are each other’s last chance. Shunned and shunted to the side, they set out to investigate the one case that no one wants them to touch: the identity of the men who murdered Stephanie. What they begin to find is nothing like what Scott has been told, and the journey will take them both through the darkest moments of their own personal hells. Whether they will make it out again, no one can say.

Acadian Waltz [Paperback]

I've finished "Acadian Waltz" by Alexandrea Weis.

Product Description

At thirty, Nora Kehoe is feeling pressured to settle down. On a blind date, Nora unexpectedly ends up in the emergency room where she meets Dr. John Blessing. She hopes the pragmatic Dr. Blessing can make her life complete. Then, a passionate encounter with a childhood friend changes everything. The charismatic Jean Marc Gaspard manages the family business, Gaspard Fisheries. But rumors abound that Jean Marc is running more than seafood through the waters around Manchac Louisiana. When a family crisis sends Nora to Manchac, she is thrown headlong into the dangerous world of smugglers and swindlers. And as Jean Marc tries to protect Nora from his past, he realizes he may lose her because of it. The dark bayou waters run deep with secrets in Louisiana, and every Cajun knows how to dance the fine line between the right and wrong side of the law. But for strangers, learning the steps to staying alive in the swamps can be tricky. Life, and love, will be dependent on how well one can master the … Acadian Waltz

About the Author

Alexandrea Weis is a registered nurse from New Orleans who has been writing novels and screenplays for over twenty years. Her first novel, To My Senses, was a finalist for commercial fiction in Eric Hofer Book Awards, a finalist for romance in the Foreword Magazine Book of the Year awards, and a finalist for romance in the USA Book Awards. Her second novel, Recovery, was ranked #1 on the Amazon top rated for romantic suspense in kindle books. Buyer Group International, an independent production company in Austin, has optioned the motion picture rights for Recovery. Ms. Weis is also a permitted wildlife rehabber with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries and when she is not writing, Ms. Weis is rescuing orphaned and injured wildlife. She lives outside of New Orleans with her husband and a menagerie of pets.

Product Details
Paperback: 270 pages
Publisher: World Castle Publishing (January 2, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1938961781
ISBN-13: 978-1938961786

My Review:

Nora Kehoe is 30 year old women who believes she doesn't need a man, children or even a picket fence that her overbearing mother is always harping at her.  After having a meal at her mom's and stepfather's house where her mother starts harping at her again she starts going on blind dates.

One night she ends up at a hospital where she meets Dr. John Blessing after a blind date has a allergic reaction to his dinner.  They are instantly attracted to each other and start dating (her mom is in high heaven) but after about four dates he starts to have a time table regarding their relationship including when to say, "I love you" and when they should get married, etc.  Man was he ever a control freak and I sure didn't like how he was such a gentleman at first and then he turned into this scary swearing maniac.  Nora started to lose weight, gave into demands and wasn't herself anymore. 

Nora has an encounter with Jean Marc a man she has known since childhood who was once a great friend.  Now all they do is fight every time they meet each other.  He's sexy, mysterious, smart and cunning who has always wanted Nora.  Jean has a twin brother Henri who also has a part in their storyline (has to do with cults, smuggling and a death of a young girl with her eyes destroyed.    

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 is:

Hit Me (Keller) [Hardcover]

Product Description

BESTSELLING AUTHOR AND GRAND MASTER LAWRENCE BLOCK RETURNS TO HIS DEADLIEST HITMAN

A man named Nicholas Edwards lives in New Orleans renovating houses, doing honest work and making decent money at it. Between his family and his stamp collection, all his spare time is happily accounted for. Sometimes it's hard to remember that he used to kill people for a living.

But when the nation's economy tanks, taking the construction business with it, all it takes is one phone call to drag him back into the game. It may say Nicholas Edwards on his driver's license and credit cards, but he's back to being the man he always was: Keller.

Keller's work takes him to New York, the former home he hasn't dared revisit, where his target is the abbot of a midtown monastery. Another call puts him on a West Indies cruise, with several interesting fellow passengers-the government witness, the incandescent young woman keeping the witness company, and, sharing Keller's cabin, his wife, Julia. But the high drama comes in Cheyenne, where a recent widow is looking to sell her husband's stamp collection.

In HIT ME, legendary Edgar Grandmaster and New York Times bestselling author Lawrence Block returns to one of his most beloved characters. Welcome back, Keller. You've been missed.

Wait Until Dark (The Night Stalkers) [Mass Market Paperback]

I've finished "Wait Until Dark" by M.L. Buchman.

Name: Big John Wallace
Rank: Staff Sergeant, Chief Mechanic and Gunner
Mission: To serve and protect his crew and country.

Name: Connie Davis
Rank: Sergeant, Flight Engineer, Mechanical Wizard
Mission: To be the best ... and survive.

Two Crack Mechanics, One Impossible Mission

Being in The Night Stalkers is Connie Davis's way of facing her demons head-on, but mountain-strong John Wallace is a threat on all fronts. Their passion is explosive, but their conflicts are insurmountable. When duty calls them to a mission no one else could survive, they'll fly into the night together — ready or not.

About the Author

M. L. Buchman has worked in fast food, theater, computers, publishing, and light manufacturing. It's amazing what you can do with a degree in geophysics. At one point he sold everything and spent 18-months riding a bicycle around the world. In 11,000 miles, he touched 15 countries and hundreds of amazing people. Since then, he has acquired a loving lady, the coolest kid on the planet, and lives in Portland, Oregon.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (February 5, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 140225816X
ISBN-13: 978-1402258169

My Review:

Sergeant Connie Davis is mechanic for a special military helicopter force "The Nightstalkers".  She lost both her parents when she was very young and doesn't have any other family.  Her life has been surrounded by being on aircrafts and then being in the military.  She has always been a loner and feels left out even in a group.

Staff Sergeant John Wallace is the Chief Mechanic for military helicopter force "The Nightstalkers".  He can't read the silent and lonely Connie Davis.  He knows she is extremely intelligent and knows she's a pro in mechanics.  As he spends more time with Connie he wants to learn more about her on a personal basis.

Then their team is chosen for a top secret mission and Connie must rely on her teammates to survive or else they won't survive.

It was heart felt with Connie learning to face her demons (the death of her father), learning to love and trusting her team.  I really liked how John was very patient and kind helping Connie face her demons.  Glad she opened up to John and told him about her tragedies.

4/5

New Release 2013 (Feb 5)

Did You Miss Me? [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description


Baltimore prosecutor Daphne Montgomery pulled herself out of a damaged past to build a solid life for herself and her son. But after she helps to convict a killer, her confidence is shattered once again by the news that her son has been kidnapped.
Daphne believes it’s connected to the recent high-profile trial, and at first FBI special agent Joseph Carter agrees. But together they find the reality to be even more troubling, and it runs deeper than Daphne fears. With her son’s life in jeopardy, she must unlock a dreadful secret about her past—and confront a truth that will change everything for those closest to her. And, if she survives, threaten the lives of everyone she loves.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Feb 4)

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.  Killing Time - Cindy Gerard
2.  Whispers - Lisa Jackson

I’m currently reading:

1.  Wait Until Dark - M.L. Buchman
2.  Acadian Waltz - Alexandria Weis
3.  Parlor Games - Maryka Biaggio

Here's the link:

http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-174 

Whispers [Mass Market Paperback]

I've finished "Whispers" by Lisa Jackson.

Product Description

New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson delivers the suspenseful story of a woman with shocking secrets who is drawn into a journalist's web and an obsession that could destroy her. In the chill of an Oregon Night, a man plunges to his death. Another vanishes without a trace. A third drowns in the murky waters of a quiet lake. Alone in the dark, a ruthless killer is certain that every loose end has been cut, every enemy silenced except one. It's been sixteen years since Claire St. John fled in terror from her family's home on Lake Arrowhead. Sixteen years since her fiance's tragic death and the shocking secret she promised never to reveal to anyone. But that was before journalist Kane Moran began probing the mystery of that horrible night, turning a light on the darkest corners of Claire's life, exposing her once again to a cold-blooded murderer's vicious fury. Now, as Claire returns home to face a past she's tried to forget, another body is unearthed, revealing the twisted nature of a killer who is ready at last to make Claire pay the ultimate price!

About the Author

Lisa Jackson has been writing romantic fiction for fifteen years. Over sixty of her books have been published and reprinted in more than a dozen foreign languages. A single mother, she is a native of Oregon, where she still resides with her two teenage sons. Lisa is often asked what is the key to her success, and her unfailing answer is a keen imagination, incredible friends, loving family, and always, loads of laughter. As Oscar Wilde is purported to have said, "Life is too important to be taken seriously."

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 447 pages
Publisher: Zebra Books; Revised edition (August 1, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0821776037
ISBN-13: 978-0821776032

My Review:

Sixteen years ago someone killed Harley Taggert and the perpetrator has never been found.  Dutch Holland bribed local law force because he believed one of his daughters killed Harley though he wasn't sure which one.

The book starts off with Dutch Holland running for Governor and wants all family secrets out in the open.   He calls his three adult daughters DA lawyer Miranda, Claire divorced mother of two and rebellious Tessa back home to ask them who killed Harley Taggert?  Dutch hires private detective Denver Hayes to investigate the crime just as local bad boy journalist Kane Morgan comes home to write a book about Harley's murder.

Claire was involved with Harley in her teens though he was two-timing her with his ex-girlfriend.  She finally realized she was in love with Kane and after one night of passion he left for the Army. She has her own little dark secret which she has to deal with.  Besides her ex is a pervert and loves young girls (he was sleeping with his step-son's girlfriend which he happened to walk in on them doing the mamba).

Kane fell for Claire hard and it was a case of the bad boy and the princess.  He wants to get back at Dutch for ruining his life by writing a book about Harley's murder but his love for Claire means more to him then his revenge.  He only wants to protect her and her family.

This book is very complex full of lies, backstabbing, etc. with four engaging characters while others will sicken you.  The book jumps back in time to 1980 with a summer full of mysterious deaths to 1996.

5/5

In the Mail Saturday 2013 (Feb 2)

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:

Parlor Games: A Novel [Hardcover]


A sweeping historical novel about a beautiful con artist whose turn-of-the-century escapades take her around the world as she's doggedly pursued by a Pinkerton Agency detective

The novel opens in 1917 with our cunning protagonist, May Dugas, standing trial for extortion. As the trial unfolds, May tells her version of events.

In 1887, at the tender age of eighteen, May ventures to Chicago in hopes of earning enough money to support her family. Circumstances force her to take up residence at the city’s most infamous bordello, but May soon learns to employ her considerable feminine wiles to extract not only sidelong looks but also large sums of money from the men she encounters. Insinuating herself into Chicago’s high society, May lands a well-to-do fiancé — until, that is, a Pinkerton Agency detective named Reed Doherty intervenes and summarily foils the engagement.

Unflappable May quickly rebounds, elevating seduction and social climbing to an art form as she travels the world, eventually marrying a wealthy Dutch Baron. Unfortunately, Reed Doherty is never far behind and continues to track May in a delicious cat-and-mouse game as the newly-minted Baroness’s misadventures take her from San Francisco to Shanghai to London and points in between.

The Pinkerton Agency really did dub May the “Most Dangerous Woman,” branding her a crafty blackmailer and ruthless seductress. To many, though, she was the most glamorous woman to grace high society. Was the real May Dugas a cold-hearted swindler or simply a resourceful provider for her poor family?

As the narrative bounces back and forth between the trial taking place in 1917 and May’s devious but undeniably entertaining path to the courtroom — hoodwinking and waltzing her way through the gilded age and into the twentieth century — we're left to ponder her guilt as we move closer to finding out what fate ultimately has in store for our irresistible adventuress. 

February Releases

5th
Did You Miss Me? - Karen Rose
Buried in the Bog - Sheila Connelly

12th
Hit Me - Lawrence Block

18th
Alex Cross, Run - James Patterson

26th
Calculated in Death - J.D. Robb
Scent to Kill - Christy Fiedler