The Book of Spies by Gayle Lynds is my favorite book of the year. It opened with a bang and kept me glued to the book until the end.

The CIA discovers there is a connection between the historical Library of Gold and a terrorist bank account. Like Robert Ludlum, Lynds follows the money welded by the cabal of powerful men. She weaves a tale of intrigue with rare book expert Eva Blake and CIA agent Judd Ryder in solving the mystery. The characters were well developed and she deftly and seamlessly crossed genres; spies, historical, and treasure hunting without losing the tantalizing pace of a thriller.

I was tickled pink with the character introduction on page 166. Also I was pleased to see that the Carnivore, one of my favorite Lynds characters made an appearance in this novel. Usually I poo-poo the blurbs on the back of a book, but I have to agree Gayle Lynds is one, if not the best of the suspense writers in the world. If you like espionage or historical novels both readers will be satisfied and left wanting for another outing with Eva and Judd.

SlipOutTheBackJack

You know it's going to be bad news when the author puts a note in the front of the novel. I grabbed the box of Kleenex, knowing the puddle of tears would be on there way. Yes, F. Paul Wilson decided to end his Repairman Jack series. I know. I know. He always said it was a closed-end series, but who believes a fiction author? He's decided the series will end with number 15 thus, with great reverence I opened and began 13, Ground Zero.

I tried to read it slowly, absorb all the details, but I buzzed right through it like usually. Ground Zero starts with September 11, 2001 and suggest an alternative reason for the terrorism that occurred on that day. Jack's childhood friend has now begun to piece the puzzle together and Jack becomes involved in her misfortunes and the craziness of the internet 9/11 Truth Movement.

I'm officially in mourning. How else will I live vicariously? I am in awe of Jack's antics to rectify injustices. In a previous novel Wilson kept me white knuckled but giggling the whole time when he had Jack duct taped the villain, wearing reindeer antlers, to the front of a deuce and quarter trunk then drove the bad guy through New York traffic. One can only dream of such possibilities, F Paul Wilson is a clever guy. He comes up with so many unique forms of retribution. If only I were so creative. I do have a itsy favor to ask of Jack. Now if he would just answer my emails. But that's another story.

TwoWinnersOneLoser

I finished The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly late last night, a good thriller. Connelly's history as a newspaper crime reporter lends great authenticity to the story. Jack McEvoy, the protagonist, (seen earlier in the Poet & The Narrows) is pink slipped due to downsizing by LA Times. He wants to go out in a blaze of glory so writes a story about a wrongfully accused young gang-banger of murder and rape. I'll admit some of the scenes are sadistic and scary, so be aware. McEvoy calls Rachael Walling (seen in previous books)to help him find the killer. Unfortunately the cyber-bully villian is already tracking McEvoy and Walling and causing havoc for the two.

Connelly tells a great story. I missed the character development that is more prevalent in his other series. My only other quibble, he has a great beginning, but the ending I saw coming at midpoint. However Connelly's writing is still heads above most. He also did several book trailers about Rachael Walling back-story just prior to her appearance in the book. I'm embedding the first one here. The rest can be found on Connelly's website or You Tube.


Max, A Maximum Ride novel by James Patterson. Lord knows James Patterson needs no extra money. This is for all the parents who still have butt numbing summer rides with pre-teens ahead of them. Get the audio-books from the library and take them with you on the trip. Max, a teenager, is leading her flock of genetically engineered half-human, half-bird hybrids. The flock must rescue Max's Mom who has been kidnapped by a criminal mastermind. Patterson spins a good tale. I'm not saying this is well written fiction, it lacks character development, has implausible plot twists, however the kids won't notice. It has lots of dialogue and quick action scenes that will keep them enthralled. I personally dislike audio-books which add music to increase the tension in a book, however in this instance it works and my preteen enjoyed it and didn't whine as often "are we there yet?". The lack of tension from the back seat was a balm for my soul. Give it a try.

Blood Groove by Alex Bledsoe I couldn't finish. I picked this up while browsing in the bookstore. I even read the first chapter, unfortunately I should have read further. Chapter two was where the problems started. Baron Zginski a vampire from 1915 goes into forced hibernation until the 1970's. When he is revived he must adapt to his new world. The premise has potential. However, the blaxploitation dialogue was lame, characterizations were stereotypical, and the misogynistic treatment of women and minorities was over the top and so offensive I just put it down. It never became apparent why the writer set the novel in the 70's, which further distracted from it's readability.

VisitingOldFriends

Why do we continue to read or watch a series when the reader knows the plot? We continue to read even when the characters show no growth. What is it that entices us to open the cover when we know the sad truth is the series has run out of steam? Well in my case it's to visit old friends and predictability.

Finger Lickin Fifteen by Janet Evanovich. It's time to visit Stephanie, Lula, Grandma and the boys, Morelli and Ranger. Stephanie is currently not involved with either of her men nor have her bounty hunter skills improved. Lula is still wearing spandex that is stretch to its limits. Grandma and Lula are both carrying a gun and neither one can hit a damn thing. Sounds about like we left them last year. Janet E's Plum series, for me is the novel version of watching I Love Lucy reruns. It's funny and predictable.

This time Lula is witness to a murder. Throughout the novel the assassins try to take Lula out, Lula perseveres, even will ducking for cover she decides Stephanie, Grandma and her should enter a million dollar barbecue sauce recipe contest. One small problem, the only thing they now about barbecue sauce is eating it. One can only image the trouble they get into with this contest. The sauce thread alone is worth the read.

Ranger, I do love a dangerous man, needs Stephanie to help him figure out who has broken into his data base at Rangeman headquarters and robbing his customers. Stephaine skates along the edges of the envelope trying not to fall in bed with Ranger while working for him. Personally I won't skate. I would take a leap and land in the middle of the bed. Morrelli's nice but Ranger is definitely my pick for Stephanie's love interest. Actually Stephanie ends up solving a problem with her brain this time instead of luck.

The Plum Series isn't the most lyrically written, nor does it have a multitude of plot twists. What it does have is lots of belly laughs and a wonderful afternoon of reading. Three stars on my billboard anyday.

GreatDebut

Even by Andrew Grant has my vote for next year's Debut Anthony Award. I'm sure Andrew will do fine on his own, considering whom he got to blurb his book. Loved the first chapter, then Grant almost lost me slogging through the narrative for the first five chapters. The only thing that kept me going was the glimpses of great dialogue dispensed throughout the beginning chapters. Once I hit page 50, Grant's pace was in place and I didn't put the novel down until the end.

His protagonist David Trevellyan, a covert operative in the Royal Navy is a cross between James Bond and Burn Notice's Michael Weston. Grant gave Trevellyan Bond's sardonic humor and Weston's reluctant hero personality a dynamic combination. Trevellyan in New York, walks home from dinner and finds a dead man in the alley just as the police arrive. The police assume Trevellyan killed the man and arrest him. He figures his London bosses will have him out it time for breakfast. Unfortunate for Trevellyan, the London employers wash their hands of their spy and let him swing in the wind. The fun ensues as he tries to rectify this misunderstanding. Grant neatly slipped in the back story in the first paragraphs of each chapter as covert spy tips. We learned how the Royal Navy shaped his character and brought him to his current state with antidotes that read like Dummies For The Would-be-Spies. Nice use of a writing device.

I talked with Grant at Love is Murder in February over drinks. After minutes of kibitzing over the other conventioneers reenactor costumes, I told him he sounded and looked a bit like Lee Child. He smiled and politely informed me he was Child's younger brother. Color me red. I disengaged my foot from my mouth and lost all train of thought at that point. I"d wanted to ask about his protagonist name David Trevellyan. I love the arcane stuff in writing. The name sounds familiar, but just can't place it.

Although the concept of the rebellious spook is an entire sub genre, Grant has given the species a roll-coaster ride in his first outing. The Trevellyan series appears heir apparent of the genre.

SomeHotSomeNot

Some like it Hot Buttered by Jeffrey Cohen is a funny mystery. I like Jeff's wit and oh the zingers. My face still hurts from smiling like an idiot while reading. Very punny. Well developed characters and plot. This time out a patron dies of poisoned popcorn at the Comedy Tonight movie theater and the fun ensues. Elliot the protagonist investigates the death on his bike. That image alone should get you to buy the book. When I'm down and need a lift I pick up Jeff's double feature series. All his book make me laugh. Great beach read.

OOLONG DEAD by Laura Childs writes a cozy series about the Indigo Tea Shop in Charleston. The third in the series, her protagonist Theodosia Browing is asked to host a lavish tea during the Verdi-themed Masked Ball. Already in a bit of a tizzy Theodosia only adds to her work when she finds the dead body of her arch nemesis, Abby Davis. Occasionally I'll read a cozy. Several of my friends lavished this series with praise for her writing, and it's great detail to description of the south and of tea. Unfortunately for me after the second tea set description I was grinding my back teeth. Not my cup of tea.

Zen and The Art of Vampires, A dark ones novel by Kate MacAlitster. This novel was a recommendation from a friend. Not bad, but I prefer more mystery, than romance or scifi in my novels. The premise, a forty year old Pia wants the "normal" life, white picket fence with husband and kids, but what she gets is an unusual European singles tour with lots at stake. (Pun intended) If you like romance this might be a winner for you to sink your teeth in.

Off Street Parking by Bill James. Would a wife have the nerve to park her dead husband in the family car in the driveway? What a great hook, and that's why I picked up the book. It's a mystery, a slow slogging mystery, The author used a numbered bullet point as a device to inform us of his heroine's thoughts. That and all the asides the narrator gave in the novel, I lost the plot of the story and put the book down uncompleted.

Finally on this week's outing I tried to read Witch Fire by Anya Bast The same friend as above gave me this book, said I would love this paranormal mystery. Well the whodunit was I could hardly find or remember the mystery plot from all the romance. Not enough gore, too much romance. I'll have to remember this friend likes romance more than mystery.

SummerReads

Time to visit with all my favorite series characters and a few new ones. First up Sookie Stackhouse.

Charlaine Harris's new novel Dead and Gone was great. It is fun, a good romp of a summer read. Love Charlaine and love Sookie, but this time, maybe it was me, Sookie and I felt out of sync. Overall it was a great addition to the series. The ninth novel in her series filled in those hanging questions from previous books. Lots of action, great dialogue, sex, but the plotting well it wasn't up to Charlaine's great standards. Okay I'm nit pickin here, bare with me a minute.

My quibble is with the last third of the book. Not enough clues laid in earlier in the book for the reader to figure out who the murders were. And there's Mel dying declaration, the clues were so superficial I didn't see his announcement coming. I thumbed back through the book and tried to figure out where I missed the clues, which took me out of the reader mode. Plus I'm irritated with the continuous is it Quinn, Bill or Eric triangle in whose my lover? Geez, pick one. I'm not a fan of long drawn out love trysts, a la Stephanie Plum. Enough of my hair splitting. I really did like the book, but disappointed with a few minor details which most people will ignore. My carping won't take away from the fun.

Every girl loves a bad boy. They can be tempting, especially if we can love them from afar. My answer is Jack Reacher. What's not to love about Reacher? He lives off the grid. He's a contrarian. He never walks away from trouble and always has a unique solution to problem resolution. Vicariously I get rid of my murderous angst when reading Child's novels.

Reacher is back in New York for Lee Child's novel Gone Tomorrow. He's riding the subway after attending a jazz club. A passenger appears to be a suicide bomber and Reacher intervenes. And that's just the beginning, the results of his intervention lead to a thumping good story.

Lee Child knows how to build tension and he keeps the plot tight. His descriptions lean allow the reader to envision the scene without the purple prose. Great beach read.

Where oh where has Phillip Shelby gone? He writes a good spy novel. Dawn's Early Light written in 2003 was his last solo novel I've been able to find. He co-wrote several with Ludlum, but nothing lately by himself. A google search doesn't reveal much new.


Sloane Ryder works for the GAO police. (Who knew we had a secret GAO squad?) Wish we did have one that was as clever as Shelby wrote in his novel. Shelby follows the money like Ludlum always does in his novels, corruption at the highest levels of govt. It's well paced, characters could have been more fleshed out, but the plotting is tight and suspenseful. Good beach read. A quibble, one has to suspend disbelief that Sloane could get fired from Wall Street and easily move into a covert police squad. Plus everyone knows all the capitol police agencies playing together and sharing information is a fairy tale, but if you can get past those two roadblocks its full speed ahead.