MURDER-GO-ROUND: REVIEWS BY HARRIET KLAUSNER
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Harriet Klausner, was chosen the number
one reader in the entire USA by BOOK Magazine. What does that mean
to you? She reads constantly and knows what's out there and wants
to let you know, too. Read on for tips to great books from the wonder
reader Harriet Klausner. |
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April 2006
DARK
HARBOR
Stuart Woods
Putnam, Apr 2006, $25.95
ISBN: 039915342X
Attorney Stone Barrington dines with his former NYPD partner Dino Bachetti
when CIA operative Lance Cabot and Agents Holly Barker arrive at the restaurant.
Lance asks Stone what he knows about his first cousin Dick Stone, Jr.
Stone says not much as they have seen each other once in the last two
decades and that was eight or nine years ago. He said that following graduating
high school he spent a summer with Dick and his family, but that was about
it except for a package he received this morning. Lance informs Stone
that the Isleboro sheriff department and the Maine State police believe
Dick, recently appointed the CIA Deputy Director for Operations, murdered
his wife Barbara and their eighteen years old daughter Esme before killing
himself. Stone and Lance are to uncover the truth.
They start with the package, which contains a letter of instruction, two
wills, and a finance statement. From there the quartet travel to Dick's
home in the village of Dark Harbor on Isleboro, an isle in Penobscot Bay,
Maine. As they dig deeper into what happened, the evidence piles up that
a double murder suicide occurred, but Stone finds it too perfect and wonders
if his cousin's work as an operative or his estrangement with his brother
Caleb led to what he believes is the homicides of three people.
This delightful police procedural with espionage overtones hooks the audience
from the moment that Stone and Lance discuss his cousin and never slows
down until the final twin confrontation. The long running series is refreshed
with Stone explaining aspects of his past but smoothly as part of the
present investigation. This tale is a must for series regulars while newcomers
will understand why the accolades for this very talented writer.
Harriet Klausner
VANISHED
Karen Robards
Putnam, Apr 2006, $24.95, 388 pp.
ISBN: 0399153381
Seven years ago, Sarah Mason, now an Assistant District Attorney, the
Acting Head of Major Crimes, let her five year old daughter Lexie go to
a nearby table in the park to get a piece of cake. The child never returns
to her mother and there are no clues for the police to follow up on. Sarah
hires Jake, a private detective to search for her daughter, but he fails.
Still they become friends, but Sara felt empty inside since Lexie vanished
and wanted to die until, in the present, she almost does during a robbery.
Somebody is trying to make Sarah believe her daughter is alive through
some cruel incidents. Sarah wonders if one of her enemies from amongst
those she prosecuted or the Beaufort police Department are behind the
threat to her as she currently works a rape case against two cops. Calls
from apparently Lexie occur and their safe word is written onto her car
window. An unknown adversary is terrorizing Sarah through Lexie, but she
has no idea who or why. Jake, who loves her, vows to keep her safe and
somehow find out who is terrorizing a mother who lost her child. Sarah
doesn't even know if her daughter is dead or alive.
Karen Robards has written an exciting romantic suspense about a woman
needing closure to get on with her life, but instead seven mourning years
later she finds more troubles and fears. The sexual tension between Jake
and Sara is so hot that sparks fly off the pages. The story is told from
the points of view of the lead couple so the audience knows how the hero
feels about his lady in distress. VANISHED is a haunting tale that grips
readers from the moment Sarah is shot and never slows down until the final
twist.
Harriet Klausner
TWIST
AND SHOUT MURDER
Rosemary Martin
Signet, April 2006, $6.99, 304 pp.
ISBN 0451218191
After leaving her hometown of Richmond, Virginia for the excitement of
New York City secretary Bebe Bennett follows her boss, the handsome and
sexy Bradley Williams when he becomes head of the Ryan Modeling Agency.
She loves him even though he calls her "kid" because he is a
decade older than her twenty-two. She does a lot to light his fire including
have her stewardess roommate buy her mod clothes, mini-skirts and go-go
boots (after all the year is 1964.)
However, Bebe gets no satisfaction because Bradley is emotionally involved
with the company's lead model, Suzie Wexford, a woman who knows she is
beautiful and sexy, and uses her attributes to climb to the top of her
profession. One night Bradley leaves Suzie's apartment to buy chocolate
syrup, but when he comes back, he finds she is murdered, strangled with
a scarf he gave her. The police,called by Suzie's neighbor, arrest him.
Bebe intends to prove his innocence as she is sure that the killer is
one of the many people who confided in her that they hated Suzie.
Using the vernacular of the youth of the swinging sixties, the music that
was popular then, and the other aspects of the subculture of the teenage
baby boomers, Rosemary Martin makes the era go-go in cool mod Technicolor.
The heroine is an adorable character, a combination of steel and sock
it to me vulnerability; readers hope that her boss sees her inner beauty
and falls for her. There are plenty of suspects with viable motives and
guessing who the killer is becomes part of the fun of this wonderful historical
(my God my teen years are historical!) amateur sleuth mystery.
Harriet Klausner
MOURNING
DOVE
Aimee & David Thurlo
Forge, April 2006, $24.95, 320 pp.
ISBN 0765315755
Special Investigation Ella Clah, head of the Major Crimes Unit on the
New Mexico Navaho reservation, is busy working a series of car-jackings.
The M.O. is simple. A woman pretends to need help with her car and when
a male passenger stops; his car is stolen by a man hidden in another vehicle.
When Ella and her partner Justine are called out for what looks like another
car jacking, the victim this time is dead, his body riddled with bullet.
The murdered man is Jimmy Blacksheep, who has just returned with other
members of his New Mexico Natural Guard Unit from Iraq. As the investigation
gets underway discrepancies between the car jackings and the murder become
evident and Ella believes he was killed over something that happened in
Iraq especially when she receives a five page story from him in the mail.
While working this dangerous case, Ella's personal life adds to her stress
as her mother decides to get married again and her daughter's father decides
he wants custody.
The Ella Clah novels are such a success because the characters grow and
change over time so they never become static stereotypes. The murder mystery
is well plotted with plenty of action and chase scenes while glimpse into
the heroine's personal life makes this entry and the series something
very special. Aimee & David Thurlo are super talented writers who
rival the works of Tony Hillerman.
Harriet Klausner
DEAD
DAYS OF SUMMER
Carolyn Hart
Morrow, Apr 2006, $23.95, 288 pp.
ISBN: 0060724021
On Broward's Rock, an island off the coast of South Carolina, Max Darling
begins a new case, but shockingly fails to return home. His worried spouse,
Death on Demand bookstore owner Annie, frantically calls the police. The
cops begin a search for the missing sleuth. When they locate his abandoned
vehicle, they also find the corpse of a young woman nearby and the murder
weapon in the trunk of Max's car.
The media has a field day painting Max as a womanizing cheater who murdered
his girlfriend, Vanessa Taylor. Not long afterward the police arrest Max
charging him with homicide. Annie knows her spouse is faithful and no
killer. She plans to prove both by going undercover with her only advisor
being local mystery author Emma Clyde.
In the award winning Death on Demand series, DEAD DAYS OF SUMMER may be
the best novel to date. The story line focuses on the efforts of Annie
and friends trying to do the impossible to prove that Max is not a killer
or an adulterer although the evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of his
being both. This fine amateur sleuth cozy with some police procedural
elements is filled with heart as a stunned Annie believes to the max in
her beloved spouse.
Harriet Klausner
GETTING
OLD IS THE BEST REVENGE
Rita Lakin
Dell, April 2006, $6.99, 352 pp.
ISBN 0440242592
When seventy-five year old Gladdy Gold reported that she thought a murder
took place the police basically patted her on the head and then ignored
her. She and her five friends not only proved a homicide occurred, they
proceeded to find the killer (see GETTING OLD IS MURDER). Realizing that
senior citizens are invisible to much of the population, Gladdy and her
friends formed the Gladdy Gold Detective Agency.
In the Fort Lauderdale condo community where they all live, business is
brisk as they are hired to find a peeping tom flasher who showed his thingamajig
to many of the condo's women. They are also hired by eighty something
Angelina Siciliano to prove her eighty-five year old husband is cheating
on her. They take the case and find out something that makes her client
and her husband very happy. Listening to the news, Gladdy notices an heiress
each week for the last three weeks have had heart attacks and died. She
finds that very suspicious. On a Bingo and Bridge cruise Gladdy takes
with her group, a wealthy woman is almost killed. Gladdy thinks this attempted
murder is linked to the other deaths and with her friends sets out to
prove it.
Readers who believe life slows down after seventy don't know Gladdy and
her friends. They have more energy then many people in their forties as
they live life to the fullest, going places and working as detectives.
This is a cleverly thought out mystery and readers will not be able to
figure out how the deaths and old murders are linked until the author
chooses to reveal it. This senior citizen chick lit cozy is a funny yet
exciting geriatric mystery.
Harriet Klausner
DARK
ASSASSIN
Anne Perry
Ballantine, Apr 2006, $25.95, 320 pp.
ISBN 0345469291
In 1864 recently promoted to Superintendent of the Thames River Police
William Monk, accompanied by three direct report cops, is "Rowing
random" on a patrol boat when he observes the young couple on Waterloo
Bridge. She places her hands on his shoulders while he grabs her and both
tumble into the river. Appalled and feeling helpless especially after
finding the two corpses, William wonders whether this was a double suicide,
a murder-suicide, or a freak accident. The male was Toby Argyle and the
woman Mary Havilland.
Monk and Sergeant Orme inform the next of kin, whose reactions vary. From
there he begins to dig into the backgrounds of the two victims even as
he hates being in charge of the Thames River Police. His wife, Hester,
provides his first break when she informs him that the families have feuded
for about a year ever since the rushed construction of a sewer complex
to prevent another typhoid epidemic. As Monk switches his line of inquiries
based on that information, he soon finds himself embroiled in a sewage
building scandal that makes last year's "Great Stink" smell
like fresh roses.
Monk is at his best in his fifteenth appearance as he struggles to adjust
to a job he does not want, but feels obligated to accept. The case is
fascinating especially the twists and turns as Monk with Hester and Orme
at first as his only allies until he begins to persuade his team he can
handle the job. The use of cockney adds to the realism of a wonderful
atmospheric historical police procedural.
Harriet Klausner
THE
ALPINE RECLUSE
Mary Daheim
Ballantine, Apr 2006, $23.95, 336 pp.
ISBN: 0354468147
In Alpine, Washington, editor and publisher Emma Lord works on finalizing
this week's edition of the Alpine Advocate. Tired but excited about the
paper that night from her home she saw the orange glow and then heard
the sirens. She races to the sight to find an inferno engulfing the new
house of Tim and Tiffany Rafferty.
Once the blazing inferno is put out and the house cools down, investigators
find a ghastly sight; the corpse of Tim, but the cause of death was a
blow to the head before the fire that is now deemed arson based. Sheriff
Milo Dodge investigates the death and soon believes the arson was done
to hide a murder. Unable to get Emma to stay out of the inquiries, Milo
and the newspaper editor begin looking into who had a motive to commit
homicide.
THE ALPINE RECLUSE is a fabulous Emma Lord journalistic investigative
police procedural tale. The story line is action-packed as Emma and Milo
begin their inquiries as both agree that the fire was set to hide the
homicide though the arsonist was obviously an amateur fire bug for not
understanding how the skull "survive" the inferno. Fans of the
series will appreciate Mary Daheim's hot thriller.
Harriet Klausner
THE
VAMPIRE'S SEDUCTION
Raven Hart
Ballantine, April 2006, $6.99, 416 pp.
ISBN: 0345479750
He is a vampire over five hundred years old lives in Savannah and has
all the wealth, power and women he wants. Life is good for William and
Jack a vampire William created. Jack is one of the few beings he cares
about partly because he made him and partly of his winning personality.
They live together though Jack doesn't know much about being a vampire,
his loyalty to William is unique and will be needed in the days ahead
because William's sire, the truly evil Readrek who killed is wife and
son, is coming for him.
William has been smuggling the young vampires who want to leave their
masters out of Europe and Readrek has picked up his trail. William's sire
is stronger and more powerful than his fledgling but the younger has other
weapons, including the use of voodoo that makes it questionable what will
happen when the final confrontation takes place. Readrek has his hooks
in Jack by promising him the power that William denied him; it remains
to be seen who Jack ultimately gives his loyalty to cause it might make
a difference on the outcome.
Raven Hart humanizes William and Jack so that readers can empathize with
them and their problems. Although William has a healthy sex life and lovers
he cares about, his heart is buried with his wife and son killed by his
enemy. The vampires in this book seem so very real, (including the villain)
that readers will start to wonder if they actively exist. William and
Jack have heart if not souls and they care about people both vampires
and humans making them easy to like. THE VAMPIRE'S SEDUCTION is an exotic
exciting thriller.
Harriet Klausner
KEEP
ME FOREVER
Rosemary Laurey
Zebra, Apr 2006, $6.99, 352 pp.
ISBN: 0821779281
Vampire Antonia Stonewright, who was turned in the fifth century, and
ghoul Elizabeth Connor plan to open up a top quality crafts store and
art gallery in a small Surrey town in England. On business, Antonia visits
the hermit-like Potter Michael Langton at his home, but quickly realizes
he is not mortal. They fall into each other's arms confiding their true
natures and accepting the other for what they are.
Vampire Stella Corvus and her mortal son Sam are coming to visit Antonia
and Elizabeth when their vehicle is carjacked with the lad inside. Using
her vampiric powers, Stella shoves the man out of her car and drives away.
When they reach their hotel, Stella finds a bag of probably stolen jewels
in their auto. Stella stealthily gives it to the police with no link back
to her or Sam. Still someone tries to break into Stella's car, but Elizabeth
chases him off. As Stella helps her friends with preparing for their grand
opening, a corpse is found at the construction site. While Stella's spouse
and Elizabeth's fiancé believe their venture is jinxed and wants
them home before someone they love is hurt, the three females continue
to work even though danger lurks nearby.
KEEP ME FOREVER is another great romantic supernatural suspense in the
"Forever" series. There is plenty of action with enough romance
to satisfy readers of both genres. Characters from previous novels play
pivotal roles, which leads to a strong sense of continuity as the key
cast remain true to their inner essences. Rosemary Laurey affirms that
she is one of the best at writing modern day vampiric romantic thrillers.
Harriet Klausner
DON'T
LOOK DOWN
Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer
St. Martin's, Apr 2006, $24.95, 384 pp.
ISBN: 0312348126
Television director Lucy Armstrong has a perfectly happy working with
animals; she has no desire to go south to film action scenes for four
days. The pleadings of her sister fail to persuade her, but she cannot
refuse the blandishments of her niece pepper.
Lucy arrives on location near the Eugene Tallmadge Memorial Bridge where
the action includes a helicopter and a hero trying to defeat the villains.
However the previous director died of a heart attack and the support staff
walked out while her despicable ex-husband is the stunt director. All
Lucy could think of is cut.
Bryce, who is switching from comedic roles to macho hero parts hires Green
Beret Captain J.T. Wilder as his stunt double and advisor. The CIA orders
Wilder to watch for James Finnegan, who has invested four million dirty
dollars in the movie that he plans to launder in order to fund various
terrorist organizations. Finnegan is also meeting a Russian Mafiosi to
return art objects that he stole from him. The CIA want Travis to find
out the location of their meeting because since the Russian is so close
to American soil they can arrest him. He does not expect to fall in love
with Lucy or that his beloved and Pepper will be in danger from various
factions willing to kill to gain what they want.
The team of Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer prove a delightful collaboration
because their writing styles blend smoothly together, so much so that
the audience will not know who wrote what but are enjoying reading a tense
romantic thriller. There is plenty of intrigue, adventure and peril in
this action thriller, but the authors do not neglect their characters.
Heroes, villains, and innocent victims are fully developed with everyone
containing some degrees of humanity. Some of the scenes include humor
while the romance is red hot.
Harriet Klausner
IN
ENEMY HANDS
Michelle Perry
Medallion, Apr 2006, $6.99
ISBN: 1932815473
Businessman Gary Vandergriff informs bounty hunter Dante Giovanni that
he needs his special services to bring his daughter Nadia home so she
can be safe as Nick works illegal alien trafficking that has brought him
many dangerous enemies including a lethal drug lord. Nadia lives with
Gary's former wife Maria and Nick Branson in Sewanee, Tennessee. Besides
the 500K fee, Dante sympathizes with Gary as the only way he hears his
little girl's voice is on her mother's answering machine.
Dante rescues Nadia from thugs, which enables him to enter the highly
fortified home of Nick. He soon pulls off the abduction and delivers Nadia
to what he assumes is the safety of her dad. However, he quickly realizes
his error and willingly risks his life to rectify what harm he has caused
by delivering the woman he has fallen in love with to Gary, who has plans
to use her as a disposable pawn to enact vengeance against the ex-wife
he scarred and her lover.
IN ENEMY HANDS is an exhilarating romantic suspense tale starring a hero
who allows his personal life to interfere with his judgment, an often
used device made fresh by a strong support cast. Once he sees clearly
and realizes what he has done, Dante moves heaven and earth to save Nadia's
life even if it means at the cost of his own. Gary is the embodiment of
pure evil and readers will find in fascinating because he seems like he
has no soul. Fans will appreciate this tense thriller as first Dante and
then Nadia take chances with their lives to do the right thing for love.
Harriet Klausner
PENUMBRA
Carolyn Haines
St. Martin's, Apr 2006, $23.95, 288 pp.
ISBN: 0312351607
In the 1950s in Drexel, Mississippi, the color barrier remains rigidly
in place with each race understanding their sphere. Jade Dupree is raised
by her black adopted parents, Jonah and Ruth, although her biological
mother is the very socially powerful white Lucille. Jade's half sister
Marlena is married to the wealthiest and most powerful figures in town,
Lucas Bramlet. Marlena treats Jade like a servant paying her for services
rendered including watching her daughter Suzanna.
Marlena accompanied by Suzanna meets her lover, a traveling salesman,
by the river. However, men wearing masks attack them. Marlena is rushed
to the hospital while Suzanna has vanished. Jade is there watching over
Marlena but her husband is at home waiting for a ransom.. Jade has to
be careful as some whites feel she needs to be reminded of her place and
she has to be careful of the Peeping Tom who is stalking her.
Carolyn Haines known for her lighthearted amusing paranormal mysteries
has taken a 180 degree turn around with this dark foreboding historical
suspense thriller. Readers see how bad things can get for Blacks living
in a 1950's deep South small town even for a woman who could easily pass
as white. The audience becomes absorbed with the historical tidbits, but
soon the question of who assaulted the mother and daughter takes center
stage especially in light of a spouse who does not seem to care what happens
to his wife and daughter and whether Jade faces retribution for breaking
the color barrier. Ms. Haines writes a strong period piece.
Harriet Klausner
MOVING
IS MURDER
Sara Rosett
Kensington, Apr 2006, $22.00, 272 pp.
ISBN: 0758213360
Ellie and her husband Mitch have moved four times in five years because
of his assignments. His latest duty station as a member of the 52nd Air
Refueling Squadron is at Greenley Air Force Base in Vernon, Washington
where they accept off-post housing. They don't know that many of those
stationed at Greenley live in their neighborhood.
Almost against her will, Ellie becomes involved in the activities of her
neighbors that include the monthly coffee sessions, yard sales, and barbeques.
At a barbeque Ellie witnesses an argument between Cass and her husband's
pal Jeff. When Ellie leaves she notices Cass outside her vehicle dead
from repeated wasp stings. Ellie soon proves that Cass was murdered by
someone who planted a cup of sugar and wasps inside her car. Not long
afterward someone searches Cass' house and subsequently Ellie's abode.
Two other suspicious deaths happen that Ellie believes are linked with
that of Cass. She determinedly sets out to uncover the culprit before
she becomes victim number four.
Readers initially obtain a look at the difficulty facing our military
and their spouses even within the States as they move to new assignments.
That quickly twists into an intriguing amateur sleuth tale yet keeps that
glimpse at the military family lifestyle. Ellie suspects everyone in her
neighborhood as the potential killer, which makes it impossible for the
audience to guess who the culprit is. Still the courageous heroine tries
to connect the dots and find the killer before she or others become the
next victim. Readers will salute Sara Rosett's fine mystery that sheds
light on military life with the hopes that more such tales starring Ellie
and her neighbors come soon.
Harriet Klausner
OUR
LADY OF PAIN
Marion Chesney
St. Martin's, April 2006, $22.95, 224 pp.
ISBN 0312329687
The Earl of Hadshire's daughter Lady Rose Summer failed to catch a husband
during her season so her parents want to send her to India to find a spouse
there among the expatriates. Rose convinces Captain Harry Cathcart, a
private investigator, to fake an engagement so she won't have to travel
to India. Although the engagement is phony, Rosa has real feelings for
Harry and is insanely jealous when he starts squiring his new client Dolores
Duval around town.
Rose threatens in a public place to kill Delores if she doesn't stay away
from Harry. Later Rose visits Dolores' lodgings and finds that her rival
is shot to death. The police assume Rose killed Delores and arrest her.
She is soon released and they travel to Paris to interview the woman named
in Dolores' will, but soon afterward she is murdered and Rose is thrown
into the Seine. Harry rescues her. They find a fake suicide note where
Rose admits to the two killings. Danger follows Rose to Scotland and in
London when she asks too many questions. Even after the suspected murderer
is caught, Rose remains in danger from an unknown enemy with only Harry
to help her.
OUR LADY OF PAIN gives readers a glimpse of Edwardian England as seen
through the eyes of the aristocracy and their servants. Rose's life is
in danger and she is also being set up by someone to take the fall as
a murderess. Harry has his hands full keeping Rose safe and out of jail
while trying to figure out just how deep his feelings for her go. This
is a very entertaining historical mystery which is at times very funny
as the heroine goes from one crisis to the next. Marion Chesney beguiles
the reader with her witty and non-conformist characters.
Harriet Klausner
THE
SECRET SUPPER
Javier Sierra
Atria, Mar 2006, $25.95
ISBN: 0743287649
In 1497 the "Soothsayer" warns the Papacy that art is the center
of heresy and needs to be carefully monitored and if necessary censored.
Taking the warning seriously with the Renaissance flourishing at the Vatican's
doorsteps, the Secretariat of Keys of the Papal States Pope Alexander
VI sends Inquisitor Father Agostino Leyre to Milan to investigate the
works of the growing popular da Vinci for any heretic secret missives
and to uncover the identity of the Soothsayer.
Leyre quickly becomes enthralled with da Vinci's current work in progress,
the Last Supper at the Santa Maria delle Grazie. The priest sees the beauty
in the not finished masterpiece, but also becomes somewhat alarmed as
he also believes the Soothsayer is right that da Vinci has slipped in
some secret codes with what he leaves out as much as he puts in though
the artist claims he had divine inspiration. To reveal what Leyre assumes
is treacherous unorthodoxy means death of the artist as a heretic and
destruction of the painting, but to not do so will place the Father at
risk of abetting dissent towards the Church especially if the Soothsayer
sends messages.
THE SECRET SUPPER is a terrific thriller that uses the famous painting
to tell the story behind the so-called Da Vinci code. The tale grips the
audience as the Inquisitor begins to interpret what he assumes are heresies
though he can see the beauty in the masterpiece. Adding depth to the fabulous
Papacy vs. Leonardo plot is Javier Sierra's intriguing interpretation
of The Last Supper. This novel is a tense historical masterpiece.
Harriet Klausner
DIRTY
BLONDE
Lisa Scottoline
HarperCollins, Mar 2006, $25.95
ISBN 0060742909
Although she is new to the federal bench, Judge Cate Fante presides over
a complex intellectual property case in Philadelphia. Former prosecutor
Richard Marz sues Hollywood producer Art Simone over who created the concept
for the TV series Attorneys@Law. Fante rules in favor of the defense as
she feels the plaintiff failed to prove he provided the theme.
Following her ruling, someone kills Simone as he left a restaurant where
he just finished dining with his attorneys. Because of his lost lawsuit,
the police suspect Marz as the killer and assume he is gunning for Fante
next. However, Marz proves to not be her biggest problem; a sleazy corrupt
cop knows her dark nocturnal secret that if revealed would devastate the
reputation of the almost fortyish seemingly pristine judge.
This is an intriguing mystery starring a flawed judge who knows that if
her nocturnal wanderings become public, her career on the bench is over
and she and her family humiliated; though she knows the price of exposure,
Cate cannot cease her late evening treks. The story line is action-packed
but driven by the imperfections of the key cast, whose reactions to personal
and professional crisis hook the audience as we wonder what he or she
will do next. Though there are some very loose ties to Lisa Scottoline's
Rosato & Associates series, DIRTY BLONDE is a stand alone tale that
smoothly blends the subplots into a terrific character-driven crime thriller.
Harriet Klausner
CHARMED
TO DEATH
Shirley Damsgaard
Avon, Apr 2006, $6.99, 304 pp.
ISBN 0060793538
Librarian Ophelia Jensen and her Grandma Abby reside in Summerset, Iowa.
They look like ordinary women but they are witches with Abby training
her granddaughter to learn what her gifts are and to use them wisely.
They are also psychic with Ophelia having precognitive skills and the
ability to find things. Six months ago using her powers she found a murderer
and his cohorts. This action enabled her to come out of her shell, the
one she retreated into when her friend Brian was murdered, and left in
a dumpster.
Ophelia still feels guilty over Brian's murder because she saw his murder
in a vision and was too late to prevent his death from happening. At one
time Detective Henry Comache considered her a suspect because he believed,
rightfully so, she was hiding things from him. Now Abby has a feeling
that it is time for Ophelia to find closure over Brian's death which means
finding his killer. When Henry comes to Summerset, Ophelia is once again
under suspicion when she finds, through her psychic senses, the body of
a dead man whom she had a very public fight with. Evil has come to Summerset;
Ophelia must find it and bring it out of the darkness before it kills
her.
This is a very special mystery in an enchanting series as Ophelia and
Abby perform magic in the traditional Bell, Book and Candle methodology.
The heroine has gained strength from her brush with death and is finally
willing to learn how to use her powers. She also overcomes her hermit
like existence to make friends with some of the townsfolk and there is
even a hint of romance in the air. Although readers might guess early
on who the killer is it won't detract from the enjoyment of this charming
who-done-it and why.
Harriet Klausner
AFRICAN
ICE
Jeff Buick
Leisure, Apr 2006, $6.99, 384 pp.
ISBN: 0843957204
She has the reputation of being a female Indiana Jones, which is why Gem-Star
President Patrick Kerrigan hires Samantha Carlson to locate a diamond
vein in the Ruwenzori Mountains in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He
has the location down to a seventy square mile radius, but his team vanished,
which is not shocking as the government is corrupt and the military is
worse than the civilians.
Knowing all this and more, she still accepts the job. Travis McNeil and
his men will protect her as she seeks the diamonds. Unknown to either
the geologist or the bodyguard is that Patrick has arranged with a local
military officer and his troops to track them so that once the mission
is achieved they will die. However, once the assault starts, Travis and
his men win the day, but a deadlier team is on the way with another on
standby.
AFRICAN ICE is the ultimate cat and mouse thriller with Travis being Hans
Solo and Samantha is Lara Croft. The story line electrifies the audience
with its non-stop action reminiscent of the Indiana Jones' movies, but
also provides insight into the poverty of the people and the corruption
of the military and civil leaders in this poor African nation. Jeff Buick
creates lead characters that readers will care about as they go from one
deadly scenario to the next with the light at the end of the tunnel coming
from the subsequent lethal fire they will end up in shortly.
Harriet Klausner
TWO
LITTLE GIRLS IN BLUE
Mary Higgins Clark
Simon & Schuster, Apr 2006, $25.95
ISBN: 0743264908
In Ridgefield, Connecticut, Margaret and Steve Frawley love their preschool
twin girls. When Kathy and Kelly turn three, their parents throw a mini
birthday party. Once the children go to sleep they leave them with a trusted
babysitter and travel to New York to attend a gala.
Always checking on her beloved children, Margaret calls their home, but
no one picks up the phone. Frantic, she calls her hometown police, who
immediately arrive at the Frawley residence even as the frenzied couple
rushes home. The children are gone and a ransom note demands eight million
or else. The Frawleys pay, but the vehicle allegedly containing their
children only holds Kelly and a dead driver whose apparent suicide note
states that Kathy has died. Kelly insists otherwise as she has a special
bond to her twin who she adamantly claims is sending her telepathic messages.
Her mother is her only believer at first, but soon her father and the
FBI begin to accept that something extraordinary is going on between two
apparently living twins, which give them hope that they can rescue Kathy.
No one writes suspense of the heart better than the grand mistress Mary
Higgins Clark. Her latest is a terrific thriller that grips the audience
from the moment that the phone is not answered and never slows down as
law enforcement led by a preschooler chase the kidnappers along the northeast
corridor. The action-packed story line works because the grief of the
parents and the link between the siblings seem genuine. TWO LITTLE GIRLS
IN BLUE plays on our worst fears of a stranger harming our children but
does it so entertainingly well.
Harriet Klausner
NORTH
BY NORTHANGER
Carrie Bebris
Forge, Apr 2006, $22.95
ISBN 076531410X
Family friend Captain Tilney invites Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy to
stop at Northanger Abbey for a few days. Stunned by finding a letter written
by Fitz's long deceased mother Lady Anne Fitzwilliam that shockingly implies
a family heirloom was lost or stolen in some mysterious ways, the couple
agrees to visit the Captain who knew Lady Anne. However, the married couple
are shocked by how run down his house is and even more so by all the bandages
the captain wears.
Keeping the visit short, as Fitz wants his beloved pregnant wife resting
at their country home, the Darcys continue their trek only to have a Gloucestershire
constable arrest them for stealing jewelry that once belonged to the Captain's
deceased wife. Fitz and Elizabeth worry about his potential incarceration
as a jewel thief so they begin to investigate what is happening now and
what had occurred in the past perhaps with his mother's involvement at
Northanger Abbey.
The latest Darcy Regency amateur sleuth connects five degrees of Jane
Austen to Alfred Hitchcock in a well written exhilarating tale that the
great author and excellent director would have appreciated. The inquiries
this time are refreshed by a knowing growing desperation as the one year
married couple begins to doubt they will have a second anniversary together.
Fans who gain pleasure from SUSPENSE AND SENSIBILITY in their novels will
enjoy this strong thriller and Carrie Bebris' previous mysteries that
pay homage to Austen.
Harriet Klausner
TOMB
OF THE GOLDEN BIRD
Elizabeth Peters
Morrow, Apr 2006, $25.95
ISBN 0060591803
In 1922 in Egypt, Egyptologist Radcliffe Emerson begs Lord Carnavon and
Howard Carter to let him excavate in the Valley of the Kings where the
duo have exclusive digging rights. Because he is well known for his findings,
Radcliffe's action leads to a feeding frenzy from some of his rivals who
assume something of value awaits those who dig in the Valley of Kings.
They are proven right when Carter uncovers the tomb of King Tutankhamen.
The incredibly preserved burial chamber contains a wealth of artifacts
that attract a global invasion of curators, collectors, amateurs, the
media, government and grave robbers. Among the last group arriving at
the sight is Emerson's shifty half-brother, severely ailing Sethos, who
carries a secret document that if it gets into the wrong hands could cause
unbelievable hostilities in the Middle East. Though he wants nothing to
do with a sibling he does not trust, Radcliffe tries to help Sethos, which
leads to increasingly dangerous attacks on his family. Not one to wait
for an assault, Radcliffe's wife Amelia Peabody begins to look into who
wants them dead and whether the motive is Sethos and his document or something
to do with Tut.
The eighteenth historical Peabody mystery is a refreshing superb tale
that uses the Tut dig of 1922 as a backdrop to the action-packed story
line. Radcliffe plays the prime role more so than Amelia, which adds to
the feel of briskness in spite of the desert climate. The mystery comes
a little later than usual, but is well worth the wait as the early plot
provides insight into the renowned Carter excavation. TOMB OF THE GOLDEN
BIRD is must reading experience for Elizabeth Peters' fans while newcomers
will fully appreciate a strong early twentieth century mystery with a
powerful historical foundation.
Harriet Klausner
THE
MASK OF ATREUS
A.J. Hartley
Berkley, Apr, 2006, $7.99
ISBN 042520913X
Atlanta based Druid Hills Museum curator Deborah Miller is on her way
home from the opening of a new exhibit when the exhausted woman receives
a cell phone calls from a distraught man insisting she go back. Ignoring
it she enters her home where the near hysterical man calls again insisting
she goes back before they take the body. Though little fazes the six foot
plus striking Deborah, the word body has her, and though bone tired, returns
to the museum.
There she is stunned when she finds her sexagenarian mentor, museum owner
Richard Dixon dead with what appears to be priceless Mycenaean Age artifacts
that she never saw before surrounding him. He also left a note with the
word Atreus on it. Based on what she knows of the legend of Atreus and
some research, Deborah thinks a Mycenaean death mask is the only thing
stolen. As she follows up including overseas trips to Greece and Russia,
someone tries to kill her making her reconsider that the adversary either
has or is after something much more powerful than a death mask.
THE MASK OF ATREUS is a terrific amateur sleuth mystery starring a likable
intelligent "amazon" struggling with her Jewish roots and Massachusetts
family as her biggest "issues" until the murder of her beloved
mentor, a father figure to her (Deborah's dad died two decades ago). Deborah
keeps the exhilarating thriller focused as she conducts her investigation
using what she knows, myths and antiquities. A.J. Hartley provides a fabulous
whodunit made fresh by its deep historical and archeological base and
an endearing heroine.
Harriet Klausner
LIVE
WIRE
Jay McInerny
Pocket, Apr 2006, $7.99, 354 pp.
ISBN: 1416503471
The Director of the CIA has discovered that the president has committed
many felonious acts to fill his financial coffers; if POTUS' actions become
known, he will be impeached and probably convicted of crimes. Knowing
the country cannot absorb such a traumatic crisis at this time, the CIA
head comes up with a clever way of overthrowing the President and replacing
him with the General, his superior in the army.
Tucker convinces the President that North Korean possesses a nuclear bomb
that the rogue nation plans to sell on the weapons market. To prevent
that from happening, he convinces POTUS to back rebels who want a democratic
unified Korea. For Tucker's hidden agenda to succeed, someone must be
caught in North Korea with papers describing the President's intent to
overthrow the regime, an illegal act. Courier Simon Leonidovich is the
chosen fall guy, but he escapes the trap. Tucker's minions have orders
to assassinate him on sight. Simon knows what has occurred and hopes to
reach DC where he figures he faces further attempts on his life to shut
him up.
LIVE WIRE is a frightening thriller because the events seem plausible.
The characters with the exceptions of Simon and the CIA Director are stereotypes
symbolizing ideas and concepts rather than people; to a degree so are
Simon and the CIA chief with the courier trying to do the ethically correct
thing and stay alive while the spymaster wants the crook out of the White
House. There is plenty of action and political intrigue in Jay McInerny's
cat and mouse thriller, which depending on who survives will determine
the direction of the United States.
Harriet Klausner
THE
FINAL VICTIM
Wendy Corsi Staub
Zebra, Apr 2006, $6.99, 475 pp.
ISBN: 0821779710
After losing her son in a drowning accident and her husband soon after
in a divorce, Charlotte Remington thinks she will never be happy again.
That is until she meets Royce Maitland, who suffered similar losses. They
eventually fall in love and marry living in her grandfather's mansion
on Achoco Island while their Savannah home is renovated.
When her grandfather dies, Charlotte expects to inherit one third of his
estate with the rest going to her cousins Gib and Phyllida. Nobody is
more shocked than Charlotte when she learns at the reading of the will
that she inherited everything. Her cousins are livid and threaten to sue;
shortly after someone shoots Royce. Evidence lead to the arrest of Gib,
but he is more concerned over what the police will find in his room than
the assault charge that he insists he did not do. While her beloved daughter
remains on the island, Charlotte is on the mainland discovering some devastating
news that leads her to believe death is on the move with her the people
on the island a likely target.
Wendy Corsi Staub writes a psychological suspense tale that pulls the
reader deeply into the exhilarating story line. The characters are fully
developed whether they are the protagonists or the antagonists although
the audience will not be sure who to classify where. THE FINAL VICTIM
is fast-paced and action-packed while focusing on a heroine who though
she has suffered traumatically has courageously rebuilt her life and refuses
to allow anyone to destroy it or those she cherishes.
Harriet Klausner
HONEYMOON
James Patterson and Howard Roughan
Warner, Jan 2006, $13.95
ISBN: 0446696269
Interior designer to affluent men thirtyish Nora Sinclair is a beautiful
widow having killed her first spouse to inherit his wealth. Currently,
in Briacliff Manor, Westchester, Nora is engaged to successful hedge fund
manager Connor while also being married to bestselling author Jeffrey
in Boston. She plans to kill both of them for the money starting with
poisoning Westchester and then Boston.
After poisoning Connor, Nora meets undercover FBI Agent John O'Hara, who
pretends to be an insurance investigator but in fact believes she is a
black widow who he needs to bring to justice though he admits that she
is the total package of looks, brains, and charm. Quickly though he knows
better and admonishes himself, John finds he cannot resist Nora's lure.
She seduces him catching him in her web. John struggles to get past his
obsession for Nora, as he needs to get on with the job, but she owns him.
Nora and John are extremely complex characters who play a kind of cat
and mouse game, but who is the feline and who is the rodent keeps the
audience wondering how John will survive this case. A final spin adds
to a powerful story line that when it centers on the black widow and her
men, especially John, grips the reader as few books will. Though a running
subplot involving money deposits to banks in the Cayman Islands requires
a very late explanation to pull into and tie it back to the female serial
killer prime plot, HONEYMOON is an enthralling thriller.
Harriet Klausner
STATE'S
EVIDENCE
R. Barri Flowers
Leisure, April 2006, $6.99, 386 pp.
ISBN: 0843955716
After winning a capital murder case in Judge Crawford's courtroom, Assistant
District Attorney in Wilameta County in Northern California Beverly Mendoza
and her co-chair and lover Deputy D.A. Grant Nunez celebrate. So does
the judge and his young wife but their party dissolves into a massacre
when a Latina male kills the judge and brutally rapes his wife. Through
good eye witnesses testimony the wife is able to point out the killer,
rapist Rafael Santiago, in two line ups. The judge had sentenced him to
hard time; twelve years behind bars. he vowed revenge when he was sentenced.
Beverly is the prosecuting attorney and Grant, who has been appointed
as a judge, is on the bench for what seems like a slam dunk case. While
at a Burger King with her son, Beverly spots a man who looks almost identical
to Rafael. The police are looking for Manuel Gonzalez in the death of
at least three women and he has singled out Beverly as her next target.
He is arrested before he can harm her but he throws a monkey wrench into
Rafael's case and causes Beverly to doubt her own beliefs.
R. Barri Flowers has written an electrifying and enthralling legal thriller
that will appeal to readers of Nancy Taylor Rosenberg and Barbara Parker.
The courtroom scenes are very realistic and the heroine is someone readers
will empathize with and admire as a role model for minorities and women.
STATE'S EVIDENCE would make a great action packed move.
Harriet Klausner
EXPECT
THE SUNRISE
Susan May Warren
Tyndale, Apr 2006, $11.99
ISBN: 1414300883
FBI Agent Stirling "Mac" MacRae is on vacation fishing with
his brother Brody near the Trans-Alaska Pipe Line System when he observes
a terrorist Ari Al-Hasid nearby. The two siblings go after Ari, but in
the scuffle, Brody is shot. Mac pleads with a plane passing by to stop
to transport his sibling to a hospital, but the pilot Andee MacLeod keeps
flying as she has an emergency passenger, a mother of four who is dying.
After his brother dies, Mac vows vengeance against the unknown pilot.
In bad weather Andee, accompanied by the surprise visit of her best friend
Sarah, flies five passengers, Nina Smith, Floyd Dekker, Martin Ishbane,
Jake Phillips, and Stirling MacRae. However, Andee is forced to make an
emergency landing. Sarah is unconscious and Floyd injures his leg. The
chances of rescue are slim, but Andee's offer to get help is rejected
by Mac, who has found evidence including a two way radio and a map that
one of them might be a terrorist plotting to destroy the pipeline. As
they struggle as a group to reach a village, unbeknownst to Andee her
father the Fed is in trouble too.
The third Team Hope thriller (see ESCAPE TO MORNING and FLEE THE NIGHT)
is an exhilarating romantic suspense that showcases the vast Alaskan wilderness.
The story line is exciting because key players must make life threatening
judgments that do not necessarily turn out positive; for instance when
Andee ignores Mac's plea both his brother and her patient die anyway and
Mac's decisions on their survival could kill all of them. Susan May Warren
once again provides a powerful character driven tale in which choices
are life threatening with key players praying to God that they don't harm
the innocent.
Harriet Klausner
Harriets's Archived Reviews
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