One of my very favorite things, reading-wise, is hitting on a new series as it starts. Does it sort of suck waiting for a year for a new book? Absolutely. But the anticipation? The feeling of finally holding that new installment in your hands and settling in with it? Those feelings are the drug of the bibliophile.
You may remember me going on about the first novel in Ellison Cooper's series, Caged, featuring FBI Senior Special Agent Sayer Altair. In fact, I couldn't keep that one to myself, either. The sequel, Buried, picks up six months later as SSA Altair heads back into the field after riding the desk following an on-the-job injury. As fate would have it, her first day starts with a bang, taking her immediately to a mass grave deep in a national park that soon proves likely to be the dump-site of another killer. Though the remains date back over the last two decades (around the time a local teen went missing) cold cases meet active case when another body is found, this one quite recent. The ties that bind will bring Altair full circle, back to a subject she's been studying and who might just be able to help her stop the predator before he can bring down more prey.
For readers who love engrossing page-turning thrillers with plenty of plot-twists, I cannot recommend Ellison Cooper highly enough. Fans of Tess Gerritsen, Lisa Gardner, Thomas Harris and Karin Slaughter should absolutely add Cooper to their lists, ASAP.
Showing posts with label thrillers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thrillers. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Thursday, July 11, 2019
Meg's Picks: August 2019, part 1
There are so many things I want to talk about that are coming up, I had to start early!
City of Windows, by Robert Pobi. This buzz-worthy series launch introduces retired FBI agent (and astrophysicist) Dr. Lucas Page. In the field, Page was best known for his ability to survey a crime scene and allow him to break down the topography to math and statistical probabilities, like being able to pinpoint the origin of a sniper shot in the middle of a city. But the loss of a leg, an arm, and an eye during a shootout put an end to his FBI career, as well as his first marriage. There's nothing wrong with his brain, though, and ten years later he is teaching at Columbia University and writing books. He's reluctant to put his new life on the line when he's called upon to help investigate the shooting of his former partner, but old loyalties run deep. A tense plot and unique protagonist make this a good bet for a breakout thriller this summer.
The Doll Factory, by Elizabeth MacNeal. Psychological suspense meets 1850's London in this sharp new novel. A chance encounter in a crowd is a brief, forgettable encounter for alluring artist Iris, but for curiosity collector Silas, it is the beginning of an obsession--one that will only deepen and darken as Iris's star begins to rise among the city's artists. Fans of Caleb Carr's The Alienist should be placing their requests now.
Inland, by Tea Obreht. Obreht made quite a name for herself with 2011's award-winning novel The Tiger's Wife. She returns now with a tale set in late-1800s Arizona, where Nora waits on the family farm while her husband treks for water to revive their failing farm. Her two older sons have vanished after a fight, leaving Nora to fend for herself when a local outlaw starts making his presence known. If your ideal summer read is full of larger-than-life characters and gorgeous prose, look no further.
The Perfect Wife, by J.P. Delaney. Five years ago, Abbie suffered a terrible accident and is finally coming back to consciousness with the help of new technology. She's a wonderful mother and a talented artist and certainly will be again, or so says the man who claims to be her husband. The catch? It's not really Abbie--the real Abbie disappeared and was never found. The Abbie who is waking up is actually a companion robot or "cobot", developed by the original Abbie's husband. It's as she begins to uncover her namesake's secrets that things start to get scary. Tech suspense with a twist.
City of Windows, by Robert Pobi. This buzz-worthy series launch introduces retired FBI agent (and astrophysicist) Dr. Lucas Page. In the field, Page was best known for his ability to survey a crime scene and allow him to break down the topography to math and statistical probabilities, like being able to pinpoint the origin of a sniper shot in the middle of a city. But the loss of a leg, an arm, and an eye during a shootout put an end to his FBI career, as well as his first marriage. There's nothing wrong with his brain, though, and ten years later he is teaching at Columbia University and writing books. He's reluctant to put his new life on the line when he's called upon to help investigate the shooting of his former partner, but old loyalties run deep. A tense plot and unique protagonist make this a good bet for a breakout thriller this summer.
The Doll Factory, by Elizabeth MacNeal. Psychological suspense meets 1850's London in this sharp new novel. A chance encounter in a crowd is a brief, forgettable encounter for alluring artist Iris, but for curiosity collector Silas, it is the beginning of an obsession--one that will only deepen and darken as Iris's star begins to rise among the city's artists. Fans of Caleb Carr's The Alienist should be placing their requests now.
Inland, by Tea Obreht. Obreht made quite a name for herself with 2011's award-winning novel The Tiger's Wife. She returns now with a tale set in late-1800s Arizona, where Nora waits on the family farm while her husband treks for water to revive their failing farm. Her two older sons have vanished after a fight, leaving Nora to fend for herself when a local outlaw starts making his presence known. If your ideal summer read is full of larger-than-life characters and gorgeous prose, look no further.
The Perfect Wife, by J.P. Delaney. Five years ago, Abbie suffered a terrible accident and is finally coming back to consciousness with the help of new technology. She's a wonderful mother and a talented artist and certainly will be again, or so says the man who claims to be her husband. The catch? It's not really Abbie--the real Abbie disappeared and was never found. The Abbie who is waking up is actually a companion robot or "cobot", developed by the original Abbie's husband. It's as she begins to uncover her namesake's secrets that things start to get scary. Tech suspense with a twist.
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
Reading Ahead: August 2019, part 1
Various flavors of suspense are on the menu for next month. Which will be your favorite?
The Last Widow, by Karin Slaughter. Readers haven't seen GBI special agent Will Trent since 2016's The Kept Woman, but the wait is finally over. Here he and Sara Linton, GBI medical examiner and Will's fiancee, must do battle with a group of radical homegrown terrorists bent on wreaking catastrophe on the state's capitol...just for starters. Slaughter is one of my favorites--this new title cannot get here quickly enough!
Outfox, by Sandra Brown. FBI special agent Drex Easton, hero of 2018 bestseller Tailspin, returns on the trail of a serial killer who has been preying on wealthy single women for decades. The quarry is cunning, leaving no clues, just a string of missing women and emptied bank accounts. He follows a lead and goes undercover, only to find himself falling for the suspected killer's next victim. If you like your suspense with a healthy dose of heat, Brown has you covered.
A Dangerous Man, by Robert Crais. Crais's latest picks up with investigators Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, following 2017's The Wanted. Pike rescues a young bank teller from two abductors, and then things get complicated. The abductors wind up dead, the teller vanishes, and Elvis does some digging to try and find out why the woman was targeted in the first place. Then things start to get really interesting...
The Turn of the Key, by Ruth Ware. Ware has a beautiful touch when it comes to modern gothic, and this updated retelling of Henry James's The Turn of the Screw is the perfect combination of classic elements and modern creepiness. Rowan Caine describes, in a series of letters to a lawyer from where she sits in prison, how she took a nanny position with the Elincourts because it solved both her job and living situation woes in one easy step. But the well-behaved girls were less so once their parents left, and the house's smart control system was no longer working as intended. High on the creeping dread factor, this is guaranteed to keep you up past your bedtime.
The Last Widow, by Karin Slaughter. Readers haven't seen GBI special agent Will Trent since 2016's The Kept Woman, but the wait is finally over. Here he and Sara Linton, GBI medical examiner and Will's fiancee, must do battle with a group of radical homegrown terrorists bent on wreaking catastrophe on the state's capitol...just for starters. Slaughter is one of my favorites--this new title cannot get here quickly enough!
Outfox, by Sandra Brown. FBI special agent Drex Easton, hero of 2018 bestseller Tailspin, returns on the trail of a serial killer who has been preying on wealthy single women for decades. The quarry is cunning, leaving no clues, just a string of missing women and emptied bank accounts. He follows a lead and goes undercover, only to find himself falling for the suspected killer's next victim. If you like your suspense with a healthy dose of heat, Brown has you covered.
A Dangerous Man, by Robert Crais. Crais's latest picks up with investigators Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, following 2017's The Wanted. Pike rescues a young bank teller from two abductors, and then things get complicated. The abductors wind up dead, the teller vanishes, and Elvis does some digging to try and find out why the woman was targeted in the first place. Then things start to get really interesting...
The Turn of the Key, by Ruth Ware. Ware has a beautiful touch when it comes to modern gothic, and this updated retelling of Henry James's The Turn of the Screw is the perfect combination of classic elements and modern creepiness. Rowan Caine describes, in a series of letters to a lawyer from where she sits in prison, how she took a nanny position with the Elincourts because it solved both her job and living situation woes in one easy step. But the well-behaved girls were less so once their parents left, and the house's smart control system was no longer working as intended. High on the creeping dread factor, this is guaranteed to keep you up past your bedtime.
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
Reading Ahead: July 2019, part 2
A selection of new suspense for your perusal!
Game of Snipers, by Stephen Hunter. Hunter's latest Bob Lee Swagger novel, following 2017's G-Man, finds storied marksman Swagger, now 72 and retired, enjoying the solitude of his Idaho ranch. That peace is interrupted by a stranger, Janet McDowell, who comes to Swagger for help: track down the man who killed her son, a task that will require him to assemble his old team and work with both the FBI and Mossad in a race to the epic showdown implied by the title.
Good Girl, Bad Girl, by Michael Robotham. Robotham's new haunting thriller features a forensic psychologist, Cyrus Haven, who is preoccupied by two major cases. One is the case of a murdered young figure skater, cut down just as her star was on the rise. The other is to assess the fitness for release of a highly vulnerable teen from a children's home--she was found six years ago, hiding in a North London home when a murder had recently occurred. At that time, she was malnourished and so traumatized she couldn't remember her name. Though the two girls' cases are vastly different, Cyrus soon discovers the very adult problems of each were absolutely enough to incite violence. If one girl already died for such secrets, might the other still be in danger?
Bark of Night, by David Rosenfelt. When lawyer Andy Carpenter finds out that his veterinarian has been instructed to euthanize a perfectly healthy French bulldog, Truman, he's understandably angry and agrees to take on Truman as part of his canine rescue program. When they check the dog's microchip, however, they discover that the man who dropped him off was not his owner, and then his real owner is found murdered. And then the man who ordered Truman's demise is also found murdered...
The Shameless, by Ace Atkins. Years ago, teenager Brandon Taylor walked into the woodlands of Mississippi and was found a week later, dead of what was ruled a self-inflicted gunshot wound. But a cold-case podcaster and her producer are in town now, questioning the ruling and asking after files and evidence that seem to have gone missing. Sheriff Quinn Colson (last seen in 2018's The Sinners) wants to help, but an old case that was supposedly closed will have to take a back burner to his current concerns: a crime syndicate running guns, drugs and a human trafficking ring through the county, and a racist gubernatorial candidate whose campaign seems to be funded by the syndicate. If Quinn can't shut the whole thing down, fast, trouble is going to make itself right at home in the county, for good.
Game of Snipers, by Stephen Hunter. Hunter's latest Bob Lee Swagger novel, following 2017's G-Man, finds storied marksman Swagger, now 72 and retired, enjoying the solitude of his Idaho ranch. That peace is interrupted by a stranger, Janet McDowell, who comes to Swagger for help: track down the man who killed her son, a task that will require him to assemble his old team and work with both the FBI and Mossad in a race to the epic showdown implied by the title.
Good Girl, Bad Girl, by Michael Robotham. Robotham's new haunting thriller features a forensic psychologist, Cyrus Haven, who is preoccupied by two major cases. One is the case of a murdered young figure skater, cut down just as her star was on the rise. The other is to assess the fitness for release of a highly vulnerable teen from a children's home--she was found six years ago, hiding in a North London home when a murder had recently occurred. At that time, she was malnourished and so traumatized she couldn't remember her name. Though the two girls' cases are vastly different, Cyrus soon discovers the very adult problems of each were absolutely enough to incite violence. If one girl already died for such secrets, might the other still be in danger?
Bark of Night, by David Rosenfelt. When lawyer Andy Carpenter finds out that his veterinarian has been instructed to euthanize a perfectly healthy French bulldog, Truman, he's understandably angry and agrees to take on Truman as part of his canine rescue program. When they check the dog's microchip, however, they discover that the man who dropped him off was not his owner, and then his real owner is found murdered. And then the man who ordered Truman's demise is also found murdered...
The Shameless, by Ace Atkins. Years ago, teenager Brandon Taylor walked into the woodlands of Mississippi and was found a week later, dead of what was ruled a self-inflicted gunshot wound. But a cold-case podcaster and her producer are in town now, questioning the ruling and asking after files and evidence that seem to have gone missing. Sheriff Quinn Colson (last seen in 2018's The Sinners) wants to help, but an old case that was supposedly closed will have to take a back burner to his current concerns: a crime syndicate running guns, drugs and a human trafficking ring through the county, and a racist gubernatorial candidate whose campaign seems to be funded by the syndicate. If Quinn can't shut the whole thing down, fast, trouble is going to make itself right at home in the county, for good.
Thursday, June 6, 2019
Reading Ahead: July 2019
I know, we're already talking July! But this summer's books just cannot wait any longer! And some of your favorite best-selling authors are leading the charge!
The New Girl, by Daniel Silva. Legendary chief of Israeli intelligence Gabriel Allon (last seen in 2018's The Other Woman) has spent much of his life fighting terrorists. Now, he's the one man who can be trusted to track down the men who have brutally kidnapped the daughter of the much-maligned crown prince of Saudi Arabia and rescue the young woman in question. In the process, Gabriel and the prince become uneasy allies in a secret game that may change relations in the Middle East forever. If you like your espionage plotted at breakneck speed, this is for you.
Under Currents, by Nora Roberts. At a distance, the Bigelow family looks like perfection: successful surgeon father, stylish wife, two children who excel. But those children, Zane and Britt, know the truth: appearances can be very deceiving. As Zane's father's abuse becomes more severe, and his mother ever complicit, Zane tries to protect his little sister, even as he counts down the time until he can be free of this oppressive household. It's only after one final act shatters the facade that Zane realizes that there is both pain and freedom in facing the truth, and he vows to do better as he forges a new life and starts a family of his own. How long will it be, though, before darkness looms again in his life?
Labyrinth, by Catherine Coulter. The new FBI thriller from Coulter (Paradox, 2018, etc.) finds Agent Sherlock navigating the winding roads of West Virginia only to lose control of her vehicle. She's knocked unconscious, but upon waking, she's sure she remembers someone else involved in the accident. Perhaps he is involved in the string of local murders she's investigating?
Smokescreen, by Iris Johansen. When forensic sculptor Eve Duncan learns that a guerilla attack on an African village has left a number of children burned beyond recognition, she races to the site to lend a hand in identifying the bodies for their desperate families. Upon her arrival at the site, however, she soon realizes that something even more dire is afoot. Series fans won't want to miss out.
Shamed, by Linda Castillo. Castillo returns to Painter's Mill and Police Chief Kate Burkholder as an Amish woman has been murdered and her young grandchild kidnapped. Kate now needs answers from the tight-lipped Amish community, and quickly, as she learns that long-kept secrets may be responsible for a current crime-spree. If you're looking for an Amish cozy, this isn't it--Castillo's Amish suspense series is gritty and deeply engrossing.
The New Girl, by Daniel Silva. Legendary chief of Israeli intelligence Gabriel Allon (last seen in 2018's The Other Woman) has spent much of his life fighting terrorists. Now, he's the one man who can be trusted to track down the men who have brutally kidnapped the daughter of the much-maligned crown prince of Saudi Arabia and rescue the young woman in question. In the process, Gabriel and the prince become uneasy allies in a secret game that may change relations in the Middle East forever. If you like your espionage plotted at breakneck speed, this is for you.
Under Currents, by Nora Roberts. At a distance, the Bigelow family looks like perfection: successful surgeon father, stylish wife, two children who excel. But those children, Zane and Britt, know the truth: appearances can be very deceiving. As Zane's father's abuse becomes more severe, and his mother ever complicit, Zane tries to protect his little sister, even as he counts down the time until he can be free of this oppressive household. It's only after one final act shatters the facade that Zane realizes that there is both pain and freedom in facing the truth, and he vows to do better as he forges a new life and starts a family of his own. How long will it be, though, before darkness looms again in his life?
Labyrinth, by Catherine Coulter. The new FBI thriller from Coulter (Paradox, 2018, etc.) finds Agent Sherlock navigating the winding roads of West Virginia only to lose control of her vehicle. She's knocked unconscious, but upon waking, she's sure she remembers someone else involved in the accident. Perhaps he is involved in the string of local murders she's investigating?
Smokescreen, by Iris Johansen. When forensic sculptor Eve Duncan learns that a guerilla attack on an African village has left a number of children burned beyond recognition, she races to the site to lend a hand in identifying the bodies for their desperate families. Upon her arrival at the site, however, she soon realizes that something even more dire is afoot. Series fans won't want to miss out.
Shamed, by Linda Castillo. Castillo returns to Painter's Mill and Police Chief Kate Burkholder as an Amish woman has been murdered and her young grandchild kidnapped. Kate now needs answers from the tight-lipped Amish community, and quickly, as she learns that long-kept secrets may be responsible for a current crime-spree. If you're looking for an Amish cozy, this isn't it--Castillo's Amish suspense series is gritty and deeply engrossing.
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
Reading Ahead: June 2019, part 2
Suspense? Mysteries? Sure!
The Last House Guest, by Megan Miranda. Latest from the author of The Perfect Stranger (2017) and All the Missing Girls (2016). Avery Greer, resident of coastal Littleport, ME, is good friends with Sadie Loman. This is mostly unusual because locals like Avery don't normally mix much with the wealthy summer visitor set. After a decade of summers spent as BFFs, the friendship ends...but only because Sadie is found dead. The death, ruled a suicide, doesn't keep some folks (the local detective and Sadie's brother, for starters) from feeling like Avery might have been involved. It's up to Avery to prove her innocence once and for all. A gripping thriller with a strong female lead? Yes, please!
The Sentence is Death, by Anthony Horowitz. In 2018's meta-mystery, The Word is Murder, a defrocked Scotland Yard detective turned private investigator named Daniel Hawthorne got aid from a novelist named Anthony Horowitz. (No relation.) Now, the duo is back, this time investigating the untimely demise of celebrity divorce attorney Richard Price, clobbered in his home with a pricey bottle of wine.
The Last House Guest, by Megan Miranda. Latest from the author of The Perfect Stranger (2017) and All the Missing Girls (2016). Avery Greer, resident of coastal Littleport, ME, is good friends with Sadie Loman. This is mostly unusual because locals like Avery don't normally mix much with the wealthy summer visitor set. After a decade of summers spent as BFFs, the friendship ends...but only because Sadie is found dead. The death, ruled a suicide, doesn't keep some folks (the local detective and Sadie's brother, for starters) from feeling like Avery might have been involved. It's up to Avery to prove her innocence once and for all. A gripping thriller with a strong female lead? Yes, please!
The Sentence is Death, by Anthony Horowitz. In 2018's meta-mystery, The Word is Murder, a defrocked Scotland Yard detective turned private investigator named Daniel Hawthorne got aid from a novelist named Anthony Horowitz. (No relation.) Now, the duo is back, this time investigating the untimely demise of celebrity divorce attorney Richard Price, clobbered in his home with a pricey bottle of wine.
Tuesday, April 9, 2019
Reading Ahead: May 2019, part 1
I know, I've been MIA. A dreadful combination of reader's block (even librarians get the blues) and writer's block (it's been 5 years and over 700 posts. Sometimes a woman needs a break!). In any case, I'm working on shaking off both of these hindrances and appreciate your patience in the meantime.
The titles for next month just won't wait any longer, though, so here are the brief versions of a few you might want to reserve now:
The Last Time I Saw You, by Liv Constantine. Constantine's debut, The Last Mrs. Parrish, was on bestsellers' lists and was a huge favorite of library staff and patrons alike. The author, actually two sisters who write together, returns here with a new page-turner: when her high-society mother is murdered, Dr. Kate English's perfect world begins to crumble. She leans heavily on the shoulder of an old friend to get her through the mourning, but then finds that the murderer may not be done...not by a long shot.
Keep You Close, by Karen Cleveland. Cleveland is another author whose debut, Need to Know, absolutely wowed us with plot twists galore. We're delighted she's back with a new novel of deception and betrayal--when single parent and FBI analyst Stephanie finds a gun in her teenage son's room, she is beyond unprepared. Then a colleague on the domestic terrorism squad turns her shock into a spiral of terror and conspiracy with three little words: "It's about Zachary."
The Never Game, by Jeffery Deaver. Author of the best-selling Lincoln Rhyme series kicks off a new series here featuring professional "reward seeker" Colter Shaw. Shaw, son of a survivalist and an extraordinary tracker, works with law enforcement to help find missing persons. But in this seemingly simple case of a young woman's disappearance in Silicon Valley turns into something much bigger than anyone could have guessed.
Cari Mora, by Thomas Harris. Best known for his novels featuring the diabolical Hannibal Lecter, Harris treats readers to a new thriller with another unforgettable heroine. For years, ruthless men have sought the legendary twenty-five million in cartel gold. In fact, it lies hidden beneath a mansion in Miami Beach. Cari Mora, the house's caretaker, is a woman who has escaped the war in her native country, though not unscathed. When the frontrunner in the race to find the gold comes up against Cari, he will find himself up against a skilled survivor the likes of which he hadn't ever expected...
The Night Before, by Wendy Walker. Connecticut author Wendy Walker is a library favorite! Laura has led a troubled life, from a tragedy when she was young through a number of terribly failed romances, the last of which sent her running from her Wall Street job to lick her wounds in the home of her sister Rosie, located in the Connecticut suburb where they grew up. Laura isn't content to brood for long, though, and soon goes out with a man she met on a dating site. Except she never comes home, and Rosie's starting to worry...not just about what he may have done to Laura, but what she may have done to him.
The titles for next month just won't wait any longer, though, so here are the brief versions of a few you might want to reserve now:
The Last Time I Saw You, by Liv Constantine. Constantine's debut, The Last Mrs. Parrish, was on bestsellers' lists and was a huge favorite of library staff and patrons alike. The author, actually two sisters who write together, returns here with a new page-turner: when her high-society mother is murdered, Dr. Kate English's perfect world begins to crumble. She leans heavily on the shoulder of an old friend to get her through the mourning, but then finds that the murderer may not be done...not by a long shot.
Keep You Close, by Karen Cleveland. Cleveland is another author whose debut, Need to Know, absolutely wowed us with plot twists galore. We're delighted she's back with a new novel of deception and betrayal--when single parent and FBI analyst Stephanie finds a gun in her teenage son's room, she is beyond unprepared. Then a colleague on the domestic terrorism squad turns her shock into a spiral of terror and conspiracy with three little words: "It's about Zachary."
The Never Game, by Jeffery Deaver. Author of the best-selling Lincoln Rhyme series kicks off a new series here featuring professional "reward seeker" Colter Shaw. Shaw, son of a survivalist and an extraordinary tracker, works with law enforcement to help find missing persons. But in this seemingly simple case of a young woman's disappearance in Silicon Valley turns into something much bigger than anyone could have guessed.
Cari Mora, by Thomas Harris. Best known for his novels featuring the diabolical Hannibal Lecter, Harris treats readers to a new thriller with another unforgettable heroine. For years, ruthless men have sought the legendary twenty-five million in cartel gold. In fact, it lies hidden beneath a mansion in Miami Beach. Cari Mora, the house's caretaker, is a woman who has escaped the war in her native country, though not unscathed. When the frontrunner in the race to find the gold comes up against Cari, he will find himself up against a skilled survivor the likes of which he hadn't ever expected...
The Night Before, by Wendy Walker. Connecticut author Wendy Walker is a library favorite! Laura has led a troubled life, from a tragedy when she was young through a number of terribly failed romances, the last of which sent her running from her Wall Street job to lick her wounds in the home of her sister Rosie, located in the Connecticut suburb where they grew up. Laura isn't content to brood for long, though, and soon goes out with a man she met on a dating site. Except she never comes home, and Rosie's starting to worry...not just about what he may have done to Laura, but what she may have done to him.
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
Reading Ahead: April 2019, part 1
Thrillers are thick on the ground, so if you're looking for fast reads with twisted plots, read on!
Redemption, by David Baldacci. Baldacci's latest in his Memory Man series featuring Amos Decker (The Fallen, 2018, etc.) hearkens back to Decker's early days as a detective. After a dozen years, the man who approaches Decker during a visit to his hometown of Burlington, Ohio is totally unrecognizable. His name, however, is one that Decker cannot every forget: Meryl Hawkins was the first man Decker ever arrested for murder. Hawkins continues to maintain he never committed the murders, and doubt begins to nag at Decker enough to review the old case, only to find a connection to a new crime in progress, one that he may be able to prevent if he can move quickly enough...
Saving Meghan, by D.J. Palmer. D.J. (Daniel) Palmer's newest novel finds devoted mother Becky Gerard working diligently to help her fifteen-year-old daughter Meghan, who has been in and out of hospitals and doctors' offices with a series of unexplained illnesses. Meghan's father, Carl, begins to worry that Becky is obsessed. The medical team begins to question whether Becky is demonstrating signs of Munchausen by proxy, with Meghan as her victim. Is Meghan really sick? Is something more sinister at work here? As suspicions grow and pit one character against another, one will have to risk everything to expose the truth.
Willing to Die, by Lisa Jackson. Eighth in Jackson's To Die series, following 2017's Expecting to Die, follows detectives Alvarez and Pescoli as they investigate the murders of Dr. Paul Letham and his wife, Brindel, who are found dead in separate beds in their beautiful San Francisco home.
Someone Knows, by Lisa Scottoline. Not guilty doesn't always mean innocent in Scottoline's latest. When Allie Garvey heads home after twenty years away, it's for the funeral of a childhood friend. And in addition to the expected sadness, Allie's also overwhelmed with dread--going home means seeing two people she'd hoped never to see again. The three of them have kept a terrible secret ever since a night of partying in the woods one night resulted in a prank gone tragically wrong. Teenage Allie thought getting caught would have been the worst thing, but adult Allie knows better--living decades with her guilt has been devastating. Back at the proverbial scene of the crime, Allie must dig back into her past to uncover the truth once and for all, if only to unburden herself. But the truth may just be more shocking than she could have ever imagined... Early reviews are saying that Scottoline has outdone herself this time, so this may just be the one to pick up this spring.
Redemption, by David Baldacci. Baldacci's latest in his Memory Man series featuring Amos Decker (The Fallen, 2018, etc.) hearkens back to Decker's early days as a detective. After a dozen years, the man who approaches Decker during a visit to his hometown of Burlington, Ohio is totally unrecognizable. His name, however, is one that Decker cannot every forget: Meryl Hawkins was the first man Decker ever arrested for murder. Hawkins continues to maintain he never committed the murders, and doubt begins to nag at Decker enough to review the old case, only to find a connection to a new crime in progress, one that he may be able to prevent if he can move quickly enough...
Saving Meghan, by D.J. Palmer. D.J. (Daniel) Palmer's newest novel finds devoted mother Becky Gerard working diligently to help her fifteen-year-old daughter Meghan, who has been in and out of hospitals and doctors' offices with a series of unexplained illnesses. Meghan's father, Carl, begins to worry that Becky is obsessed. The medical team begins to question whether Becky is demonstrating signs of Munchausen by proxy, with Meghan as her victim. Is Meghan really sick? Is something more sinister at work here? As suspicions grow and pit one character against another, one will have to risk everything to expose the truth.
Willing to Die, by Lisa Jackson. Eighth in Jackson's To Die series, following 2017's Expecting to Die, follows detectives Alvarez and Pescoli as they investigate the murders of Dr. Paul Letham and his wife, Brindel, who are found dead in separate beds in their beautiful San Francisco home.
Someone Knows, by Lisa Scottoline. Not guilty doesn't always mean innocent in Scottoline's latest. When Allie Garvey heads home after twenty years away, it's for the funeral of a childhood friend. And in addition to the expected sadness, Allie's also overwhelmed with dread--going home means seeing two people she'd hoped never to see again. The three of them have kept a terrible secret ever since a night of partying in the woods one night resulted in a prank gone tragically wrong. Teenage Allie thought getting caught would have been the worst thing, but adult Allie knows better--living decades with her guilt has been devastating. Back at the proverbial scene of the crime, Allie must dig back into her past to uncover the truth once and for all, if only to unburden herself. But the truth may just be more shocking than she could have ever imagined... Early reviews are saying that Scottoline has outdone herself this time, so this may just be the one to pick up this spring.
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Meg's Picks: March 2019, part 2
Want to know what's on my list next month? Here we go!
My Lovely Wife, by Samantha Downing. The couple in Downing's taut debut thriller have found a way to keep their marriage interesting after 15 years together: getting away with murder. As their hobby gains traction, however, they find themselves keeping secrets from one another, secrets that might just get one or both of them caught. If you're looking for a new thriller to keep you on the edge of your seat, this should absolutely be on your list.
White Elephant, by Julie Langsdorf. The titular 'white elephant' is an architectural monstrosity in Willard Park, D.C., a suburban neighborhood that prides itself on its trees and its friendly community. The house in question is loathed by most of the neighbors, but all out war is declared among residents when the owner cuts down a neighbor's maple tree to make his house more enticing to prospective buyers. Dysfunction abounds as residents out each other on tattle-tale local bulletin boards and start airing dirty laundry. If you're a fan of Meg Wolitzer (The Female Persuasion, etc.) or Ann Patchett (Commonwealth, etc.), you can't miss Langsdorf's darkly humorous debut.
Me for You, by Lolly Winston. Winston returns after more than a decade away (Good Grief, etc.), bringing readers the story of Rudy, a 54 year old widower who has been recently downsized out his job in finance. Returning to his first love, the piano, Rudy finds himself a temporary gig playing at Nordstrom's, though he stays on beyond the initial temp position. There he meets Sasha, a woman contending with losses of her own. As their friendship develops, Rudy is slightly alarmed to find himself falling for Sasha, uncertain whether he is willing or ready for another relationship. Just as Rudy may be finding a way back from grief, however, he's dealt another blow he never saw coming. Winston's style is gently poignant, and I adore her work.
My Lovely Wife, by Samantha Downing. The couple in Downing's taut debut thriller have found a way to keep their marriage interesting after 15 years together: getting away with murder. As their hobby gains traction, however, they find themselves keeping secrets from one another, secrets that might just get one or both of them caught. If you're looking for a new thriller to keep you on the edge of your seat, this should absolutely be on your list.
White Elephant, by Julie Langsdorf. The titular 'white elephant' is an architectural monstrosity in Willard Park, D.C., a suburban neighborhood that prides itself on its trees and its friendly community. The house in question is loathed by most of the neighbors, but all out war is declared among residents when the owner cuts down a neighbor's maple tree to make his house more enticing to prospective buyers. Dysfunction abounds as residents out each other on tattle-tale local bulletin boards and start airing dirty laundry. If you're a fan of Meg Wolitzer (The Female Persuasion, etc.) or Ann Patchett (Commonwealth, etc.), you can't miss Langsdorf's darkly humorous debut.
Me for You, by Lolly Winston. Winston returns after more than a decade away (Good Grief, etc.), bringing readers the story of Rudy, a 54 year old widower who has been recently downsized out his job in finance. Returning to his first love, the piano, Rudy finds himself a temporary gig playing at Nordstrom's, though he stays on beyond the initial temp position. There he meets Sasha, a woman contending with losses of her own. As their friendship develops, Rudy is slightly alarmed to find himself falling for Sasha, uncertain whether he is willing or ready for another relationship. Just as Rudy may be finding a way back from grief, however, he's dealt another blow he never saw coming. Winston's style is gently poignant, and I adore her work.
Thursday, February 14, 2019
Reading Ahead: March 2019, part 2
Lots of suspense series and sequels to be had next month. Are your favorites on the list? Or will you discover a new favorite? Read on!
Black and Blue, by David Rosenfelt. This is the third entry in Rosenfelt's thriller series featuring New Jersey state police office Doug Brock, following Blackout and Fade to Black. Brock has been working hard to recover after being shot in the line of duty, but between lingering amnesia and solving two murder cases, his recovery hasn't been particularly restful. Now a new murder fits the MO of one of Brock's old, cold cases and he must retrace steps he doesn't remember taking to solve the case before the killer can strike again. Rosenfelt is steadily building on to his fan base, so if you're a thriller reader in search of a newer series to jump in on, here's your chance!
Wolf Pack, by C.J. Box. Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett returns in this nineteenth series outing. The good news is that Pickett has his job back after the adventures of The Disappeared (2018). The bad news is that he's discovered that someone is using a drone to kill wildlife, and that someone turns out to be the wealthy, mysterious man dating Joe's own daughter, Lucy. When Joe tries to get the drone's owner to abide by some rules, he's met with resistance, not just from the owner, but also from the FBI and the Department of Justice. On full alert now, Joe also has a vicious group of cartel assassins, known as the Wolf Pack, in the area who are bent on taking down Lucy's new beau, and anyone he's associated with...
The Malta Exchange, by Steve Berry. Former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone returns in Berry's latest novel, on the trail of some potentially history-shaking letters between Winston Churchill and Benito Mussolini that vanished in 1945. This leads him to the Knights of Malta, now controlled by the Secreti as the election of a new pope looms. Fans of Dan Brown, if you're not reading Steve Berry, you should be!
The Last Act, by Brad Parks. Based on the real life case of Wachovia Bank, this latest by Parks finds an out-of-work stage actor Tommy Jump about to pose as a felon to go into a low-security prison and cozy up to Mitchell Dupree, a banker arrested for laundering money for a particularly vicious Mexican cartel. This may just be the hardest role of Tommy's life, if he survives. For thriller readers who like a twisty plot and lots of surprises, this should absolutely be on your reading list this spring.
Crown Jewel, by Christopher Reich. Bestseller Reich brings readers a new new Simon Riske novel (following his debut in 2018's The Take). Here, the restorer of high-end automobiles who moonlights as a problem solver to the wealthy is working for Toby Stonewood, managing partner of the Casino de Monte-Carlo. The casino is losing millions and Toby is sure he's being cheated, but cannot figure out the culprit, turning to Simon to unravel the mystery. What follows is a 007-worthy tale of fast cars, rich women, Bosnian bad guys, and the beauty of Monaco. Perfect.
Dark Tribute, by Iris Johansen. Number 25 in Johansen's long-running Eve Duncan series. Despite a tragic childhood, violin prodigy Cara Delaney has finally found her stride in her career as a professional musician and in her relationship with her guardians, forensic sculptor Eve Duncan and ex-Navy SEAL Joe Quinn. Cara's sense of peace is upended when she's kidnapped by a man who has a score to settle with her family. With everyone she loves in immediate danger, Cara will have to use every skill she has to stay alive and protect those closest to her at all costs.
Black and Blue, by David Rosenfelt. This is the third entry in Rosenfelt's thriller series featuring New Jersey state police office Doug Brock, following Blackout and Fade to Black. Brock has been working hard to recover after being shot in the line of duty, but between lingering amnesia and solving two murder cases, his recovery hasn't been particularly restful. Now a new murder fits the MO of one of Brock's old, cold cases and he must retrace steps he doesn't remember taking to solve the case before the killer can strike again. Rosenfelt is steadily building on to his fan base, so if you're a thriller reader in search of a newer series to jump in on, here's your chance!
Wolf Pack, by C.J. Box. Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett returns in this nineteenth series outing. The good news is that Pickett has his job back after the adventures of The Disappeared (2018). The bad news is that he's discovered that someone is using a drone to kill wildlife, and that someone turns out to be the wealthy, mysterious man dating Joe's own daughter, Lucy. When Joe tries to get the drone's owner to abide by some rules, he's met with resistance, not just from the owner, but also from the FBI and the Department of Justice. On full alert now, Joe also has a vicious group of cartel assassins, known as the Wolf Pack, in the area who are bent on taking down Lucy's new beau, and anyone he's associated with...
The Malta Exchange, by Steve Berry. Former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone returns in Berry's latest novel, on the trail of some potentially history-shaking letters between Winston Churchill and Benito Mussolini that vanished in 1945. This leads him to the Knights of Malta, now controlled by the Secreti as the election of a new pope looms. Fans of Dan Brown, if you're not reading Steve Berry, you should be!
The Last Act, by Brad Parks. Based on the real life case of Wachovia Bank, this latest by Parks finds an out-of-work stage actor Tommy Jump about to pose as a felon to go into a low-security prison and cozy up to Mitchell Dupree, a banker arrested for laundering money for a particularly vicious Mexican cartel. This may just be the hardest role of Tommy's life, if he survives. For thriller readers who like a twisty plot and lots of surprises, this should absolutely be on your reading list this spring.
Crown Jewel, by Christopher Reich. Bestseller Reich brings readers a new new Simon Riske novel (following his debut in 2018's The Take). Here, the restorer of high-end automobiles who moonlights as a problem solver to the wealthy is working for Toby Stonewood, managing partner of the Casino de Monte-Carlo. The casino is losing millions and Toby is sure he's being cheated, but cannot figure out the culprit, turning to Simon to unravel the mystery. What follows is a 007-worthy tale of fast cars, rich women, Bosnian bad guys, and the beauty of Monaco. Perfect.
Dark Tribute, by Iris Johansen. Number 25 in Johansen's long-running Eve Duncan series. Despite a tragic childhood, violin prodigy Cara Delaney has finally found her stride in her career as a professional musician and in her relationship with her guardians, forensic sculptor Eve Duncan and ex-Navy SEAL Joe Quinn. Cara's sense of peace is upended when she's kidnapped by a man who has a score to settle with her family. With everyone she loves in immediate danger, Cara will have to use every skill she has to stay alive and protect those closest to her at all costs.
Thursday, February 7, 2019
Reading Ahead: March 2019, part 1
I know, I can't believe we're talking about March already, but it'll be here before you know it. And it is bringing so many great new fiction titles with it, I hope I can manage to pack them all in here!* Let's get started!
Run Away, by Harlan Coben. What will one family do to save their daughter from self-destruction? That's just what Coben's latest novel explores, in terrifying detail. Simon Greene watches a struggling street performer in Central Park, a young woman who won't accept the help she so obviously needs. This young woman is his daughter, Paige, and she disappears again, after Simon has an altercation with her abusive boyfriend, Aaron. Then Aaron turns up dead, and Simon has to descend into a world of drugs, violence, secrets and the missing in order to try and save Paige, once and for all. Early reviews have called this a thriller that begs to be read in one sitting, so clear your calendar!
The Perfect Alibi, by Philip Margolin. Convicted of rape owing to solid DNA evidence, a college athlete is granted a new trial when a second rape is committed while he is behind bars, yet the DNA matches that of the first case. Then his lawyer vanishes and the lawyer's partner is murdered. Defense attorney Robin Lockwood reluctantly steps up to the plate even as circumstances get even more dire. Margolin is great with a plot that twists and turns, and fans should be in for a real treat with new lead Lockwood.
The Last Second, by Catherine Coulter & J.T. Ellison. This writing duo's latest entry in the Brit in the FBI series, following 2018's The Sixth Day, pits special agents Nicholas Drummond and Michaela Caine against the eccentric treasure-hunting head of France's version of SpaceX, Galactus, and his power-mad second in command, who has placed a nuclear device on a recently launched satellite. Coulter and Ellison have drifted pretty seamlessly into SF territory, potentially winning themselves a more diverse readership in the process.
Blood Oath, by Linda Fairstein. Book number 20 in Fairstein's long-running Alexandra Cooper series! If you're new to the series and want to start at the beginning, Cooper debuted in 1996 with Final Jeopardy. Cooper, now the ADA of the Manhattan Sex Crimes unit, is finally back to work after a leave of absence and is quickly brought in on the case of Lucy, who testified years ago at a landmark federal trial, and now reveals that she was assaulted by a prominent official during that time. Fairstein herself was a pioneer in sex crimes investigation, bringing additional depth and plausibility to the novel.
*In the interest of space and time here on the old blog, I'm going to stop including reviews for James Patterson titles, though the library will obviously continue to order them. With several Patterson titles being issued within the same month more and more often lately, I've decided use this space to do a bit more highlighting of authors who don't have quite the same status...yet!
Run Away, by Harlan Coben. What will one family do to save their daughter from self-destruction? That's just what Coben's latest novel explores, in terrifying detail. Simon Greene watches a struggling street performer in Central Park, a young woman who won't accept the help she so obviously needs. This young woman is his daughter, Paige, and she disappears again, after Simon has an altercation with her abusive boyfriend, Aaron. Then Aaron turns up dead, and Simon has to descend into a world of drugs, violence, secrets and the missing in order to try and save Paige, once and for all. Early reviews have called this a thriller that begs to be read in one sitting, so clear your calendar!
The Perfect Alibi, by Philip Margolin. Convicted of rape owing to solid DNA evidence, a college athlete is granted a new trial when a second rape is committed while he is behind bars, yet the DNA matches that of the first case. Then his lawyer vanishes and the lawyer's partner is murdered. Defense attorney Robin Lockwood reluctantly steps up to the plate even as circumstances get even more dire. Margolin is great with a plot that twists and turns, and fans should be in for a real treat with new lead Lockwood.
The Last Second, by Catherine Coulter & J.T. Ellison. This writing duo's latest entry in the Brit in the FBI series, following 2018's The Sixth Day, pits special agents Nicholas Drummond and Michaela Caine against the eccentric treasure-hunting head of France's version of SpaceX, Galactus, and his power-mad second in command, who has placed a nuclear device on a recently launched satellite. Coulter and Ellison have drifted pretty seamlessly into SF territory, potentially winning themselves a more diverse readership in the process.
Blood Oath, by Linda Fairstein. Book number 20 in Fairstein's long-running Alexandra Cooper series! If you're new to the series and want to start at the beginning, Cooper debuted in 1996 with Final Jeopardy. Cooper, now the ADA of the Manhattan Sex Crimes unit, is finally back to work after a leave of absence and is quickly brought in on the case of Lucy, who testified years ago at a landmark federal trial, and now reveals that she was assaulted by a prominent official during that time. Fairstein herself was a pioneer in sex crimes investigation, bringing additional depth and plausibility to the novel.
*In the interest of space and time here on the old blog, I'm going to stop including reviews for James Patterson titles, though the library will obviously continue to order them. With several Patterson titles being issued within the same month more and more often lately, I've decided use this space to do a bit more highlighting of authors who don't have quite the same status...yet!
Thursday, January 10, 2019
Reading Ahead: February 2019, part 2
Thrillers, mysteries, big cities, small towns--we have a bit of something for everyone today.
The Next to Die, by Sophie Hannah. Bill Dead Mates is the new serial killer making headlines: he picks of pairs of best friends, one at a time, presenting them with a little white handmade book before each murder. People are scared, especially comedian Kim Trebbick, who was handed one such book at a recent gig. Only Kim hasn't got any friends to be murdered with, so was that stranger really the killer? Or is there something even more nefarious at stake?
Connections in Death, by J.D. Robb. This latest entry in Robb's (aka Nora Roberts) long-running Eve Dallas series finds the lieutenant's old friend, night-club owner Crack, dating Roarke's latest hire, Dr. Rochelle Pickering. When Rochelle's brother is found dead of an apparent overdose in her apartment, Eve and her team of detectives delve into the dirty underground of NYC sex clubs, drug dealers, and gang wars, a world where double-crosses and dirty deals reign supreme. A fast-paced plot and a familiar cast of characters make this series a fan favorite.
A Justified Murder, by Jude Deveraux. In this sequel to Deveraux's 2018 A Willing Murder, amateur sleuths Sara Medlar, her niece Kate, and friend Jack Wyatt find themselves reluctantly drawn into a new murder investigation, this one of a sweet older woman, Janet Beeson. Janet, it appears, has been shot, stabbed, and poisoned. In a small town where gossip moves quickly, the trio are quickly embroiled, searching for a killer among their friends and neighbors. Who knows more than they're saying? Almost everyone, it seems. Deveraux's delve into the mystery genre seems to be paying off!
The Next to Die, by Sophie Hannah. Bill Dead Mates is the new serial killer making headlines: he picks of pairs of best friends, one at a time, presenting them with a little white handmade book before each murder. People are scared, especially comedian Kim Trebbick, who was handed one such book at a recent gig. Only Kim hasn't got any friends to be murdered with, so was that stranger really the killer? Or is there something even more nefarious at stake?
Connections in Death, by J.D. Robb. This latest entry in Robb's (aka Nora Roberts) long-running Eve Dallas series finds the lieutenant's old friend, night-club owner Crack, dating Roarke's latest hire, Dr. Rochelle Pickering. When Rochelle's brother is found dead of an apparent overdose in her apartment, Eve and her team of detectives delve into the dirty underground of NYC sex clubs, drug dealers, and gang wars, a world where double-crosses and dirty deals reign supreme. A fast-paced plot and a familiar cast of characters make this series a fan favorite.
A Justified Murder, by Jude Deveraux. In this sequel to Deveraux's 2018 A Willing Murder, amateur sleuths Sara Medlar, her niece Kate, and friend Jack Wyatt find themselves reluctantly drawn into a new murder investigation, this one of a sweet older woman, Janet Beeson. Janet, it appears, has been shot, stabbed, and poisoned. In a small town where gossip moves quickly, the trio are quickly embroiled, searching for a killer among their friends and neighbors. Who knows more than they're saying? Almost everyone, it seems. Deveraux's delve into the mystery genre seems to be paying off!
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
Reading Ahead: February 2019, part 1
There's so much great fiction being published next month, I'm going to have to work hard to fit all the reviews into January! Ready to see what's on the horizon?
Never Tell, by Lisa Gardner. Sgt. Detective D.D. Warren and victim advocate Flora Dane are back working together on a third case(following 2018's Look For Me), and they have a sense of deja vu when Conrad Carter is shot dead...and his wife Evie is found holding the gun. D.D. is familiar with Evie from an investigation 16 years earlier, when Evie's father was found dead in a shooting death that was ruled an accident. But two accidental shootings is too much of a coincidence for D.D. And Flora is familiar with Conrad from her time as a hostage--her captor knew Conrad. Each determined to find the truth, D.D. and Flora begin to strip away lies and half-truths, making them wonder: just how many secrets can one family have? Also available in Large Print.
The Lost Man, by Jane Harper. Harper, author of The Dry and Force of Nature, brings readers a new standalone novel set in the furthest reaches of the Australian outback. Two brothers, Nathan and Bub, meet at the fence-line that divides their two ranches--their third brother, Cameron, lies dead at their feet. In this lonely part of the outback, the brothers were one another's nearest neighbors, a three-hour's drive apart, with Cameron running the family homestead. But as the family grieves, they also begin to suspect one another--the isolation makes for a short suspect list. What might have driven one of their own to such an end?
The Girl in the Glass Box, by James Grippando. Julia Rodriguez and her teenage daughter have fled El Salvador for Miami, escaping violence both gang-related and domestic. They're hoping for a fresh start, but an anonymous tip leaves Julia awaiting deportation. Attorney Jack Swyteck battles her case for asylum, to reunite her with her daughter, and to help her escape her abusive husband one and for all. Also available in Large Print.
Mission Critical, by Mark Greaney. Eighth in Greaney's popular Gray Man series following 2018's Agent in Place, Mission Critical finds Court Gentry's place on a CIA transport plane compromised when a hooded prisoner is escorted on board. CIA headquarters intervenes on Gentry's behalf and the transport heads for the UK, where the prisoner will be interrogated jointly by a team comprised of CIA and MI6 members. Upon landing, however, they are attacked by hostile forces who kidnap the prisoner and only Gentry escapes. His handlers send him after the attackers. One man against an elite force? If that man is the Gray Man, anything is possible.
Never Tell, by Lisa Gardner. Sgt. Detective D.D. Warren and victim advocate Flora Dane are back working together on a third case(following 2018's Look For Me), and they have a sense of deja vu when Conrad Carter is shot dead...and his wife Evie is found holding the gun. D.D. is familiar with Evie from an investigation 16 years earlier, when Evie's father was found dead in a shooting death that was ruled an accident. But two accidental shootings is too much of a coincidence for D.D. And Flora is familiar with Conrad from her time as a hostage--her captor knew Conrad. Each determined to find the truth, D.D. and Flora begin to strip away lies and half-truths, making them wonder: just how many secrets can one family have? Also available in Large Print.
The Lost Man, by Jane Harper. Harper, author of The Dry and Force of Nature, brings readers a new standalone novel set in the furthest reaches of the Australian outback. Two brothers, Nathan and Bub, meet at the fence-line that divides their two ranches--their third brother, Cameron, lies dead at their feet. In this lonely part of the outback, the brothers were one another's nearest neighbors, a three-hour's drive apart, with Cameron running the family homestead. But as the family grieves, they also begin to suspect one another--the isolation makes for a short suspect list. What might have driven one of their own to such an end?
The Girl in the Glass Box, by James Grippando. Julia Rodriguez and her teenage daughter have fled El Salvador for Miami, escaping violence both gang-related and domestic. They're hoping for a fresh start, but an anonymous tip leaves Julia awaiting deportation. Attorney Jack Swyteck battles her case for asylum, to reunite her with her daughter, and to help her escape her abusive husband one and for all. Also available in Large Print.
Mission Critical, by Mark Greaney. Eighth in Greaney's popular Gray Man series following 2018's Agent in Place, Mission Critical finds Court Gentry's place on a CIA transport plane compromised when a hooded prisoner is escorted on board. CIA headquarters intervenes on Gentry's behalf and the transport heads for the UK, where the prisoner will be interrogated jointly by a team comprised of CIA and MI6 members. Upon landing, however, they are attacked by hostile forces who kidnap the prisoner and only Gentry escapes. His handlers send him after the attackers. One man against an elite force? If that man is the Gray Man, anything is possible.
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Meg's Picks: January 2019, part 1
Need some suspense in your life? Here are a few titles that have made my list next month, including a couple of spectacular debuts!
An Anonymous Girl, by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen. New psychological fiction from the authors of the 2018 best-seller The Wife Between Us. When Jessica signs up for an ethics study of women ages 18-32, she has no idea that the doctor running the study will be so dangerously controlling. As the study progresses and she shares, and overshares, with the doctor, Jessica begins to wonder whether she'll ever be able to leave the study at all... Also available in Large Print.
The Woman Inside, by E.G. Scott. Scott is the pseudonym for a pair of writers, one a publishing professional and the other a screenwriter, making their debut with a dark marital thriller that is already in development for a TV series. After nearly two decades of marriage, Rebecca and Paul are growing apart, separated by a slowly unraveling string of secrets. Like Rebecca's career-ending substance abuse problem. Or Paul's failure to mention that he's withdrawn all of their savings from the bank, or his adultery. Fans of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl will want to check this out in the new year.
The Nowhere Child, by Christian White. White's impressive debut starts with Australian teacher Kim Leamy being approached by American James Finn, who claims the 30-year-old woman is actually Sammy Went, who was abducted from Kentucky at the age of 2 back in 1990. When James admits he's actually Stuart Went, Sammy's brother, and shares all of the documentation of Sammy's disappearance, Kim is intrigued, and together they work to unearth what really happened. Don't skip ahead, the ending is worth the wait!
An Anonymous Girl, by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen. New psychological fiction from the authors of the 2018 best-seller The Wife Between Us. When Jessica signs up for an ethics study of women ages 18-32, she has no idea that the doctor running the study will be so dangerously controlling. As the study progresses and she shares, and overshares, with the doctor, Jessica begins to wonder whether she'll ever be able to leave the study at all... Also available in Large Print.
The Woman Inside, by E.G. Scott. Scott is the pseudonym for a pair of writers, one a publishing professional and the other a screenwriter, making their debut with a dark marital thriller that is already in development for a TV series. After nearly two decades of marriage, Rebecca and Paul are growing apart, separated by a slowly unraveling string of secrets. Like Rebecca's career-ending substance abuse problem. Or Paul's failure to mention that he's withdrawn all of their savings from the bank, or his adultery. Fans of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl will want to check this out in the new year.
The Nowhere Child, by Christian White. White's impressive debut starts with Australian teacher Kim Leamy being approached by American James Finn, who claims the 30-year-old woman is actually Sammy Went, who was abducted from Kentucky at the age of 2 back in 1990. When James admits he's actually Stuart Went, Sammy's brother, and shares all of the documentation of Sammy's disappearance, Kim is intrigued, and together they work to unearth what really happened. Don't skip ahead, the ending is worth the wait!
Thursday, December 6, 2018
Reading Ahead: January 2019, part 2
Need a new thriller to get your blood running on a cold winter's night? Consider one of these up and coming titles!
The Suspect, by Fiona Barton. The bestselling author of The Widow (2016) returns with a twisted psychological thriller about every parent's worst nightmare. When two eighteen-year-old girls go missing on a trip to Thailand, their frantic, worried families are thrust into the spotlight overnight. What were the girls doing before they disappeared? Journalist Kate Waters wants the exclusive, to be the first to the find the truth, but in the process she's forced to deal with her own issues, including her son who left for his own international travels two years ago...and hasn't been heard from since.
What Doesn't Kill Her, by Christina Dodd. Following 2018's Dead Girl Running, we again meet up with Kellen Adams, who has a year-long gap in her memory. A gunshot to the head will do that, it seems. But she's slowly piecing things back together and what she learns changes everything. Like that she bends, but doesn't break. And that even on the run in the wilderness, carrying a priceless burden, she has her sights set on her pursuers, vowing to end this chase as the hunter, not the hunted...
Judgement, by Joseph Finder. Massachusetts Superior Court judge Juliana Brody is rumored to be in consideration for the federal circuit, and she doesn't want anything to jeopardize that. But while at a conference in Chicago, she indulges in a one-night-stand with a man who seems gentle and vulnerable. Their mutual understanding is that this will never happen again. Upon returning home, however, Juliana soon realizes that this was no chance encounter, and that the man in Chicago has an integral role in the sexual discrimination case she's presiding over. Her indiscretion has been recorded, but it soon becomes clear that personal humiliation or even the end of her career may be the least of her concerns. It could spell mortal peril for her and for those she holds most dear.
The Suspect, by Fiona Barton. The bestselling author of The Widow (2016) returns with a twisted psychological thriller about every parent's worst nightmare. When two eighteen-year-old girls go missing on a trip to Thailand, their frantic, worried families are thrust into the spotlight overnight. What were the girls doing before they disappeared? Journalist Kate Waters wants the exclusive, to be the first to the find the truth, but in the process she's forced to deal with her own issues, including her son who left for his own international travels two years ago...and hasn't been heard from since.
What Doesn't Kill Her, by Christina Dodd. Following 2018's Dead Girl Running, we again meet up with Kellen Adams, who has a year-long gap in her memory. A gunshot to the head will do that, it seems. But she's slowly piecing things back together and what she learns changes everything. Like that she bends, but doesn't break. And that even on the run in the wilderness, carrying a priceless burden, she has her sights set on her pursuers, vowing to end this chase as the hunter, not the hunted...
Judgement, by Joseph Finder. Massachusetts Superior Court judge Juliana Brody is rumored to be in consideration for the federal circuit, and she doesn't want anything to jeopardize that. But while at a conference in Chicago, she indulges in a one-night-stand with a man who seems gentle and vulnerable. Their mutual understanding is that this will never happen again. Upon returning home, however, Juliana soon realizes that this was no chance encounter, and that the man in Chicago has an integral role in the sexual discrimination case she's presiding over. Her indiscretion has been recorded, but it soon becomes clear that personal humiliation or even the end of her career may be the least of her concerns. It could spell mortal peril for her and for those she holds most dear.
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
Reading Ahead: January 2019, part 1
It's time to start thinking about keeping warm with red-hot thrillers this winter! Here are a few to consider adding to your list as the mercury starts to dip.
The Rule of Law, by John Lescroart. Last seen in 2018's Poison, Dismas Hardy is concerned: something is troubling his long-time and most-trusted assistant, Phyllis. And then? She disappears without a word. Then Hardy finds out that her brother, who has been in prison for armed robbery and attempted murder, has just been released. When Phyllis is found and arrested for the murder of a human trafficker, there's simply too much coincidence for Hardy to leave it alone. He has to put the pieces together, fast, if there's any hope of saving his trusted colleague.
Daughter of War, by Brad Taylor. Pike Logan and fellow Taskforce operator Jennifer Cahill are back after 2018's Operator Down and they're hot on the trail of a North Korean looking to sell sensitive information the Syrian regime. Then they stumble on something even more grave: the sale of a lethal substance known as Red Mercury, a weapon of mass destruction against American and Kurdish forces. Can the Taskforce unravel the plot and neutralize the threat before the conspiracy comes to a deadly end?
Liar, Liar, by James Patterson & Candice Fox. Harriet Blue is a great cop who has gone very, very bad. In the space of a week, she's committed theft and fraud, resisted arrest, assaulted an officer, and is now considered a dangerous fugitive. All of this because of one man who killed the person she held most dear...and intends to kill her next.
The New Iberia Blues, by James Lee Burke. This twenty-second entry in Burke's long-running Detective David Robicheaux series finds Robicheaux meeting up with a figure from his past, a once undersized twelve-year-old boy on the streets of New Orleans who, twenty-five years later, has fulfilled his dreams of Hollywood splendor. But when Robicheaux comes to Cormier's estate, it isn't to offer congratulations--he's looking for answers related to a nearby homicide. Cormier isn't saying much, but Robicheaux knows better. It's only as he wades deeper into the investigation, however, that he discovers just how dark and convoluted this case is.
The Rule of Law, by John Lescroart. Last seen in 2018's Poison, Dismas Hardy is concerned: something is troubling his long-time and most-trusted assistant, Phyllis. And then? She disappears without a word. Then Hardy finds out that her brother, who has been in prison for armed robbery and attempted murder, has just been released. When Phyllis is found and arrested for the murder of a human trafficker, there's simply too much coincidence for Hardy to leave it alone. He has to put the pieces together, fast, if there's any hope of saving his trusted colleague.
Daughter of War, by Brad Taylor. Pike Logan and fellow Taskforce operator Jennifer Cahill are back after 2018's Operator Down and they're hot on the trail of a North Korean looking to sell sensitive information the Syrian regime. Then they stumble on something even more grave: the sale of a lethal substance known as Red Mercury, a weapon of mass destruction against American and Kurdish forces. Can the Taskforce unravel the plot and neutralize the threat before the conspiracy comes to a deadly end?
Liar, Liar, by James Patterson & Candice Fox. Harriet Blue is a great cop who has gone very, very bad. In the space of a week, she's committed theft and fraud, resisted arrest, assaulted an officer, and is now considered a dangerous fugitive. All of this because of one man who killed the person she held most dear...and intends to kill her next.
The New Iberia Blues, by James Lee Burke. This twenty-second entry in Burke's long-running Detective David Robicheaux series finds Robicheaux meeting up with a figure from his past, a once undersized twelve-year-old boy on the streets of New Orleans who, twenty-five years later, has fulfilled his dreams of Hollywood splendor. But when Robicheaux comes to Cormier's estate, it isn't to offer congratulations--he's looking for answers related to a nearby homicide. Cormier isn't saying much, but Robicheaux knows better. It's only as he wades deeper into the investigation, however, that he discovers just how dark and convoluted this case is.
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
Meg's Picks: December 2018, part 1
Looking for something unexpected? I've got two suggestions for you today--one, a debut with an unusual protagonist and the second, a series starter from a reader favorite.
Hunting Annabelle, by Wendy Heard. This unique debut thriller already has a lot of readers buzzing. Sean Suh has served three years in a psychiatric prison for murder, so now that he's out, he copes by avoiding interaction with other people and wandering a local amusement park as he suppresses his darker impulses. He's instantly smitten when he meets Annabelle, who is beautiful and kind. But when she is abducted while they're on their first date, he finds himself the prime--and only--suspect. Frustrated by the police's unwillingness to search for Annabelle and her abductor, Sean begins his own investigation and digs into Annabelle's past--which turns out to be far murkier than readers might have expected. Billed as delightfully dark and twisted, this is a sure bet for readers of Caroline Kepnes (You, etc.).
Murder at the Mill, by M.B. Shaw. This first mystery from bestseller Tilly Bagshawe writing under a pseudonym finds artist Iris Grey hiding away in a Hampshire cottage, taking a break from her strained marriage. While there, she accepts a commission to paint the portrait of crime writer Dominic Wetherby, who lives next door. It's only when a local's father is discovered dead that Iris discovers she's got a talent for investigating murder...and suspects abound. Fans of Bagshawe's and readers of amateur sleuths should all be lining up.
Hunting Annabelle, by Wendy Heard. This unique debut thriller already has a lot of readers buzzing. Sean Suh has served three years in a psychiatric prison for murder, so now that he's out, he copes by avoiding interaction with other people and wandering a local amusement park as he suppresses his darker impulses. He's instantly smitten when he meets Annabelle, who is beautiful and kind. But when she is abducted while they're on their first date, he finds himself the prime--and only--suspect. Frustrated by the police's unwillingness to search for Annabelle and her abductor, Sean begins his own investigation and digs into Annabelle's past--which turns out to be far murkier than readers might have expected. Billed as delightfully dark and twisted, this is a sure bet for readers of Caroline Kepnes (You, etc.).
Murder at the Mill, by M.B. Shaw. This first mystery from bestseller Tilly Bagshawe writing under a pseudonym finds artist Iris Grey hiding away in a Hampshire cottage, taking a break from her strained marriage. While there, she accepts a commission to paint the portrait of crime writer Dominic Wetherby, who lives next door. It's only when a local's father is discovered dead that Iris discovers she's got a talent for investigating murder...and suspects abound. Fans of Bagshawe's and readers of amateur sleuths should all be lining up.
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
Reading Ahead: December 2018, part 2
Thrillers are the name of the game next month, with some long-awaited new titles from some of our readers' favorites!
The Boy, by Tami Hoag. New in Hoag's Doucet series (following 1997's A Thin Dark Line), The Boy finds Detective Nick Fourcade in the most brutal and confusing crime scene he's encountered to date. Genevieve Gauthier's home doesn't show signs of forced entry and she is physically unharmed, inexplicably left alive as a witness, telling a story of an unknown intruder who has murdered her 7-year-old son KJ. Who would kill a child and leave the only witness behind? When KJ's babysitter, Nora, is reported missing the following day, the sleepy Louisiana community is in an uproar. Nick and his wife, fellow detective Annie Broussard, must sift through Genevieve's past and Nora's disappearance to uncover the truth.
Pandemic, by Robin Cook. Taking on a cutting-edge tale of gene modification, Cook's latest begins when a young woman collapses on the New York subway and dies upon her arrival at the hospital. With eerie echoes of the 1918 flu pandemic near the hundredth anniversary, the incident begins to show anomalies when veteran medical examiner Jack Stapleton autopsies the woman. First, she had a heart transplant. Second, impossibly, her transplanted heart matches her DNA. His investigation leads him to a gene-editing biotechnology that has captured the imagination of the medical community...and the attention of its most unethical members.
The Boy, by Tami Hoag. New in Hoag's Doucet series (following 1997's A Thin Dark Line), The Boy finds Detective Nick Fourcade in the most brutal and confusing crime scene he's encountered to date. Genevieve Gauthier's home doesn't show signs of forced entry and she is physically unharmed, inexplicably left alive as a witness, telling a story of an unknown intruder who has murdered her 7-year-old son KJ. Who would kill a child and leave the only witness behind? When KJ's babysitter, Nora, is reported missing the following day, the sleepy Louisiana community is in an uproar. Nick and his wife, fellow detective Annie Broussard, must sift through Genevieve's past and Nora's disappearance to uncover the truth.
Pandemic, by Robin Cook. Taking on a cutting-edge tale of gene modification, Cook's latest begins when a young woman collapses on the New York subway and dies upon her arrival at the hospital. With eerie echoes of the 1918 flu pandemic near the hundredth anniversary, the incident begins to show anomalies when veteran medical examiner Jack Stapleton autopsies the woman. First, she had a heart transplant. Second, impossibly, her transplanted heart matches her DNA. His investigation leads him to a gene-editing biotechnology that has captured the imagination of the medical community...and the attention of its most unethical members.
Thursday, November 1, 2018
Reading Ahead: December 2018, part 1
As usual, there's not a very long list of new books due out in December (January will be a different story!), but the ones coming are big names for the most part, and ones you won't want to miss!
Of Blood and Bone, by Nora Roberts. Second in fan-favorite Roberts's new post-apocalyptic series, The Chronicles of the One, (following 2017's Year One), Of Blood and Bone begins a dozen years after the close of Year One. Fallon Swift, now thirteen, is gifted and therefore hunted. But her training under the guidance of Mallick, whose own skills have been honed over centuries, must begin. Fallon's identity, that of The One, cannot be hidden much longer, and she must be ready for the challenges ahead. Also available in Large Print.
Verses for the Dead, by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child. Following City of Endless Night (2018), the New York City field office of the FBI undergoes a leadership overhaul, and one of the changes made is unthinkable: the notorious rogue agent Pendergast must work with a partner. Together with junior agent Coldmoon, Pendergast travels to Miami where a series of murders has a gruesome, puzzling M.O.: all of the victims have their hearts cut out and are left, along with notes from the killer, on gravestones of women who committed suicide. As the new duo work together, trying desperately to make a connection beyond that of the graves, they realize that this particular mystery may stretch back decades, making these new crimes almost pale by comparison. Pendergast is among my very favorite characters, and this new installment will be at the top of my reading list this winter.
Of Blood and Bone, by Nora Roberts. Second in fan-favorite Roberts's new post-apocalyptic series, The Chronicles of the One, (following 2017's Year One), Of Blood and Bone begins a dozen years after the close of Year One. Fallon Swift, now thirteen, is gifted and therefore hunted. But her training under the guidance of Mallick, whose own skills have been honed over centuries, must begin. Fallon's identity, that of The One, cannot be hidden much longer, and she must be ready for the challenges ahead. Also available in Large Print.
Verses for the Dead, by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child. Following City of Endless Night (2018), the New York City field office of the FBI undergoes a leadership overhaul, and one of the changes made is unthinkable: the notorious rogue agent Pendergast must work with a partner. Together with junior agent Coldmoon, Pendergast travels to Miami where a series of murders has a gruesome, puzzling M.O.: all of the victims have their hearts cut out and are left, along with notes from the killer, on gravestones of women who committed suicide. As the new duo work together, trying desperately to make a connection beyond that of the graves, they realize that this particular mystery may stretch back decades, making these new crimes almost pale by comparison. Pendergast is among my very favorite characters, and this new installment will be at the top of my reading list this winter.
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
Reading Ahead: November 2018, part 1
Thrillers are the name of the game this fall! Wondering what will find its way onto the best-seller's lists in a hurry? Read on!
Past Tense, by Lee Child. Jack Reacher heads to rural New Hampshire, seeking any information concerning his late father, Stan Reacher. All he finds is an old case file regarding an assault, in which Stan Reacher was mentioned. Jack, being Jack, finds himself stepping in to stop a townie from beating a woman, humiliating the man publicly in the process. As Jack deals with the ensuing revenge posse, 30 miles away, a Canadian couple has car trouble and is forced to stay over at a small motel, a motel which becomes stranger and more ominous by the minute. This should prove an extremely satisfying installment in Child's long-running, popular series. Also available in Large Print.
Long Road to Mercy, by David Baldacci. Baldacci kicks of a new series in his latest, featuring Atlee Pine, an FBI agent and criminal profiler who specializes in serial killers. The case in her debut? A steadily lengthening list of missing persons in the area surrounding the Grand Canyon. I'm expecting this to recruit even more fans to Baldacci's camp.
Sea of Greed, by Clive Cussler and Graham Brown. After an explosion in the Gulf of Mexico destroys three oil rigs, Kurt Austin and the NUMA Special Projects Team are tasked by the President to investigate. The trail quickly leads to a billionaire in the field of alternative energy whose goal is to end the age of oil. But is she an environmental hero...or a rogue genetic engineer?
Target, by James Patterson. An elite squad of killers is on the loose--six assassins. In the wake of a leader's fall, Alex Cross joins the crowd of mourners, only to witness a sniper's bullet strike a target at the heart of DC. Cross's wife, Bree Stone, recently elevated to chief of DC detectives, must solve the case quickly or lose her position. The FBI, the Special Service, and Cross himself are all on the case, with Cross orchestrating one of the largest manhunts on record. But was this the only target? Or are the killers just getting started?
Past Tense, by Lee Child. Jack Reacher heads to rural New Hampshire, seeking any information concerning his late father, Stan Reacher. All he finds is an old case file regarding an assault, in which Stan Reacher was mentioned. Jack, being Jack, finds himself stepping in to stop a townie from beating a woman, humiliating the man publicly in the process. As Jack deals with the ensuing revenge posse, 30 miles away, a Canadian couple has car trouble and is forced to stay over at a small motel, a motel which becomes stranger and more ominous by the minute. This should prove an extremely satisfying installment in Child's long-running, popular series. Also available in Large Print.
Long Road to Mercy, by David Baldacci. Baldacci kicks of a new series in his latest, featuring Atlee Pine, an FBI agent and criminal profiler who specializes in serial killers. The case in her debut? A steadily lengthening list of missing persons in the area surrounding the Grand Canyon. I'm expecting this to recruit even more fans to Baldacci's camp.
Sea of Greed, by Clive Cussler and Graham Brown. After an explosion in the Gulf of Mexico destroys three oil rigs, Kurt Austin and the NUMA Special Projects Team are tasked by the President to investigate. The trail quickly leads to a billionaire in the field of alternative energy whose goal is to end the age of oil. But is she an environmental hero...or a rogue genetic engineer?
Target, by James Patterson. An elite squad of killers is on the loose--six assassins. In the wake of a leader's fall, Alex Cross joins the crowd of mourners, only to witness a sniper's bullet strike a target at the heart of DC. Cross's wife, Bree Stone, recently elevated to chief of DC detectives, must solve the case quickly or lose her position. The FBI, the Special Service, and Cross himself are all on the case, with Cross orchestrating one of the largest manhunts on record. But was this the only target? Or are the killers just getting started?
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