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Cynthia Penn's Bookshelf
A Family Of Her Own: Superromance No 1195
Brenda Novak
Harlequin Retail Inc
PO Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269
ISBN: 0373711956 $5.25 304 pages
Winner of the WordWeaving Award for Excellence
Two years ago Katie Rogers turned down Booker Robinson's marriage proposal to follow
another man to San Francisco. Now she returns to her hometown pregnant and unmarried. When
her ancient Cadillac breaks down just inside the city limits, Booker happens by and lends his
assistance. Katie would have preferred to avoid the humiliation of being turned away by her
parents with him as a witness. But at his insistence, she does agree to stay with Booker until she
can get on her feet.
Booker mostly keeps to himself, but he does have a thing for lending aid to strays. Moreover,
Booker is fiercely loyal and does not hesitate to wade into the fray when bullies pick on others. So
he does not mind taking in a mentally challenged man and giving him or job, or providing support
to Katie. But Katie wants to be independent, and she certainly does not want to yield to an old
attraction.
Once again author Brenda Novak delivers a stunningly magical performance in A FAMILY OF
HER OWN. In this return to Dundee, Idaho, Novak deftly captures the intensity and challenges of
family dynamics in a read impossible to put down. Both Booker and Katie are the kind of people
who have made mistakes that inescapably determine the course of their lives. Booker's prison
record and Katie's ex-fianc‚ threatens their hopes for the future. But more than the past, their own
insecurities threaten any chance of a future unless someone learns to bend. Secondary characters
are equally memorable from unbending parents to a rebellious teen. Such depth of
characterization results in people who profoundly touch reader's hearts. Indeed, Novak's fans will
easily recognize Novak's unforgettable style and characterizations from the first chapter. A
FAMILY OF HER OWN earns the WordWeaving Award for Excellence.
The Sex Solution: Blaze No 127
Kimberly Raye
Harlequin Retail Inc
PO Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269
ISBN: 0373791313 $4.50 256 pages
Highly recommended
Bad boy Austin Jericho created a wild reputation that he no longer upholds. Once he would never
have turned down a kiss from a woman, now he walks away from desire in favor of a hope of
permanence. After all, he has promised Miss Marshalyn Simmons that he will meet her terms so
she will give him much coveted land that she refuses to sell at any other price. And she aims to see
Austin married. So Austin seeks a conservative, tame woman with whom he can settle down. He
had vowed there will be no more fast times with fast women. Then Madeline Hale returns to
town.
Gone are the surplus pounds of her father's donut shop. A diet regime and hard work have
replaced the dowdy habits of Madeline's youth. Madeline left town twelve years ago and never
looked back. Now after a fabulous kiss, Austin has the nerve to turn around and walk away,
inspiring Madeline to seduction. Unfortunately, on the fast tract up the corporate ladder, Madeline
has big city ways now, with one-night stand written all over. Nevertheless, she does not give up
easily. And Madeline wants Austin, and will be as bodacious as necessary to get him.
Author Kimberly Raye's love of bad boys sparkles in THE SEX SOLUTION. Sultry heat and
tantalizing romance explode off the pages as Madeline and Austin find their way to love. Madeline
has replaced her good girl image with a sex siren, having become exactly the kind of woman
Austin vows to avoid. Austin comes from a troubled family and doggedly determines to make a
future for himself with a good girl who will stick around. Their mutual chemistry dictates
exhilarating conflict and mutual satisfaction that the reader will delight in. THE SEX SOLUTION
comes highly recommended.
Return To Me
Shannon McKenna
Zebra Books
Kensington Publishing Corp.
850 Third Avenue, New York NY 10022
ISBN: 0758205600 $14.00 352 pages
Very highly recommended
Five months after his Uncle Gus' death, Simon Riley returns to his hometown. He heard of Uncle
Gus' suicide while he was on a photo shoot in Afghanistan. The news had brought a resurgence of
his old nightmare of a ravenous fire that closed in on him. His uncle's suicide did not square with
Simon's memories, or the email Gus sent the day before his death. The email might have been not
of a paranoid madman, but not of man about to commit suicide. His first sight of Ellen Kent also
does not square with his memories.
When Simon left, Ellen had been a skinny teen with big startled eyes and heavy bands. Now she is
a knockout. She is also the proprietor of the nearby bed and breakfast. As always, Simon brings a
path of chaos and destruction in his wake. He had left town after standing unjustly accused of
burning a stable. He returns to unsettle Ellen's plans. Engaged to the former mayor's son, Ellen
has plans for a quiet life that does not include the likes of the boy she never got over. But falling
into Simon's wake brings the attention of a dangerous psychopath with his own agenda.
Author Shannon McKenna has long pleased fans with heart pounding romantic suspense.
RETURN TO ME is a strongly character driven novel, allowing the reader to grow close to both
the hero and heroine while also glimpsing the mindset of a psychopath. While the plot might seem
somewhat predictable, it becomes riveting reading as both Ellen and Simon struggle to reconcile
their powerful chemistry with seemingly insurmountable differences. Ellen's mother shines through
a surprisingly strong and entrancing secondary character that readers will find delightful.
RETURN TO ME comes very highly recommended.
Hadrian's Wall
William Dietrich
HarperCollins
10 East 53rd Street New York, NY USA 10022
ISBN: 0060563710 $24.95 352 pages
Highly recommended
During the second century A.D. the Romans build Hadrian's Wall to separate the Roman Empire
from the surrounding Celts and Picts. By 368, the Roman Empire weakens, and the Celtic
chieftain Arden Caratacus wants the invaders gone. His nemesis, Senior Tribune Galba Brassidias,
resents surrounding command of the wall to aristocratic scholar Marcus Flavius, a soldier with
political connects.
Lady Valeria, a senator's daughter, travels to Hadrian's Wall to marry Marcus. Their alliance gives
Marcus the command of the Petriana cavalry in return for providing much-needed funds for her
family. The angry Galba pretends loyalty to Marcus while surreptitiously encouraging Arden to
attack. Arden kidnaps Vaeria who falls in love with him while living with the Celts. Soon it is up
to her to stop a bloody war.
William Dietrich's HADRIAN'S WALL is a powerfully rendered historical novel. The narrative
shifts from the third-person account of Valeria and the people she encounters and the first-person
account of Draco who investigates her disappearance. As Draco unwinds a treacherous tale of
murder and intrigue, the reader is swept away to another time and place. The clash of cultures, the
powerful subplots and skillful story telling result in a richly told historical novel. The glimpse of
both cultures from each side of the wall will capture the reader's imagination with the contrast
between the sophistication of the Romans and the conquered yet spirited Celts. Valeria will
especially find favor with readers with her bravery and loyalty. A remarkable read, HADRIAN'S
WALL comes highly recommended.
Cynthia Penn
Senior Reviewer
Donovan's Bookshelf
Animation: The Whole Story
Howard Beckerman
Allworth Press
10 East 23rd St, Suite 210, NY, NY 10010
1581153015 $24.95 www.allworth.com
Animation professor Beckerman shares his insights and legacy in ANIMATION: THE WHOLE
STORY a discussion of what makes good and bad animation. Beckerman worked as a classic
animator for over forty years, hand-drawing thousands of characters: chapters discuss everything
from story lines and action scenes to directing tips.
The Real Business Of Web Design
John Waters
Allworth Press
10 E. 23rd St., #510, NY, NY 10010
1581153163 $19.95 1-800-491-2808
In The Real Business Of Web Design, veteran design consultant John Waters offers a resource of
developing web strategy, clarifying relationships between design, technology and business and
showing how to make Web sites work more effectively by making them more user-friendly to
their visitors. Use The Real Business Of Web Design to simplify and clarify Web site
development, and learn how to identify both casual visitor and business objectives.
The Perfect Stage Crew
John Kaluta
Allworth Press
10 E. 23rd St., #510, NY, NY 10010
1581153155 $19.95 1-800-491-2808
John Kaluta's The Perfect Stage Crew: The Compleat Technical Guide for High School, College,
and Community Theater considers budgets and the means for creating professional-quality stage
productions on a limited set of resources. Kaluta shows how to pull off a fine production in less
than forty days on almost any budget, and covers everything from organizing and storing
backstaeg supplies, to building sets, to testing lighting, to operating sound equipment. This
technical guide is confidently recommended for any involved in theatre at the high school, college
or community levels.
Allworth Press
10 E. 23rd St., #510, NY, NY 10010
1-800-491-2808 www.allworth.com
Three new titles address the basics of design and marketing in modern times. Brigitte Borja De
Mozota's DESIGN MANAGEMENT (1-58115-283-3, $24.95) tells how design can be linked to
brand value to create memorable corporate identities and marketing skills. Branding is a dynamic
way of achieving management goals and helping businesses formulate strategy and image: this
provides a college-level discourse on the topic. David Cole's COMPLETE GUIDE TO BOOK
MARKETING (322-8, $19.95) covers market changes, evolving and current trends in
technology, and how to reach the education market as it tells how to sell books most effectively.
Whether it's selling direct or through book clubs to setting goals and marketing within the
publishing and book trade, COMPLETE GUIDE TO BOOK MARKETING points publishers in
the right directions. Completely revised and appearing in an updated 3rd edition is Jan V. White's
EDITING BY DESIGN (302-3, $29.95), a foundation of tips for designers, art directors and
editors on how to blend words with design for winning results. Editors traditionally are pitted
against designers to their detriment: EDITING BY DSIGN offers fresh solutions to show how
editing and design groups may join forces for maximum results.
Cartooning, Caricature And Animation Made Easy
Chuck Thorndike
Dover Publications
31 E. 2nd St., Mineola, NY 11501
0486431525 $6.95 www.doverpublications.com
Artists of all skills levels will find CARTOONING, CARICATURE AND ANIMATION MADE
EASY a simple presentation of step-by-step cartooning instructions presented by professional
Thorndike: the result of a republication of two classics SECRETS OF CARTOONING and ART
OF CARTOONING, which appeared in 1936 and 1937, respectively.
Dover Publications
31 E. 2nd St., Mineola, NY 11501
www.doverpublications.com
This publisher's ongoing history and fashion titles make it one of the leading contributors to
reprint classics in these fields, offering affordable paperwork versions to new audiences. C. Willett
Cunnington's FASHION AND WOMEN'S ATTITUDES IN THE 19TH CENTURY
(0486431908, $14.95) provides extracts from novels, correspondence from the columns of ladies'
magazines, and plenty of source material on fashion of the times. Dorothy Hartley's MEDIEVAL
COSTUME AND HOW TO RECREATE IT (0486429857, $11.95) reprints a 1931 original
history classifying the clothes and accessories of the 12th through 15th centuries along social
lines. Mary Houston's ANCIENT GREEK ROMAN & BYZANTINE COSTUME (0486426106,
$12.95) republishes the second edition of a 1947 classic, packing in research with over 300
drawings based upon period artists' renderings. Iris Brooke's COSTUME IN GREEK CLASSIC
DRAMA (0486429830, $9.95) returns a 1962 classic to print and will reach both students of
Greek classic fashion and drama students alike. Students of Egyptian history from the high school
level on up will find the revised edition of Margaret Murray's SPLENDOR THAT WAS EGYPT
(0486431002, $16.95) provides a fine republication of the revised 1963 classic recreating early
Egyptian life, while E.A. Wallis Budge's FIRST STEPS IN EGYPTIAN HIEROGLYPHICS
(0486430995, $12.95) provides beginners with a fine 1895 introductory text. Dover's
AMERICAN SWORD (0486428024, $24.95) by Harold Peterson provides the republication of
the first book devoted exclusively to American swords and their history, Romola and R.C.
Anderson's SHORT HISTORY OF THE SAILING SHIP (0486429881, $11.95) blends over 150
illustrations with a survey of the evolution of the sailing ship over 6,000 years of history, and
Henry C. King's HISTORY OF THE TELESCOPE (0486432653, $24.95) surveys early
inventors, astronomers, and the instrument which changed their lives. All are highly recommended
standards.
Trafalgar Square
PO Box 257, N. Pomfret, VT 05053
www.trafalgarsquarebooks.com
These two new additions to the 'Vintage Living Texts' series by Margaret Reynolsd and Jonathan
Noakes provide important keys to understanding contemporary author texts. SUSAN HILL
(0099452189 , $12.00) covers the major works of literature produced by Hill, analyzes her
themes and narrative technique, and asks questions probing her major texts, from MIST IN THE
MIRROR to STRANGE MEETING. JOHN FOWLES (0099460882 , $12.00) achieves the same
for modern writer Fowles's works which include MAGUS, COLLECTOR and FRENCH
LIEUTENANT'S WOMAN. Each contains an in-depth interview with the author, tailored for this
series, and provides students with a strong blend of biographical and literary introductions.
Hesperus/Trafalgar Square, dist.
PO Box 257, N. Pomfret, VT 05053
www.trafalgarsquarebooks.com
This publisher's excellent series takes famous authors and reprints less-famous works which
succeed in rounding out the better known pieces, providing literary achievements and insights
which would otherwise be well hidden. Jonathan Swift's DIRECTIONS TO SERVANTS
(1843910624 , $12.00) thus provides the Gulliver's Travel's author's insights into social change
and master/servant conflicts, William Congreve's INCOGNITA (1843910691) provides the 1600s
dramatist's comedy of disguises, Edith Wharton's TOUCHSTONE (1843910667, $12.00) tells of
an improvised lawyer in glamorous New York who hoards the letters of a famous author; Niccoli
Machiavelli's LIFE OF CASTRUCCIO CASTRACANI (1843910640, $12.00) tells of a
charismatic 14th century warlord; Nicolai Leskov's LADY MACBETH OF MTSENSK
(1843910683, $12.00) reveals a young bride married to a man twice her age who lacks romance
and excitement until she meets a seducer; Francois Rabelais' GARGANTUA (1843910578)
provides a parody of medieval times and education, Jane Austen's LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP
(1843910608, $12.00) takes the form of a series of letters to a friend's daughter on marriage; and
Jules Verne's FANTASY OF DR. OX (1843910675, $12.00) tells of a mad scientist who makes a
living town his experimental laboratory. Robert Louis Stevenson's DR. JEKYLL AND MR.
HYDE (1843910705, $12.00) has been reprinted numerous times but deserves ongoing mention
for its story of a doctor obsessed by the duality of good and evil. All are recommended top
picks.
Guide to Gems
Cally Oldershaw
Firefly Publishers
4 Daybreak Lane, Westport, CT 06880
1552978141 $14.95 1-800-387-5085 www.fireflybooks.com
Cally Oldershaw's Guide To Gems is provides a rich and thoroughly "user friendly" field guide to
the identification and use of gemstones provides even the most novice beginner with a fine
introduction to not only identification, but the chemistry and geological properties of gems. Over
a hundred varieties of gemstones accompany over 850 photos and 50 drawings, making for a
colorful treasure trove in and of itself.
Firefly Publishers
4 Daybreak Lane, Westport, CT 06880
1-800-387-5085 www.fireflybooks.com
Peter Grego's MOON OBSERVER'S GUIDE (1552978885, $14.95) follows the moon and offers
detailed maps and photographic images of lunar features. From the basics of selecting equipment
most appropriate for moon gazing to recording observations and observing a lunar eclipse, this
packs in practical insights. Storm Dunlop's wider-ranging PRACTICAL ASTRONOMY
(1552978257, $14.95) tells beginners how to find their way around the constellations, how to use
telescopes, and how to observe the Moon and planets. From star maps and chart reading to
colorful photos, this comes filled with practical applications for beginning astronomers. Gerald
Conaty and Lloyd Binder's REINDEER HERDERS OF THE MACKENZIE DELTA
(1552978710, $16.95) provides a history of the marriage of two families and cultures: the
Mackenzie Delta peoples, who in the early 1900s were forced to convert to reindeer after caribou
herds were diminished by climate changes. Their encounter with the Sami herders and imported
reindeer herds from Scandinavia makes for a fascinating story.
Diane C. Donovan
West Coast Editor
Klausner's Bookshelf
Premonition
J.A. Terry
Aventine
ISBN: 1593301103 $13.95, 234 pp.
Dr. Jeremy and Hannah Larson have been married for one year and act like newlyweds especially
with insane killer Tom Madison locked up in a sanitarium. However, their idyll life together
abruptly ends when Aden Wellington enters their lives. Hannah fears Aden like he is the
Anti-Christ, but she cannot explain why she feels so strongly negative towards him. Their mutual
friend, Miranda shares that same fear and premonition that frightens Hannah. Though Miranda
would prefer to avoid Aden, she has changed since she fled from Tom's "control" and fell in love
and married her Joseph. The new caring Miranda believes she must come to the aid of her two
friends if they are to survive an evil from one thought as dead. Her worst premonition is that there
is nothing she can do for her friend as her pal's DESTINATION seems that of a victim assaulted
by malevolence who wants everyone associated with Hannah dead. PREMONITION is a terrific
sequel that keeps the foreboding of a pending tragedy at extremely high levels of suspense. The
story line never slows down for a moment as the key "good guys" struggle with a wickedness that
will chill readers to the bone. Fans of paranormal suspense horror thrillers will want to read this
book; this reviewer has a premonition that once you do, DESTINATION will follow.
Our Lady Of Darkness
Peter Tremayne
Signet
ISBN: 0451212215 $6.50, 336 pp.
Ireland in the middle of the seventh century is a beacon of light in a world of darkness. Scholars
from all over the world go there to study and women are considered the equals of men. Sister
Fidelma of Cashel, the sister to the king of Muman, a religiouse and a dalaigh wields considerable
power, which she doesn't hesitate to use when her friends are in trouble. When she learns that her
friend Brother Eadulf, is going to be hung for the rape and murder of a twelve year old girl, she
cuts short her pilgrimage to the tomb of St. James in Iberia and rushes to defend him. It will be
one of the most difficult jobs Fidelma has ever undertaken because there is an eyewitness account
and plenty of circumstantial evidence. The Sister Fidelma mysteries are always a treat to read and
OUR LADY OF DARKNESS is no exception. Readers really empathize with the strong-willed
heroine who fears for her very dear friend. The who-done it is very complex and enthralling with a
cast of believable suspects that are all guilty of something. The audience will get a good feel for
the culture of Ireland in the seventh century and feel as if they are in twenty-first century
America.
When Will the Dead Lady Sing?
Patricia Sprinkle
Signet
ISBN: 0451212223 $5.99, 272 pp.
In the town of Hopemore, Georgia, MacLaren's day gets off to an unusual start when she sees a
buffalo munching on the grass in the yard of her new house. By the time she finds the courage to
go outside and get the animal away from her rose bushes, she has the second shock of the
morning. Her college boyfriend Burlin Bullock, the one her husband Joe Ridley doesn't know
about, is explaining to her that the buffalo is a symbol of his son's run for governor. MacLaren
would like to leave Hopemore for the week that the Bullocks are in town but business prevents
her from doing so. She gets to see Burlin more than she would like. A homeless person who is
following the Bullocks on the campaign trail is found murdered and circumstantial evidence points
to a person that MacLaren knows is innocent and plans to prove it. The real killer, whom fears
that MacLaren will figure out the truth, decides to kill her. This down home regional mystery
gives readers a sprinkle of small town deep south living, customs and mannerisms. The
protagonist is a judge who does more to solve crimes than to render judgments on them. Patricia
Sprinkle knows how to write a charming and quaint mystery without resorting to blood, gore or
on stage violence of any kind. WHEN WILL THE DEAD LADY SING? is a great installment in
a winning series.
Pick Your Poison
Leann Sweeney
Signet
ISBN: 045121031X $5.99, 272 pp.
After their adoptive father died, Abby and Kate became heiresses, inheriting the mansion, the
business and the art. Abby spends her days by the pool and avoiding the advances of her
ex-husband. One day the yardman Ben tells Abby that he needs to speak to her and Kate later that
evening. She agrees and falls asleep by the pool only to be awakened by the dog barking. She
finds Ben dead in the garage and later learns that he was the victim of cyanide poisoning. She also
finds out that he was a suspect in the killing of his first wife, also by cyanide poisoning. Ben's
second wife convinces Abby that her husband was innocent and asks her to find his killers. A
determined Abby does just that and her investigation leads to revelations that put her at the mercy
of a ruthless killer who know secrets that were kept from her. This is Leann Sweeney's debut
novel and it is a dandy amateur sleuth novel once you accept Abby investigating a crime. What
helps is that the protagonist is stubborn and determined, a woman intending to keep an impulsive
promise though secrets that are decades old come to light and hurt the living. PICK YOUR
POISON is fast-paced and contain many action scenes but it is the characters that make this who
done it a cut above the average. This author has talent with a capital T.
Missing Monday
Matthew Costello
Berkley
ISBN: 0425194558 $6.99, 352 pp.
When she went to sleep it was Sunday night and when she woke up it was Tuesday morning.
Janna is scared that she is going crazy especially when she discovers that she did her usual work
yesterday at the office. Her friend Kathy and her boyfriend David tell her she was her usual self
once she confides in them. David and Kathy suggest she sees a psychiatrist to help her get past the
trauma. She believes the psychiatrist is helping her until she overhears him and David talking
about her, and the possibility of doing away with her. Alex Stern is a brilliant psychiatrist who was
tortured for information that he has that his killers want. He commits suicide rather than letting
them know the secrets of his group and he is able to send a message to his wife Caryn who luckily
is listening on her cell phone. Caryn is part of a cell that is charged with a mission that neither the
authorities nor the police can perform. When her path crosses with that of Janna, their cell has
more information to carry out their mission. Readers who enjoy a dark gothic speculative fiction
story will love MISSING MONDAY, a novel that deals with the future of Earth. From the very
beginning of this novel, there is a feeling of foreboding that increases with each ensuing chapter.
The audience will want to read Matthew Costello's latest work to find out who the true enemy is
and hopefully there will be a sequel to this exciting tale.
Charming the Shrew
Laurin Wittig
Berkley
ISBN: 0425195279 $5.99
In 1307 Scotland, the Munroe brothers fight on the side of King Robert the Bruce. However, a
year later, the clan heir Robbie is dead and the next sibling in line Toyg knows he must marry, but
prefers not to at this time. He detests even more the ballads about his bravery especially since he
feels some guilt that he survived while his beloved sibling died. His father sends Toyg on a
mission to deliver a message from their nearby neighbor the Ross clan to the MacDonells
announcing his son's upcoming marriage to the king's sister. Meanwhile the shrew Catriona
MacLeod learns that her dad arranged for her to marry the abusive Duff MacDonal. Catriona
refuses so she runs away where she meets Toyg who is delivering a message from Duff to her
odious older brother. Toyg soon realizes that there is a conspiracy against the king and he is the
one delivering the information. While traveling together so he can warn the monarch and she can
ask for a different spouse, the war hero and the shrew fall in love, but she is a pawn in the plot
against the king so is unavailable for anyone but Duff. CHARMING THE SHREW is an
enjoyable medieval Scottish romance that fans will appreciate due to the constant battle between
the lead couple. The conspiracy against the king pales next to the war of words that Toyg and
Catriona exchange as each one tries to trump the other. Though the suspense is secondary,
historical romance readers will take pleasure following the tirades of the twosome as they trek
towards their monarch with several conspirators in pursuit.
Love is Murder
Linda Palmer
Berkley
ISBN: 0425196879 $5.99, 277 pp.
She married her photojournalist husband when she was nineteen and spent most of the years they
had together taking incredible pictures in the wilds of Africa. When he dies in an automobile
accident, Morgan Tyler returns to the United States and moves in with her best friend until she
can decide what she wants to do with her life. The head writer of the soap opera Love of My Life
takes her under his wing and teaches her the ropes. When he is paralyzed due to a heart attack,
she becomes the show's news head writer. Damon Radord, Vice President of Daytime
Programming, thinks every woman in the world loves him. Morgan constantly ducks his passes
but when he is murdered she feels no joy. The two homicide detectives assigned to the case think
she is a viable suspect because of all the alterations they had in front of witnesses. When a second
person connected to the show is killed, Morgan decides that the only way to clear her name and
stop living in fear is to find the perpetrator, only this time she comes closer to dying than she ever
did before. This debut chick-lit mystery is an amusing amateur sleuth tale that gives readers an
insider's look at what goes on behind the scenes of a soap opera. The protagonist is a vulnerable
person who attracts the attention of two sexy men and doesn't know how to deal with it since she
never dated a lot before she married her husband. LOVE IS MURDER is a great puzzler with so
many suspects who had a motive to see the victim dead that readers won't be able to guess who
the killer is until the author chooses to reveal the perpetrator. Linda Palmer's first novel is a
definite winner.
Fade to Red
Linda Castillo
Berkley
ISBN: 0425196577 $6.99, 384 pp.
The voice message from her sister Traci sounded like she was frightened, something her younger
sibling never is. Return calls only get Traci's answering machine. Desperate to learn what
happened to Traci, Lindsey Metcalf flies from Columbus to Seattle, but Traci has vanished. The
cops feel that Traci skipped town to avoid jail time on a drug charge. Since there is evidence that
Traci was seeing former cop Michael Striker, Lindsey visits him. However, he blows her away
telling her to go home. Michael has his own problems as he faces ten years in prison for assaulting
the suspect who murdered his partner. A friend on the force informs Michael that someone broke
into Traci's home and attacked Lindsey. Unable to stay on the sidelines, he comes over to see if
the Midwesterner is okay and offers to search for Traci though he believes the latter is dead.
Lindsey soon learns the truth about her sister's dangerous life in the sexual underground while
falling in love with her champion who reciprocates, but knows his prison time insures nothing can
happen between them. This is an exciting private investigative romance with a major touch of
amateur sleuth to get the tale off the ground. The story line is action packed and never lets up
from the moment Lindsey arrives in Seattle. Though the epilogue following the climax is too
simplistic, readers will take immense delight with the lead couple as they tour the shadiest part of
the city. Fans will demand a Buckeye romance starring Lindsey's bossy spicy business partner
Carissa soonest.
The Marriage Test
Betina Krahn
Berkley
ISBN: 0425196453 $6.99, 352 pp.
After dining at a feast that could only have been made in heaven, Sirs Greeve and Axel return
home informing their liege Count Griffin de Grandaise of the delicious palate. Griffin, who cannot
abide the slop that is served and with a "nasal" condition, sneaks into the Convent of the Brides of
Virtue and tastes the best food he ever ate. He offers the Abbess gold to purchase her cook from
her, but is rejected until the Bishop and Duke intercede and force a transaction. The cook, Julia of
Childress, will spend one year teaching Griffin's staff to cook in exchange for gold. She is to be
returned with her virtual intact so she can take her vows. Unhappy as a pawn and the presumption
of the Abbess that she wants to take vows, Julia accompanies Griffin back to his estate, but not
before she spends his fortune on spices and sundry. Griffin is attracted to his new employee but
avoids her except for meals because he does not want to cause an incident with the Duke and
besides he is engaged to the daughter of his neighbor. As a third player manipulates the hostility
between Griffin and his future in-laws, Julia choose to stay as his countess because she loves him.
THE MARRIAGE TEST is an amusing medieval romance that moves the senses especially taste
and olfactory. The humorous storyline grips the audience from the moment Griffin sneaks into the
convent's kitchens. The tale never slows down until a final confrontation though the tie up in
terms of relationships is too tidy. Fans will enjoy Julia's skills to make Griffin salivate for her food
and for her.
Betrayal
Clare Francis
Berkley
ISBN: 0425194256 $14.00, 326 pp.
Hugh Wellesley struggles with business decisions that could put a lot people out of work as a
major corporation wants to buy the family glass company and shut it down by breaking it into
pieces. However, Hugh's concentration on doing the right thing is deflected when he learns that
the murdered corpse of his lover Sylvie was found ashore by the Dart. Fearing how his ailing
devoted spouse Ginny will react to his cheating on her, Hugh hides his sexual involvement with
Sylvie from the police. His lies fail to keep the police from charging him with murder. Ginny
provides a shaky alibi for her beloved, which make the police turn their attention to her as the
prime suspect and soon arrest her for the killing. Feeling guilt and affection for his wife, Hugh
knows the only way to prove Ginny's innocence is to uncover the identity of the real culprit. This
psychological suspense is built on the premise that everyone lies to cover betrayals that seem a
way of life in the relationships that abound throughout this terse thriller. The story line hooks the
audience as transgressions pile on transgressions whether it is legal, criminal, business or family.
Clare Francis paints a cynical world of deceivers in which the audience will seek the real motive
behind innocent actions as much as behind the lies. It is this realm of mendacity (not Washington
this time) so deftly made real by a solid glib cast that makes the ending a so mockingly sugary
final deception.
Heart Duel
Robin D. Owens
Berkley
ISBN: 0425196585 $6.50
After three failed passages to find his HEARTMATE, warrior Holm Holly, heir to the House of
Holly, believes he has none. Likewise healer Lark Collinson of the Houses of Hawthorne feels the
same way as she never met her HEARTMATE during her three passages. Lark heals the haughty
Holm Holly, but while she works on his wound, he shockingly realizes she is his HEARTMATE.
However, winning her over and forging the bond with her will be very difficult as Holm also
knows that their respective families hate one another. As he works to win Lark's love and ultimate
bond with her, her kin stabs his mother using a poisoned blade. The family feud explodes even
while Holm continues his quest to gain the love of his HEARTMATE, who shares his feelings but
feels their love is meant to fail. The third Celta tale (see HEARTMATE and HEART THIEF) is
an exhilarating love story with psychic powers to add to the feuds that threaten to keep the lead
duo apart. The delightful story line is cleverly executed so that he audience can understand the
planet's society and customs especially the bonding ritual and how deep a cut bad blood flows.
Robin D. Owen proves once again that she is among the top rung of fantasy romance authors with
this fantastic tale that will have the audience wondering if perhaps the Celta version of Taming of
the Shrew will follow.
One Dark Night
Jaid Black
Berkley
ISBN: 0425195260 $5.99
Fifteen years a cop and a decade at homicide, Detective Thomas Cavanah still flinches when he
smells murder. Perhaps his stomach churning may be linked to the death of his daughter Amy
probably at the hands of serial killer Lucifer. Thomas is obsessed with bringing this devil to
justice. Highly regarded surgeon Nikki Adenike is lonely as no man has ever fulfilled her deepest
fantasy of submitting herself in sexual servitude to a dominant male. She surfs the net researching
what many would proclaim as porn hoping to find someone and actually does. However, instead
of meeting her Richard, Nikki encounters Lucifer. She fortunately escapes from the killer. Thomas
realizes that Nikki is the bait to catch Lucifer who never lets a fish escape. However, Thomas also
finds vengeance has quite an ironic cost as he begins to fall in love with the doctor who is the bait
to hook Lucifer. This heated erotic romantic police procedural is a powerful tale that showcases
the talent of author Jaid Black to combine a dark suspense plot with an exhilarating sexual
romance. The story line is action packed whether the plot is in the boudoir or involves some
perilous encounter with Lucifer. Still the key to what makes this tale above the typical erotica and
serial killer themed novels is the growth of the lead couple who like the killer were ruled by
obsession, but unlike Lucifer moved on with love.
A Regimental Murder
Ashley Gardner
Berkley
ISBN: 0425196127 $5.99, 250 pp.
In 1816 Regency England, Captain Gabriel Lacey is just starting to recover from the depression
he suffered after seeing atrocities committed during the Iberian Peninsula campaign. One night
while strolling in London he sees a woman on a bridge seemingly poised to leap to avoid a man
with a knife. Gabriel chases the mugger away and brings Lydia Westin to the safety of his home.
Lydia is a widow who asks her host to help her prove that her deceased husband never killed
Captain Algernon Spencer following the Battle of Bedejaz in Spain in 1812. She believes that
Lord Richard Eggleston, Viscount Breckenridge and Sir Major Edward Conraught managed to
find a means to get her spouse to confess to a homicide that she insists he did not commit.
Though reluctant to turn back the hands of time to Iberia, Gabriel agrees to help, not realizing the
outcome of his acquiescing to investigate will be many deaths and attempted murders of him and
his guest. Ashley Gardner is a name worth following as this author shows deep talent for vividly
recreating the era and people of the Regency period inside a powerful mystery. The complex
protagonist suffers from post battle fatigue caused by what he witnessed during the war. His slow
recovery (see THE HANOVER SQUARE AFFAIR) seems real, but his willingness to jump back
in the fray to ensure justice is served demonstrates the inner strength of a man with both morals
and ethics that should make him a fan favorite.
Merely the Groom
Rebecca Hagan Lee
Berkley
ISBN: 0425195252 $6.99
In 1793 the three preadolescent aristocratic heirs sign in blood the charter of the Free Fellow
League, which includes amongst its rules not to marry unless there is no choice until they reach
thirty. Instead Griffin Abernathy, Colin McElreath, and Jarrod Sheperdston plan to become
England's greatest heroes. In 1812 London Baron Carter Davies, a merchant just recently raised
to peerage, is angry and upset because his daughter Gillian vanished without a trace one week ago
while attending a musicale chaperoned by her mother. Bow St informs him that Gillian apparently
eloped with a Mr. Colin Fox. Eloping with a mister is worse than kidnapping to Gillian's father,
who expected his daughter to wed an aristocrat. At the Blue Bottle Inn by the Edinburgh docks,
Gillian waits for her Colin who seemingly deserted her. Instead her father accuses Colin
McElreath of compromising Gillian. To avoid a scandal Colin marries Gillian, but also hopes she
can be the bait to capture the rogue impersonating him. Neither of the newlyweds expected love
to freely flow between them as it has, but Colin has a mission that is pulling his heart apart as he
must place his beloved in jeopardy to succeed. The second Free Fellow League book, MERELY
THE GROOM, is an exciting Regency romantic suspense that contains a wonderful love subplot
inside a powerful tale of intrigue. The fine story line contains characters from the first tale (see
BARELY THE BRIDE) playing significant parts in this novel, but that also tends to take away
from the romantic interludes of the lead couple. Still Rebecca Hagan Lee furbishes a delightful
charmer that will have readers awaiting Jarrod's avoidance of marriage story.
Hancock Park
Katherine V. Forrest
Berkley
ISBN: 0425195988 $22.95, 256 pp.
One year ago LAPD homicide Kate Delafield was sent to the affluent neighborhood of Hancock
Park to investigate the death of Victoria Talbot who was shot in the head at close range. The
victim was also shot in the back. Victoria's son Allan who found the body is shook and wary as he
must inform his two fragile sisters that their mom is dead. Kate learns that Allan has no intention
of informing his father that his former spouse was murdered. A neighbor informs Kate that she
heard the shots, but is also careful to avoid mentioning Douglass Talbot though she implies that
he is an abusive person who made his family's lives hell. Kate next learns that Douglass had an
incestuous relationship with his youngest daughter and was stalking Victoria. Finally a Mercedes
that matches the vehicle Douglass owns was seen in the vicinity around the time of the murder.
Douglass is arrested, but at the trial Kate begins to believe that the defense has a ploy that will
free a murderer if she does not find additional proof that he killed his ex. The long wait for the
return of Kate is worth it as readers receive a fabulous police procedural. Kate is a dedicated
tough cop, but is also very vulnerable especially when her lover of thirteen years leaves her
forcing her to look at what she has become. As the audience hopes Aimee returns to Kate, the
murder mystery is cleverly executed so that the evidence is laid out one step at a time enabling the
reader to form an opinion, but keep in mind Katherine V. Forrest is brilliant at the sleight of the
hand or two.
Legend of the Jade Dragon
Yasmine Galenorn
Berkley
ISBN: 0425196216 $5.99, 273 pp.
The owner of the Chintz 'n' China shop, Emerald O'Brien, is also a psychic who had her fifteen
minutes of fame when she solved a double homicide thanks to the ghost of one of the victims.
Business is booming as a result of that incident and people come from all over to have her do a
Tarot reading. Daniel Barrington arrives at her shop for a reading, but Emerald fears telling him
how negative his future looks. When he leaves, Daniel forgets to take his expensive dragon statue
with him so Emerald runs after him to give it to him. However, she sees a hit and run driver kill
Daniel. From that moment on, Emerald's life spins out of control. Her store is broken into with
valuables stolen or broken. Next her home is invaded. Meanwhile that dragon statue is moving
about with no help and its eyes are periodically glowing. Can things get crazier and worse?
Absolutely as the perpetrator abducts her son. Yasmine Galenorn provides an offbeat, quirky and
delightful amateur sleuth tale that includes interwoven paranormal elements that enhance not
overwhelm the plot. The heroine is a charmer as she cheerfully copes with her two brilliant
children and manages her business that she built from scratch. LEGEND OF THE JADE
DRAGON is a paranormal mystery that enchants the audience with its engaging lead character
starring in an exhilarating action-packed story line.
Broken Dishes
Earlene Fowler
Berkley
ISBN: 042519597X $24.95, 271 pp.
In San Celina, California, Shawna Darnell Abbott and her husband Johnny turn the Broken Dis
Ranch into a guest ranch in the hope that they can make enough profit to avoid bankruptcy and
consequently lose the family spread. Benni Harper and her grandmother help the young couple
during the first few weeks of the new operation. A dog finds a bone on a trail that a guest
identifies as human remains. Benni investigates and soon discovers a grave that appears to have
been recently dug up. Benni's nemesis Police detective Hudson arrives and learns that the buried
individual was a murder victim. Someone releases a prize bull that is about to be sold and arson
burns down a barn. Benni tries to uncover the identity of the culprit, but the motive is decades
old. BROKEN DISHES is an exciting combination of a police procedural and an amateur sleuth
tale that make for a delightful combination that works and works well. The mystery is cleverly
interwoven into a story line that focuses on two individuals trying to save their ranch. Fans will
hope the Abbots succeed in this difficult venture that has been made more complicated by the
homicides. Earlene Fowler is a grandmaster of characterization starting with Benni and continuing
with a strong secondary cast who bring some comic relief to the terse tale.
The Sunken Sailor
Elizabeth Foxwell, editor
Berkley
ISBN: 0425194280 $22.95, 288 pp.
Between the world wars, the aristocracy tries to return to what they once had. In Rutfordshire,
Daisy the Dowager Duchess of Faughstrayne hosts a weekend party with an eclectic assortment
of guests. Among the attendees are wealthy American Admiral Cornelius Brandon and his son
Whitchell, and the Duchess' neighbor Sir Gerry. The latter finds the murdered corpse of the
Admiral. Sir Gerry considers himself an amateur sleuth so he decides to investigate the situation
after notifying Chief Inspector Reggie Arbuthnot of the homicide. Reggie wants Sir Gerry to stay
out of the case except as a witness because he is jealous that the amateur always solves cases
before he can. Sir Gerry finds the body of the next victim Consuella, the new Duchess of
Faughstrayne. More deaths follow and soon Reggie realizes that several of the guests are not
what they seem and also have motives, but which one would kill still remains unsolved. THE
SUNKEN SAILOR is a round robin work in which fourteen authors provide a chapter that leads
to the next writer's segment. This results in many unexpected twists and turns in a plot that
showcases several different writing styles that somehow blends together into a fine cohesive
storey line that is a treat for readers.
The Last Rogue
Connie Mason
Leisure
ISBN: 0843952334 $6.99, 371 pp.
In 1820 Viscount Lucas Westmore is about to pull out of Lady Sybil Roxbury, but she tightens
and holds him in place. He is unable to remove himself and releases his seed inside her. Afterward
Luke realizes that Sybil is already pregnant and trying to pass the unborn off as his. He tells her he
will not marry her, but promises to find her a spouse. Two days later, the London Times
announces that Sybil is dead an apparent suicide. Filled with remorse, the rake vows to give up
sex. He leaves London for exile in St. Ives on the Cornish coast. During his nocturnal wanderings
to escape from the guilt that erodes his soul, he observes a smuggling operation headed by the
Shadow. Finding a reason to live, he makes inquiries, but the villagers say nothing. Still he
concludes that the squire's daughter Bliss Hartley is the Shadow. He saves her life by informing
the excise men that she is his fiancee. They marry mostly out of his failure to help Sybil, but love
begins to blossom until an unknown person tries to kill Luc and someone else has taken on her
former identity of the Shadow. The latest Rogue regency romance is a delightful charmer starring
two fabulous protagonists. Luc is an honorable person trying to do the right thing though his
lament over failing Sybil seems an unfair self condemnation. Bliss is typical of many of the
sub-genre heroines as she is courageous, independent, and performs an occupation that most men
would fear to try. Together they make a fierce team for their enemies to cope with but a fabulous
read for fans of Connie Mason.
Mr. Complete
Sheridon Smythe
Love Spell
ISBN: 0505525569 $6.99, 341 pp.
Lydia Carmichael is irate because she believes her beloved Aunt Tempera was wronged by L.J.
Reynolds's Mr. Complete Escort Service. Her aunt's escort took advantage of a lonely female who
fell in love with the gigolo. Lydia filed a complaint with the police and decides she must
personally take action by going undercover as a client to expose this firm as a "sex for hire" male
prostitution company. NYPD Detective Parker informs Mr. Complete Escort Service owner Luke
Reynolds that another complaint was filed against his company involving a charge of illicit sex.
Luke tells the cop that he fired the escort for that reason as he runs a clean operation. Luke
knows his foster brother and business rival Rhew Burgess, owner of At Your Service, has caused
his recent woes. However, he overhears Lydia's tirade and plan when she speaks in a public place
to a friend. He decides to go along with her ploy as her escort, but finds himself incredibly
attracted to Lydia, but if she fails to reciprocate any move he makes it will affirm her belief that he
is running a criminal operation. Though the use of coincidence in which the two protagonists have
meetings at the same time in Danny's Bar and Grill, fans will enjoy this gender battle between two
wonderful lead characters. The story line is at its best when Luke is not sure whether to trust
Lydia with his feelings for her because she proclaimed to her friend she planned to shut down his
business and put him behind bars. Yet he cannot walk away as he finds his attraction for her
overwhelming. Humorous and hunk heaven, Sheridon Smythe spins a delightful tale.
Day of Fire
Kathleen Nance
Love Spell
ISBN: 0505525917 $6.99, 384 pp.
For the Post Epidemic Year 106 (2176 for those of you from Bonzai's time), Fortress Canada has
thrived by isolating itself from the troubles that have wracked the globe especially that nation to
the south. So when the USA placed a plasma border between the two countries, no one in the
north blinked. Canadian Royal Mountie Police Day Daniel has no time to mourn the death of her
partner as she is on the trail of the terrorists who killed him. However, her superiors assign Day
with a new partner, civilian plague hunter Dr. Liam Firebird. His quest is to stop a militant group
from releasing a deadly virus on the Canadian people. Though Day finds her new associate
handsome, she cannot stand how he blithely ignores all the rules as they trek towards the Citadel
and a confrontation with the Shadow Voice whose broadcast of treason is dangerous for one and
all. This fabulous science fiction romance is a terrific follow up to the excellence standard set by
Susan Grant (see THE LEGEND OF BONZAI MAGUIRE) in the first "Five Women, One Goal:
Freedom" tale. The story line is action-packed as the audience observes a nation that is not in the
midst of the battling alliances. Still with this insight, the key to the novel rests with the lead
couple, as opposite of a pair as one will find except for two common traits: they love deeply and
forever and obsess over what they cherish. The second of five authors with one goal:
entertainment, the Immortal Kathleen Nance provides a triumphant story that readers who
appreciate a futuristic world setting starring strong protagonists will cherish.
Unleashed
C.J. Barry
Love Spell
ISBN: 0505525739 $6.99, 368 pp.
In Virginia, a distraught Lacey Garrett knows she must start over since her former fiance stole her
business and her savings, and left behind a cat Oliver and nothing else. She vows on New Year's
Eve to never allow anyone especially a male to interfere with her life. However, five minutes after
her resolutions to play it safe and ignore men, Lacey and Oliver find themselves on board a
spaceship because she as Cyber Queen responded to an email from someone named Zainman
asking for help. Captain Zain Masters demands Lacey and Oliver provide him with answers to
how he was shot down by laser cannons on an allegedly uninhabited planet. Now they have five
days to resolve what is going on or else while creatures out of a 1950s B movie harass them on
some strange planet in which Oliver adapts faster than Lacey perhaps because of the Zain
distraction factor. Still she begins offering real solutions in between Zain's delightful kisses. In her
latest "Un ed" tale (see UNEARTHED and UNRAVELED), C.J. Barry provides readers with a
wild fun science fiction romance that will make true believers out of those who nay say ET. The
exhilarating story line moves forward faster than the speed of light as the action never slows down
from the moment that Zain's equipment malfunctions until the final climax. The star-crossed in
love lead pair is a wonderful coupling while the support crew from Oliver to the enemy make this
a fabulous journey into space as only C.J. (cerebrally jocular) Barry can escort readers.
The Face of the Assassin
David Lindsey
Warner
ISBN: 044652929X $25.95
Adopted as an infant, Austin, Texas widower Paul Bern lives a contented quiet life earning a
living as a highly regarded forensic resurrection expert, who recreates visages of severely
damaged accident or criminal victims. Client 'Becca Haber arrives at his home bringing with her a
skull she purchased from a street kid in Mexico City. She wants him to recreate the face. Paul is
hardly into his effort when he already recognizes the countenance staring back at him as one he
sees whenever he looks into a mirror. Not long afterward, the call comes confirming what an
unsettled Paul theorized: that the skull he holds is his twin. The caller Vincente Mondragon
informs him that the sibling he never knew existed was recently murdered CIA field agent Jude
Lerner. Vincente insists that Jude's operation affects national security so without the superstar the
country is in trouble. The civilian Paul is expected to perform as Jude so that the scenario is
completed in a favorable manner. Though the twins never met theme feels ancient, David Lindsey
keeps his thriller fresh due to a wonderful out of place hero who belongs more in an academic
background than in the midst of a deadly operation. The action-packed story line is filled with
plenty of twists that will keep the audience guessing as to what happens next to Paul and by
whom. His teen neighbor is an interesting support character suffering from a cognitive-disconnect
disorder caused by an accident, but she enables the reader to see deep into what kind of person
Paul is. Twins aside, readers will enjoy this fine civilian in the cold thriller.
Meant To Be
Edie Claire
Warner
ISBN: 0446612782 $5.99, 384 pp.
Just north of Pittsburgh, thirty year old schoolteacher Meara O'Rourke receives a phone call from
a Laurel Mountain hospital stating that her mom was near death from a car accident. Meara
informs the caller that her mom died a month ago after suffering from a long term illness. When
the hospital administrator mentions Sheila Black, Meara realizes that the woman in the trauma
center is her biological mother, whom she met once. She arrives at the hospital where her mother
warns her that Rosemary died before Sheila also passes away. Attorney David Falcon informs
Meara that Sheila was married to Mitchell Black who died in the crash and that Rosemary was
Mitchell's deceased first wife. She also learns that she inherited part ownership of an estate
including the nineteenth century Sheepsworth Inn. Mitchell's angry son Fletcher displays hostility
towards Meara. He wants her to leave and will buy her out. Instead a stubborn Meara who does
not want any part of the estate refuses to sell because she believes he plans to destroy this pristine
land. Meara learns more about her biological mother and Mitchell to the point that she loves him,
but he remains nasty towards her, making her wonder if its time to leave while her heart still beats.
This is an engaging romantic with some suspensethat occurs late in the novel. For the most part,
the tale is more of a character study as Meara tries to understand her mother and Fletcher, which
in turn enables the audience to better understand the lead female protagonist. Fans will appreciate
this insightful tale though the intrigue comes towards the second half.
Man Trouble
Melanie Craft
Warner
ISBN: 0446612847 $5.99, 32 pp.
Miami Herald reporter Carter McKee comes to Belden, Wisconsin to ask his pal college history
professor Molly Shaw to help him gain an interview of billionaire hotel mogul Jake Berenger.
Carter plans to write a bio on Jake, but needs an interview something the wealthy hotelier never
gives. He wants Molly to pose as her alter ego romance writer Sandra St. Claire in order to
seduce the reclusive Jake at his Gold Bay Resort. Though insisting it is a mission impossible,
Molly agrees to help Carter. At the resort, a transformed Molly does her best, but Jake cannot see
her as a femme fatale though he finds her very pretty and intelligent. He also realizes he needs
damage control following an affair with actress Skye Elliot, who insists her lover is a druggie
incapable of being a CEO. However, as Jake and Molly work their own agenda they fall in love,
but what will happen when the truth surfaces. This entertaining contemporary romance stars two
individuals who normally would never meet as they walk dramatically different spheres. The story
line is fun to see the odd couple start off wary of one another, turn become attacted to each other,
and finally realize they are in love. Though Carter's selfishness is so obviously over the top and
readers will wonder how the intelligent romance writing professor fails to see it, fans will enjoy
this fine tale of love between two apparent opposites.
The Cajun Cowboy
Sandra Hill
Warner
ISBN: 0446612952 $5.99, 384 pp.
In Southern Louisiana Charmaine LeDeux, former state beauty queen winner and owner of two
beauty parlors, knows borrowing from Bucks R Us was a mistake as the Mafia owned
corporation charges usury rates. When an investment tanked she could not ask for help because
she detest being labeled a bimbo, but that is how she behaved. Her first husband former convict
Raoul Lanier informs Charmaine that they are still married because of something his father did so
she has not had four divorces. He also tells her that she inherited half of his family's Triple L
Ranch from the death of his father. She sees the spread as a place to hide from the mob while she
waits for investments to make the cash to pay off the shark. At the ranch, Charmaine and Raoul
emit sparks that would light up New Orleans during Mardi Gras. However, he hurt her when they
were married and he believes she conned his dad into bequeathing half the ranch to her. Though
they still love one another, a second chance at marriage seems undesirable for both of them
besides which he has a quest to prove his innocence, regain his vet license, and learn more about
his dad's demise. Though the gimmick has been used before, fans will enjoy Sandra Hill's latest
Bayou cowboy romance because the principal couple love one another, but cannot live together
without fighting. The mafia connection forces Charmaine to hide and thus relocate on Raoul's
ranch, but takes away from the tale when stings occur. Still this is an amusing contemporary tale
starring two fine protagonists and a horde of secondary players mostly smirking at the dynamic
lead duet.
Rules of Engagement
Kathryn Caskie
Warner
ISBN: 0446614238 $5.99, 352 pp.
In 1814 England, twin spinster Aunts Viola and Letitia worry that their beloved niece artist Eliza
Merriweather refuses to marry. Eliza does not want her talent going to waste like her mom's did
when she gave it up to marry. The sisters decide it is time to establish the rules of engagement
based on the book War Strategies. The aunts begin matchmaking a stubborn Eliza who
acknowledges her mother has been happily married, but questions frittering away her skills over a
man, even if that male was her loving dad. The aunts select Magnus Mackinnon as the perfect
person for their cherished but obstinate Eliza. One rule at a time they begin assaulting her
fortressed heart, but will they and their chosen soldier prove strong enough to win over the
stubborn Eliza? This is an enjoyable Regency romance that engages the reader with a solid cast
that makes for a fine read. The lead couple is a charming duet, but the story line belongs to elderly
sisters as they deploy the rules of engagement to insure their great-niece finds a happy match
whether Eliza wants to or not. Readers will appreciate this delightful matchmaking story and hope
these two female general officers take another recruit through basic training.
Till Death Do Us Part
Kate White
Warner
ISBN: 0446531758 $24.00, 320 pp.
One year ago, free lance reporter Bailey Weggins was the bridesmaid at her college roommate's
wedding to wealthy businessman David Slain. Since them Bailey has not spoken to the new bride
because Paige is trying build up her business as the next Martha Stewart with her television show,
her catering and lecturing business. Out of the clear blue sky, one of the other bridesmaids calls
Bailey and asks her to meet her that night. When Ashley and Bailey meet, she tells the reporter
that two of the bridesmaids have since died and she thinks that they were murdered even though
the police believe they were the victims of freak accidents. One of the bridesmaids was Ashley's
roommate and believes that something strange happened at the welding. Bailey looks into the
matter but before she gets far Ashleye is killed while redecorating the silo on Paige's estate. Now
Bailey is really worried and believes her life is in danger because someone is trying to get her off
the case using any means available including murder. 'TIL DEATH DO US PART is an exciting
crime thriller because the reader does not truly know whether there is a killer until mid-way
through the book and that is only when someone rams the protagonist's car, leaves frightening
notes and makes threatening calls. There is an unexpected twist in the storyline that keeps the
audience from guessing the identity of the culprit, which makes the who-done-it even more
complex. Kate White has written another great crime thriller.
Beyond Infinity
Gregory Benford
Warner
ISBN: 044653059X $23.95, 335 pp.
After eons of being trapped by the gravity of a black hole, the interrelated magnetic fields called
the Malign escapes its prison. The essence detests organic matter and blames humans for the
incarceration. Vengeance sends the Malign towards earth. Humanity has evolved over the billions
of years since mankind first ventured to the moon. Cley is an Original, a genetic remake of the
oldest known human species and the last of the "Mohegans" due to an attack by the Malign, at
least that is what the genetically reengineered Supras insist happened. The Supras consider Cley
as an inferior pet, but she knows that her wardens are hiding part of the truth from her. She plans
to learn what really happened to her race, but first must escape from her zookeepers. Abetted by
an ET, Cley begins her journey to learn to learn what the Malign is and why did this creature
commit genocide? BEYOND INFINITY is a terrific futuristic science fiction tale that predicts the
path of physics in a realistic extension of what is known or theorized today, but within a terse
thriller that hooks the reader from the start. The physics aspects are deftly interwoven as
underpins to the exhilarating plot. The marvelous tale combines a coming of age subplot along the
lines of Luke in Star Wars with that of a Galactus-like being threatening much of the galaxy.
Gregory Benford provides a tremendous novel that will send new fans seeking his works (some of
the best are out there) and old readers just shaking their heads that the guru has done it
again.
Christmas Magic
Marianne LaCroix
Amber Quill Press
ISBN: 1592792111 $TBA
Four years ago, David Bradley sublimated everything in order to make his Internet business a
success. He achieved what he thought he wanted as the business is booming, but his seven year
relationship with his wife Mary is nonexistent because of him. He believes Mary would be better
off without him though the thought of another man with his beloved sends David into a
melancholy jealousy. Still his Christmas gift to Mary is a divorce so she can find a man who will
cherish her as she deserves. Mary loves David, but wants back the man she married who shared
her passion for life. She feels useless and unwanted as David even takes care of his needs by
working out or showering. As usual David works late even though this is Christmas Eve. Mr.
Claus drops by and provides David a picture of how unbearably miserable his life would be
without Mary. While he ponders his fate, Desiree Claus prepares Mary to regain her lost husband.
Marianne LaCroix modifies It's A Wonderful Life by having the lead character see what his life
without Mary would have been as opposed to what her life and others would have been without
him. The fresh insightful romantic fantasy story line hooks the audience with its moods that reflect
the lead couple as it starts very sad, turns even more morose before beginning to see a distant
glimmer of hope. The Claus couple is a delightful duo that yes reader there is a Mr. and Mrs.
Santa that brings adults hope through love. Ms. LaCroix has furbished a charming uplifting
tale.
Descendents of Darkness: Lucius
Marianne LaCroix
Amber Quill
ISBN: 1592791808 $TBA
In New Orleans, Lucius the Demoni thought he found his soulmate that he has been seeking for
centuries when he met Jolie, but alas his "offspring" Alonso claimed her as his (see the first book,
DESCENDENTS OF DARKNESS: ALONSO). Still he knows deep in his heart that she is out
there, but he must not lose hope and continues to search for his beloved one though the doubts
grow daily. Tala loves being a werewolf, but is uncomfortable running with the pack. Instead, she
would rather read a romance novel starring shapeshifters. She hopes that her own loneliness will
have the same happy ending. Lucius sees a female wolf and is stunned that she is the one. He
comes to Tala and she feels the same attraction as he does, but hesitates for her sibling exchanged
blood with a vampire only to lose her mind before dying. Tala wants Lucius and he needs her for
eternity, but she knows the outcome of their pairing is not eternal. Lucius vows to find a way or
die because his soul cannot live without Tala. The second Descendents of Darkness tale is an
excellent erotic vampire romance starring two delicious star-crossed protagonists. The story line
is character driven as terrific Tala and luscious Lucius start so despondently alone that the
audience can picture them, especially the vampire, as Mr. and Ms. Dyingly Sad. When they find
each other, diabolically clever Marianne tosses a curve ball at these two critters by insuring a
taboo love. This is a great supernatural romance that is worth reading (as is the previous
tale).
The Piaculum
Richard Gray
iUniverse
ISBN: 0595303013 $14.95, 207 pp.
In a cave, two men find the remnants of a long dead civilization that left behind three "holy"
books. One of them interpreted the message as God sent his son to save the human race. The
other person insisted that the Words meant that the second coming of the Son needed saviors to
sacrifice to atone for sins. Several millenniums after their hallowed excavation, mankind has
evolved into two predominant cultures, of which both share in common beliefs in the Words of
God stated in The Book of testaments. While the Mone share the sacred words amongst all
members of their society, the Kathe insist only priests are capable of understanding the Words.
The Kathe seek those born with the white-mark so that the males can be converted into Piaculums
and the females sacrificed during "The Week of Blood" as a means to ascend to heaven. The
Kathe abduct Mone farmer Cearl because he has the white-mark. He offers little resistance hoping
to keep his son protected from the grotesque alteration. Though he prays to the same God as his
captors, Cearl has little faith that he will survive. THE PIACULUM is an incredible futuristic tale
that extrapolates interpretations of the lost Book of Testaments into cornerstones of two societies
by concentrating on one member from each. The evolution is mindful of the clever archeological
spin of the 1970s cult movie Fillard Millmore and Wells' Time Machine. Richard Gray sounds a
warning that strict biblical interpretation is self centered to insure the priests are not Left Behind
rather than sharing the Word so all can be saved.
Glorious Appearing
Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins
Tyndale
ISBN: 0842332359 $24.99, 399 pp.
Earth has been torn apart as the Anti-Christ has taken control of the world politically,
economically and religiously. The believers who have not taken the Mark of the Beast have been
deprived of their freedom, gone into hiding or fought against Nicolas Carpathia's preaching and
the powers he possesses from Satan. Jews have been the victim's of the Anti-Christ's hatred and
many have been martyred for their beliefs. God's chosen people are supernaturally protected in
Petra while the remaining Jews in Jerusalem try and hold the city against Carpathia's forces. Fed
up with opposition to his regime, Carpathia amasses the biggest army the world has ever seen to
kill the remnant in Petra and take control of Jerusalem. The ultimate battle between good and evil
is about to take place and though foretold in Revelations how it will end and who receives just
awards, remember that the victors write the history books. This is the twelfth and last book in the
Tribulation series and it is the most rewarding tale of all to read because the theme is explicitly
and unusually explored. No matter how powerful are the forces of darkness, one knows that the
power of goodness will always defeat them. Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins have created a once
in a lifetime storytelling extravaganza, one that will be a classic in the years to come.
Second Touch
Bodie and Brock Thoene
Tyndale
ISBN: 0842375090 $22.99, 357 pp.
Mama suspected and when Lily turned twelve knew that her little darling suffered from tsara'at
though papa remained in denial. Lily like all lepers is pronounced dead by her family and her
villagers. She is forced to leave to live in exile in the Valley of Sorrows where all the lepers reside
until they die. Six years has passed since Lily stumbled into the Valley scared and alone. Now
rumors abound that a great healer has been performing miracles. . Cynics are beginning to come
around in support of and belief in Jesus, but some of the most powerful question this newcomer
who is shaking the establishment. Peniel saw his FIRST LIGHT due to Jesus and vows to lead the
oppressed ill to the astonishing teacher. However, Lily is caring for a newborn and refuses to
depart until the infant is properly placed even if it means saving her life and returning to her family
or worse costing her the love of fellow outcast Cantor. The second AD Chronicles novel is a
terrific biblical historical tale that like its predecessor FIRST LIGHT shines a deep look at the
period in which Jesus is just starting to teach and perform miracles. Besides the insight to the era,
the story line is exciting because the cast seems so very real though they vary in personality as
some are heroic, some are cowardly and at least one is Machiavellian (over fifteen hundred years
before). Characters like Lily make the tale so that the audience receives a fabulous tale of Jesus,
but from the perspective of those whom he touched.
The Weeping Chamber
Sigmund Brouwer
Tyndale
ISBN: 0842387153 $12.99
Though a wealthy merchant, Simeon of Cyrene feels his life is not worth living. His wife wants
nothing to do with him while his son is dead from a warehouse inferno that crippled his daughter.
He considers suicide as an escape from the torture that eats at his soul as his work no longer
comforts him. Simeon begs his wife to forgive him and take him back, but has no hope as he
knows she blames him for the tragedies. Simeon travels to Jerusalem on business with an old
friend. This enables him to observe the controversy over the teacher Jesus. He finds comfort and
even hope in the words and teachings by example of Jesus, but also fears for the life of the kind
hearted soul as the Roman and Jewish religious and secular leaders press the masses to support
the death of Jesus. When he learns of the resurrection, Simeon has to see for himself for if Jesus
can rise from the dead and forgive those who killed him surely he can continue to seek forgiveness
and a second chance from his wife and daughter. This is a deep look at Jesus' last days from the
perspective of Simeon, an individual who believes that he deserves to die for what he did to his
family. The age comes to life mostly through Simeon's depressed eyes though readers will wonder
how Jesus feels especially since the release of the Gibson film. Sigmund Brouwer stays with his
main theme of one lonely depressed soul's efforts for redemption from his family may come
because of the light Jesus shines on him and others in first century Jerusalem.
Wild Heather
Catherine Palmer
Tyndale
ISBN: 084231928X $10.99, 357 pp.
The Hewes and the Sherbournes started out as best friends when the monarch rewarded their
loyalties with adjacent estates near Otley, England. However, a land dispute broke out many
generations after the founding and for the next century plus the two families remain feuding. In
1813 Olivia Hewes worries that her family may be in financial trouble. Her choices are to find a
profit making venture or a loveless marriage to a wealthy person. She chooses the business
venture feeling she can make money selling wool. With the sudden death of his father, Lord
Randolph Sherbourne is now in charge of the family fortunes. He has two immediate goals. He
wants to learn what really happened to his father and to settle the dispute with the Hewes. His
attraction to Olivia is a good reason for the latter. She feels the same way about ending the feud
and is already half in love with Randolph. However, their relationship and the tenuous peace seem
impossible as facts about his sire's death implicate the Hewes. WILD HEATHER is a delightful
historical romance that uses the often applied Romeo and Juliet family feud theme to cause a
schism between the lead couple, but Catherine Palmer keeps it fresh with other subplots that tie
back to the prime story line. The tale is filled with surprising twists that keep the reader hopping
as to what will happen next. The lead couple is a fine star-crossed pair falling in love and desiring
peace between their families, but the mystery of his father adds suspense and a new impetus to the
quarrel. Catherine Palmer furbishes a strong historical romance that sub-genre fans will fully
appreciate.
Patience
Lori Copeland
Tyndale
ISBN: 0842319387 $9.99, 318 pp.
In 1873 Denver City, Colorado, a kidnapper abducts Patience Smith mistaking her for bride to be
Lenore Hawthorn when the good natured lass agreed to don the wedding dress for its final fitting.
Sheriff Jay Longer follows knowing the icy wintry mountains makes for a freezing dangerous
trek. Perhaps it is the hand of God, but the horse carrying the thug and Patience missteps
throwing both humans to the ground. Patience gets up in an instant and flees into the frozen
wasteland. Could God be guiding her for soon she finds shelter in the Mule Head gold mine.
Inside she finds eight year old orphan Wilson as cold and scared as she except that Patience
believes God is with both of them. They walk the forty-five minute trek to Fiddle Creek. In the
town she tries to obtain help with excavating the gold from the mine she just left, but no one will
dig in what has been cursed and haunted. When Jay arrives, Patience tries to persuade him to help
her and Wilson with the mine. As the believer and the doubter fall in love, Jay wonders how
someone so devout and optimistic could care for an acrimonious loner like him. Perhaps that is
God's miracle. Though the pious Pollyanna seems overdone if pure faith can ever be overdone,
fans with patience will enjoy this delightful "Brides of the West" novel. The sixth book in the
series stars an intriguing lead couple whose belief in God is so opposite that the audience knows
that only divine intervention could bring them together in spite of their love for one another. Fans
of inspirational western romances will enjoy Lori Copeland's uplifting tale.
Heaven
Ian Stewart & Jack Cohen
Aspect
ISBN: 0446529834 $24.95, 343 pp.
On the planet of No-Moon, the dominant sentient life form is an aquatic squid known as a
polypoid and they are all males. The females that they mate with are coral known as reefwives.
The reef is a collective conscious being, aware that coming soon is a space armada belonging to
the Cosmic Unity, a religion that preaches kindness, benevolence, and love. The reef is aware of
the true purpose of Cosmic Unity and makes arrangements to get their husbands off planet with
the help of the Neanderthals. They land on Aquifer and the males are put in a special salt water
environment but unknown to them or the Neanderthals, Cosmic Unity has a topic secret base on
the planet. Servant of Unity XIV Samuel is a devoted member of Cosmic Unity who obeys his
superiors as he rises in the hierarchy. However, Sam sees that the church does not practice what it
preaches and begins to doubt that the religion is any thing but evil. Sam and polypoid Second Best
Sailor conclude they must stop the invasion of No-Moons. HEAVEN is a philosophical
compilation woven into a cerebral speculative fiction that compels reader to ponder concepts and
ideas put forth by the authors. The alien species are very unique and readers will find their belief
systems fascinating. COSMIC UNITY is a religion that is determined to spread its beliefs to all
sentient life forms using whatever means necessary to attain its goals. The two protagonists of
HEAVEN, especially Sam, are willing to risk their lives to stop the invasion of No-Moon, making
them true heroes.
Double Play
Robert B. Parker
Putnam
ISBN: 0399151885 $24.95, 288 pp.
In 1947, Branch Rickey, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, shocks America when he announces
that he is breaking the color barrier by bringing up Jackie Robinson from the Montreal farm team.
However, Mr. Rickey knows that many people do not want to see the line broken so to keep
Jackie safe, he hires former World War II marine Joseph Burke to act as a bodyguard. Robinson
and Burke quickly develop mutual respect though they are as different a duo as any pairing on the
planet could be. Perhaps more important they learn to trust one another because the stands are
filled with many folks who believe no man of color belongs in major league baseball and are
willing to do something to cleanse the game including killing Jackie. This is no DOUBLE PLAY
as Robert b. parker instead hits a grand slam home run with this tremendous look back to an era
that seems like ancient history with all the accomplishment minorities have made in professional
sports though under six decades ago. Jackie is portrayed as a proud individual who lets his on
field performance speak for itself (think of the pressure on him) while holding within any acrimony
towards those who label him with profanities. Burke is a wonderful counterpoint who sees how
delightful a person Jackie truly is and willingly would die to keep his new friend safe. Mr. Parker
hits all the bases with this game winner.
Cold Blood
Theresa Monsour
Putnam
ISBN: 0399151567 $24.95, 326 pp.
He was the one everyone picked on in school. He had no friends everyone in school picked on
him. He had the nerve to ask one of the popular girls to a school dance. Her boyfriend and three
of his jock pals beat him to a bloody pulp. He swore he would get even one day. Paris Murphy,
the girl he asked out, is now a St. Paul Homicide detective. She sees Justice Trip on television
searching for a woman who has gone missing after walking out of a wedding reception. Justice is
the one who found the missing woman's pinkie as he joins in the search party but something about
his demeanor doesn't set right with Paris. He plays the hero giving out false information to a
reporter making her wonder if he had anything to do with the killing. When the body is found in a
park, Justice is also there. As Paris researches the crime, she comes upon some interesting facts
that make her think that Justice is a serial killer. Now all she has to do is find some evidence to
back up her supposition. Told from the point of view of the heroine and the antagonist reader
knows at all times what is going on in their heads and can predict what their next move will be.
This is only Theresa Monsour's second book but with her complex characterizations and tight and
complex storylines, it is easy to see that she is going to be one of the new stars in the crime thriller
galaxy. COLD BLOOD is a powerful tour-de force, a police procedural that takes the reader into
the investigation from start to finish.
Live Bait
P.J. Tracy
Putnam
ISBN: 0399151478 $23.95, 336 pp.
As improbable as it sounds, there have been no homicides in Minneapolis for months and the
detectives that work on homicides are reduced to working on cold cases. The terrific dry spell
breaks in a horrific way when eighty five year old Morey Gilbert, a victim of the concentration
camp, is killed outside his home. Homicide detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth (of
MONKEEWRENCH fame) are assigned the case but they have little to go on because the victim's
wife messed up the crime scene. In the same neighborhood Mr. Fischer's living room is a sea of
blood but there is no body. It is later discovered that the corpse is tied up at the railroad trucks
but Fischer has a heart attack before the train could hit him. At first the two homicide detectives
believe there is no link between the two killings but learns much later that there is. In the
meantime, two more eighty-something victims, a man and a woman both living in Morey's
neighborhood, are murdered and the only thing they have in common is that they are survivors of
the camps. P.J. Tracy is an expect at writings crime thrillers with so many unexpected twists and
turns in the storyline that readers find themselves totally absorbed in the book and will want to
read it one sitting. The works of this mother-daughter writing team will be enjoyed by readers
who like Patricia Cornwell, Christine McGuire, and Nancy Taylor Rosenberg. The action scenes
are very realistic as is the plot but the characters take LIVE BAIT out of the ordinary into the
sublime.
Hidden Prey
John Sandford
Putnam
ISBN: 039915180X $26.95, 400 pp.
In Duluth, Trey witnesses Carl Walther kill a Russian sailor Rodion Oleshev. Carl notices the
street person who observed his committing homicide, but she escapes. Later he sees her wearing
that same telltale Czechoslovakian Army coat and kills her with a garrote. The dead sailor's father,
a business mogul who controls oil machinery, insists justice occurs and uses his influence with
various Russian power factions to ensure that the killer receives his just award. Minnesota Bureau
of Criminal Apprehension Chief Lucas Davenport deals with difficult cases and the understanding
that his boss the Governor must not look bad. He is assigned to work the Duluth homicide that
has brought in the FBI "helping" the locals. Russian police officer Nadia Kalin is assigned as an
observer. The group investigates the crime that takes them to an inactive communist cell that at
one time assisted getting Russians in and out of the country back in the 1960s and 1970s.
Someone in that cell will kill to keep secrets buried as more murders follow to insure that the
group's identities remain protected. John Sandford's latest police procedural connects homicides
with a spy ring through a killer who is a victim too. The fast paced action enthralls the audience as
the characters seem real especially when the audience catches glimpses into Lucas' personal life
that includes keeping his cherished wife informed. He is a hero who loves his wife and infant son
and has earned more than enough money to retire, but feels he owes society for his opportunities
and remits his debts with his dedicated police work.
The Floodmakers
Mylene Dressler
Putnam
ISBN: 039915163X $23.95, 176 pp.
Octogenarian wealthy playwright Dee Buelle intimately has known death for seemingly ever. His
parents died when he was a young boy and as if fate needed to punish him more his first wife
passed away just after giving birth to their second child back in 1966. He met his second wife
golf professional Jean who played with the real Babe (Zaharis) at an event. She helped raise his
two children Harry and Sarah who call her mama. Harry lives in New York trying to be a chip off
the old block while Sarah with the help of her filmmaking husband wants to produce a
documentary movie about her father. When Dee stops taking his heart medicine, Jean worries
that he wants to die. Jean asks his two adult children to come to Texas for a family reunion,
hoping that the two kids can motivate their dad into going back on his medicine. However, the
children have agendas of their own leaving Jean to play unsuccessful peacemaker that is until a
new revelation surfaces that leaves her jumping into the fracas with fists flying. Although over the
top with too many surprise shocking disclosures making it difficult for the reader to contend with,
THE FLOODMAKERS remains an insightful family soap opera. Readers will appreciate the
relational dynamics that dissolve into dysfunctional disarray as melodramatic moments continually
surface. Fans of family crisis dramas will enjoy this saga of a unit seemingly one iota from
disintegration.
The Paid Companion
Amanda Quick
Putnam
ISBN: 0399151745 $24.95, 432 pp.
In Regency England, Miss Elenora Lodge had a beautiful estate, a wealthy inheritance, and a
fiancee that she loved until her stepfather used her money to invest and lost it all. The new estate
owner tosses her off the property and her fiancee dumps her. Elenora travels to London seeking
employment as a companion. Earl Arthur Lancaster seeks a companion to pose as his fiancee so
he can go about his business without the shackles of matchmaking matriarchs. He offers Elenora
an exorbitant fee, which she greatfully accepts. In his St. Merryn home, Elenora learns that the
murder of his cherished great-uncle brought him to town seeking justice. She needs to help him
and while facing danger they fall in love with one another, but both fear rejection so they hide
their feelings from one another. Amanda Quick has written an exhilarating historical romantic
suspense tale that will keep reader attention from first page to last. Though the intrigue grips the
audience, there is almost as much emphasis on the romance through the two wonderful
protagonists. THE PAID COMPANION is an action-packed tale with terrific well developed lead
characters and an interesting quirky support cast and the combination will send this author quickly
to the New York Times best seller list.
The Summer I Dared
Barbara Delinsky
Scribner
ISBN: 0743246438 $24.95, 368 pp.
For years her identity was defined as Janet's daughter, Molly's mother, or Monte's wife. She
accommodated the needs of everyone else at the cost of her own. With her daughter out of the
house, Julia Bechtel decides to escape from her spouse so she can ponder what she wants to do
with her unfulfilling marriage. Julia takes the ferry to visit her Aunt Zoe on Big Sawyer Island off
the Maine coast. However, another vessel runs into the ferry causing both boats to explode. Julia,
lobsterman Noah Prince, and islander Kim Colette are the only survivors. Julia realizes that for
some unknown heavenly reason she has been provided with a chance to live life on her terms.
Every day is a miraculous gift as she now knows she can never return to her unsatisfying life in
New York unless substantial changes occur. Comfort comes in Noah's arms, but Julia wonders if
she has the courage to seek love with him because that would disappoint her daughter and her
parents whose opinions she values. Every venture that Barbara Delinsky takes her fans on is
unique as the author never writes the same book twice. THE SUMMER I DARED is a beautiful
love story as much as a character study of an individual finding courage with her second chance at
life. The eccentric secondary cast, especially the barrier island crowd, keeps the tale from turning
too inwardly maudlin while also enabling the audience to see the inner struggles of the heroine.
Noah has his own demons in a neglected teenage son. All this adds up to a wonderful in depth
relationship drama that focuses on the turmoil of good caring people.
Unwilling Accomplice
Barbara Seranella
Scribner
ISBN: 074324558X $24.00, 304 pp.
Though family means nothing but heartache, betrayal and trouble to Munch Mancini, she tries to
help her adopted daughter Asia come together with her cousins. Still the mechanic and former
druggie prostitute wants her child to have everything she did not including a warm caring
extended family. Munch even considers a mate so that Asia has the male influence of a father.
When the daddy brigade turns up empty, Munch does what she felt was a better choice anyway
which is buying Asia a cocker spaniel. Meanwhile Asia's Aunt Lisa Slokum sends her usual
friendly message filled with endearing profanities and orders to call. Lisa's preadolescent daughter
Jill is Pollyanna while in contrast the older child Charlotte who is teen Goth. That is until she
vanishes after a classmate is murdered and may have some stolen goods with her. Munch's former
lover police officer Rico Chacon arrests Lisa leaving it up to Munch to mother Jill as well as Asia
and to try to keep the still missing Charlotte safe from nasty killing thugs; not an easy task when
you have no idea where she is. This is as much a character study as a mystery as readers obtain a
deep look at Munch, Asia and the latter's extended family. The suspense is more towards whether
Rico is the one than the missing child investigation. Still fans of the series will enjoy the insight
into Munch and her widening circle, but also feel a bit disappointed in the lightness of the
intrigue.
Crossing the One
Clinton McKinzie
Delacorte
ISBN: 0385336373 $23.00
Two FBI agents, Mary Chang and Tom Cochran, work a deal with drug addict Roberto Burns. In
exchange for clemency of his felony charges, they will use him as a pawn to gain criminal
information on former Mexicali drug lord Jesus Hidalgo, who relocated to Wyoming after being
on the losing end of a vicious gang war in Mexico. Hidalgo plans to establish an illegal drug
producing lab in an abandoned mine. Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation Special Agent
Antonio "Ant" Burns has problems with the scenario, but is happy to see his brother go straight
being a by the law type. He goes along with the agreement until he realizes that his sibling is in
danger. He decides to be the cavalry in order to rescue his brother regardless of what it does to
the Feds' case. Though he hopes that climbing the side of a mountain will surprise Hidalgo and his
gang of hoods, Ant is soon in the middle of danger too. The fourth Ant tale (see THE EDGE OF
JUSTICE and TRIAL BY ICE AND FIRE) is at its best when the hero and Roberto are mountain
climbing. The tale remains strong when the lead character performs soliloquies on why he became
a cop and how much he cares for his pregnant girlfriend, Mungo the wolf, the Iron Pig Land
Cruiser, and his lunatic brother, the tale hums as readers see inside Ant. When Ant provides
discourses on a non-cooperating judge, the FBI and his boss, the tale slows down. Still the side of
a cliff is what makes this an exhilarating thriller as the audience will feel they are hanging
alongside Ant.
The Enemy
Lee Child
Delacorte
ISBN: 0385336675 $25.00, 394 pp.
In 1989, twenty-nine years old military police officer Major Jack Reacher is reassigned from
Panama to Fort Bird, North Carolina. When he arrives at his new duty station, he finds many
other MPs transferred there, but thinks little of it. On January 1, 1990 just past midnight, Reacher,
as the MP duty officer doing graveyard receives a call that a two-star General Officer on his way
to a conference was found murdered in a run down motel while apparently having sex with
someone other than his spouse. Not long afterward, the general's wife is killed. Two more people
also die. Reacher investigates the homicides ignoring the brass that tries to persuade him to stop.
He believes the link is the conference if he can only find a copy of the agenda before his superiors
charge him with insubordination or the killer targets him next. The backdrop of the fall of the
Berlin Wall and expected force reduction of military personal with the end of the Reagan era
contrast with the news that the hero's mother is dying from cancer in Paris; together they provide
a deep backdrop to the tale. Though still a loner, Reacher willingly takes on the service to
uncover the identity of the killer. That personality trait is superb when he is an independent
operator, but seems more like misconduct and insubordination within the Army chain of
command, which does not allow for independent aces seeking justice outside the military. Yet his
lone ranger investigation also meets the values expected of a soldier. Reacher is a five star
general.
Late Bloomer
Melissa Pritchard
Doubleday
ISBN: 0385503040 $23.95, 365 pp.
In Tempe the single mother of a teenage daughter, Prudence True Parker visits the public library
seeking books that will help her draft the syllabus of the fifteen week course, Advanced Personal
Journey that she will teach at the local community college. While in the women's room of the
library, she meets cross-dresser Mildred Crawley nee Digby Deeds. As Mildred, he/she write
highly successful romance novels, but now he is dying. He believes that their meeting over the
toilet bowls is fate dubbing her his heir while she figures he is mad. Digby gives her the rights to
complete his Savage Passion series. At a Native American fund raiser in Oklahoma, Prudence
meets and shares a night of love making with Comanche Ray Chasing Hawk. Prudence returns
home followed by Ray who moves in with her and her seventeen year old. Living research with
Ray, Prudence tries to replace Mildred whose next book centers on a white woman/Indian chief
romance. LATE BLOOMERS is an engaging romantic satire that contrasts "real life" with fiction.
The troubled relationship between Ray and Prudence compares unfavorably with that in the novel
that she is authoring. This book within a book gifts the audience with a biting edge to an eccentric
tale that ironically is softened with a romance novel's simple climatic solutions that seem more
apropos for the Savage Passion novel. Still Melissa Pritchard furbishes a witty spoof that mocks
all that is sacred in the wonderful wacky world of the romance relationship.
Silver's Edge
Anne Kelleher
Luna
ISBN: 0373802072 $13.95, 400 pp.
The goblins ate human and Sidhe flesh before banishment to the Wastelands and are prevented
from leaving by the Silver Caul made by a mortal silversmith with fairy magic. Goblins were not
seen in the realm of man or Fairy for centuries until one washed ashore on the land of man on the
same day that Neesa's father, the town's silversmith, disappeared. Determined to find him, Neesa
takes off her silver amulet that wards off goblins and crosses to the OtherWorld where she meets
a handsome Sidhe who promises to help her if she waits for him in her own realm. Trouble is
brewing in the Shadow Land (the world of man) because a mad king sits on the throne and his
wife's relatives are willing to go to war to annex the realm.. A noble is willing to plunge the
country into civil war to prevent that from happening since he should be the king's heir. Both
Sidhe and princess ally themselves to one another to achieve their goals, which is not beneficial
for Shadow Land or Otherworld. While man and fairy work together both for good and evil
purposes; the evil goblins prepare to overrun the world of man and have a feast they have been
denied for centuries. Anne Kelleher has written a fantastic epic fantasy that grabs the attention of
the reader who is unable to put the book down until the last page is turned. This is only the first
book in a series because many questions remain unanswered and several characters still have roles
to play in the saga. Although there is only a slight amount of romance in SILVER'S EDGE, the
path is paved for certain liaisons to come to fruition in future installments.
Seraphim
Michelle Hauf
Luna
ISBN: 0373802064 $13.95 416 pp.
The French soil runs blood red from the battles between monarchs Henry VI and Louis VIII. The
English king holds Paris thanks to the power of Lucifer de Morte and his brothers who take what
they want including using innocents for bloody entertainment. On the eve of Seraphim d'Ange's
wedding, Lucifer and his minions attack the castle killing everyone but the bride and her servant
Baldwin. She resolves to kill de Morte and his relatives, which would free France from the evil
hold he has on the nation. Seraphim dons black battle gear of a knight and kills two of the de
More kin. She also meets the mysterious Dominique St. Juste who informs her that he is her
protector when she goes off to kill the rest of her enemies. Two more de Mortes taste death, but
Seraphim knows her biggest challenge waits her with Lucifer in the wings. Seraphim are one of
the Powers that reside in heaven, but can be reborn on earth to battle the minion of the Fallen.
Whether the heroine is one of these angelic souls is up to the reader, but clearly she has been
reborn after the massacre to avenge her family. She falls in love with Dominique, a fairy sent to
protect his beloved. History, fantasy, and romance are cleverly blended into a creative beautiful
adult fairy tale that will charm an enthralled audience.
Where Heaven Begins
Rosanne Bittner
Steeple Hill
ISBN: 0373785135 $12.95, 336 pp.
In 1898 San Francisco, Elizabeth Breckenridge is irate with the pious judges of her congregation
that condemn her based on the word of the two faced Reverend Selby. The self-righteous men
believe she is just a weak female while Selby is a man of God, who took her in as a daughter when
her mother followed her father to heaven. Liz, Selby, and God know the truth, but since she is
condemned by the leaders, she informs them that she will join her brother Peter in Dawson,
Yukon Territory and pray that God forgives them. Almost immediately, Liz finds out how
dangerous the trek is as thugs try to steal her purse. Bounty hunter Clint Brady rescues her. To
her shock, she finds the caustic cynic appealing even though he scoffs at her when she says God
will protect her. As the trek north continues, Liz wonders if in some mysterious way God has sent
her Clint as her beloved "guardian" angel. The doubting Clint falls in love with Liz, but believes he
is not good enough for such a pious believer while vengeance holds his heart in chains. The perils
of Pauline add excitement to a vivid late nineteenth century romance that fans will comprehend
who is rescuing who in this warm inspirational tale. Liz is a terrific protagonist struggling with the
betrayal of weak minded men only to find a courageous angry with God male owns her heart.
Clint is a lot more complex than the caring Liz as he has four years of disbelief suddenly thrown at
him when he falls in love with a Godly woman. Fans will appreciate this inspirational North to
Alaska romance.
Hadassah: One Night with the King
Tommy Tenney and Mark Andrew Olsen
Bethany House
ISBN: 0764227378 $19.99
Hadassah fails to grasp the ritual that her father puts her through until he provides her a letter
handed down by generations of her ancestors and written by the biblical legend Esther. In ancient
times, Esther's family is slaughtered because of their religious beliefs. Her cousin Mordecai adopts
the young and they flee to Persia. Mordecai teaches his ward about being a Jew, but also warns
her to hide her religion from others if she wants to live. The King of Persia orders all virgins to
come to the palace so he can choose a new queen. Esther using the name Hadassah is among the
participants. She vows to G-D (written in reverence this way) to risk her life to free her people if
she is the chosen one. Though selected as the next queen, Hadassah realizes how foolishly
dangerous it would be to reveal her Jewishness. Still, her people including her beloved Mordecai
are in trouble so Esther no longer can remain silent in the lap of luxury much longer even if
speaking out means "If I perish, I perish". Once the changing between eras stop (until one final
turn) with biblical Esther taking center stage, readers obtain a fantastic retelling of the story of
Jewish holiday Purim (just past) that provides deep insight into the heroine. The key that takes the
tale beyond the strong retelling of Esther the queen (often told) is filling in the blanks of her
childhood and her learning to become the monarch's wife. Aimed at a religious audience, anyone
who appreciate a powerful rendition of a classic bible tale will enjoy eating Hamentaschen while
spending one night with Tommy Tenney and Mark Andrew Olsen.
Deep Black Biowar
Stephen Coonts & Jim DeFelice
St. Martin's
ISBN: 0312985215 $7.99, 416 pp.
Charles Dean pays a surprise visit to his friend Dr. James Kegan only to find the body of a young
Asiatic male lying dead in his home and his buddy nowhere to be found. Dr. Kegan has worked
with viruses and bacteria that could be made into weapons so a concerned Charles calls Desk
Three, the super high tech covert force. The director is sufficiently worried so he sends Charlie to
a scientific conference that Dr. Keegan was supposed to attend. Once there he is kidnapped and
sent to Austria where some terrorists demand that he hand over the antidote. It seems Charlie's
friend developed a disease that resembles rat-bite fever that is resistant to penicillin. A second
team is sent to Thailand where Dr. Kegan was studying plants indigenous to the area. The weapon
has been sold to two countries that could use it as a weapon against the U.S. They must destroy
the weapons that are in the hands of the terrorists and find an antidote before the disease gets
loose in the general population. Stephen Coonts and Jim De Felice have created a techno thriller
that starts off fast and by the end of the book is moving at the speed of light. Although there is
plenty of action with agents using high-tech gadgets, the major question that permeates the whole
book is why did Dr. Kegan, a good man by all accords, create this weapon and where is he holed
up. This mystery within a thriller is a prime reason that Stephen Coonts always has his reader's
coming back for the next book he writes.
Tempting the Heiress
Barbara Pierce
St. Martin's
ISBN: 0312986211 $6.99, 352 pp.
In 1810 Vauxhall Gardens, Conte Prola passionately kisses Amara Claeg. Her parents will force
Amara to marry her to the Italian count though she hates his kiss. She flees only to run into the
devil, Brock Bedegrayne, who has come home after two years overseas. Though Amara's mother
detests the Bedegraynes blaming them for the death of her son, Brock makes it clear to Amara
that he desires her and is courting her. Brock asks her to forgive him for his part in the incident
two years ago in which her brother died and informs her he is no longer running away so she will
have to deal with him. Amara dreams of her previous suitor Lord Cornley who died in a fire six
years ago. Her father selected him though her preference would have been Brock. As far as her
dad was concerned Cornley could do anything he wanted and he sexually assaulted her until
Brock yanked the SOB off of Amara. A fire killed the man. This is an engaging Regency romance
due to the strong attraction between the two lead protagonists and the fun interactions between
his family members. The heroine's reactions to her almost betrothed vs. her belief that she must
marry as her father insists turns tedious and a subplot involving her cousin as an odious rival never
comes to fruition. Still fans will appreciate this suspenseful second chance tale especially a final
fiery twist as Brock struggles to overcome the odds knowing her family rejects him and she has
reasons too.
Judas Island
Kathryn R. Wall
St. Martin's
ISBN: 031231387X $23.95, 304 pp.
Bay Tanner enjoys being with her lover in France as he recuperates from an injury he got while
helping her on a case. Their idyllic time together ends when Interpol recruits him for another
assignment so Bay returns home to South Carolina, unwilling to put up with the fact that he might
die on the job like her husband did. At home, Eric informs her that his friend, archeologist Gray
Palmer, is working on uninhabited islands off the southeast coast and has found the remains of a
dead body. He wants them to discover who the deceased is. Before they get deep into their
investigation, Gray dies, supposedly in a boating accident. His girlfriend insists that Gray was
murdered and the same people who killed him are after her. When a bone is Fed-Exed to Eric,
they take it to an archeologist who tells them that it belonged to a black man buried for five
decades. Gray's father hires them to find out if his son was murdered and then fires them in the
same week. Bay and Erik refuse to stop as they are determined to find the island where the bones
are burned, risking their life in the process. A Bay Tanner mystery is always fun to read because it
is an exciting action thriller as well as a cerebral mystery. Readers will understand why Bay hides
her heartache so no one can pity her. The plot is basically straight line but that doesn't mean the
answers to the mystery are easy to solve because there are quite a few people who seek to stop
Bay and Erik any way they can in Kathryn R. Wall's exciting amateur sleuth tale.
A Hard Ticket Home
David Housewright
St. Martin's
ISBN: 031232149X $23.95, 288 pp.
After almost a dozen years on the St. Paul Police force, Rushmore McKenzie knows he has no
chance of promotion ever since he made a righteous killing using a gun that was not standard
police issue. When he finds an embezzler and the money he stole, he quits the force. This makes
him eligible to take the insurance company reward for the return of the money. He is now a
wealthy unlicensed private eye taking cases that interest him. Richard and Molly Carlson ask him
to find their daughter Jamie who left years ago and never returned. Their younger daughter Stacy
is dying of leukemia and her only hope is a bone marrow transplant. After a thorough search he
locates Jamie who tells him she will get in touch with him after she tells her husband about the
family he never knew she had. When he doesn't hear from her, he goes to her home only to find
her murdered. Her husband and son are missing, but Jamie's parents want him to locate their
grandson who might be a match for Stacy. The investigation turns deadlier when eight men
connected to the case are murdered, some by McKenzie's hand. The case off as a missing person's
case but turns into a conspiracy linking a business group with a low profile gang armed with East
European weapons. David Housewright has written an exciting, action packed crime thriller in
which it is difficult to tell the good people from the bad. A HOT TICKET HOME is a dark urban
thriller that will have readers wondering what lurks behind the masks certain people wear to cover
the evil that resides within.
Perfumed Sleeve
Laura Joh Rowland
St. Martin's
ISBN: 0312318898 $24.95
In 1694 Edo, violence explodes between supporters of the shogun's cousin Lord Matsudaira and
followers of the shogun's second-in-command Chamberlain Yanagisawa as both side lay claim as
the successor. This leads to the death of elderly councilman Makino Narisada though his demise
seems of natural causes. The deceased's valet asks the shogun's investigator Sano Ichiro, to look
into his death. Sano quickly finds clues that make him reconsider his initial thought of old age as
the cause. When the political rivals realize that Sano aided by his capable wife investigates, they
quickly blame their opponent of committing murder. Sano still has some lingering doubts that a
homicide occurred, but finds that he is caught in the midst of deadly secret alliances as other die
too. Though the murder investigation sometimes takes a back seat to the incredible look at late
seventeenth century Japan, historical mystery readers will find Laura Joh Rowland's latest tale
fresh and fascinating. Sano remains one of the great protagonists of the last few years as he tries
to walk a path in which two super heavyweights try to pull him into their respective side of the
power struggle. The support cast enhances insight into the era and the hero more so than the
inquiries. Readers who enjoy a deep insightful examination of a bygone period will want to read
PERFUMED SLEEVE and the previous novels of this solid series (see The Dragon King's
Palace)
The Haunted Abbot
Peter Tremayne
St. Martin's
ISBN: 0312287690 $24.95, 320 pp.
In 666 AD, Sister Fidelma of Cashel, daughter and sister to kings, is in what will become Great
Britain with her Saxon husband Brother Eudolf, the emissary to Theodore, the Arch-bishop of
Canterbury. After they are through with their business they travel to Aldred's Abbey to meet
Brother Botulf who begged for a midnight meeting. Before they reach the abbey, they are caught
in a storm and find shelter with "Mad" Mull who warns them that the place they seek is evil. By
the time they reach Aldred's Abbey, Fidelma is sick and Abbot Cild doesn't want a female in
residence. He doesn't follow the Celtic Church but is a fanatic about obeying the rules coming out
of Rome. Brother Botulf was murdered that morning and when Cild sees the ghost of his dead
wife, he locks up Fidelma because he thinks she's a witch. When she is better, Fidelma and Eudolf
escape but she must still solve the mystery of the death of Cild's wife and Brother Botulf if she
wants to avert a war between two kingdoms. The two protagonists are married under Irish law
for a year and a day, but Fidelma realizes she can never be happy in Eudolf's homeland where
women are treated as chattel. She does not have the power to question witnesses or give
testimony and must tiptoe around the beliefs of the South Folk if she wants to bring the guilty to
justice. THE HAUNTED ABBEY is an exciting multi-layered mystery and Peter Tremayne sets
up the next book on the series with the last sentence of the novel so that a stunned, excited, and
impatient audience will clamor for an early release of that novel.
Blood on the Wood
Gillian Linscott
St. Martin's
ISBN: 0312331487 $24.95, 320 pp.
Suffragette Philomena Venn donates to the Women's Social and Political Union a valuable
painting by renowned French artist Boucher in her will. Member Nell Bray goes to collect the
painting so that the group can sell it for a needed influx of cash. When she receives a forgery from
the deceased's family and the widower refuses to do the right thing by his wife, Nell takes it upon
herself to steal the real one and replace it with the fake. Breaking and entering Mr. Venn's house
in the middle of the night proves rather easy. However, the switch is deferred when Nell finds a
corpse. Someone murdered the victim and as Nell explains to the constable why she was in the
house, she vows to herself to uncover the identity of the culprit so can clear her name. BLOOD
ON THE WOOD is an engaging historical mystery that brings to life the early struggles of the
suffragette movement in England. The fine amateur sleuth theme is cleverly enhanced by
unpretentious looks at early twentieth century society mostly by the extended Venn family,
suffragette sisters, or the heroine. Nell as the center of the tale is the real deal so that the audience
obtains a wonderful novel that showcases a bygone period in a delightful way as does the previous
Bray books do (see DEAD MAN RIDING and PERFECT DAUGHTER).
I'd Kill for That
Marcia Talley, editor
St. Martin's
ISBN: 0312290578 $23.95, 272 pp.
Gryphon Gate is an affluent gated community in the rich part of Maryland. This waterfront
property of mini-mansions is home to senators, industrialists and pop icons and all of them have
secrets they would kill to keep. One night at least four of the residents receive a fax telling them
to be on the sixth tee of the golf course. Embedded in the messages is the name of a person that
frightens each recipient so they are forced to comply. When one of the ladies arrives she finds the
body of one of the residents, a harmless nerdy sociology professor who was the confidant of many
of the residents but also wrote down whenever he was told or observed. Three other murders
quickly follow and the police don't have a clue as to who did it because almost every resident had
a motive and the opportunity to do the deed. The only fact that the police are sure of is one
person did the killings. I'D KILL FOR THAT is a collaborative serial novel in which one writer
pens a chapter and another author crafts the next chapter. This police procedural is written by
twelve female mystery and suspense notables that include Rita Mae Brown, Kathy Reichs, Anne
Perry and Kay Hooper. The community of Gryphon Gate is a miniature Peyton Place complete
with bed-hopping, criminal activity and a man who thinks and behaves like a werewolf at the time
of the full moon. Each chapter flows smoothly into the next so that it feels like one author wrote
this tale. Marcia Talley and her dozen cohorts deserve kudos for this successful project.
Killer Heels
Sheryl Anderson
St. Martin's
ISBN: 0312319460 $24.95, 320 pp.
After having dinner with one of her best friends, Molly Forrester agrees to go to her workplace,
Zeitgeist magazine to show Cassady the ugliest piece of art in existence, one that The Publisher
(that is always how he is referred to) has left in a prominent place. When they arrive at the office
Molly steps in something wet and when Cassady turns on the lights, they find the murdered body
of the advertising director Teddy Reynolds, a knife in his throat. Molly's first instinct is to call
their best friend Tricia but Cassidy the lawyer calls 911. Molly a columnist in the tradition of Dear
Abby and Ann Landers sees this murder as a story that will get her a job as a serious news
reporter if she investigates the case and finds the killer. Teddy had as many friends as he did
enemies including a wife he cheated on and a mistress he also cheated on who happens to be
Molly's boss. By the time she and her two friends finish their investigation; Molly is shot at and
has become romantically involved with the lead detective on the case. The first installment in what
looks to be a winning series is up beat, funny and totally, refreshingly original. The investigation is
fascinating as Molly first follows the romance trail and in mid-stream shifts to the money motive
because she comes upon a clue that the victim was doing something illegal with one of the
accounts. The heroine is an original and her deep solid friendships with Cassady and Trisha ring
true and feel real. Sheryl Anderson provides a fabulous opening act.
The Delta Sisters
Kayla Perrin
St. Martin's
ISBN: 0312300883 $24,95, 368 pp.
In 1953 Lafayette, Louisiana, Sylvia tries to flee from what she did. The incident haunts her for
the rest of her life as she suffers nightmares vividly displaying this calamity. Still life goes on. Over
the next two decades Sylvia insures her own daughter follows a path to success by keeping a rein
on Olivia. However, in 1975 New Orleans someone killed Liza "bad girl" Monroe, which shook
up Sylvia more than it should have. She reacts by tightening her control of her daughter until
Olivia has had enough and revolts. Two decades later, Olivia's daughter Rachelle attends college.
However, unbeknownst to the coed, her mother, or her grandmother someone waits. That
individual has killed before and will murder anyone who might reveal secrets. Age is no factor to
this predator willing to send Sylvia, Olivia, but especially Rachelle to the morgue. This exciting
story line freshens up what could have been the trite watcher-killer theme by furbishing characters
that seem so genuine so that when something happens, fans empathize with the women as the
episode feels real too. The three females make the tale as the audience compares each with one
another while also what lurks in the shadows. Kayla Perrin paints a terse psychological suspense
thriller that hooks the audience from the moment Sylvia tries to run away from herself until the
final confrontation.
Liars and Thieves
Stephen Coonts
St. Martin's
ISBN: 0312283628 $25.95, 400 pp.
Former burglar Tommy Carmellini now works for the CIA. His current assignment is to inspect
security at the Greenbriar River Facility, a CIA safe house in the Alleghany Mountains in Virginia.
When he reaches his destination, Tommy finds the complex under attack. He manages to kill a
goon, rescuing translator Kelly Erlanger and a suitcase of KGB files. Kelly informs Tommy that
the resident of the safe house, former KGB archivist Mikhail Goncharov obviously had
information that someone wants kept buried. Now someone wants Tommy and Kelly dead and
willing to murder anyone associated with the operative including his partner Willie the Wire and
his former lover Dorsey O'Shea, who just asked him to steal some porno tapes starring her. With
the assailants in pursuit, Tommy, Kelly, and now Dorsey flee to Rehoboth Beach where retired
Rear Admiral Jake Grafton offers temporary sanctuary while the team tries to sort out why
someone wants them dead. Carmellini in his first major appearance (bit player in CUBA) is an
intriguing protagonist who provides an intriguing counterpoint to Stephen Coonts' prime
superstar, Grafton. The story line is action-packed, but the conspiracy has been often told so it
somewhat lacks freshness even with several interesting twists and a fine cast. LIARS AND
THIEVES will entertain newcomers which the author's fan base will enjoy, but not at the quality
of a Grafton led thriller.
The Obsidian Quest
Laraine Anne Barker
Hard Shell Word Factory
ISBN: 0759904987 $TBA 163 pp.
While his stepfather is away on business in Australia, twelve years old Peter FitzArthur visits his
Uncle Paul and Aunt Angela Merrilyn in New Zealand. Angela's twin sister Marian was Peter's
deceased mother so they share their grief though several years have passed since the car accident
took her life. Peter and Paul's dog Dreyfus wander around the land exploring as lads often do.
However, someone abducts Peter, trying to determine if the youngster is the one. Peter manages
to escape, going back to Paul's home, but says nothing about his ordeal to his relative. When
Dreyfus is injured while fighting the three headed Cerberus, Peter is forced to reveal his secret to
Paul so that he can help the canine. On the trek to the spot where the canines battled, Peter and
Paul find a stone wall blocking their passage. Informing his nephew that he is Merlin the Magician
and persuading the lad that they have a world to save, Paul and Peter risk their lives seeking the
Chosen and to reconstruct the Obsidian Orb to accomplish their quest. Though obviously aimed at
the Potter crowd, this exciting Merlin tale is a solid fantasy that does Camelot proud so that
adults will want to join the intrepid twosome on their adventure. The story line is non stop action
from the moment Peter is abducted to the final confrontation with stops in between on the globe
and in time. Readers of the Arthurian sagas will welcome this fabulous entry and look forward to
the remaining two novels in what looks like a triumphant return of Merlin.
Nightwind
Charlotte Boyett Compo
Hard Shell Word Factory
ISBN: 0759936269 $TBA 274 pp.
Forty-four years old loner Lauren Fowler is such a scared cat, even normally kind people pick on
her. Her recent birthday was ignored by everyone and at the bookstore where she works she is
treated with disdain. Everything changes when Synthian Cree arrives at the store where Lauren
works. He is not only nice to her, a revelation to the normally abused female, but he seems to
court her as if he loves her. Even more surprising is the increase in nastiness towards Lauren
followed by terrible incidents haunting those who hurt her. As much as he blew into her life,
Synthian just simply vanishes without a warning or a trace. Though out of character for how she
has lived for four plus decades Lauren begins investigating who Synthian is, why he sought her
out, and what happened to him? Lauren is unaware that the shocking answers could cost her more
than just her heart and her life as her very soul could be on the line since he is spellbound to be
loyal and obey her nasty cousin though he loves Lauren. This is an exciting paranormal romance
starring two delightful star-crossed lovers and a selfish villainous soul using their love against
them. The support cast has a mob mentality when it comes to Lauren so when Synthian retaliates,
he surprisingly will receive accolades from the audience for protecting his woman. Readers will
enjoy this stupendous smooth synthesizing of The Ugly Duckling with My Demon Lover that
displays the skill of Charlotte Boyett Compo as a top rate author.
Cast in Steel, Carved in Stone
Christine W. Murphy
Hard Shell Word Factory
ISBN: 0759937249 $TBA
Mikkel as the head of Yula has traveled to Lexina to claim his bride Sofia as defined by a contract
signed between his father and his fiancee's dad twenty years ago. Apparently to the outrageous
Mikkel, the fact that the two parties to that deal are either dead or crazy means nothing. Even less
important is that his slave sent ahead of him impregnates Sofia. Mikkel insists that the older sister
Kat, the CEO of Lex Central, marries him and beget the heir. Kat has no choice, as her
corporation needs the influx of capital that Yula can provide, but she has no plans to have a child
with this pompous fop. As they travel to his planet, she begins to see a dichotomy in Mikkel. On
the one hand he seems so strong and confident while on the other he bows to the Triden Empire.
Still Kat begins to fall in love with Mikkel not realizing he has an agenda that if discovered could
lead to his death. CAST IN STEEL, CARVED IN STONE is an enjoyable science fiction
romance that brings two worlds to life so that the audience believes in Lexina and Yula. The cast
is powerful, especially Mikkel, a Scarlet Pimpernel in space, and Kat, a woman who knows what
she wants, and goes out to achieve her desires. Though alliances are not clearly defined for these
two planets in the galaxy war between superheavyweights, fans will want to soar with this
exhilarating journey in worlds far from this one, Odin aside.
If the Buddha Came to Dinner: How to Nourish Your Body to Awaken Your Spirit
Hale Sofia Schatz and Shira Shaiman
Hyperion
ISBN: 078686883X $14.95, 302 pp.
This is an interesting self help book that encourages, perhaps even lectures, readers to change
their eating habits as if Buddha came to share a meal with us. The underlying theme of the book is
to ponder whether the reader would provide Buddha with processed foods or organic fruits and
vegetables? If not why not treat oneself in the same manner? There are four Parts. "Who Are You
Feeding" promotes the audience to feed your spirit. This section is difficult to attain though
anecdotes provide some uplift and many boomers will think of White Rabbit ("Feed Your Head").
The book really takes off with Part two, "Nourishment as Daily Practice" and Part three,
"Awakening Your Spirit". These two sections provide specific steps on how to make eating an
enjoyable harmonious rite as a major part of discovering one's inner spirit. The final segment
contains suggested recipes. Though this book is well done with a powerful message on health and
eating right, IF THE BUDDHA CAME TO DINNER: HOW TO NOURISH YOUR BODY TO
AWAKEN YOUR SPIRIT contains too much fat hiding the meat of the guidebook. When the
message is front and center readers receive a terrific tome, but will need patience to cut through
the extra calories. It is still worth peeling to get to the heart and spirit of this intriguing look at
what you eat impacts your health.
Memorial Day
Harry Shannon
Five Star
ISBN: 1594141991 $25.95, 266 pp.
In Beverly Hills, Psychologist Mick Callahan was a media superstar, but let fame get to head as
women and booze began to destroy him. He finally reached bottom when he cut off an abused
battered woman because he was too busy and as a result of his neglect she died. Taking his guilt
with him and trying to start over, Mick returned home to Dry Wells, Nevada where he has a radio
talk show in which no one calls until a woman, who refuses to provide her name so he dubs her
"Ophelia", breaks the silence. She insists she loves an abusive con man and fears for her life. Not
long afterward the caller is dead. Though he knows he should mind his business after being
warned off by Sheriff Bass over a corpse he found, he obsesses over finding out the truth even if it
means his return to Los Angeles is delayed. Though the truth is out there if Mick comes to close
to it he will be dead too. This is an exciting amateur sleuth tale starring a former hedonist who
learned first hand the down side of fame. The story line is crisp once Mick begins his inquiries as
Harry Shannon insures the audience comprehends how difficult life is for the hero now that he is
no longer on top, but instead scratching just to attain the lowest rung of the food chain. Though
his own childhood memories seem out of place (even if he is home) within the investigative tale,
fans will appreciate Mick's memorable MEMORIAL DAY.
The Wild Orchid Society
Laurie Moore
Five Star
ISBN: 1410401898 $25.95
Having solved the LADY GODIVA MURDER does not liberate Cezanne Martin from being an
anathema because of her affair with a married peer. Instead Cezanne is further punished by her
relative Deputy Chief Daniel Rosen who announces at a press conference that she is the
temporary head of homicide. Rosen informs the media that Cezanne will head up the newly
formed Cold Case Squad and promises to solve the eight year old Great Dane Murder in two
weeks. Rosen will keep the pressure on Cezanne because he expects her to resign after making
the Fort Worth police a laughing stock. Cezanne refuses to quit though she has just obtained her
law degree. Instead she transfers in ostracized cop Klevenhagen because his personnel file is
bigger than hers. As she watches a teen with the gift of sight, Cezanne obtains help from the FBI
that leads her to digging undercover the Dungeons of Decadence, but soon learns that the
Executioner stalks D&D participants seeking sacrifices of the top secret WILD ORCHID
SOCIETY. If she is to solve her cold case, Cezanne will need to infiltrate this deadly group and
unmask the Executioner. Besides her career in jeopardy, her life could be forfeit too. The late St.
Martin police procedural is a fantastic tale that hooks the audience the moment that the reader
realizes along with the heroine that she is being set up to fail. The story line moves forward on
several fronts that not only never slows down the pace, but also cleverly merges together into a
terrific investigative tale. Sub-genre fans will want Moore detective tales from a Five Star
author.
Deep Blue
David Niall Wilson
Five Star
ISBN: 1594141428 $25.95, 322 pp.
Guitarist and vocalist Brandt knows that the booze has taken him down so far as he barely can
perform at gigs. He is so drunk he has left his keys behind so he cannot enter his apartment. When
he hears strange sounding blues, he investigates and meets harmonica playing Wally. Not long
afterward, Brandt plays the performance of his life and walks away. Band member Synthesia
follows with her most incredible show and leaves. That leaves band members Shaver and Dexter
to cross over, but both fears where the music will take them. Unless the entire band takes the
giant leap along with Shaver's artist pal Liz, they will not be able to accomplish their mission when
they confront their enemy in the California Mountains. This is an engaging but weird fantasy that
needs patience and a bit of adjustment to comprehend what is going on as David Niall Wilson
keeps readers guessing. Once the readers begins to grasp the underlying parable that emerges
slowly that there is more to this band and its mentor than a local gig, the tale hooks the audience
with its magic's in the music theme. Readers who give the plot time to develop will appreciate the
complex DEEP BLUE allegory.
The One True Prince
Thomas Brennan
Five Star
ISBN: 1594141398 $26.95, 290 pp.
Following the last war it has taken the earth generations to recover as the ocean waters flowing
deep into the land has changed much of the geography. The planet is technologically on the level
of the Middle Ages though electricity is available to the royals and people in strategic positions.
The Clan of Na Cereth has been on the throne of Albion since the end of the war in the Third
Millennia but the five princes are never allowed to stay with their father in London for fear they
will all be killed. The five princes live throughout Albion with at least two are staying in
monasteries. At the monastery at Siloth, the refuge of Prince Lorcan, invaders kill him and
everyone else except Lady Myria, the abbot's daughter. When Prince Tiegue and his body guard
leave the monastery of Kyle Na Durss, they are attacked but eventually reach London. In London,
Tiegue's life as well as the rest of the Princes is in danger and it is Myria who rescues him not
knowing until the last moment that the real mastermind is. Society has devolved into a feudal
society where food is grown through ways used in the Middle Ages, which contrasts with the
advanced scientific methods known by the Physic-Science Institute. Their breakthrough science
and medical achievement is only accessible to the royals and their entourage. THE ONE TRUE
PRINCE is a fascinating work of speculative fiction and it is a sure bet there will be further
installments in this series because there are many questions that remain and actions to be worked
out if THE ONE TRUE KING is to sit on the throne.
The Awakening Fire
Kelley Pounds
Five Stars
ISBN: 1594142033 $26.95, 374 pp.
In 1882 New Mexico Territory, traveling nuns from the Sister of Charity accompanied by a
novice find the near dead body of half-breed Christian Ladino lying next to a corpse. The women
provide aid to Christian taking him to their St. Vincent Hospital in Santa Fe. However, when
Christian holds a sister as hostage, the novice Adela Fremont bravely intercedes. As Christian
heals, he and Adela are attracted to one another. They are also connected through con artist and
illegal gun seller Nigel Smeet. Christian wants to kill Nigel whose false testimony sent him to
Alcatraz while Adela is linked through her mother married to Smeet's former partner. Adela learns
that her stepfather, whom she never met, was murdered and her mother, who she has not seen in
fifteen years, was abducted along with her stepbrother allegedly by the Apache. She turns to
Christian for help though she is not sure she can trust her heart with him. This entertaining
western romance stars two delightful protagonists who feel their growing love is taboo for several
reasons and need to avoid one another, but must work as a team if they are to rescue the
youngster. The story line contains a whiff of mystery involving what happened to force Adela's
mom to "hide" her child in a nunnery. The secondary players provide a feel for the era and Smeed
is an incredibly manipulative villain getting lonely teens to do his bidding. Kelley Pounds furbishes
an action-packed thriller that will please fans of the sub-genre.
Damaged
Leslie Margolin
Five Stars
ISBN: 1594141983 $25.95, 229 pp.
In Lincoln, Nebraska Daniel Rooney knows the pivotal moment of his life occurred when he was
seven and his mother died. It was not the death that impacted him as much as his older sister
Phoebe hiding their mom's passing for a month from everyone. Still Daniel overcame his infamous
fifteen minutes of fame, got a degree, became administrator at the Farragut Nursing Home, and
married a nurse who worked there. When Phoebe becomes in trouble for shop lifting, her parole
officer arranges for her to do her community service at the nursing home. At first Phoebe does a
great job, but the staff becomes concerned because she apparently has sex with septuagenarian
ailing patient Harry Perlamet. When Daniel confronts Phoebe, she explains that she stole a million
dollars from Harry that he had hidden in his safety deposit box and obviously expected her to steal
it. Daniel becomes involved with the theft and no one, not his wife or sister included, will stop him
from keeping the loot for himself. Though the tale starts slow introducing readers to the
protagonist and his sibling, this weird cornhusker noir hooks the audience once Daniel begins his
spiral into paranoid darkness. From that moment the tale never lets up until the final bizarre twist.
Phoebe is an amazing amoral person while Daniel sheds his middle class trappings to join her in
the theft. Ultimately he commits ever worsening crimes as he trusts no one once he gets gold
fever. DAMAGED is a weird but gripping novel.
Evilution
Shaun Jeffrey
Invisible College Press
ISBN: 1931468133 $14.95, 292 pp.
Out of work with no prospects and a lack of cash to tide her over, twenty-five years old Chase
Block feels already depressed when her boyfriend Mat vanishes from her life. Despondent, she
receives a letter from Storm Enterprises signed by a Nigel Moon informing her that she has won
High Top Cottage in Paradise, Staffordshire. As she informs her friend gay amazon Jane, a
disbelieving Chase does not remember entering in any contest nor can she find any information on
the town. Still when Storm Enterprises' Drake arrives to "collect" Chase, she and Jane go to the
village to see her new home. However, seeing is a bit difficult as a thick fog engulfs the town as it
has for a couple of years. As Chase finds a book warning of killings, Jane vanishes. Now Chase
wonders if she should flee that is if she can escape the fog, but also worries about her friend and
two teens who have wandered inside the hazy belt. EVILUTION is classic horror that will
frighten readers from the moment the two Londoners arrive at Paradise. The terse story line never
eases up as the tension mounts and the audience wonders whether the heroine will survive
especially since she obviously was selected and may not be able to leave (the Eagles' Hotel
California inside John Carpenter's Fog). This is a terrific tale that genre fans will want to
read.
Radio Activity
Bill Fitzhugh
Morrow
ISBN: 0380977591 $23.95, 306 pp.
In 1970s Bismarck, rock and roll deejay Rick Shannon loses his job when his station is sold. He is
despondent and concerned about finding work in a changing business climate in which corporate
intrusion has led to one size fits all play lists and patter must be politically correct as defined by
big brother owner. Desperate to remain in the field, Rick accepts work as the late evening host
Buddy Miles in McRae, Mississippi. However, upon arriving in town, he learns that the station's
general manager Clay Stubblefield expects Rick to serve as the program director. Rick agrees to
stay on as program manager only if he also receives the night spot replacing local legend
"Captain" Jack Carter. Though the reader ironically knows, Rick wonders why the Captain left
town without taking his valuable record collection. Rick investigates what happened to his
predecessor helped by a tape that the captain took of Clay implying sexual misconduct and
potential illegal drug activity. If Rick is not careful he might learn the hard way how the old boy
method works on interfering outsiders. This is an engaging look back at an era in which radio is
changing from local to regional and national. The amateur sleuth aspects of the tale are fun
though the tension is more of a slow dance than a hustle. Rick is terrific as the outsider while Clay
and his cohorts give southern living a sinister name. Bill Fitzhugh furbishes an insightful tale
starring a fine protagonist who deserves a second gig from his new haunt in Gulfport.
Love Monkey
Kyle Smith
Morrow
ISBN: 0060574534 $23.95, 336 pp.
Thirty-two tears old Tom Farrell is a swinging single enjoying life in Manhattan while working as
a rewrite man at Tabloid, "America's loudest newspaper." His job is to revise submissions into
spicy tales with attention-grabbing headlines, the more outrageously conspicuous the better.
Tom's pastime is to collect and discard girlfriends at a pace that would rate a mention in Guinness
if they kept such a category. His hobby besides women and sports is the Cartoon Network as he
prefers to emulate the life of a young teen to that of a thirty something soul married with children.
Recently Julia entered his top head and he cannot switch gears with her as he normally does with
females. Still that does not stop him from thinking (with the wrong head) that he might want to
end his friendship with Bran by enticing her into his bed. This gender bender slick lit tale is
amusing though the protagonist loses his cute image turning Tom terrific into an unsympathetic
character when he pursues action with a gal pal not out of undying love and regardless of the cost
to their friendship. Readers will appreciate LOVE MONKEY for placing a mirror to the chick lit
sub-genre with a stag stud star, but ultimately ask what's it all about Farrell?
The Other Side of the Story
Marian Keyes
Morrow
ISBN: 0060520515 $24.95, 528 pp.
Her distressed mom calls events planner Gemma Hogan to inform her that her father Noel is gone.
Gemma is stunned thinking her dad died, but mom explained that he left her for a thirty six years
old woman. That shocks her almost as much as believing dear old dad died as Noel's new squeeze
is only four years older than Gemma is. Literary agent Jojo "Yank" Harvey gets a million-pound
advance for a first time novelist, an Englishman who lived as a woman in Afghanistan. Jojo also
does well by writer Lily Wright, who took Gemma's man away from her and had a child with him.
Lily wrote a bestseller adding to Gemma's ire and envy. Though Jojo is a superstar at work, she is
a loser in personal relationships seeing a man with no intentions of leaving his wife or children.
Meanwhile the events planner decides to prove she is better than Lily by getting a book contract
for herself. THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY is an amusing look at the publishing world (and
a few zillion sidebars) through a not so rose colored chick lit lens. Gemma is an interesting
protagonist who wonders what to do about her parents (mom barely leaves the bed for pit stops)
and even more important how to trump her best-selling, man stealing, and baby producing enemy
Lily without a pregnant pause. Though the story line has too many subplots that never fully get
developed, Gemma holds the humorous tale together as she seems like a real person struggling on
all fronts in a world that wants to crush her.
The Body In The Attic
Katherine Hall Page
Morrow
ISBN: 0060525290 $23.95, 240 pp.
Thomas Fairchild, the minister at the First Parish Church in Aleford, Massachusetts, is tired of
taking care of his flock, exhausted from their demands and needing a change of scenery. He
arranges to teach at the Divinity School in Cambridge which means his wife Faith and her two
children have to find a place to live. It is fortunate for them that Professor Ted Robinson needs a
housesitter while he is on sabbatical in California. While working at a homeless shelter, Faith
meets Richard Morgan an old boyfriend who disappeared from her life before she met Thomas.
He tells her that he is working undercover so that he could write a book about the plight of the
homeless. They meet several times before he again disappears from her life. While worrying about
Richard she finds a diary about a woman who lived in the house she is now occupying, a wife who
was imprisoned by her husband. Little does she know that reading that diary gets her kidnapped
and almost gets her killed by a person who has everything to lose if the contents of the journal are
made public. Anyone who wants action should give THE BODY IN THE ATTIC a miss as it
dwells more on the emotions of the heroine and the woman in the diary. Although the plot
meanders in places, readers get a good understanding what it means to be a minister's wife who
doesn't want to be a reflection of her husband's career choice. The mystery subplot is exciting
because it takes the audience totally by surprise. Katherine Hall Page writes a very compelling tale
about the sins of the past having an impact on the present.
3rd Degree
James Patterson, Andrew Gross
Little, Brown
ISBN: 0316603570 $26.95, 341 pp.
San Francisco Homicide lieutenant Lindsay Boxer is jogging with assistant DA Jill Barnhardt
when the cop sees bruises on the shoulder of her companion. Before she asks about the injury, an
explosion occurs in a nearby townhouse. Lindsay rushes inside rescuing a child, but three are dead
at the scene. Apparently the terrorist group August Spies successfully targeted a CEO and his
family and killed them. Lindsay's investigation of the crime coincides with the inquiries of Joe
Molinari of the Office of Homeland Security. Joe and Lindsay are attracted to one another while
Jill's spouse has turned abusive towards her. Then there are her other two pals that make up the
club, medical examiner Claire Washburn and Chronicle reporter Cindy Thomas who help with the
case not realizing the danger as they get to close to the killers. The latest "Women's Murder Club"
thriller is an action-packed tale that never lets up until the final moment. The story line is apropos
as the "third world war" against terrorism has come home to San Francisco. Though the spousal
abuse subplot seems off based on Jill's strength of character (from the previous books), somehow
the authors pull it off with realism and bring it back into the main plot. The budding romance
between Joe and Jill (at least it's not Jack) further humanizes the heroine. Fans of exhilarating
thrillers with real people including villains who believe in their cause will enjoy the latest work of
these powerful females.
The Black Piano
Constance Little and Gwenyth Little
Rue Morgue Press
ISBN: 09152305658 $14.00
Gloria Rouston was on a brief vacation when she was in an accident. Attorney John Cowrer and
his Aunt Mamie find her and shelter her while she recovered. Gloria knows someone from her
own family threw her off the nearby bridge trying to kill her. When John mentions the scar on her
face will make it difficult for anyone to recognize her, Gloria decides to visit a plastic surgeon.
Afterward she plans to uncover the identity of the person who tried to kill her. John falls in love
with Gloria and gives her an even better cover as his wife Jane than a job would have provided
her. She begins her undercover investigation into her own "demise" starting with her "legal
husband" Dick, who fails to recognize the pretty newcomer is his wife Gloria; only a blind man
recognizes her. Jane feels bad that when the dust settles she will have hurt John and Mamie who
mean the world to her as they showered her with love when they thought she was an injured
middle class tourist rather than a wealthy upper crust individual. This is a reprint of a late 1940s
book that mystery readers will enjoy as the novel has aged quite well. The delightful protagonist
realizes what she must do to stay alive though she does not want to hurt John or Aunt Mamie,
realizes that bigamy seems minor when someone tries to kill you. This reviewer had not read a
Little sisters book before this one, but recommends this novel and other of the "Black" series
being republished by Rue Morgue because if this is any example these are winners.
The Dead Sit Round in a Ring
David Lawrence
Dunne
ISBN: 0312327102 $23.95, 352 pp.
In London, Detective Sergeant Stella Mooney leads the inquiries into the macabre deaths of four
people sitting in a ring. Three of them are ruled suicides, but the other is a homicide that looks
like a professional technician committed the crime. The victim Jimmy Stone was an amoral
wastrel with the reputation of selling his soul for cash as he ran a web store peddling memorabilia
from crimes and items owned by renowned killers. The investigation leads Stella and her squad to
a notorious crime family that treats their prostitutes with scorn peddling the flesh of forlorn
fraught females from the residue of the deadly hot spots of the former Soviet Union. Still what
could have a stone cold seller like Jimmy offered for sale that upset the Tanners so that they most
likely killed a fellow dealer? Interfering with her work on finding proof is nightmares involving
murdered children from a case she failed to solve and her own miscarriage and her shaky
relationship with her lover, frustrated with Stella's inability to share with him what haunts her.
THE DEAD SIT ROUND IN A RING is an extremely dark police procedural that is quite
exciting and realistic, but very different from the typical London cop tale. The story line is more
urban noir and even the heroine has an intense gloomy outlook that combined with her obsessive
compulsive behavior serves her well as she learns (along with shocked readers) the atrocities in
Serbia have come with the young female victims and continue in London. This is a terrific tale,
but needs a label not to read if suffering from depression.
Fade to Clear
Leonard Chang
Dunne
ISBN: 0312308450 $23.95, 336 pp.
Two years ago, then San Jose Sentinel reporter Linda Maldonado worked with private
investigator Allen Choice on a case (see UNDERKILL). They became lovers, but eventually she
ended their romance without explanation. Saddened he moved on professionally and personally.
Linda comes to Oakland where Allen is a partner in Baxter & Choice, a private investigation firm
because her niece has been abducted by her nasty abusive father. She wants to hire Allen to rescue
nine-year-old Nora from Frank Staunton, who snatched the child because he loathes his former
wife and will do anything to hurt her. Allen's current girlfriend Serena Yew would prefer he not
accept the case because of his previous affair with the client that he may not have gotten over.
Allen himself knows how dangerous the rescue would be as the target is mean and cruel, but a
pussy cat next to the guy's killing machine brother. Though facing Hobson's choice, Allen accepts
the challenge in which law enforcement at all levels have failed. FADE TO CLEAR is a terrific
private investigative urban noir story starring a delightful protagonist, who is a hodgepodge of
conflicting emotions that make him endearing to the audience (don't tell Choice what I called
him). The story line is action-packed yet at times quite humorous as the bewildered Allen often
leads with his chin in spots that could prove deadly when the case turns out even more dangerous
than dealing with the lunatic Staunton siblings.
Burning Precinct Puerto Rico
Steven Tomas
Dunne
ISBN: 0312321090 $23.43, 256 pp.
In Angustias, Puerto Rico, Sheriff Luis Gonzalo celebrates his twenty-fifth year on the job and
practically the whole town is in the village square for the gala. His big moment is interrupted
when he see flames burning Pedro Ortiz's home. By the time people arrive to help put the fire out,
the abode is aflame. When they are finally enter the arson scene they see Pedro with bullets in his
body and his wife with a bullet in her head. Nobody knows that there was a confrontation earlier
between Pedro and two furious killers who demanded one million dollars and the cocaine they hid
on his property that he burned. The two thugs look for the money and they don't care who they
hurt or kill to et it. When the Metropolitans are called in by the new mayor, Luis doesn't trust
them. They try to squeeze him out of the investigation but Angustias is Luis's town and he is not
going to let politicians, police or crooks destroy it. Steven Torres paints such a vivid picture of
Puerto Rico that readers will want to go to villages like Angustias. With that picturesque
backdrop fans know from the very beginning the identities of the villains but the thrill is in finding
the proof of their crimes. The protagonist is a civil servant who cares about his town, his officers
and his family and he is not about to let it become a haven for criminals. He is a brilliant
investigator who is not afraid to follow his hunches even when it means he is putting his life on
the line. This police procedural is a fast-paced, exciting and a very satisfying reading
experience.
The Bug Funeral
Sarah R. Shaber
Dunne
ISBN: 0312322186 $22.95, 208 pp.
Pulitzer Prize winning author Simon Shaw is a tenured professor at Kenan College in the historic
part of downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. He is famous for solving three cold cases and has
become known as a forensic historian. Helen Williams is referred to Simon by a mutual friend
because she has a very big problem. She has the memories of an Annie Evans who lived in Raleigh
in 1910 and remembers burying an eighteen month baby girl in an unmarked grave. Neither Simon
nor Helen believes in reincarnation or past life memories but the traumas she dreams about as
Annie are making her a nervous wreck. She wants a logical answer for these memories and she
hopes Simon can help her. Although at first Simon thinks she's mentally disturbed he agrees to
look into the matter and is shocked to find out that Annie Evans did exist. As he is researching her
life, he questions many people who knew her and one of them is murdered leading Helen and
Simon to believe that there is a secret involving Annie that someone doesn't want revealed. The
protagonist is a historian who uses primary and secondary sources to move forward his
investigation and it is fascinating to watch him go from not believing in Annie to piecing together
the important parts of her life. The relationship between Annie to Helen is as much a mystery as
the murder of one of Simon's interviewees and readers will feel totally satisfied with the outcome
to both puzzles. THE BUG FUNERAL is a charming amateur sleuth tale.
The Last King: Rome's Greatest Enemy
Michael Curtis Ford
Dunne
ISBN: 0312275390 $24.95, 373 pp.
In first century BC, the Roman Senate declared King Mithridates Eupator VI of Pontus (on the
Black Sea) as its greatest enemy. Rome had turned Pontus into a satellite state when Mithridates'
mother ruled. When he became the monarch, his country was totally reliant on Rome. Instead of
bowing like his mom, he launches campaigns often brutal to throw Rome out of his country and
the rest of Asia Minor. Over the next four decades starting at home, Mithridates ruled and
warred. First he exploited the weaknesses of his mother ultimately overthrowing her; then he
challenged the puppeteers of the Roman Republic using anything in his genocidal arsenal to make
a point. Finally after forty years of battles, retreats, and more war, he met final defeat at the hands
of General Pompey. Even then he refused to bow having his men execute him instead of allowing
the Romans to parade him as a trophy. This is a fabulous historical fiction novel that provides
deep insight into the Ancient Roman world through one of its toughest enemies. Many readers
like this reviewer probably never heard of Mithridates before, but he obviously proved to be a
dangerous long term threat to the Romans. Though the depth in which Michael Curtis Ford
provides military tactics seems overwhelming to the lay-person, it also furbishes a sense of how
brilliant Rome's Greatest Enemy truly was. The tactics also lead to fantastic descriptions of the
battles as the audience get a first hand account (narrated by the lead protagonist's son) of life in
the BC Roman Empire from the perspective of those who wanted out from the glory.
From Here to Maternity
Kris Weber and Kathy Wilson
Dunne
ISBN: 0312327994 $23.95, 304 pp.
Sydney, Australia marketing executive Sophie Anderson enjoys her swinging single lifestyle. Her
biological clock might be ticking, but Sydney unplugged it as she prefers a different type of plug
with Max Radley. However, her Max is leaving for San Francisco and has no thoughts of
commitment so Sophie knows her two year relationship is over. Over except for one minor
problem. Max has left Sophie pregnant. She has neither time nor the patience for the havoc her
pregnancy will cause her lifestyle or what to do with an infant after it is born. Worse nine months
without real liquid seems like a lifetime to her. With the advice of her fellow java members at the
weekly caffeine scene at the King Street Cafe, Sophie formulates a plan on how to mentally cope
with the nine months of something growing inside her. Plans go astray for men, mice, and Sophie
as carrying requires unscheduled pit stops during meetings and pitches. Still Sophie glows when
she meets a hunk that sends her beyond the adolescent Max. FROM HERE TO MATERNITY is
an amusing look at the convergence of motherhood with chick lit. At first that combination
sounds like an anti oxymoron or perhaps an invasion of the sub-genre, but the delightful Sophie
and her coffee crowd pull it off so that the mixing of mom, apple pie, and chick lit inanity blends
nicely into a wonderful tale. Still it is difficult to see Ms. Jones anticipating pushing that carriage
or nightmarishly pondering changing the diaper at three in the morning yet the two Ws (winning
and wonderful) make it happen in a humorous manner.
The Basket Maker
Kate Niles
GreyCore
ISBN: 0974207403 $22.95, 224 pp.
Though her parents are professors with PhDs, the family moves a lot as finding work is not easy
even with their credentials in the early 1970s. Their current residence in Colorado forces
ten-year-old Sarah to share a room with her younger brother Ricky. Since they never stay in one
place for very long, the kids have no friends. While their mom mostly ignores them, their father
shows abnormal interest in Sarah including raping her. Ricky, not understanding the abuse his
sibling surfers, envies her to the point he hates her. Sarah discovers the skeletal remains of an
Indian near her new home. She soon talks to bones that turn out to be Ute Chief Ouray, who died
in 1880 and he remains behind because of bitter grudges against people long dead. Sarah even
makes a friend, Trent, who was recently severely burned in an accident. Slowly, the group that
will try to save her emerges as people with low esteem befriend the lonely child. Soon Trent's
mom, an elderly widow, and Ouray realize what Sarah suffers at home and though feeling
unworthy of taking on her cause, intervene anyway. The fabulous Sarah serves as the focus of this
deep character study in which more than just the protagonist is psychologically opened up to the
audience. The members of the save Sarah squad reveals their respective beliefs of inadequacy yet
courageously confronts her parents. Ironically with all this soul-baring, Sarah's father is
stereotyped so that the audience never quite sees him beyond one dimensional negative attributes.
Still, this social commentary ghost story is an intriguing look at the impact of incestuous sexual
abuse on the victim and the family.
Sullivan's Law
Nancy Taylor Rosenberg
Kensington
ISBN: 0758206186 $24.00, 320 pp.
Raising two children alone and attending law school part-time would fill up most people's days
and nights, but Ventura County probation officer Carolyn Sullivan also is overworked with a
caseload of over two-hundred offenders. However, the media and the public do not care about her
workload when one of her probationers, Eddie Downly rapes an eight year old girl. Everyone at
work suggests a low profile until the media feeding frenzy calms down. Carolyn is too dedicated
of a civil servant to hide. Instead, she wonders if her latest assignment, schizophrenic parolee
Daniel Metroix might be innocent of the murder conviction that put him behind bars for over two
decades. While someone wants Daniel dead; Carolyn makes inquiries into what happened to the
victim, the son of the former police chief. Soon Carolyn reconsiders, wondering if her
investigation is worth the lives of her children as someone wants to stop her from learning the
truth. Legal thriller fans will enjoy Nancy Taylor Rosenberg's latest tale that focuses on a hard
working, caring person trying to do the right thing amidst an overwhelming inhuman caseload.
Readers will appreciate what the media and the politicians blithely ignore when they place blame
on the bureaucracy that many of our government employees work impossible jobs hampered by
ridiculous laws. The insight into the parole system is a close look at what an officer deals with.
Though the investigation is fun, it seems off kilter for someone who has no time and must worry
about the threats to her children. Still melodrama aside, SULLIVAN'S LAW is a terrific glimpse
of a broken system.
Royal Treatment
MaryJanice Davidson
Kensington
ISBN: 0758208022 $14.00
In 1863, America embroiled in a Civil War failed to buy Alaska. Instead, Alaska led by the
Baranovs broke free from Russia. A kingdom was declared with a Baranov sitting on the throne.
Over a century later, King Alexander II sneaks out of the Sitka Palace masquerading as a sea
captain. He meets marooned American Christina Krabbe, who explains how she beat up her boss
for groping her and is now out of work. Al decides that she is the perfect person to marry his
oldest son, Prince David and would make the ideal Queen for Alaska. The next day Chris joins Al
and his five offspring for lunch. David is impressed with her and asks Chris to marry him, but she
declines. David tries a little woo, but Chris tells him no woo-woo. She does not want to be a
queen. David's sister asks Chris what her deceased beloved mom would want for her. Thus Chris
agrees to marry David. Before they escape on their honeymoon, a Domonov shoots Al with an
animal tranquilizer leaving him in a coma while trying to abduct David's brother leaving the royal
honeymooners struggling with ruling not loving. ROYAL TREATMENT is a creative enjoyable
alternate historical romance that fans will appreciate due to the humorous interrelationship
between the royal family, their retinue, and the commoner. Each key cast member has a unique
personality and the cameo appearances of real people like Queen Elizabeth II and Bill Gates adds
a sense of reality to the tale. Though the attempted abduction adds unnecessary suspense, readers
will gain immense pleasure with MaryJanice Davidson's offbeat treatment of an alternate
Alaska.
Ninja Soccer Moms
Jennifer Apodaca
Kensington
ISBN: 0758204493 $22.00, 304 pp.
When her husband dies, Samantha Shaw learns that he was cheating on her and everyone in town
knew it but her. She decides to change her image so the soccer mom gets breast implants, wears
chic clothing, and opens up Heart Mates, a dating service for people desiring to meet their
significant other. While she enjoys her business, she also likes working as a private investigator
under her lover Gabe's license. Janie Tuggle, former wife of the soccer coach, asks Sam to
investigate whether Chad embezzled funds from the soccer clubs of Lake Elsinore. Sam tricks
Chad and soon downloads his financial records. She and Janie realize that $16,000 is missing.
Shortly afterward, someone murders the coach. Janie asks Sam to learn who and why because any
one of the suspects he was blackmailing could be the killer. Now Sam feels it is more critical to
locate Chad's ominous files so no one else gets hurt. NINJA SOCCER MOMS is a quirky
charming romantic mystery with a plethora of suspects. When the heroine is not aggravating the
lead police detective, she aggravates her sleuthing boss with her efforts to prove her independence
and that she is his equal in everything. Yet the attraction between Gabe and Sam is so hot, it is a
wonder that sparks do not fly off the pages. Jennifer Apodaca writes an appealing who-done-it
that will keep her audience interested in more books starring this soccer mom.
Can You Keep a Secret?
Sophie Kinsella
Dial
ISBN: 0385336810 $21.95, 368 pp.
Emma Corrigan feels life as she has had a fabulous year though the Pollyanna young woman
always sees the optimistic side of things. Still she has a right to feel great as she stays employed
at Panther Cola for nearly a year and is seeing the perfect Ken-doll like boyfriend Connor. She
even thinks she is on the right track for a promotion now that the opportunity has occurred for
her to show off her talent. However her chance flops and a desponded Emma flies home
expecting the worse at the office. She vents on the plane to her row mate while flying in nasty
weather telling her deepest secrets about her weight, NATO, and other things. The next day at
work Emma meets her plane partner Jack Harper, Panther Cola CEO visiting the British Branch.
Embarrassed Emma tries to hide, but Jack will not let her though neither knows where a cross
Atlantic relationship will go. This chick lit tale on the one hand stars a precocious witty
protagonist, but on the other hand condones fibbing, omissions, and stretching the truth to sell a
product. Jack is a wonderful protagonist, but one must wonder what is in the energy bar because
Emma acts so childish at times. Still the audience will enjoy this often amusing romp because no
one really knows Jack who has a secret or two to share only with Emma.
The Zenith Angle
Bruce Sterling
Del Rey
ISBN: 0345460618 $24.95, 320 pp.
Derek Vandeveer is the vice president of research and development at Mondiale in Merwinster
News Jersey making a fabulous salary, living in a mini mansion most people would envy and
married to an astrophysicist who is his intellectual equal. Van is a very contented person, but that
all changes on Sept 11, 2001 when he realizes his priorities need to change. The Federal
government recruits him to work as an expert in cyber security enabling him to take an active role
in the war on terrorism. He creates Grendel, a hack-proof system that is a big success for the
agency he is working for but what really interests him is the KH-13 satellite. If working properly,
it can pick up images of weapons going off anywhere in the world. However, it is not working the
way it is supposed to and Van thinks he has a way of firing it up even though he doesn't know the
cause of the failure. Unfortunately he can't get anybody to listen to him but his time with the Feds
has turned the computer nerd into a warrior, one willing to confront a traitor ready to sell out his
country. Readers who have some background in the sciences and information technology will
appreciate THE ZENITH ANGLE better than those people in the audience who have limited
understanding of either subject as this tale is highly complex and technical. The protagonist
evolves and changes through the course of the exciting story line as he (and the readers) likes the
person he becomes. Bruce Sterling has written a compelling work that shows the effects of 9/11
on one computer geek turned cyber warrior.
A Road through the Mountains
Elizabeth McGregor
Bantam
ISBN: 0553803581 $24.00
Artist Anna Russell raises her ten years old autistic daughter Rachel by herself with only
assistance from her own mom. In fact she never told her daughter's father David Mortimer that he
sired a child. However, everything changes for Anna when a car accident leaves her in a comatose
state. Anna's mother Grace decides it is time for Englishman David Mortimer to learn he is a
father. The call shakes the school teacher, who has sublimated his heart and needs into loneliness
ever since Anna abruptly left him without a word to return to the States. David resigns though his
students are taking their exams because he knows he must go to Boston to awaken his two
women, one the adult he always loved and the other the child he never knew lived. As she remains
in a coma, David wonders why she left him and if she awakens will she dispatch him back across
the Atlantic? As he and Rachel hit it off in some lovingly father-daughter relationship, he
remembers a potential key to waking up Sleeping Beauty, Anna's passion for rare flowers. A
ROAD THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS is a character driven poignant love story starring three
delightful protagonists. Anna is an enigma as the audience will ponder along with David why she
left him. Hearts will go out to Rachel suffering from autism with little hope to communicate yet
David finds way to reach her. David loves his two ladies, but must overcome his fears of intimacy
caused by his beloved leaving him. Readers will weep as this poignant tale reaches deep inside the
soul of the audience.
A Choir of Ill Children
Tom Piccirilli
Bantam
ISBN: 0553587196 $5.99, 227 pp.
As much of a hold Thomas has on Kingdom Come, an inbred small town located in the Deep
South, Kingdom Come in turn has as strong a hold on Thomas. His brothers Are Siamese twins
that share a brain but have separate faces and bodies are his responsibility as is the mill of which
he and the brothers are the owners. Thomas, the only mobile somewhat sane one, makes sure it is
making a profit for it is the only source of income the town has. Except for incest it's a place
where anything goes. Thomas loves the woman who takes care of someone he once loved, but
evil times are ahead for him as he learns why she spends all her time in the swamp. A child killer
who Thomas left to die in the swamp returns to take his revenge and he finds the body of the child
that the murderer killed with the body of his mother locked away in a trunk in a long forgotten
room. His brothers disappear and the father he thought dead is alive though not of sound mind.
Unable to solve the town's problems, Thomas quits feeling he is the savior of Kingdom's Come
and in doing so finds his own freedom. The main character in CHOIR OF ILL CHILDREN is the
town of Kingdoms Come; a place that represents all the depravities that mankind is known to
have accumulated as if Pandora opened the box here. Thomas accepts the inhabitants for who
they are even though their customs and morality are outside the mainstream of society. Tom
Piccirilli's dark gothic is frightening because it vividly exposes a way of life most people find
abhorrent. Fans of Pappy Z. Brite will love this sinister drama.
Eye of the Labyrinth
Jennifer Fallon
Bantam
ISBN: 0553586696 $6.99, 513 pp.
The world of Ranadon revolves around two suns but when the Age of Shadows descends, only
one of the orbs is visible in the sky. The planet undergoes severe climatic changes that destroy
life. When a scientist discovers when the Age of Shadows will end, Belagren the High Priestess of
the Shadowdancers uses that knowledge to convince Antonov the Lion of Senet that the Goddess
spoke through her. Warrior ruler Antonov wants to conquer the world through diplomacy or, if
necessary, war. He imposes his worship of the Goddess on those lands he conquers. Dhevyn is a
Kingdom made up of many islands and Antonov wants the nation to be under his rule so he forces
the queen to abdicate when her daughter turns sixteen. She will become monarch and her husband
will be Antonov's favorite son Kirsh, puppet rulers with the Lion of Senet pulling the string.
However, what he really wants is to find the rebel Dirk Provin, the true heir to the throne of
Dhevyn, convert him to belief in the Goddess and place him on the throne. Dirk, an expert
tactician wants to free Dhevyn from the Lion's rule and destroy Antanov but first he must set in
motion a scheme to bring him close to the Lion's throne. Jennifer Fallon's second book in "The
Second Son's Trilogy" is as good, if not better than it prequel, THE LION OF SENET because
the characters are more complex in the years that have passed since the events of the prequel.
Dirk is a true hero, willing to vilify his name to topple Antonov and his mistress Belagren. EYE
OF THE LABYRINTH is an exciting work of speculative fiction, one that readers will enjoy
immensely.
The Arcanum
Thomas Wheeler
Bantam
ISBN: 055380314X $22.00, 324 pp.
In 1919 London, a car full of young people runs over an old man and with his dying breath he
says "He's in my mind" and then says Arcanum. The Ministry of Munitions Winston Churchill
notifies Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that Konstantin Duvall is dead. Duvall was a mage and a mystic,
an explorer and collector of all things occult. He kept many secrets one of which, The Book of
Enoch, the third part of the Bible that was thought to be erased from existence in the first century,
was stolen from its hiding place by a practitioner of the dark arts. Doyle goes to America where
he brings together the rest of the members of THE ARCANUM, Harry Houdini, H.P. Lovecraft
and the powerful voodoo priestess Marie Laveau. They must find the missing book and the killer.
The perpetrator is a powerful mage who practices the black arts and is able to elude THE
ARCANUM. They meet on his terms as he is able to spring a trap that has Houdini in jail and the
rest of the group running from the law while guarding an Angel who doesn't know how to get
home. History, mystery, and dark fantasy combine to make THE ARCANUM a noteworthy book,
a pop icon and a source for a good movie similar to the League of Distinguished Gentlemen.
Historical figures are brought together in a time when the forces of darkness threaten the world,
setting up the classic good versus evil confrontation. Thomas Wheeler's debut novel totally
enthralls the readers with another perspective on the evil forces that threaten this world making
the horror feel new and exciting.
The Wedding Game
Jane Feather
Bantam
ISBN: 0553586203 $6.99
A disguised Chastity Duncan, one of three sisters who anonymously write the controversial
Mayfair Lady, serves as the matchmaking go-between since her two siblings got married (see
THE BACHELOR LIST and THE BRIDE HUNT). Her current client is Dr. Douglas Farrell
whose two stipulations in a bride is that she must be wealthy and provide social entrances so that
he can gain rich customers for his new practice on Harley St. Chastity is disappointed in him, but
consults with her sisters who accept him as a client. Chastity plans to kill two males at one time.
She will introduce Douglas to a very opinionated woman who believes that Italy is superior to
London, wealthy Laura Della Luca. She will also present her depressed widower father to Laura's
mom the Contessa. She admits to herself that her aversion to Douglas is because she detests his
female requirements. Soon she falls in love with him, but fails to live up to her name as she finds
Douglas' planned practice an abomination not realizing that Harley St. will fund his Earl Court
practice for the poor. The third and concluding Mayfair Lady tale, THE WEDDING GAME, is a
terrific historical romance that stars another intelligent assertive female though she misconceives
the motives of the hero. The story line is fun to follow as Chastity pushes Laura on Douglas, but
wants him for herself though she despises what she believes he is going to do. Douglas is
intrigued by Chastity but knows that Laura is the ticket for financing his efforts to help the poor.
Jane Feather provides a fine novel that nicely complements its sister books.
Dust of Eden
Thomas Sullivan
Onyx
ISBN: 0451411382 $6.99, 368 pp.
East of Baghdad and West of Bastra exists a circle of ochre dirt guarded by three men who regard
the site as the location of the Garden of Eden. Soldier of fortune Clayton Kenyon gathers a small
force to steal the sacred dirt, but he dies in the attempt. A survivor sends the dirt to Kenyon's next
of kin pretending it is his ashes. Many years later an elderly embittered Ariel Kenyon Leppa
decides to commit suicide. However, before killing herself she uses the euchre sand that she thinks
is Kenyon's ashes to paint a portrait of her daughter Amber when the child was nine years old.
When the paint dries, nine year old Amber comes to life and the forty five year old Amber
confined to a wheelchair suddenly dies. A year later Denny Bryce seeks a decent nursing home to
keep his father safe when he passes the Kenyan New Eden Assisted Living Center. It looks
perfect as the residents seem like a family and the owner Ariel Leppa appears to be a caring
person. He doesn't know that she painted residents into existence, old enemies who hurt her when
they were alive. Now she uses the magic paint to turn them into whatever she wants. THE DUST
OF EDEN is a horror novel that is so scary readers will sleep with the lights on for weeks after
finishing this book. No one should have the kind of power Ariel does over the lives of people she
brought back from death and she is so warped and evil even her own daughter isn't safe from her.
There are no heroes in Thomas Sullivan's creation only a very vicious villain and pathetic
victims.
Play Dead
Anne Frasier
Onyx
ISBN: 0451411374 $6.99, 384 pp.
Savannah medical examiner John Casper is performing an autopsy when he suddenly realizes that
the body is still alive, the man is still breathing albeit very slowly. When the man eventually dies, it
is discovered that he had tetrodotoxin in his bloodstream, a poison that doesn't cross the blood
brain barrier so victims are paralyzed and unable to speak, but totally aware of what is going on
around them. Homicide detectives Elise Sandberg and David Gould head the investigation. As a
baby Elise was abandoned on a grave; her father was thought to be a root doctor and a conjurer
so she is aware that the public will believe they are dealing with dark magic because superstitions
run soul deep in Savannah. David is running from his own demons but unlike Elise he doesn't
believe in the supernatural. More victims are found as body moves out of the grave before dying.
The perpetrator poisons David leaving him paralyzed and needing help, but only Elise might save
him if she can put all the pieces of the puzzle together in time. Fans will find themselves reading
about a different kind of Savannah one that is more like New Orleans with root doctors, conjurers
and practitioners of the supernatural. The two protagonists get off to a rocky start but in time and
with patience on Elise's part, they make a good team. PLAY DEAD is a compelling and
memorable police procedural, made even better by the way the characters interact with one
another. Anne Frasier will be appreciated by fans who like Kay Hooper, Iris Johansen and Lisa
Gardner.
The Corset Diaries
Katie MacAlister
Onyx
ISBN: 0451411129 $6.99, 352 pp.
To pay off the medical bills of her deceased spouse thirty nine years old American Tessa Riordan
is elated to obtain a job on a reality TV show in London. The $10K compensation will get the
genealogical expert out of debt though she frets that her weight will embarrass her when the
producer rejects her for being to plump. Still the "skinny challenged" woman gets the part of the
wealthy American marrying an English duke in 1879 for the show "A Month in the Life of a
Victorian Duke". While the corset makes it impossible to breath, Tessa finds herself very attracted
to her "husband", Max Edgerton, who in reality is an architect, and loves his real life daughter,
who also appears in the show. To her shock, she believes handsome Max reciprocates though she
feels he is commitment shy. In front of an audience Tessa must persuade her duke that he could
fall in love with a woman she feels he cannot lift. This is an enjoyable contemporary romance that
places people used to modern conveniences and freedoms into a strict aristocratic environment
thirty-five years prior to the liberating of the European masses by World War One events. The
story line is fun to follow as an amusing Tessa laughs at her own foibles including some negative
bodily exports, but is quite serious when it comes to loving Max and his daughter. Max is a
delight as he is ready to lift his beloved to new horizons. Fans will enjoy this entertaining
anachronistic look at displacement as the modern crowd struggles with life just over a century
ago.
Do Me, Do My Roots
Eileen Rendahl
Downtown
ISBN: 0743471148 $13.00, 320 pp.
In spite of journeying down different paths in the Seattle area, the three sisters, all in their thirties,
remains close as they get together quite often but at least once a month to do each other's hair.
The youngest Emily is a widow of eighteen months raises her seven year old daughter Abby with
the help of her parents, siblings, and her deceased spouse's pal Jake. Middle daughter Claudia has
two sons while oldest daughter Leah has never married as she usually scares men off by the fourth
date. When their dad suffers what first appeared to be a heart attack, the three siblings become
concerned but do not go as nuts as their mom. Though the tests prove he is okay, mom insists on
healthy food like tofurkey for Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, a horny Emily encouraged by her sisters
decide a brief fling with Jake would be helpful, but he has loved her from the moment they were
introduced to one another, but loyalty to his best friend, her husband, even in death, keeps him
from acting on his feelings. This is an engaging relationship drama that, though told
predominantly from the perspective of Emily, provides insight into the lead character and her
extended family. The amusing story line can become overwhelming as the three siblings share
their confidences, woes and render judgment while seeking the root of the problem. DO ME, DO
MY ROOTS contains a wonderful cast struggling with life's ups and downs (more of the latter),
but the sisterly trio remain optimistic even when putting men down throughout.
Clearing the Aisle
Karen Schwartz
Downtown
ISBN: 0743471105 $13.00
After meeting in college and seeing each other for several years, mid twenties Rachel and Dan
plan to marry. The duo loves each other and knows the time is right to step down the aisle to a
more legal commitment between them. However, they receive a taste of what to expect from
blood when her stepmother Phyllis tries to dictate location (DC over NYC) and numbers due to
costs though her rolled over dad Jerry paid more for his car than what he plans to spend on the
wedding. Phyllis feels cooperative when compared to her mom crazy my way or no way Joyce.
Matters get worse as the wedding comes closer to happening as her extended family act more like
berserkers and his best friend wants him not take the next major step. Will Rachel and Dan
survive the pre-ceremony wars to actually say I do or will they succumb to the ever expanding
stress that tests their relationship to the max? Though at times inane, Rachel keeps the tale
anchored so that the audience obtains a humorous look at the family jitters and disputes leading
up to a marriage similar in some ways, but even more over the top, than The Father of the Bride.
The secondary cast tries to pull Rachel and Dan as a pair and as separate entities into a wide
spectrum of directions to the point that one wonders if eloping is the solution. Karen Schwartz
leaves the reader to ponder whose wedding is this in this amusing walk sometimes in reverse and
occasionally lateral sprint towards the aisle.
Gay Marriage
Jonathan Rauch
Times
ISBN: 0805076336 $22.00
The social battle over same sex marriage has become part of the presidential debate, as George
"amendment happy" Bush and John "wuss union not marriage" Kerry argue the so-called cons.
Vice President Cheney cannot look himself in the eyes while shaving as he hides behind his boss.
Amongst the known leaders only Senator Gephardt shows courage supporting his daughter's
rights. Author Jonathan Rauch provides a timely powerful argument that gender is not the key.
Instead if a couple fall in love why can't they marry and care for each other as they grow old
together. Mr. Rauch says whether the couple consists of a man and a woman, a man and a man,
or a woman and a woman, who cares. What should matter is the participants are willing adults
wanting to form a permanent relationship that actually enhances the community. Mr. Rauch
logically defends GAY MARRIAGE as supporting family values and strengthening the meaning
of marriage while making and extending the inclusiveness of basic rights. Easy to follow the
critical thinking path laid out by the author in which he eloquently defends that if marriage is a
sacred historical bond between a man and a woman, then why does so many break this
"consecrated" act including social conservatives who scream for its sanctity. Those unsure of their
stand will find Mr. Rauch makes quite a powerful pitch reversing the arguments of opponents by
using the social conservative's logic to defend GAY MARRIAGE. For a well written historical
similar venue involving interracial couples, see the well written TELL THE COURT I LOVE MY
WIFE: RACE, MARRIAGE, AND LAW - AN AMERICAN HISTORY by Peter
Wallenstein.
Emma Brown
Clare Boylan
Viking
ISBN: 0670032972 $25.95
A relatively new school off the beaten path, a gentleman drops off heiress Matilda Fitzgibbon to
attend Fulchia Lodge as a student. The three Wilcox sisters (the Bronte sisters?) who run the
school hide their excitement of having a wealthy patron as displaying vulgar pleasure in public
would be beneath the pretentious siblings. However, Matilda complains she suffers from amnesia
only remembering being sold like cattle and soon the three owners become concerned that no
money has been forthcoming as promised. Not long afterward, Matilda apparently runs away
stealing money. Kind matronly widow Isabel Chalfont, who provided some nurturing to the lonely
Matilda, is very concerned for the child. She discusses what she knows with her close friend Mr.
Ellin. He makes inquiries into what happened to Matilda including searching the mean streets of
the London slums. Matilda, who recalled her real name, sought the mother who gave her away,
but instead is now facing starvation or potential prostitution. Talk about guts. Clare Boylan takes
two chapters written by Charlotte Bronte just before the great author's death and turns that into a
delightful Victorian drama. The strong story line feels as if Bronte met Dickens with Wilkie
introducing them. The cast is powerful and the change in narration enhances how readers see the
prime players as their voice tend to reflect their respective personalities. Though the use of
coincidence moves Ellin's investigation forward and enables Matilda to get a bit closer to finding
her mother, readers will not care as Ms. Boylan furbishes a wonderful homage to the Victorian
novel, especially those of Ms. Bronte.
In the Company of Soldiers: A Chronicle of Combat
Rick Atkinson
Holt
ISBN: 0805075615 $25.00, 319 pp.
As an embedded journalist with the 101st Airborne ("Band of Brothers" fame), Pulitzer Prize
winning correspondent and military historian Richard Atkinson provides a deep look at the Iraq
War from the perspective of the American troops. Though the concentration is more on the field
grade officers, no one seems to have been left out of this effort. Readers learn how the soldier
sees things whether it is equipment and supply shortages or overages (sounds contradictory, but is
a big concern) or the individual and group safety in a hostile environs. Mr. Atkinson furbishes
insight from the moment the division is called up to leave Fort Campbell to deploy to the desert
until the capture of Baghdad when the author returns to the states. Military history buffs will
realize that the author salutes the army for their superb efforts to win a war while fighting nature
and preventing civilian casualties though not all went well. IN THE COMPANY OF SOLDIERS:
A CHRONICLE OF COMBAT is clearly anti this war yet fully supportive of the soldiers that the
books raves about as courageous, sincere, and capable. Mr. Atkinson condemns the
administration for lack of logistical planning and for its rationale for armed combat (being revised
by the winners to we did right removing an abusive dictator; if that was the cause then the
administration should have taken that thesis to the American people). Rumsfeld bashing aside, Mr.
Atkinson clearly congratulates the deserving 101st with a twenty-one gun salute.
I'm OK, You're My Parents: How to Overcome Guilt, Let Go of Anger, and Create a Relationship
That Works
Dale Atkins, PH.D
Holt
ISBN: 0805073531 $24.00, 320 pp.
This self help guide is to assist adults dealing with estranged or non-relationships with their
parents or for that matter any other adult as the suggestions apply. Dr. Dale Atkins makes a case
that the individual can only control his or her behavior and not that of the other person involved in
a dysfunctional relationship. The author furbishes steps to enable the participant to let go of their
anger and replace it with positive honest actions and reactions. This manual is easy to follow
though results are never guaranteed because there are at least two parties in the relationship, but
at least the reconciliatory member will be able to look at his or herself in the mirror and know they
tried. This work is well written and simple to use because the concentration is on changing you
not the other party. If you want to wear the shoes of the other person, try a different self help
book, but if you want to try to draw a straight line from you to other adults rather than a broken
meandering curve then I'M OK, YOU'RE MY PARENTS, is the right stuff. Just don't expect
instant miracles as the dysfunction took time to create.
Echo Bay
Richard Barre
Capra Press
ISBN: 1592660428 $25.95, 354 pp.
Once he was a star in the skiing world, thought to be sure gold medal winner at the Olympics but
an injured knee put an end to Shawn Rainey's dreams of fame and fortune. After his divorce his
ex-wife Loren has custody of the children and he has visitation rights until Loren and his
ex-manager Terry set him up so that he can't even be in the same state with his children. He's
working in a dead end job, living in a trailer and has no one he can call a friend. Terry arrives at
the trailer park offering a deal to Shawn. If he returns to his hometown of Lake Tahoe and helps
win support to raise the steamship Constance from the bottom of Echo Bay, Terry will make sure
that Shane gains access to his children again. Many people's support the venture but Catherine
Mulvhill, whose father sunk the ship instead of selling her for scrap, opposes raising the vessel.
Tempers fly in both camps and violence breaks out when Catherine's bank is torched and a big
contributor is killed. Richard Barre is an excellent storyteller, one who creates characters tat are
easy to care about flaws and all. Shane is driven to work for a man he detests because he wants
his children back and readers love him for that. The audience also will feel empathy towards
Catherine, a woman driven by her own demons and sympathy for Shane's lover who has a secret
in her past that she doesn't want exposed. The storyline is fast paced urban noir that echoes how
good Richard Barre is.
Earthquake Weather
Terrill Lee Lankford
Ballantine
ISBN: 0345467779 $24.95, 304 pp.
In recent years Los Angeles has been the epicenter of disasters with an earthquake to add to the
list but thirty-five years old Mark Hayes would live no where else. That is work no where else as
he actually lives in Sherman Oaks. Mark would like to have had some success with his career at
Warner Brothers, but though a creative executive, he has no film credit to his name. Instead he
critiques cerebral dumbing scripts. Much of Hollywood detests Mark's boss producer Dexter
Morton, who enjoys their hatred and flaunts it by inviting those who find him an abomination to
parties he host because they always come. The morning after Dexter's latest bashing bash, Mark
finds his boss dead in the swimming pool. The police feel Mark is the leading suspect though
Charity James, the former girlfriend of Mark's studio peer is also high on the casting list. Mark
and Charity begin seeking the truth from a cliched Hollywood B movie with too many subplots to
make it on the screen, but this is real life and a happy ending is not necessarily in the script. Using
the 1994 earthquake to set the stage, Terrill Lee Lankford provides an insider amateur sleuth
novel with a pinch of a police procedural tale. The story line uses real events in the background;
yet the prime thread is low key as Dexter's struggles with his boss (dead and alive) and his lack of
success. This is similar to Jackie Collins' delightful Hollywood novels, but with an emphasis on the
likeable with no empathy antihero's feeling sorry for himself woes as he faces middle age with
nothing but police trouble on his filmography.
Master of Temptation
Nicole Jordan
Ballantine
ISBN: 0804119813 $6.99, 432 pp.
In 1813, Major Maxwell Leighton takes Lieutenant John Yates home to the Mediterranean Isle of
Cyrene to die. However, under the healing of Caro Evans, a Guardian of the Sword, John
miraculously recovers. Before he returns to England, Mac and Caro make love. A year later, Max
still dreams of Caro and ponders if she would receive him if he journeyed to her island paradise.
However, to his elation, Caro is in London to inform Lord Thorne that Lady Isabella Wilde has
been captured and probably held in Algiers. As Thorne plans a rescue, Max tries to court Caro,
but she rejects his advances though she is extremely attracted to him. The cause to stop tyranny
in Europe remains her first love unless Max can persuade her that she can have her quest and him
too. This is an intriguing Regency romance that provides the audience with plenty of suspense
through the activities of a pan-Europe group actively thriving to end tyranny. Caro is an
interesting lead character as her healing prowess and her mission makes her unique for the period.
Readers will appreciate the lead male who is willing to go to the max even joining her group if
accepted to keep Caro at his side. Though acceptance of the existence of the Guardian of the
Sword group is somewhat difficult, fans will receive a strong suspense tale filled with fine
characters.
The Shifting Tide
Anne Perry
Ballantine
ISBN: 0345440099 $25.95, 352 pp.
It is 1863 in Victorian London and times are lean for private enquiry agent William Monk and his
wife Hester who receives no money for working at the clinic in Portpool Lane that provides
medical care to sick and injured prostitutes. Louvain, a powerful business man who makes a profit
in shipping, hires Monk to recovery a shipment of ivory that was stolen off his shop while it was
waiting to dock. One of the crew still on board was murdered and Monk intends to find out who
the killer is and bring him to justice even though he won't get any additional fees for it. The ivory
must be found within a certain period of time or Louvain won't be unable to pay off a creditor
who is also his rival. If that happens he won't be able to bid on a fast clipper ship that he wants to
add to his fleet. While Monk makes contacts along the river to find out who received the ivory,
Hester is battling a different kind of killer, one that hasn't been seen in Europe since the middle
ages. Anne Perry can always be counted on to write an exciting historical police procedural and
THE SHIFTING TIDE is obvious proof of this assertion. Hester and Monk battle with more than
a serial killer and that brings the focus of the tale as much on the nurse fighting a deadly disease as
the hero trying to get an innocent man off death row. There is plenty of action in Ms Perry's latest
thriller but it is the two special people who risk their lives for humanity that readers will care
about.
The Secret
Eva Hoffman
Ballantine
ISBN: 0345465369 $12.95, 272 pp.
Elizabeth Surrey told her daughter Iris that she once was a big shot Manhattan investment
consultant, but burned out over the lies required to climb the ladder and over a city that was
turning uglier by the nanosecond. Thus she quit and fled to this small college town near Chicago
looking to start over. What she didn't tell Elizabeth was much about her daddy and that the child
is a clone of the mother. The twosome is best buddies, but relationships change in 2017 when
Steven enters their lives. Elizabeth and Steven fall in love, but he cannot deal with what he feels is
the abnormal relationship between his beloved and her twelve year old daughter. A confused Iris
begins to learn more about her birthing and decides to leave home to investigate whether she has a
soul of her own or just an extension of Elizabeth as she now knows she is her mother's clone.
THE SECRET will not be kept a secret for long as readers will receive a terrific philosophical
science fiction tale that keeps the audience pondering questions of ethics and morality in modern
science. The novel is no sound byte pandering by the political leaders, but instead is a deep first
person account of a young individual wondering whether she has a soul, did her mother steal her
soul, or did her mother give her part or all of her soul. Can she go to heaven? Fans will debate
these issues and more while thinking of Phillip K. Dick (though Eva Hoffman's book contains no
violence) especially DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP as one wonders whether
Iris is Memorex or real.
Dead Wrong
Mariah Stewart
Ballantine
ISBN: 0345463927 $6.99, 416 pp.
Archer Lowell, Curtis Alan Channing, and Vince Giordano share a jail holding cell waiting for the
law to process them when all hell breaks loose as someone escapes custody. To pass time while
the complex is totally shut down, the trio discusses why they are here when the conversation turns
to who would they like to kill. They agree that to be successful they would have to exchange
victims like the Hitchcock and DeVito movies did. Not long afterward a serial killer appears
murdering three females with the same name M. Douglas as listed in order in the phone book.
Next on the list is court appointed children's advocate Mara Douglas. Her sister FBI profiler Dr.
Anne McCall calls in a favor owed her by FBI agent Aidan Shields. She wants Aidan to protect
her sibling. However, Aidan wants to refuse as he wants to go into guilty seclusion following the
death of his brother on his last assignment. Still for Anna he will do what he cam to keep Mara
safe. Moving in with her in her Philadelphia area home, Aidan and Mara fall in love, but he fears if
something happens to her he will die too. The first of Mariah Stewart's "Dead" books is a
stupendous serial killer romance starring two wonderful lead characters. The twist of who
performs the killing is provided in plain sight yet the audience will wonder whether Strangers on
the Train really occurred. Fans of tense thrillers that never let up until the climax will know that
this novel is dead on in exciting action and a breathtaking romance.
Heat Wave
Jill Marie Landis
Ballantine
ISBN: 0804120072 $19.95, 320 pp.
In Long Beach, California, private investigator Kat Vargas (first appeared in LOVER'S LANE) is
shot while working a domestic case. Her former partner Jake Montgomery persuades Kat to
recover at his house in nearby Twilight Cove while he and his wife go on vacation. Resident Ty
Chandler visits Kat wanting to hire her as a sleuth. Ty recently returned from living in Alaska for
nineteen years to spend time with his dying mother who just past away. His mom informed Ty
that his high school girlfriend Amy Simmons was pregnant when he left town. A shocked Ty
wants to meet his daughter, who he did not know existed. Kat reluctantly agrees to help Ty and
quickly locates Sunny, who has lived a rough life. Ty has a new stunner when he learns he has a
granddaughter. He also has a third strike when he falls in love with Kat, who reciprocates even
while he is trying to forge a relationship with his daughter, who has obligations elsewhere. HEAT
WAVE is an intriguing romantic suspense starring two delightful lead characters and a wonderful
support group. Though the budding love between Kat and Ty makes for a fine romance, the
underlying focus of the plot is the relationship, often dysfunctional on her part, between Ty and
Sunny. She is an engaging protagonist struggling with what is right for her daughter and her
friends at the cost of her self. Though the audience will wonder about Ty's mom hiding the truth
until she died, readers will appreciate this fine contemporary tale that does not furbish easy
answers to complex social problems.
Mimosa Grove
Dinah McCall
Mira
ISBN: 0778320294 $6.99, 384 pp.
Laurel Scanlon has inherited the curse of sight, a maddening skill passed through matriarchal lines
to the next generation's eldest female. Her father refuses to believe in this paranormal skill so the
so-called gift sent her mother off the deep end as he really was not there for her or for that matter
Laurel. To keep herself sane, Laurel avoids love, as she fears the outcome. Laurel inherits from
her maternal grandmother Mimosa Grove, an aging estate near Bayou Jean, Louisiana. Seeing
Mimosa Grove as a place to escape from the world, Laurel moves to the isolated somewhat run
down estate. However, she fails to find peace here as she senses the tragic past, but fears her
present and future more. The townsfolk know the skills of a female Scanlon especially when
Laurel finds a missing child using her gift. However, Laurel is shook to her core when she realizes
that the child's uncle Justin Bouvier is her soul mate at least in her dreams if she dares to reach out
for love even as someone stalks her with obviously bad intentions in mind for her. This exciting
paranormal romantic suspense stars a terrific lead protagonist who struggles between desire and
fear of love. The story line is loaded with non-stop action, in some ways too much as the plot
meanders with unnecessary twists. Because most of the audience fails to share Laurel's gift, fans
will remain visiting MIMOSA GROVE until the end to see who stalks the heroine and whether
Justin can overcome her relationship phobia.
Pale Moon Rising
Ginna Grey
Mira
ISBN: 0778320324 $6.50, 384 pp.
In the Savannah area Joe Connally married pregnant Olivia "Livvie" Jones because he felt it was
the right thing to do. However, when Olivia miscarried, both mutually agreed that they no longer
had a reason to remain married and simply dissolved the contract. Joe moved on, but besides
nursing the hurt of losing her child, Olivia's was heart broken, as she loved her spouse. Fourteen
years later, though the architect is Joe, interior designer, Olivia wins the bid to work the highly
desirable restoration of Mallenegua, a massive stone mansion located on South Carolina barrier
Mallen Island. With no child except perhaps the mansion between them, Joe should easily walk
away again as his family led by his haughty mother Eleanore wants him to do. This time he
realizes what he lost when he left and wants Olivia back as his wife forever. Olivia still loves Joe,
but cannot trust him with her heart as he deserted her when she needed him most, but soon will
need to have faith in him as danger mounts from a potentially lethal plot. Aside from the mom
from hell that just seems off kilter, fans will enjoy reading this second chance at love suspense
thriller. The story line focuses on Joe's efforts to prove that this time he will stay forever though
his beloved doubts him and his mother leading their family wants him to avoid Olivia. A threat
that leaves Olivia in danger seems unnecessary except for enabling Joe to have a chance at
confirming he will be there for her. Still fans will appreciate this tale as Olivia must depend on a
man distrusts with her heart.
Beyond Compare
Candace Camp
Mira
ISBN: 0778320308 $6.99, 416 pp.
To the aristocrats of Victorian England, wealthy Kyria "The Goddess" Moreland refuses the catch
of the decade, but she refuses to marry unless love is part of the equation. She has rejected many
of London's finest because none of these hunks moves her soul. Kyria receives a package that
places her in danger from a killer who murdered the delivery person proving a willingness to
commit homicide to retrieve the black diamond that she now possesses. American Rafe McIntyre
realizes the extent of peril confronting Kyria. He tries to keep her safe, but she refuses to hide in
fear. Instead, the intrepid Goddess begins investigating the diamond, placing herself at even
greater risk as she unravels the enigma of a priceless antiquity. However, the biggest fear comes
from falling in love with Rafe, whose acrimonious past makes him a poor candidate as the God to
the Goddess. This is a fun romantic suspense starring two wonderful protagonists thrown into a
danger patch that gives love the opportunity to blossom. The kill the messenger villain pales next
to the heroic Rafe and the intrepid Kyria. Historical romantic thriller fans will enjoy this
quick-paced delightful tale mindful of DON'T LOOK BACK and SLIGHTLY SHADY.
The Ocean Between Us
Susan Wiggs
Mira
ISBN: 0778320359 $19.95, 384 pp.
For two decades Grace Bennett has been the perfect navy wife to her beloved Steve while
traveling the globe when her husband gets restationed and raising their three delightful children.
So why is the devoted family matriarch feeling worthless and dissatisfied? Perhaps it is simply that
her youngest is in ninth grade and like her older siblings needs mom less, but Grace thinks it goes
deeper as she believes it is her identity that she lost. Steve is bewildered by Grace's sudden change
of heart towards him, as he believes that his career proves how much he cares for his family. Now
deployed, he knows his marriage is in jeopardy especially since Grace has established a
communication black out. He refuses to accept that he lost her without going down fighting as he
loves his wife and children, but panics that Grace will not be there when he redeploys. When
Stephen's ship is in troubled waters, Grace may not have a choice whether to remain a sailor's
spouse with the overseas danger to her husband and the rest of the sailors on board. THE
OCEAN BETWEEN US excitingly plays out on two levels. There is the conflict between Grace
and Stephen that serves as a reminder of how much family members sacrifice so that their loved
ones can serve in a military that constantly ships out to hot spots (whom else but the military and
their family have really sacrificed anything for the Global War on Terrorism?). The second theme
is an action subplot that shows how dangerous the world is. Both the relationship drama and the
naval suspense thriller combine to make a terrific thought provoking tale.
Devil Takes a Bride
Gaelen Foley
Ivy
ISBN: 0804119759 $6.99
In 1805 actress, Ginny Highgate flees the abuse of her lover Lord Quentin "Damage" Randall
hoping to find solace with her birth name Mary Harris and her birthplace in Ireland. She took
teenager Johnny with her because Quentin's pal Carstairs was sodomizing the lad. At an inn still in
England, Quentin catches up to her. When scholarly aristocrat Stephen Strathmore intercedes on
Mary's behalf, Quentin shoots him. Carstairs cleans up the mess by setting fire to the inn.
Stephen's son Devlin is devastated when the news reaches him at school that his parents are dead
and assumed so is his sister. In 1817, Devlin has gathered enough information about the deaths of
his family to know that Damage, Carstairs the Pervert and a third pal killed them. He pretends to
be a wastrel so that he can befriend his enemies, but panics when Aunt Augusta's companion
sends him a note that she is very ill. He rushes to see his aunt, but he finds her healthy. Angry he
takes Elizabeth Carlisle to task though he also admires her loyalty to her employer. He soon falls
in love with Elizabeth who reciprocates his feelings, but first there is the matter of three killers.
Fans will appreciate this exciting Regency romantic suspense starring two delightful protagonists.
Devlin is very complex while Elizabeth is a nurturing soul. Readers will want them to make it
while also hope that justice is served. It would be fool's Foley for sub-genre fans to miss this
delightful Hawkscliffe companion piece (Elizabeth once hoped that Alec Knight would love her as
she did him).
Heart of the Hunter
Tina St. John
Ivy
ISBN: 0345459946 $6.99
The magical kingdom of Anavrin is separated from the outside world by a veil. When the queen
gives birth, the king's sister goes to the sacred well to fill the Dragon Chalice with water as part of
a ceremony. She overhears a man crying for help on the other side of the veil so she crosses
leaving the sacred cup on her side. She takes the injured man across the veil. Later when she
learns that her brother will kill the outsider, she helps him cross back to the mortal side only to
learn he stole the chalice and brought it with him. The chalice bursts into light and the four stones
are dispatched. Years pass until 1275 in London Lady Ariana needs escort to rescue her brother
Kenrick held captive in France. She hires a guide Ferrand de Paris who plans to sell her into
slavery. However, Braedon Le Chasser rescues her. Ariana tries to persuade Braedon to take her
to France where she is to deliver a satchel of information to save her sibling, but the information
on the Dragon Chalice probably will mean the deaths of the siblings. This is an exciting historical
romantic fantasy that fans of the sub-genre will appreciate. The story line is action-packed
whether the events occur in Anavrin, England, or France. Ariana is an intrepid heroine while
Braedon is more of a former heroic champion. The chalice provides a fresh element typically not
seen in a historical so that the audience receives a delightfully entertaining tale that will have
everyone prime for the sequel.
Sunset and Sawdust
Joe R. Lansdale
Knopf
ISBN: 0375414533 $22.00, 321 pp.
In Depression Era East Texas, Constable Pete Jones assaults his wife Sunset before he rapes her.
Badly abused and bruised, and in fear that he will one day kill her and beat the rap, Sunset takes
Pete's gun and kills him. While she murders her spouse, a cyclone destroys most of their home.
She is not charged with homicide not because she was protecting herself, but because no one liked
the abuse of power pistol Pete. After healing, Sunset is elected to complete Pete's term as
constable though most doubt her capability to do the job. As she sets out to prove her worth,
Sunset investigates the corpse of a baby that leads to a second dead body, crazy grasshoppers and
Klansmen, and unethical oil dealers all leading to her beating the bushes questioning folks who
seem more at home in a chainsaw massacre. The setting is typical Lansdale, which means East
Texas. The cast is also typical Lansdale, which means eccentrics running loose outside the
asylum.' The era is atypical Lansdale as he takes the audience back to the 1930s. The results is
typical Lansdale, which means a wacky wonderful tale that seems just out of control yet somehow
comes together to provide readers especially the author's fans with a fabulous crazed time.
Miriam the Medium
Rochelle Jewel Shapiro
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0743244788 $23.00 320 pp.
Miriam Kaminsky is a phone psychic who works out of her house in the New York area. Her
husband pharmacist Rory owns Mirror Pharmacy, which is suffering financial troubles. Her
teenage daughter Cara is a high school senior. Miriam actually has powers and her readings are
quite accurate, but her two family members are ashamed of her work and skill. Coupled with her
deceased mom feeling the same way, Miriam hides her talent. As her trust in her gift wanes due to
family reaction, Miriam goes on TV to make money. Her efforts alienate her further with her
husband and daughter. When their daughter turns up missing, only Miriam can find her if she
listens to her deceased grandma Bubbie and believe that her skills are real. If she fails to trust
herself, Cara could die from exposure. This is an enjoyable contemporary drama with a touch of
late suspense and a ton of intriguing paranormal activity. Fans will appreciate the dilemma
confronting Miriam as she so much wants her loved one, living and dead, to appreciate her talent,
but when no one except Bubbie does, her confidence is impacted. Except for a final unnecessary
clip showing Cara's boyfriend as a womanizing rat, this reviewer foresees that readers will take
immense pleasure in following the exploits of MIRIAM THE MEDIUM.
Nighttime Is My Time
Mary Higgins Clark
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 074320607X $25.95, 370 pp.
She would prefer to ignore the invitation to return to Stonecraft Academy for her class' twentieth
anniversary reunion, but renowned historian Jean Sheridan is one of six recipients being honored
at the gala for their accomplishments. Still the award would not have propelled Jean to return to
the academy, but posthumously honoring another winner is the reason for the author to drive to
Croton on the Hudson to attend the festivities. At the hotel, Jean receives a fax that follows up on
a package sent to her that contains evidence that someone kidnapped her teenage child, who she
gave up for adoption at birth. She is further stunned when attendee Laura Wilcox followed by
Robby Brent vanish. When Laura calls to confess that she sent the fax and wants to meet Jean, the
historian has no idea the danger she will be stepping into. The serial killer the Owl has made a
home at Stonecraft Academy and Jean would be a prize addition to the victim list of at least five
from the class of two decades ago. Though the plot seems anemic in spite of a serial killer and the
abduction, the suspense is at its usual stratospheric levels as expected from a Mary Higgins Clark
thriller. The story line focuses on the Professor dealing with two crises that interconnect with her.
Readers will appreciate the heroism of the reluctant female champion as she grits her teeth and
goes forth to do battle against an unknown enemy who might be abetted by a peer betrayer. Ms.
Clark shows why she is amongst the top echelon of psychological suspense authors with this taut
tale.
A Family of Her Own
Brenda Novak
Harlequin SuperRomance
ISBN: 0373711956 $5.25, 298 pp.
Two years ago, Katie Rogers and Andy Bray left Dundee, Idaho together with hopes for the
future in San Francisco. Now Katie comes home tired, disillusioned about life especially men,
feeling like a loser, and pregnant. Her parents refuse to take her back as they feel she made her
bed. Two years ago, Booker Robinson pleaded with Katie not to leave with Andy as he loved her.
She felt the ex-con was not ready for marriage and family while Andy who was of good family
came through for her with her senior citizen project. While Katie found Andy's self adulation
overwhelming, Booker establishes a successful automobile repair business. Though he does not
want to see the woman he still loves, Booker provides her a place to stay. As they become
reacquainted with one another, their affection resurfaces, but she broke his heart and Andy
destroyed her trust in people so love may prove futile especially when you factor in that it is
Andy's child she carries. A FAMILY OF HER OWN is an entertaining contemporary romance
starring two walking wounded individuals and a sold support cast. A bit of police a procedural
adds tension between the lead duo, but seems unnecessary as they carry enough scarred history to
cover the tale. The "I told you so" attitude of her parents feels harsh especially since she is
carrying their grandchild and readers will understand why as that augments a fine second chance
at love story.
For the Sake of His Child
Bonnie K. Winn
Harlequin SuperRomance
ISBN: 0373711999 $5.25, 296 pp.
In San Antonio the Cadillac driver purposely runs Kirk Alder off the road killing him. Not long
after that tragedy, his daughter Sarah commits suicide. Grieving wife and mother Brynn flees their
home where the memories hurt to start over in Walburg, the heart of Texas Hill Country. Feeling
she failed her daughter, Brynn works one on one with troubled youth. Canyon Construction Chief
Engineer Jake McKenzie asks for help with his disturbed twelve year old Andrea who he loves
dearly. Her mother abandoned her last year and Jake trots all over the world. A bone-tired Brynn
says no because she needs a breather having just worked with a child. Jake ignores her refusal and
brings Andrea to meet Brynn, who sees Sarah in the child's mannerisms. Though mentally
exhausted Brynn agrees to help the preadolescent. As Brynn fears for her life knowing someone
has stalked her since her spouse died, she falls in love with Jake and Andrea. He reciprocates, but
both must overcome the failures of their respective first marriages. Though the suspense subplot
seems out of place (a vehicle accident and a suicide would have sufficed) and the emotional
baggage of the lead couple is stratospheric, contemporary romance readers will enjoy this
insightful second chance at love tale. Brynn is a wonderful protagonist struggling with the bean
balls that life has hurled at her. Though Andrea is a solid pre-teen in trouble and Jake is a tyro
learning to show his love, Brynn steals the show as she senses deja vu with his child. This is a
solid tale of three people in trouble.
Mommy Said Goodbye
Janice Kay Johnson
Harlequin SuperRomance
ISBN: 0373711972 $5.25, 296 pp.
In Klickitat, Julie Lofgren was a devoted mother to her two preadolescent children and president
of the local Parent-Teacher Organization. Then she vanished. Everyone in town believes her
husband Craig killed Julie, but no evidence surfaced over the next eighteen months since she
disappeared and their son Brett insisted his "MOMMY SAID GOODBYE". Brett has Julie's
friend Robin McKinnon as his teacher this year. Robin surprisingly is perhaps the only person in
town who believes what the two Lofgen males have to say about Julie. As Robin and Craig
become reacquainted with one another, they fall in love. However, he still carries a cloud over his
head and both have children to nurture. Police Officer Anne Caldwell tries a different investigative
path that if fruitful will hurt the image of her deceased father (the former cop on this case). Craig
has new hopes that he will be vindicated and can go on with his life with perhaps Robin and her
son joining his and his two children in one happy family but he also realizes that Anne's father is
the one who believed he committed homicide. Fans of police procedural romance will want to
read the exciting MOMMY SAID GOODBYE. The story line predominantly concentrates on
Craig and his two children coping with being either pitiful cretins or vile pariahs. Robin is a
refreshing individual unable to accept that this kind hearted father of two could kill his wife. The
investigation by Ann is handled deftly so as to augment the prime tale with suspense and keep
readers wondering what happened to Julie.
It Should Happen to You
Kathleen O'Reilly
Harlequin Temptation
ISBN: 0373691718 $4.25, 217 pp.
In Chicago, physicist Mickey Coleman regrets getting drunk at a bachelorette party and behaving
out of character by having sex with John an intern, who taped their session. John tries to
blackmail Mickey into more sex by threatening to release the tape on the internet. Though that
would shatter her father and hurt her career studying galaxy density differentiation at the
Astrophysical Science Research Center, Mickey decides to steal the tape. She tells her
bachelorette pact pal Beth about her dilemma. Beth arranges for Mickey to meet thief Dominic
Corlucci, who wants to say no, but reluctantly agrees to help Mickey. As they work together to
snatch the tape, they fall in love. She wonders if she can reform this bad boy unaware that the
thief who captured her heart is an undercover cop trying to find evidence of a kickback scheme
involving a local alderman. This is an engaging contemporary romance starring a brilliant scientist
and an intelligent police officer. The tale is fun to follow as Mickey realizes she is falling in love
with the wrong type of guy and Dominic knows his work does not allow for permanent
relationships. The latest bachelorette pact tale is a wonderful under the covers romance.
Her Private Dancer
Cami Dalton
Harlequin Temptation
ISBN: 0373691726 $4.25, 217 pp.
Rather then work undercover with the cops who are trying to blackmail her into doing so,
showgirl Tiffany Deveraux flees to the Caribbean while asking her ballet dance instructor sister to
impersonate her at Miami's Mirage Hotel. Reluctantly Phoebe leaves San Francisco for her
hometown only because her sister is pregnant. Phoebe sells the reluctant police that she can do
what they need done. At the Mirage, Phoebe is stunned to see Trace McGraw, who she liked in
high school, perform as a stripper. As they become reacquainted, Phoebe and Trace fall in love.
However, he wonders how she will react when she learns he is an undercover reporter trying to
find evidence that the Mirage is involved in mob business and his beloved's sister might be in the
middle of the illegal activity. This is an entertaining contemporary romance starring two lead
characters who have no idea that the other is working undercover and not as a dance-stripper.
The story line is fast-paced as everyone wants to prove Mafia dealings, but the final twist will fool
readers though hindsight knows it was obvious. Fans will appreciate this heated under the covers
romance due to the misconceptions on the part of everyone including the reader. This is a terrific
tale by a fine author.
Forbidden
Tori Carrington
Harlequin Blaze
ISBN: 037379133X $4.50, 248 pp.
Though he has not been in Toledo, Ohio in well over a year, Leah Dubois Burger has not
forgotten J. T. West. She gave up her life as the happily bored spouse of Dan for a fling with J.T.
who left her with the baggage of divorce and nothing to show for it except memories, good, bad
and ugly. Leah knows her eleven years old daughter Sami still does not understand why daddy is
not living with them. Though she wonders if her ex-spouse would take her back, she knows she
would be doing him a disservice as she only wants J.T. to touch her even though the rat left
without a word. J.T. regrets what he did to Leah, the woman he loves. He dreams of her
everyday. Though he knows he must let her get on with her life, J.T. needs to see her again
though he has nothing he can provide beyond the moment for he is a man with no future as
befitting someone on the run. J.T. is an interesting lost soul who readers will feel for and hope for
the best. Sami and Dan are nice support characters who deserve better than what Leah does to
them. On the other hand Leah's behavior makes her very unsympathetic though quite realistic as
readers will dislike what she does to Dan and Sami. Still fans will hope Dan finds happiness and
J.T. can straighten out his life and take Leah as his wife. FORBIDDEN is a solid interesting
relationship drama, just not quite as terrific as Team Carrington tales usually are.
The Engagement
Kate Bridges
Harlequin
ISBN: 0373293046 $5.25
In 1891 Alberta, Dr. Virginia Waters waits for her fiance Mounties marksman Zack "Bulls-eye"
Bullock to come home. The couple has not seen one another in years, but he felt obligated to
offer marriage when his brother, engaged to Virginia for six years, married someone else. When
the train arrives in town, an explosion occurs. Two Mounties are killed and Zack is wounded as
someone shot him during the chaos. As Zack heals, he realizes that his fiancee is a target of an
enemy James Stiller, whose brother he killed. To keep Virginia safe, Zack publicly breaks their
engagement though that breaks his heart to do so. However his actions fail as someone tries to
shoot Virginia. Admitting the truth to her, she tells him that once Stiller is stopped she never
wants to see either of the Bullock brothers again. Zack plans to change her mind with three kisses
as the Mounties always get, in this case, their woman, but first must keep her safe from Stiller.
Virginia makes the tale as she is intrepid and feisty as expected of a female medical practitioner in
the late nineteenth century. The action never slows down from the moment the dynamite strikes
the train until the final confrontation between the villain and his cohorts vs. Zack and his
supporters. Fans of historical romantic suspense will appreciate this warm bridge back to Calgary
during a bygone era and will want to read the author's first Canadian tale THE SURGEON.
The Matchmaker's Plan
Karen Toller Whittenburg
Harlequin American
ISBN: 0373750188 $4.75, 248 pp.
Matchmaker Ainsley Danville Donovan sees how her new friend and fellow volunteer at the clinic
Peyton O'Reilly and her brother Matt seem perfect together. Matt thinks otherwise as he finds the
Louisiana belle quite annoying. Still he feels a strong attraction towards her and to her surprise
Peyton feels the same way towards the cold New England bossy head of the Danville Foundation.
A dance fostered on them by Ainsley ultimately leads to Matt and Peyton sharing a terrific night
of sex, but nothing further comes of it. Ainsley is stunned by the morning after reaction by her
sibling and her pal, as she knows this match is meant to be forever. However, neither wants to go
down the aisle to something permanent. Peyton changes her mind when she realizes she is
carrying Matt's child and tries to "blackmail" him into marriage. Still Ainsley has her work cut out
to match her obstinate sibling and her stubborn pal who share much in common yet ignore the
love they feel for one another love. The latest matchmaker's tale (see THE MATCHMAKER'S
APPRENTICE and THE MATCHMAKER'S SISTER) is a delightful charmer starring two
stubborn souls. Readers will think Matt is a wonderful protagonist and in Peyton he seems to have
met his match (at least that is what his sister believes). Even with Peyton amorally using his
fatherly rights as an inappropriate weapon (though it happens all the time) against Matt, which
will take her down a peg in the audience's mind, fans will enjoy the latest matchmaking
romance.
Flirting with Trouble
Leandra Logan
Harlequin American
ISBN: 037375020X $4.75, 251 pp.
Socialite Amanda Pierpoint decides to end her reign as the queen of New York gossip column
sound bites by finding herself a suitable spouse. Both goals will please her media magnate father.
However, dad selects his assistant Trevor Sinclair as her husband to be and she overhears his
reasons for marrying the socialite. An angry Amanda skips town after dying her hair. She finds the
name of a debutante from her Berkley days, Ivy Waterman who lives in Fairlane, Oregon.
Deciding that is the perfect place to hide as no one would suspect a jet setter of being there,
Amanda flees New York. In Fairlane, she takes a room in a boardinghouse; Amanda thinks her
neighbor Dr. Brett Hanson is physically perfect. However, his past include an ex-wife and a
delightful daughter Tess. Still Amanda and Brett fall in love, but what will happen to their
relationship when her identity and his secret surface. This debutante meets the doctor is a reversal
of the Tammy movies and fans will appreciate this fine tale starring two fine lead characters and
an eccentric host of supporting players. Though the plot is limited and very sugary, the cast more
than makes up for it as readers receive an enjoyable tale of what really matters in life, a lesson
taught by Brett and Tess to a willing student Amanda.
Stress and the City
Stephanie Rowe
Harlequin Flipside
ISBN: 0373441878 $4.50, 218 pp.
Stress management consultant Cassie Halloway feels good though her relationship with her
cheating former fiance Drew Smothers is over. At a New Year's Eve party in Connecticut, to
prove to her best friend Leo, a nagging Drew, and especially herself that she has moved on,
Cassie shares a kiss with Ty whom she just met. However, the lip pairing proves a shock to her
system greater than any she had with her former beau and Ty feels as if his blood turned into a
tsunami. Engaged and faithful to his "little sister" Alexis though he does not love her, Ty Parker
finds his stress level off the barometer since the kiss. His plan to avoid Cassie fails when he is her
client showing him how to reduce his tension. Ty realizes that Cassie will not succeed as his sex
stress level has exploded off the Richtor Scale since he desires her more any woman he has met
including his future wife. Cassie abates her own problem with the chocolate therapy solution, but
those sweets do not compare to the sweetness of Ty's lips. Except for Drew, the cast of STRESS
AND THE CITY is an intelligent caring group that the audience will appreciate especially the lead
couple, his brother Zach, Leo, and Alexis are fully developed warm people. In spite of love and
sexual need, Ty behaves honorably (in contrast to that dope Drew) by staying faithful to the
woman he is to marry even if it hurts. Readers will enjoy this amusing frolic and expect a wilder
Rowe with the tale of Leo vs. Zach.
Wanted: An Interesting Life
Bev Katz Rosenbaum
Harlequin Flipside
ISBN: 0373441886 $4.50, 217 pp.
As her thirtieth birthday is on the horizon and reflecting back on high school pal Ron Bernstein,
Lou Bergman pledges to turn from boringly dependable to a capital I interesting person that
everyone will want to meet. She establishes a plan with specific goals to achieve starting with
changing jobs from wedding videographer to screenwriter. Finally, she will leave behind her
boringly dependable friends especially her old reliable nemesis Havajava Cafe owner Jake Roth to
achieve her one-year objective of becoming the queen of the in crowd. The only problems with
her scenario is that Lou likes the friends she plans to leave behind and fears never seeing her
opponent Jake again. To Jake, Lou is already the most enthralling person in the universe as he
loves her and has an agenda of his own to finally win her heart starting with a wager they make
over Columbian coffee that she will realize in one year how good it really was. Though the ending
reads right out of a happy ending to a Hollywood script, fans of contemporary romance will enjoy
this often amusing and witty battle of the sexes. The interesting story line entertains readers as
Lou thinks she knows what she wants while Jake does know what he wants so that the bet is even
more interesting to follow. Readers will gain plenty of pleasure as Lou learns what really is
interesting with a capital L.
Just One Look
Harlan Coben
Dutton
ISBN: 0525947914 $25.95, 384 pp.
Grace Lawson met her husband while in France and for her it was deja vu, a feeling that he was
her soulmate and logically he felt the same way to. They married and moved back to the states
and are living in their own home with their beautiful children. They are very happy together until
the day Grace goes to the photo store to pick up some pictures they developed. One of them
doesn't belong with the rest. It is a picture of two young women and three men taken a couple of
decades ago and she thinks one of the men in the photo is Jack. When she shows him the picture,
he stonewalls her by going into another room and shortly after he drives away from the house.
Grace waits for him to return, but he never comes home so she goes to the police. Jack calls her
using a code word to tell her he's in trouble. The man who kidnapped Jack also killed many others
and he isn't hesitating to murder Grace if she keeps on asking questions. Harlan Coben writes a
superb crime thriller using so many red herrings, twists and turns that readers keep their eyes
glued to the pages trying to figure out who is after whom and who is the mastermind calling the
shots. The heroine is a strong willed person who refuses, even in the face of threats, to stop
looking for her husband though one must wonder about the safety of the children. When she does
find him, it is in less than ideal circumstances. JUST ONE LOOK is one of the most satisfying
crime thrillers of 2004.
Lisa Maria's Guide for the Perplexed
Susan Hubbard
Red Dress
ISBN: 0373250614 $12.95
Nearing thirty, Lisa Marie Marino lost her advertising job in New York City so she came home to
find work in New Sparta, New York. Besides writing an advice column, Lisa finds work as a
household assistant. She cleans as little as possible and bosses her clients around until she meets
Bob. Client writer Bob McAllister finds Lisa intelligent, pretty, and domineering. Still he enjoys
her help when he needs a special word or phrase. Lisa finds herself attracted to Bob and actually
uses elbow grease to keep his home spotless. Though her mom tosses her high school boyfriend at
her, Bob and Lisa fall in love, but he panics and begins seeing Charlene "the Cosmopolitan"
centerfold. Lisa stops cleaning for him, sending her sister instead, but Bob knows he made a
mistake as he misses his Lisa and will do anything to get her to be his beloved forever cleaning
lady. This is a fun contemporary romance totally carried off by the charming con artist slacker.
The rest of the cast is there to add depth to Lisa Marie and thus are not fully developed except in
relation to the key protagonist. Still Lisa Marie carries the show as she is fun to follow whether
she uses a deodorized spray to make the room seem like it is clean when mostly she watches TV,
raids the refrigerator or when she assists Bob with his work. Fans will delight in the antics of this
freeloading fraudulent friendly female.
Getting Personal
Chris Manby
Red Dress
ISBN: 0373250606 $12.95, 384 pp.
In London, singles Ruby Taylor, Louisa Capshaw, and Martin Ashcroft attend a wedding where
they learn that the bride and groom met through a personal ad at the Telegraph. The three friends
wonder why not one of them ever meet their significant other so they form the Lonely Hearts
Club and agree to try ads. Lou writes one for Martin; Martin scribes one for Ruby; and Ruby
creates one for Lou. As the ads are answered, Ruby detests anyone going out with Martin. He
feels the same way about those blind dates taking out Ruby. While Lou finds her dates lacking,
Ruby and Martin become jealous as each one now knows who their significant other is, but will
either risk a cherished friendship to become potentially friend and lover or will both hide their
heart from the other? As for Lou she tries a different path for her quest for happiness. Chris
Manby allows her readers to get personal with the three musketeers as each seeks love. Though
mostly a light romp, the amusing story line contains moments of pathos and weird twists
especially concerning Lou and the stranger on the train. Chick lit fans will enjoy this tale because
the Lonely Heart Club members provide a peppery plot.
It's Not You It's Me
Allison Rushby
Red Dress
ISBN: 0373250584 $12.95, 352 pp.
Three years ago, waitress slash sculptor Charlie Notting advertised for a roommate and rock
musician Jasper "Jas" Ash responded and moved in. Over the next few months as Jas goes
through a different woman every week, Charlie falls in love with him. The day before Jas is to
leave her to fulfill a music contract; they succumb and begin to make love. However, Jas stops
insisting it has nothing to do with Charlie. She is hurt and tells him she never wants to see him
again. Charlie's friends and family gift her with a trip to London feeling she deserves it. On the
plane, she encounters Jas who is a rising superstar. They agree to tour Europe together though
Charlie fears she will be hurt. However, this Jas will do whatever it takes to prove to Charlie that
it was not her and that he loves her as he did three years ago. First he must re-earn her trust.
Readers will be very surprised why Jas failed to make love to Charlie, but though difficult to
accept, the reason is reasonable in this gender bending contemporary romance. The fun story line
uses flashbacks to show the first ill-fated relationship between the lead couple, which can prove a
bit confusing, but worth the trip back to compare how far the twosome have come in three years.
Chick lit readers will appreciate Charlie and her feeling of inadequacy while at first hissing at Jas,
but as the audience becomes acquainted with him will like him and when they learn the truth
cherish him. Allison Rushby writes a pleasant tale of love.
Bombshell
Lynda Curnyn
Red Dress
ISBN: 0373250576 $12.95, 336 pp.
Thirty four years old Grace Noonan is having sex with her lover when his condom breaks inside
her. While she calmly considers her options if pregnant, he blithely demand she go out and buy
that French pill. Grace ends their relationship as she thinks "alone again, naturally". At work as
production manager at Roxanne Dubrow cosmetics for mature women, Grace learns that the
company is taking a major turn to sponsor the Roxy D line for teens. Feeling a bit (make that a
lot) too old for a teen campaign, Grace still dives full throttle into the project, which brings her to
Jonathan Somerfield also working the change in direction. Besides their fathers being friends at
Columbia, Grace feels attracted to Jonathan, who cannot believe this amazingly beautiful thirty
something is so much more mature than the picture of her at sixteen that his father has. Still with
business and sires to overcome, can Grace and Jonathan find a mutual path to happiness?
BOMBSHELL is an entertaining contemporary romance starring two likable lead characters.
Grace is a terrific female trying to make it in a very competitive world in which anyone over thirty
is considered geriatric at best and a DOP (politically correct dirty old person) at worst. Jonathan
is a solid male counterpoint to Grace especially after the shortcomings (not that silly) of her
previous lover. Fans of a lighthearted romantic romp will enjoy the cosmetics war between the
generations.
The Witches' Kitchen
Cecelia Holland
Forge
ISBN: 0312848862 $24.95, 384 pp.
Fifteen years have passed since Corban Loosestrife came to his home in Ireland to find his family
dead except for his twin sister. He rescued her, killed Jorvik King Eric Bloodaxe who murdered
his family and raped his sister. Corban, his beloved Benna and others took refuge in Vinland (see
THE SOUL THIEF). Though now a family man and farmer, Corban knows the blood oaths still
tie him to Ireland and Denmark and his belief is proven when the Viking ship arrives to bring him
back to the King. Corban's son Conn and nephew Raef join him as he journeys to where Eric's
widow Gunnhild and her son the monarch await him while leaving the women behind on what
surely must be a dangerous venture. The peril at sea and on land mounts and Corban panics when
his two young compatriots are separated from him. Worse he and his relatives may be caught in
the crosshairs of Viking nobles and the Danish Christian King. If Corban lives and overcomes his
guilt over the fates of his son and nephew, he must placate Gunnhild, probably the toughest task
of all. Though more historical, THE WITCHES' KITCHEN contains strong fantasy and
supernatural elements that not only fit inside the story line, but enhances the action. The tale
focuses on Corban as he struggles with feelings of guilt that seem to compound as he and his
cohorts journey through treacherous territory. Cecelia Holland furbishes a wonderful drama that
has cross-genre appeal.
Death of A Thousand Cuts
Barbara D'Amato
Forge
ISBN: 0765303450 $24.95, 336 pp.
It has been fifteen years The Hawthorne House School for the Treatment of Autistic Children
closed its doors but this weekend the founders, doctors, counselors and some former patients are
having a reunion. Dr. Jay Schermerthorn, the designer of the protocols, is looked upon as an
expert in his field since he had such good results with his treatment. He is now writing books and
is going to be the medical expert for a television station on medical information. The morning
after the first night of the reunion, Dr. Schermerthorn is found dead in the basement, the victim of
torture. Detectives Emily Folkestone and Ollie Parker believe that this was a premeditated killing
done by someone who hated the victim very much. The more they investigate, the more they
realize that the doctor was a charlatan who abused the kids under his care. Emily and Ollie are
being pressured by the higher-ups to make a quick arrest but the cops believe the only real suspect
they have is innocent. Hopefully Emily and Ollie will be featured in other novels because they
make such a dynamite team and give readers an inside look on how a high-profile case is
conducted as politics interferingly come into play. Many people had reason to hate the victim but
Emily doesn't know how to examine autistic adults so the case gets even more complex. Barbara
D'Amato has written whole about families not just the person with the disability. DEATH OF A
THOUSAND CUTS is another excellent mystery by Ms. D'Amato.
The Frasers: Clay
Ana Leigh
Pocket
ISBN: 0743469941 $6.99
In 1865 Vermont widow Rebecca Elliot makes it to Independence, Missouri where she plans to
join a wagon train heading to California where her brother lives. Though she purchased a wagon
with mules, she learns that single women including widows are not allowed on the wagon train as
they cause too much of a dangerous distraction. She needs a husband by the morning or she will
be left behind. Though she feels guilty, she uses her wiles to cons Clay Fraser into coming into her
hotel room, getting him drunk, and having a judge marry them. The next morning Clay is irate as
his brother Garth chuckles. Though his trust in females is zero following his fiancee's jilting him
and his sister's elopement, Clay warns her he expects conjugal rights, which she refuses. On the
trail, Clay admires his wife's spunk and soon he and Rebecca fall in love, but he is the poster boy
for Johnny Reb and she is the grieving widow who blames him and his kind for killing her spouse
at the beginning of the war. This intriguing western romance stars two fine protagonists who
display the impact of the Civil War though the fighting is over. Rebecca has no options left in
New England as a war widow and she loathes the South; Clay saw his relationship with his
fiancee end while he dodged bullets a carpetbagger married her. Together this delightful couple
struggle not to fall in love while Garth and the reader chuckle at their failure to achieve their
stated shared objective during their gender battles. This is a fine tale and hopefully Garth's
romance will follow soon.
An Accidental Greek Wedding
Carol Grace
Pocket
ISBN: 0743467639 $6.99, 384 pp.
CPA Jane Atwood has loved Alex Woods since they first met as lab partners at college about ten
years ago. However, Alex fell in love her roommate Sofia Leonakis. Now Alex and Sofia are
marrying on the Greek isle of Mios near where her wealthy family lives. However, Alex and Sofia
get into a fight over his desire to quit her father's company. The next day, Alex and Jane learn that
Sofia has run off apparently with a local fisherman. They follow the only clue, a matchbook from
Cavo d'Oro on the isle Andros. As they search a nude beach and remain in close proximity, Alex
falls in love with Jane. Now he needs to gracefully end his relationship with Sofia and persuade
Jane that she is not plain to him. This Aegean Sea romance is a fun tale starring a delightful lead
pair, who does not realize that they are an ideal couple. The story line is character driven from the
manipulative theatrics of Sofia to Jane's clumsiness when her beloved is near to Alex realizing
who turns him on while strolling on a nudist beach (wonder why he was brain dead before that
naked walk). With a vast Greek family to round out the nuptials, fans will appreciate this warm
contemporary tale.
Celeste
V.C. Andrews
Pocket
ISBN: 0743428625 $7.99
Twins Noble and Celeste Atwell are part of a close knit family though their Mommy Sarah favors
her son over her daughter. Mommy takes the children to purchase amulets to ward off evil over
the concerns of her increasingly worried husband Arthur that Sarah is over the edge and their kids
are suffering. Not long afterward, Arthur, a skeptic of mystic powers, dies from a cerebral
aneurism. Mommy knows that the spirits took Arthur away because he failed to heed her advice
about protection. Mommy becomes displeased and concerned when Celeste displays mystical
prowess before Noble. At a nearby stream, Celeste and Noble push and pull with his fishing rod.
When she lets go, he falls, cracks his head on a rock, and dies in the accident. Mommy is stunned
that her "daughter" died as from now on Celeste is to be Noble and she is so convincing that the
authorities believe the female twin died. Though a bit confused, Celeste's personality wanes over
the years as with Mommy's impetus Noble takes over until adolescence sets in encouraged by
Elliot moving next door. Though CELESTE is the author's usual theme of a dysfunctional family
in which the suffering of the children from deranged adults surface in adolescence, C.V. Andrews
provides an intriguing thriller. Still the initial reactions that Celeste could not pose as Noble and
how did the authorities get fooled are overcome when one realizes how isolated the twins were
and how Mommy believed that the girl died. Though Mommy seems out of the Bates Motel,
Celeste as Noble and later as female yearnings surface makes for a fine tale that will excite fans of
the author.
Broken Crescent
S. Andrew Swann
Daw
ISBN: 075640214X $6.99, 368 pp.
At one time Nate Black was one of the best hackers in the world, getting into systems that if
caught could get him life in prison. Now he is a college student majoring in computer
programming when he gets a series of emails from a totally anonymous person referring to him by
his hacker name Azrael. He tries to ignore the notes until the day he is pulled into a portal that
transports him into a medieval like world where the race of man treats the Ghadi like animals to
be used, discarded and slaughtered. Once the Ghadi were intelligent until the College of Man
learned the magical words that transferred them into little more than dumb animals that can be
trained. In this world the College of Man rules the kingdom in everything but name as they are
effectively a church that has the power to decide what can be taught to the masses. The King and
a scholar in the college are planning a coup, not caring that it will mean mass slaughter of both
man and Ghadi. Nate, who has learned that the Ghadi are not what they seem, uses his computer
programming spells to construct a spell that will hopefully level the playing field. S. Andrew
Swarm has created an imaginative work of speculative fiction. The protagonist is an adaptable
person who refuses to be enslaved by the College of Man, the king or the gods who manipulate
them all like puppets. Readers will root for the Ghadi to overthrow the chains of their oppressors
with the help of Nate who they believe is their messiah. BROKEN CRESCENT is a superlative
reading experience and this reviewer would like to see more books written about this true hero
and this imaginative world.
Survival
Julie E. Czerneda
Daw
ISBN: 0756401801 $23.95, 464 pp.
In the far distant future, humanity is reclaiming Earth by encouraging colonization and having
manufacturing done in pods above the planet. Earth has joined the Interspecies Union and trades
with other sentient races, which is how they learned to use the Transect to get from one point in
space to another in an instant. Though space is filled with life, the Chasm sector contains planets
devoid of any kind of life and nobody knows how this happened. When Brymn, a seven foot seven
armed blue alien comes to Earth he is the first one of his species to do so because his race prefers
to stay close to their native orb. He informs the government of Earth that a hostile alien race is
heading into earth space. The Ro and their ships are invisible due to stealth technology but they
have come to kill. Brymn and earth officials persuade Norcoast Salmon Research Facility
Administrator Dr. Mac Connor that she is the only hope of human survival by landing on the
world of Dhryn but even there she is not safe because the Dhryn have secrets of their own that
must be kept. The Earth authorities encouraged Mac to go to the Dhryn home world to see if they
are involved in any conspiracy against Earth. The determined and stubborn heroine doesn't let
anyone think for her and goes on the mission for her own reasons. Julie E. Czerneda has written a
brilliant world building, action-packed creative space opera that will become imperative for fans
to read knowing that this first installment is the beginning of a delightful new series.
Cooking Up a Storm
Emma Holly
Cheek
ISBN: 0352338970 $12.95
On Cape Cod, Abby Coates worries that her restaurant The Coates Inn is going bankrupt. Still
she advertises for a chef in Restaurant Monthly as she knows without one the place will go bust.
Desperate, she accepts the weird offer of a stranger, chef Storm Dupre, whose only ambition in
life is to make love to a myriad of women. Bored of the females in Los Angeles, Storm responded
to Abby's ad, but insists that his recipes use secret ingredients that will bring in repeat patrons and
ultimately make her inn the in spot of all of Eastern Massachusetts. Storm develops an
all-aphrodisiac menu that Abby buys into as she finds her body melts faster than heated butter
when he kisses her. He enjoys the interlude with his "boss", but knows he must never allow
dessert to interfere with the main course, stealing Abby's restaurant from her. COOKING UP A
STORM is a whimsical contemporary romance starring two intriguing lead characters. Abby is a
delightful somewhat naive soul while Storm lives up to his name as he is a northeasterner causing
havoc to the heart of heroine. The use of aphrodisiacs may turn off some readers and profanities
others, but fans of a gourmet romance will enjoy the oysters served up by Emma Holly.
Desert Heat
Kat Martin
Zebra
ISBN: 082177381X $6.99, 384 pp.
Patience Sinclair looks forward to her time away from the Boston area partly due to the stalking
of her by Tyler Stanfield, but mostly because of the opportunity to complete her thesis research
on Women in Western History by being part of a rodeo. In Texas, Patience gets off on the wrong
foot with rodeo superstar Dallas Kingman who writes her off as a pretty "buckle bunny".
However, as Patience and Dallas become better acquainted an attraction blossoms, but both know
that nothing can come of it because he is western cowboy and she is sophisticated Bostonian. Still
with Tyler closing in on her, Dallas needs to keep the woman he loves safe though the eastern
tenderfoot keeps surprising him with her courage, her knowledge of the west and even her riding
skills, but most of all how she makes him feel. Now to persuade the wannabe professor they can
make a life together even if she is New England and he is southwest. Though the Tyler subplot is
a nuisance to a wonderful contemporary romance with a pinch of late suspense, fans will enjoy
this gender battle between Massachusetts and Texas (sounds like the presidential race) because
the lead pair is a delightful charming duo whether they love or squabble. The story line is at its top
when the rodeo setting is in the forefront, which is much of the tale. Kat Martin furbishes a
wonderful tale that adds luster to her career as did the previous Sinclair sister's story in
MIDNIGHT SUN.
Highland Warrior
Hannah Howell
Zebra
ISBN: 082177428X $6.50, 351 pp.
In 1472 Scotland, Fiona MacEnroy needs some fresh air after being lovingly locked up by her
brothers to keep her safe from an abusive "suitor". Menzies has scarred her every time she rejects
his so called love for her. She rides her horse, but has an accident. Laird Ewan MacFingal and
twelve of his men find her, but Fiona refuses to tell him what clan she belongs to. He takes her
prisoner with plans to ransom her later. To her shock, she feels safe with him and other feelings
stir. He wants her too, but he knows women even whores fear him due to his nasty scars. They
reach his keep Castle Scarglas where Fiona begins to believe she has found her soulmate in Ewan
while he avoids being alone with her because his attraction to her scares him. He also thinks of his
previous love that betrayed him to his enemies the Grays eight years ago, but wonders if he can
trust Fiona with his heart. She seduces him into marriage, but he is stunned by who she is and her
connections. As danger from Menzies and the Grays surface, this couple needs to trust in love or
face dire consequences. The third Hannah Howell Highland historical (see HIGHLAND ANGEL
and HIGHLAND GROOM) is an exhilarating romance starring two likeable protagonists. The
extended family especially his siblings (even his fractious father turns into a teddy bear) are a
likable lot. Though the motives of the two Gray villains especially the female seems too
unrealistic, fans will appreciate this charming story of love between a HIGHLAND WARRIOR
and his intrepid female counterpart.
Covenants
Lorna Freeman
Roc
ISBN: 0451459806 $6.99, 416 pp.
Once the magicals (sprites, dragons, fairies, etc.) lived in Iversterre until the humans pushed them
into the Borderlands. When the humans encroached upon the Border and committed crimes
against its inhabitants, the magicals soundly defeated them in a war. The peace treaty was signed
and the magicals receded into legend until a Faena, a sentient mountain cat, makes contact with
the horse soldier Rabbit, lost with his troops in the mountains. Rabbit enters into a covenant with
the Faena. The Faena Laurel desires a meeting with the Iversterre King in the hopes of avoiding
another war between the Borderlands and the humans. Smugglers and slaves are kidnapping or
killing the magicals and smuggling their remains into Iversterre. The Faena chose Rabbit to play a
role in the upcoming events because he has lived in the Borderlands for much of his life and is
related to the king. Once it is discovered that all of Laurel's claims are true, the king, when not
putting down a coup or dealing with evil sorcerers, comes to terms with the Faena. They return to
the Borderlands hoping to forge a permanent peace, but first must deal with treachery from within
their own ranks. In addition to all his other roles, Rabbit is a mage who has just come into his
powers and he uses them to stop the king's enemies and to battle with a sorcerer who is
determined to see his mission fail. Readers will adore this fascinating hero who just wants to be an
ordinary foot soldier but is thrust by fate into being the savior of two realms. COVENANTS is a
delightful and enthralling fantasy written by an author who excels at world building.
Choice of the Cat
E.E. Knight
Roc
ISBN: 0451459733 $6.99, 352 pp.
It has been forty-five years since the Kurians invaded Earth. The world as it once was no longer
exists as mankind devolved into a medieval age because machinery for the most part no longer
exists. The Kurians are safely ensconced in their fiefdoms all over the world sending Reapers to
feed on human essences that are sent back to them. There remains packets of human resistance,
assisted by the Lifeweavers who were the losers in their war with the Kur. David Valentine is a
wolf with enhanced senses given to him by the Lifeweavers and he and his wolf pack fight the
minions of the Reapers whenever they can. During a vicious firefight, David takes charge of the
battle, but later is forced to resign for the decisions he made. The Cats, solo operatives working
inside the Kurian zones, recruit him. His first assignment is to find out about the Twisted Cross,
an elite fighting force of Reaper that have some of the characteristics of man. He and his fellow
Cat companion Smoke must finding a way of learning their enemies' secrets if they want to have a
chance of winning the war. Fans of apocalyptic thrillers will want to read the second installment in
the "Vampire Earth" series. The reapers are an unusual kind of vampire who suck the part of their
victims to inhale their life energy and then relay it back to their master, a Kirian. The hero of this
book is a warrior who kills the enemy without a second thought yet is still able to save the victims
of the aliens. E.E. Knight has written a memorable and very entertaining science fiction
novel.
The Princess and the Wolf
Karen Kay
Avon
ISBN: 0380820684 $5.99, 384 pp.
In 1824 Germany, Princess Sierra, Prince Alathom, and adopted American Indian Prince High
Wolf plan to flee to Scotland. Sierra and High Wolf are in love and plan to marry while Alathom
just wants his freedom from state responsibilities including marrying the princess. However, the
escape fails with Sierra stopped by her father, who plans to see her politically married to Alathom
of the neighboring dukedom. Father Junipero tells Sierra that High Wolf demanded gold to break
the engagement while Alathom vanished. The ceremony was done by proxy as he fails to appear.
Ten years later, Sierra is in St. Louis seeking her husband Alathom who never came home.
Though she hates him and High Wolf for their betrayal, she needs Alathom to come home to avert
a war between their duchies. Sierra has done her best to rule over the two lands, but everyone
blames her for her missing spouse. Governor Clark arranges for the best scout High Wolf to
escort her Highness, but when he sees Sierra, he refuses as he feels she betrayed their vows of
love. Sierra continues her quest without him, but he follows her for safety purposes. This is an
exciting historical romance that brings to life early Americana through the insightful look at the
Indian tribes and the use of Governor Clark (Lewis and Clark fame). Each of the prime trio is
unique with fully developed personalities. Though the mysticism is interesting it also enables too
easy of a resolution than a decade of increasing discontent should allow. Still fans of early
nineteenth century romances will appreciate this astute glimpse of a bygone era.
Miranda Blue Calling
Michelle Curry Wright
Avon
ISBN: 0060561432 $13.95, 307 pp.
Six years as a Broadway icon for failure makes Miranda Blue wonder if she should leave
Manhattan for her home town of San Francisco or her childhood vacation spot in Colorado. Her
sister just back from India adds to Miranda's need to look within, but somewhere else. She
realizes she has failed with men and failed with everything except the city transit system to include
the ferry. Since San Francisco feels like the west coast equivalent of where she is now, Miranda
decides to go rural, vowing no men as she relocates to Otnip, Colorado. Knowing she has a gift of
gab, Miranda starts a telecommunication service for senior citizens. Her neighbor, Billy Steadman
is a hunk, but his garden house efforts to reach her are rejected by Miranda who adheres to her no
male pledge. Billy tries to get to her heart through her dogs and she cannot help but feed his fish.
As the temptation of Billy rises, Miranda decides to ignore her resolution and take the plunge, but
alas he has a secret and soon leaves without word ending their relationship before it can forge into
anything permanent. MIRANDA BLUE CALLING is an engaging chick lit tale starring a
delightful protagonist whose wit and observations keep the tale focused. Miranda is a terrific lead
character while the somewhat enigmatic Bill is a steady counterbalance trying to break down her
resistance using every trick in the book especially her canines and his fish. Fans of insightful
character studies will want to call Miranda Blue as she struggles to do what is right for
herself.
Superluminal
Tony Daniel
Eos
ISBN: 0061051438 $25.95, 480 pp.
Over a millennium into the future, the Met sentient super cables interweave the inner planets while
the grist nanotechnology facilitates communication throughout this segment of the solar system.
Within the Met, some humans including dictatorial Director Ames have become many Large
Array of Personalities better known as LAPs. Freedoms already curtailed are becoming even
fewer as Ames increases his tyrannical powers through his Department of Immunity that controls
the Met. The outer planets continue to serve as frontiers where freedom blossoms due to the Free
Converts, the Cloudships, and other like souls. Ames wants control of the outer planets and if that
is impossible their destruction. He deploys his military. Though large numbers especially of dead
become statistics, war remains personal. In the outer planetary orbs, Colonel Roger Sherman
leads the defense, but his son Leo joins the invaders. However, the outcome may lie with physicist
Li whose research may give Ames the boost he needs as she is closing in on faster-than-light
travel. To ensure her loyalty he has absorbed her lover and addicted her to electronic Glory.
SUPERLUMINAL is extremely complex military and social science fiction that extrapolates much
of current day physics theories into a future solar system as he has also done in the terrific first
book (see METAPLANETARY). However, the story line contains the mid book syndrome as
nothing is resolved though new subplots like that of Li's has begun. Still the insightful look at a
future in which totalitarianism vs. freedom (place World War II in outer space 1000 years into the
future) displays Tony Daniel's clever nightmarish vision of what is to come though this book is
filler waiting for the confrontations to occur.
Homesick
Jenny Lauren
Atria
ISBN: 074345698X $24.00, 256 pp.
The author provides a harrowing insightful look from within of an individual suffering from the
food disorder bulimia. When Jenny was ten she went to camp where she decided that she was to
fat in comparison to her peers; she stopped eating until she was tossed from camp and her loving
caring parents took her home. In ninth grade, Jenny, weighing under a hundred pounds, received
advice on how to eat and lose weight: use ipecac. Over the next decade or so, she would continue
her pattern of eating and puking until she wrecked her digestive system, something her doctors
failed to understand. Though gripping and incredibly discerning, this is not an easy biography to
digest as .the author literally punished her body to remain ultra unhealthily thin. Still, Ms. Lauren
furbishes warning signs that frustrated and non-understanding family members often miss and the
medical community ignores with the typical solution being the chemical fix. The scary part is that
it is obvious that her family, especially her parents truly love and care for Jenny, but though highly
educated, they rationalize her troubles. Difficult to continue reading about someone in real life
destroying themselves (this reviewer almost shut down after 25 pages because the horror of
self-flagellation is so graphically real yet tough to swallow), HOMESICK should be prime reading
for doctors, students, and families who are in denial or rationalize away the food disorder.
The Innocent
Posie Graeme-Evans
Atria
ISBN: 0743443721 $14.00, 400 pp.
In 1450, no place in England can be considered safe as the War of the Roses soaks the country in
a bloody conflict. A group of soldiers are attacked in a forest. One of the escorted females
Jehanne helps a pregnant woman obtain relative safety. However, the woman dies giving birth to
Anne. Out of no where, Deborah appears to escort Jehanne and Anne to a haven. Over the next
fifteen years Deborah raises Anne like she is her own daughter within the sanctuary of the forest.
The youngster learns about herbs and healing while living a pleasant peasant life. After a scything,
Deborah takes Anne to London where her radiant holy-like smile obtains her a servant's job in the
household of Mathew Cutifer. Not long afterward, word spreads through the streets of the city
about this extraordinary healer living in the Cutifer household. When her skill saves the life of the
queen, King Edward IV moves her into his place as a royal healer. However, Edward and Anne
fall in love, but both know nothing beyond clandestine trysts can happen between them because
his monarchy remains shaky though the civil war is over and he cannot afford a scandal. THE
INNOCENT is a magnificent medieval love story starring a fabulous protagonist who readers will
cherish. The story line has plenty of royal intrigue, but focuses on the star-crossed taboo
relationship between the married monarch and the heavenly healer. If this delightful fifteenth
century relationship drama is any indication, sub-genre fans have a treat as Posie Graeme-Evans
owes two more tales in this trilogy.
The Accusers
Lindsey Davis
Mysterious
ISBN: 0892968117 $25.00
In 75 AD, Roman Informant Marcus Didius Falco, his wife Helena, their two perfect children and
Nux the mutt (who like the humans treat Falco like a dumb pet) return home after spending time
in Londinium (see THE JUPITER MYTH). The trip leaves Falco broke so though he is normally
a very principled informant he reluctantly accepts as clients two shyster lawyers Paccius Africanus
and Silius Italicus though he detests doing so. They hire him to find evidence on whether wealthy
senator Rubirius Metellus peddled appointments. Falco's work leads to the conviction of the
arrogant Metellus', but not long afterward, the odious politician is poisoned; officialdom rules
death by suicide. Fearing loss of income and subsequent lifestyle due to the tricky quirky
inheritance laws, Metellus' family hires Falco to make inquiries into his death. However, Falco
soon finds a legion of individuals including his new clients and their servants with strong motives
to kill the malicious Metellus. The private investigation takes a back seat to a witty look at
Ancient Rome as readers gain much insight (especially when compared with visiting Brit Albia)
into the Falco family and the Metellus household. Falco is a fine tour guide who takes readers on
quite a trek around Rome not always the tourist sights while solving the mystery of Metellus'
abuse of power followed by finding the killer. Fans will appreciate this insightful historical
mystery that retains the series trade mark fresh look at the first century.
This Scepter'd Isle
Mercedes Lackey and Roberta Gellis
Baen
ISBN: 0743471563 $25.00, 479 pp.
Vidal Dhu abducted the Unseleighe Dark Court Elven twins Rhoslyn and Pasgen Silverhair when
they were young. The siblings were raised as Unseleighe Sidhe. Now they see two potential
futures for England. One version has a red-headed child sired by King Henry VIII leading Britain
to prosperity. The other forecast depicts a different descendent of Henry VIII sitting on the
throne and taking the country down the path of Inquisition and depression. At the same time
without the kidnapped duo's awareness, the Seleighe Bright Court twin elves Denoriel and Aleneil
Silverhair see the same double vision of future England. The latter duo is also unaware that their
half-siblings shared their forecasting. Each pair of twins tries to influence the outcome of the
shared vision with different goals in mind, which leads to the inevitable. This is a terrific historical
fantasy that uses real persona and events to tell the tale of the successors to Henry VIII with a
delightful Elven twist. The two sets of twins differ on whom they want sitting on the throne so
when the magical battle occurs, fans have the added treat of a solid twist to the often told rivalry
between Henry's daughters. Fantasy guru Mercedes Lackey and historical fiction champion
Roberta Gellis combine their tremendous individual talents to create a wonderful delight in which
the whole is greater than the sum of the parts even with the parts being from two of the
greats.
Sleeping Beauty
Phillip Margolin
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060083263 $25.95, 329 pp.
Writer Miles van Meter is on tour promoting his best selling true crime story Sleeping Beauty.
The successful book fascinates the public as it provides an account of convicted killer Joshua
Maxfield's murders and collateral damage that includes the author's sister. Miles states that in
Portland, Oregon, Joshua killed Norman Spencer in the latter's home and raped and murdered
high school student Tanya Jones, a friend of Spencer's daughter Ashley, who managed to escape
safely. Ashley's mother, reporter Terri fortunately was away at the time of the crime. The killer
also got away. Terri encourages her daughter to move on by coaxing her into going to the Oregon
Academy where she takes a creative writing workshop taught by Joshua Maxfield. When the
instructor reads a murder tale to the class, Ashley recognizes what she hears as too close to home
and informs the Dean, who happens to be Mile's sister Casey van Meter. Not long afterward,
Ashley finds Miles holding a bloody knife over Terri's still body with an unconscious Casey
nearby. Joshua is arrested, but escapes, putting the fear for her life in Ashley. As other revelations
are revealed that connect Casey, Terri, and Ashley, Miles writes SLEEPING BEAUTY, but that
makes Ashley wonder why the case against Joshua rings false. SLEEPING BEAUTY is an
exciting suspense thriller with several major twists that add tension yet seem unnecessarily
contrived. The story line is at its best when it keeps a straight forward path mindful of Helter
Skelter as the link between author Miles and killer Joshua makes the former's true crime tale very
personal and intriguing to readers as it unfolds. The cast is quite interesting as the audience gets
to see up close more than just the killer and the teen heroine, but two extra turns make the novel
seem off kilter even as fans of Phillip Margolin will want to continue to see what spin he provides
next. This is a solid serial killer book that readers will enjoy.
The Family CFO: A Business Plan for Love and Money
Mary Claire Allvine and Christine Larson
Rodale
ISBN: 1579547915 $23.95
Many people marry for love without consideration of merging finance policies. It seems almost
crass to discuss money as one is about to walk down the altar. How many individuals hold their
nose when prenuptial agreements are assigned or a marriage of convenience occurs? Financial
advisers Mary Claire Allvine and Christine Larson make a powerful case that it is not a question
of For Love or Money, but instead is for love and money as the biggest issue soon or later
confronting couples typically is finance. This terrific primer goes beyond recommending that
couples discus how to merge monetary systems into one cohesive strategy as the book provides
specific examples on how to do it. Managing the monetary segment of the partnership can be
done within a romantic framework as decisions like housing, children, cars need a sound basis.
Other topics like fiscal roles, spending, and debt control and reduction, etc. are also offered as
critical topics by this insightful partnering-help book that enables people to live their dream with
their dream spouse in a fiscally responsible partnership.
Nightingale's Lament
Simon R. Green
Ace
ISBN: 0441011632 $6.50, 256 pp.
The Nightside occupies the same space but in another dimension as London does. To travel there
one must know the correct portals. John Taylor lived in Nightside all his life until it was
discovered that his mother was not human. She disappeared shortly thereafter and his father died
a few months later. John had no protection from the Others who wanted him dead. He went to
London and became a private eye, but a case brought him back to Nightside where he has resided
ever since. His third eye allows him to locate anyone or anything in the city where creatures of
myths live side by side with humans. He continues to be a paid private investigator. His latest case
involves singer Rossignal the Nightingale who is playing at the Caliban's Cavern Club. Her
melancholy songs has caused people to commit suicide. Her managers controls her which makes
John want to free Rossignal from her gilded cage. Though this is Simon R, Green's incredible
world, the Nightside is not a very green location as this unique place centers on good and evil's
constant battle for supremacy. The hero fights on the side of the light as he tries to expel the
darkness out of existence John seems in a never-ending story with only his curiosity about his
mother occasionally diverting him from his goal. In his latest caper, John is in top gun form as the
latest skirmish with the cretins of the dark will leave him dead if he fails to free the Nightingale for
running is no longer an option.
Dead to the World
Charlaine Harris
Ace
ISBN: 0441011675 $19.95, 304 pp.
When the Japanese invented synthetic blood and made it available to the general public, vampires
came out of the closet, proclaiming their existence on global television. Bon Temp, Louisiana
waitress Sookie Stackhouse met vampire Bill in the bar and they became romantically involved.
She was elated that she was unable to read his mind, but when he hurt her she dumped him and
vowed never again to get involved in any way with a supernatural being. When she sees Bill's boss
Eric running around naked, kindhearted Sookie takes him into her home. She learns that a witch
has placed a curse on Eric because he is in the way of their plan to take over the Shreveport
supernatural community. They search for Eric while Sookie keeps him safe from the witches.
Meanwhile Sookie's brother negotiates a deal for Sookie's caretaker services but suddenly
vanishes for no reason. Worried about her missing sibling, Sookie becomes frenzied when she
learns that the witches are enhancing their power by drinking vampire blood. She must confront
these dangerous deadly fiends if she is to rescue her sibling and keep Eric safe. The more the
heroine fights the witches the more she becomes part of the supernatural world. Even worse in
her mind is that she has feelings for Eric. Fans will appreciate this endearing protagonist who
combines vulnerability with a steely spine (kind of a supernatural Steel Magnolia) as for a change
the woman is the heroic savior while the men are the perils of Paul. Fans will enjoy this offbeat
read that combines elements of several genres to ensure that the world of Charlaine Harris seems
real, one bite at a time.
The Child Goddess
Louise Marley
Ace
ISBN: 0441011365 $23.95, 336 pp.
In the distant future energy is needed to keep the expansion of the human race into the galaxy
going. Power parks on uninhabited planets are built to supply that need. On the planet Virmund, a
colony of lost children is discovered but nowhere on that orb are any adults. The Extra Solar
Corporation, responsible for the building of the power park, takes back one of the children, keeps
her in isolation, and runs medical tests for fourteen months. Isabel Burke, a priest in the order of
Magdalene, is appointed as guardian for the child. However from the time she makes contact with
the child, she is also put in isolation, unable to communicate in person with anyone from the
outside. Thanks to the help of a gentle worker in the complex, Isabel is able to make contact with
her ex-lover. Simon who has a lot of political clout is also a highly regarded physician. He
discovers that Oa is over hundred years old but acts and thinks like a child and the powers that be
want the secret of her inability to grow old. A group flies to Virmund to find out what is keeping
the children young and killing the adults on the planet. Louise Marley has written a very
entertaining science fiction novel that deals with current social issues such as women becoming
priests in the Catholic Church. The mystery of the children on Virmund is handled in a believable
way using scientific methods based on research used today. The children who have no desire to be
Peter Pans want to experience the wonders of aging. The tale belongs to the heroine facing
adversity but determined to dot he right thing.
A Scholar of Magics
Caroline Stevermer
Tor
ISBN: 0765303086 $24.95, 300 pp.
After spending time with Kiowa Bob's Wild West Show in locales like Wyoming, sharpshooting
Samuel Lambert receives a job offer to work on the Agincourt Project at Glasscastle University in
England. Though he is not entirely sure why a place of magical learning would invite an expert
marksman, he jumps at the offer. After six months at the college Samuel feels he can adapt to
anything though his snooty roommate Fell gives him much cause to doubt his belief but not as
much as whenever he sees Jane Brailsford. Sister of one of the Project sponsors, Jane teaches
math at Normandy's magical Greenlaw College. Strange things begin occurring with Fell
seemingly in the middle that is when you can find him, but only Samuel and Jane seem to realize
that weirdness is happening. Soon they learn that Fell shirks his duty as the Warden of the West,
but vanishes before they can persuade him the world needs his powerful magic performing the
tasks assigned a warden. Jane and Samuel realize trouble is brewing, but have no idea how to
prevent it. The sequel to A COLLEGE OF MAGICS is a fine fantasy that leaps to and fro
London as magic goes astray. Samuel and Jane make a fine couple with her being the magic
practitioner and him the swordsman (with bullets instead of blades) while the support cast brings a
feel that magic is real inside the Stevermer universe. Though the ending lacks action when
compared to the sword (make that bullets) and sorcery of much of the plot, readers will relish this
enchanting tale and look forward to more magic starring the lead pair.
Mistress of the Pearl
Eric Van Lustbader
Tor
ISBN: 0312872372 $27.95, 588 pp.
Though they have pretty much conquered the planet Kundala after a century plus of resistance,
the victorious aliens V'ornn remain in combat with the locals. The natives believe their Messiah,
the "Dar Sala-at" will save them. Just the Kundalan belief that their legendary savior will help
them overthrow the V'ornn invaders has lifted the spirits of the natives and helped them resist the
intruders though how someone can join two spirits from opposite poles of the universe as the
fabled champion will do seems hard to fathom especially by the V'ornn. However, the impossible
occurs when a Kundala female Riane contains her own soul and that of the dead Annon, ironically
a V'ornn; the merger of two essences from opposite sides of the universe. The Kundalans believe
that Riane is the Messiah who will vanquish the conquerors, but to do so they must obtain the
mystical Pearl that only the true Dar Sala-at can yield its power. Part humor, part military science
fiction, and part fantasy, the third Pearl tale is a gem of a novel that uses amusing satirical
slapstick moments to ease some of the major tension. The story line is action-packed and filled
with adventure as series fans will delight in the rebellion but especially with the paradox of
Riane-Annon. New readers will enjoy the tale as it is a stand alone, but even greater
understanding especially with the V'ornn will occur by reading the delightful previous two epics
(see RING OF THE FIVE DRAGONS and THE VEIL OF A THOUSAND TEARS).
House of Reeds
Thomas Harlan
Tor
ISBN: 0765301938 $25.95, 414 pp.
Xenoarcheologist Gretchen Anderssen looks forward to some well deserved R&R especially
quality time with her children whom she has not seen in what seems like eons. However, at the
space transport, she learns that the Company needs her and her team to take a short detour to
investigate rumors of a possible major find of a First Sun artifact on the planet Jagan. Her Hesht
companion Magdalena and her pilot David Parker feels they are being set up and their misgivings
prove valid as the trio has landed in the middle of an armed conflict. The Mexicali has declared
war on the Jehanan, assumed to have been native to Jagan by the Empire, to enable Tezoz˘moc,
the Emperor's youngest son to taste blood. The dynamic threesome tries to avert war while
seeking the secret to the HOUSE OF REEDS. This exciting sequel to WASTELAND OF FLINT
provides further adventures of the supremacy and control by the Japanese-Aztec Mexicali Empire
on numerous sentient species with the confrontation occurring on Jagan. The story line is
character driven, but not just by the intrepid fully developed archeological trio as the secondary
cast adds depth in terms of military, planetary history, and non-human intelligent races. Though
some readers may find the military tactics quite length (it is a military science fiction tale) fans will
cherish this tale that brings alive the various races that populate Harlan's universe.
Eastern Standard Tribe
Cory Docterow
Tor
ISBN: 0765307596 $23.95, 224 pp.
While working for an international monolith that either files employees away or deletes them,
interface designer Art Berry is developing a data flow management program. His objective is to
create the most user-unfriendly software ever promulgated on an ill-cyber public. Art is an
underground operator for the global Eastern Standard Tribe though he resides in the heartland of
the Greenwich Mean Tribe. In a world when boundaries exist in the twilight mind of the
bureaucrat, only power matters, but how to achieve and hold authority in a boundless orb is the
question of the competing tribes trying to foster their time zone on an unsuspecting people still
used to the influence of DAC (delete, alternate control). Art believes that his hostile program will
embarrass the rivals, but soon after hitting his current squeeze with his car he finds he has doubts
about the truth as venerated by tribal leaders. Now Art stands on a Boston insane asylum's
rooftop thinking of using that ancient communication device the stubby pencil to escape from his
current scenario. Like his first Berry novel, DOWN AND OUT IN THE MAGIC KINGDOM,
Cory Docterow provides a wild satire of the shrinking yet increasingly complex world. The zany
story line is crazier than the lead protagonist making it difficult to follow and requiring extra time
beyond the standard for this size novel, but it is also amusing as many icons are skewered. Art is a
terrific anti-hero struggling with whom and what to believe as those he held sacred prefer spins
rather than honesty. Fans of intelligent humorous but weird, not easy to track satires will join
Art's quest for what is right.
Queen of the Amazons
Judith Tarr
Tor
ISBN: 0765303957 $24.95, 320 pp.
Queen Hippolyta rules over the Amazon tribes. Though she is quite young and healthy, she is
concerned over the succession to the throne as that has always come down through matriarchal
lines. Her female progeny is born soulless causing fear among the toughest of these female
warriors. Unable to name a creature without a soul many of the tribeswomen led by the queen's
cousin Phaedra believe "that thing" dubbed Etta must die as even animals are named. She must
never sit on the throne. Hippolyta differs and proclaims Etta as her successor as she expects the
infant to one day gain a soul. Years later Etta still remains within herself as a soulless person is apt
to be. However, word has arrived that a great army led by Alexander is coming. Shockingly Etta
reacts and flees into t he night towards the camp of the great Macedonian with Hippolyte
following. Neither mother nor daughter knows what awaits them when they reach Alexander's
camp, but the Queen prays to the Goddess that her child's sudden obsession means a soul awaits
her. QUEEN OF THE AMAZONS is an engaging historical fantasy that hooks the reader the
moment the seer informs Hippolyte that her daughter has no soul. The somewhat simplistic story
line never slows down gripping the audience who will keep reading to learn what happens when
two amazons encounter Alexander. Will Etta obtain a soul at last, and how will Phaedra avenge
her exile? With a few neat twists to the tale to add spice, sub-genre fans will appreciate Judith
Tarr's latest tale that takes the reader back to an already successful Alexander conquering the
world.
Iron Grail
Robert Holdstock
Tor
ISBN: 076530726X $24.95, 299 pp.
Seven hundred years have passed since Merlin and Jason (see CELTIKA) searched for the Golden
Fleece, but now the magician resides in Alba where he receives three warnings including one
about a man who wants him dead for betrayal. Also Merlin is warned to beware of a being used
by a man and a ship that is more than a ship. Merlin travels to Ghostland to rescue the children of
the warlord Urtha at about the same time that Jason sailing the Argo arrives in Alba still seeking
his son Kinos the "Little Dreamer" after failing in his reconciliation with his older boy. Merlin
joins Jason on his quest to the Otherworld, where the latter's wife Medea probably has hidden
Kinos from him. Jason believes the Mage is assisting him out of guilt because Merlin's first love
Medea faked the deaths of the sons she had with Jason. Still the Argo captain wonders if he can
trust the magician once they locate Medea who may have Merlin under her spell. Combining
English and Greek mythology, Robert Holdstock provides the audience with a delightful fantasy
as the audience will enjoy the exploits of Merlin and Jason as they struggle to find the lost lad.
Though some of the early fantasy scenes seem unnecessary, this epic tale is exciting non-stop
action especially once Jason arrives on the scene. The second Codex tale is a treat for Camelot
fans and Greek mythos readers who will want to hitch a ride on the Argo as the adventures in
Otherworld are fun to follow as the two heroes each know that love can blind the purest.
Glass Dragons
Sean McMullen
Tor
ISBN: 0765307979 $27.95, 512 pp.
In ancient times to control the deadly Torrean Storms that had made sea voyages almost
impossible and to also manage other weather related magic from the ether, sorcerers create
Dragonwall, a magical ring encircling the globe. The sorcerers soon discovered a by-product of
their wall, etheric energy that can fry their opponents or anyone that they believed resisted their
God-like prowess as absolute power corrupted even the most moralistic absolutely. Over time the
ability was lost. In the present, efforts are being made to regain control of Dragonwall with
several individuals concerned about the abuse of power by the sorcerers trying to do so. Terekel
the Elder and her three allies vow to destroy the ring rather than allow its magic to be reactivated
at quite a cost to people. However, this is no band of brothers thriving to help mankind get out
from under a yoke. Instead each member of this quartet has personal goals that are not necessarily
in concert with what the team needs to do for any chance at success. If they fail to submerge their
personal agendas for the better good of all, the soldiers of the Dragonwall sorcerers will destroy
them even before they confront the real powerful mages. This sequel to VOYAGE OF THE
SHADOWMOON is a rousing epic fantasy that one moment is an end of the world duel of magic
between good and evil, and the next is a Three Stooges slapstick scene. The back and forth twists
work even while the characters change lead position. Fans of satirical epic fantasy will appreciate
this wild ride that lends with a world still out of equilibrium.
Fugue in Hell's Kitchen
Hal Glazer
Perseverance
ISBN: 1880284707 $13.95, 240 pp.
In 1939 swing violinist Katy Green is as usual unemployed and walking the pavement (and clubs)
for a job. Though she would prefer to say no to her pal cellist Amalia "Am" Lee Chen's request
for help, a gig is a gig, but Katy would have preferred a musical job. Instead Am asks Katy to find
a priceless Paganini manuscript stolen from her cello case following a performance performed at
the prestigious Meyers Conservatory. Though Katy agrees, she finds the recent death of the
conservatory's dean, Iris Meyers a bit more interesting. Katy notices the high note of the tension
amidst the faculty reaching discord that along with the disastrous efforts of the deceased's
successor, her brother Joseph, threatens the school's existence. .A forgery of the missing
composition is returned to Am that leads to the police arresting her for stealing the manuscript.
Now the case is personal as Katy follows the musical notes to Harlem trying to find the purloined
item even as the conservatory's librarian, know it all, Nina Rovere is killed. Hal Glazer hits all the
high notes with this delightful historical cozy that pays homage to various musical styles like
swing. Katy is a wonderful lead performer who keeps the tale humming as she digs the scene in an
attempt to prove that the arrest of Am is racial due to the imminent war and her friend being of
Asiatic descent. Fans of historical who-done-its starring a wonderful amateur sleuth working the
mean streets of the Manhattan club scene will sing in harmony with FUGUE IN HELL'S
KITCHEN and want to resonate about Katy's previous number, TOO DEAD TO SWING.
The Affair of the Incognito Tenant
Lora Roberts
Perseverance
ISBN: 1880284677 $13.95, 264 pp.
In 1903 in Sussex Downs Victorian widow and single parent of a preadolescent Charlotte Dodson
does a great job managing the household staff for her employer, retired military officer Major Sir
Arthur Fallowes, However, when Fallowes dies, Charlotte realizes how tenuous her satiation is
as she prays that the new owner keeps her and the staff on at Larchbanks Manor. The new
resident, Mr. Sigerson keeps Charlotte on at least temporarily. Charlotte finds her new boss weird
as he uses the library to work with bees for a book he's authoring on the insects. Meanwhile
Charlotte learns from her deceased former boss's solicitor William Bagshaw that Fallowes left her
with the Orb of Kezir, a valuable gem that is missing somewhere in the house. While she trusts no
one fearing theft, someone kills the vicar's sister Miss Evaline Hanover. The only clues are the
time of death occurred just after she returned home from a visit to Larchbanks and that her neck
has two vampire-like bite marks. While rumors abound about a bloodsucker, Sherlock Holmes
and Dr. Watson investigate the case though Charlotte is wary of the famous sleuth walking off
with her jewel. Though Holmes, the who-done-it, and the missing gem take a support role, fans of
Victorian tales will appreciate this vividly delightful charmer in which Charlotte and her woes play
the prime role. The story line contains several subplots that nicely blend together. The cast is
strong even without Mr. Holmes, but adding Sherlock and his compatriot makes more fun for the
audience as the ensemble brings out a bygone age intermingled with the sleuthing.
Harriet Klausner
Senior Reviewer
Laurel's Bookshelf
Creator: The Revelation of Healing Yourself and Others
Mark Earlix
www.dandelionbooks.net
ISBN 1893302490 $21.95 169 pp.
As self help publications go, Healer easily stands out from the crowd. The underlying principles
are sound, based on the simple rules of universal love and acceptance.
There is more to us as humans than others can see with their eyes. And there is more to our world
than we have been taught to believe. Buried deep within our mind and spirit is an awesome
power, the ability to heal ourselves and others. Mark Earlix' teachings exemplify that healing
process.
Have you missed a sens of purpose in your life, or yearned for abilities that always seem to stay
beyond your reach? Do you feel as if your life has lost its joy, and that your health on a downhill
slide? The few simple exercises described in this book - through non physical means that anyone
can learn - could lead to a profound metamorphosis.
Earlix shares his own personal odyssey and what he has learned over decades as a healer. He
believes that the origins of disease begin with the mental, move to the emotional, and end with the
physical. In other words, we sabotage our own well being with our thoughts. Traumas in the form
of energy inhabit us at the cellular level. Our lives lose integrity as we become victim to self
created dramas and traumas. The author teaches us to shake off fear and negative thoughts to
expedite the healing process.
Earlix practices from the viewpoint that we are all healers. But Healer is not a New Age technique
you'll find impossible to grasp or perfect in the real world. He believes that our every word,
thought, and action is a living prayer. His teachings are comforting and compassionate. Mark
Earlix loves his fellow human beings and wants to share a knowledge that will lessen our pain. It's
as simple as that. If you are suffering physical or psychic pain, or know someone who is, perhaps
you'll find a healing in this book.
The Courage to Be Who I Am
Mary-Margareht Rose
www.dandelionbooks.com
ISBN 189330213X $20.95 193 pp.
From childhood on, Mary-Margareht Rose knew she was different. God blessed her with healing
gifts that would take half a lifetime to reach fruition. Because of her gifts, the author has lost
companionship with family members and friends. Some considered her a crackpot at the least.
Others accused her of doing "the devil's work." These are losses she grieves, yet must accept for
the greater good of those who need her.
Because she believed that all good and perfect gifts are of God, Ms. Rose persevered and
embraced his healing spirit. It takes tremendous courage to say what you mean and stand behind
it. This is especially true in a society that oftentimes fears or reviles what they cannot see or
touch. Still, the author stands her ground and applies her gifts of healing in a suffering world.
Mary-Margareht Rose believes that humans are not simply inconsequential specks of dust, that we
hold great importance in the universe. At her side through every healing are powerful Ascended
Masters: Christ of Nazareth, his Mother Mary and Father Joseph, and beneficent extraterrestrial
beings. I mention here only a few of her well documented successes:
she understands the root causes of physical and psychic pain;
she has gained enlightenment into causative factors of excessive weight;
she understands and can apply the healing energy of water and exercise.
By tapping into the Source of all healing power, the author has broken free of a troubled past.
Mary-Margareht overcame great odds. The Courage to Be Who I Am is just the beginning of her
journey.
Read more about the author and her work at www.emff.org.
Drifters: The Final Testament - Volume One
Michael Silverhawk
www.dandelionbooks.net
ISBN 1893302571 $22.95 302 pp.
This first in the Drifters trilogy is a bellwether novel, blending sci fi and the spiritual in a way I
found to be quite unexpected. It's definitely not a Left Behind Series clone, and both story and
writing are fresh and exhilarating.
Jonathan Ladd, USN Retired, is about to embark on the mother of all missions. His life as a black
ops specialist has left him jaded and cynical. Everywhere he looks is corruption, hopelessness, and
desapir. A few powerful men with deep pockets have developed technology that will wipe out
most of mankind instead of creating the needed healing and renaissance. His long time friendship
with Max Draco has been ripped to shreds by an unthinkable abomination. Only his love for
Johanna Starling eases Jonathan, and even that blessing is tenuous. Then, through a mysterious
discovery from ancient times, Jonathan discovers the answers to questions that have haunted
mankind since time began.
He is unexpectedly propelled into a future world of time travel and telepathy, to Earth as God
intended it to be. Seas are radiant with life. Earth itself is pristine, with oxygen rich air and pure,
sweet water. To the battle weary Jonathan, all is primordial perfection. Earth's inhabitants are
loving and compassionate. He sees wonders beyond human comprehension, learns awe inspiring
secrets from the past. And finally the hardened warrior from Earth's sullied past becomes the
savior of his world, destined to encounter evil personified.
Michael Silverhawk has spent a lifetime searching for the face of God. Our human history has
wandered far afield of God's plan for His world. Life as we know it has become skewed and
manipulated for nefarious reasons. The U.S. especially has veered off the path intended by her
founders. Drifters shows us both sides of the coin - what was, is, and could be again with love and
compassion as the key. The key that unlocks human potential is hidden within the Drifters trilogy.
I recommend you hitch a ride on this adventure. Volume One is just the beginning.
Betrayed
Violet Towe
www.wings-press.com
ISBN 1590882989 $6.00 e-book 250 pp.
Betrayed is Violet Towe's third novel and her best one yet. This cunning mystery thriller is a story
within a story, a real page turner.
Lt. Bruce Digman loves his little north Georgia town. Tucked into the Appalachians, far from the
noise and chaos of large cities, Cleveland GA represents a safe and peaceful haven. Then that
peace is shattered by a gruesome double homicide. Digman investigates. From his first view of the
crime scene, warning bells go off in his head but he can't quite put his finger on what troubles him.
Every clue leads nowhere.
Detective Kate O'Connor hides more than one dark secret behind her pretty face. She's been
running with a rough crowd and reaps a bitter harvest. When forced to transfer to the Cleveland
PD, she ends up partnering with Digman on the murder investigation. Bruce Digman is a good
cop and a decent man, Despite her initial reluctance, sparks begin to fly between the two
detectives. Digman's instincts tell him she's hiding something. But what?
Ms. Towe brings these diverging stories together seamlessly. The characters are well developed
and believable. She leads the main characters and her readers on a headlong chase towards the
final page, then adds a shocking twist to up the ante. Betrayed is a well written, full bodied
thriller. If you like to cozy up with a murder mystery, don't pass this one by.
African Dust on the Soles of My Feet
Susan Cook-Jahme
www.authorsden.com/susancookjahme
ISBN pending $10.00 e-book 109 pages at
In her second full length book of poetry, Susan Cook-Jahme once again shows us her African
homeland through loving eyes. Adding dimension to this book you will find breathtaking oil on
canvas paintings done by the poet and her husband, Graham. The overall effect cannot be
adequately described in a review. I'll give you several random excerpt samplings to demonstrate
her gift.
"Victoria Falls" extols that ancient wonder:
Sharp intake of breath
At the beauty
Of roaring mists that swell
And swirl up into the sky...
Filming the skin
Like a lover's caress.
In "Star Gazer" we see a goat herder, the same today as he has been for millennia:
I am the king of all terrain,
That undulates far and wide,
My workers hands my pride,
The shuttered night my sanctuary,
A humble goat-herd dressed in hide....
"Domain of My Memories" is a paean to the poet's homeland:
Softly in languid teasing, you beckon,
Rolling Country, you are the abode of my memory,
You remain barefoot with childhood innocence and laughter,
Defying all poetic imagining with your truth,
I drink in the spirit of your eternal essence, my Motherland.
"The Elephants Final Walk" was one of my favorites:
There is a far place unknown to man
Beneath shaded canopies of tall acacia trees,
Standing silent sentinel on mud greased banks
Congealed in fetid weed and reed,
Where these great beasts walk their last mile...
"Hamba Kahle" means "Go Safely", which will make a fitting final excerpt:
For you who have drunk deeply
Of the waters of this African land,
Will find an aching thirst to quench,
And return to drink deeply of it once again.
This review has barely scratched the surface of what you will find in African Dust on the Soles of
My Feet. The poet writes of love and death, friendship and passion, sorrow and injustice. For
those who love poetry, or have a certain curiosity about Africa, Susan Cook-Jahme's latest book
is a must read.
Country of Memory
Charles Fishman
www.uccellipress.com
ISBN 0972323139 $14.00 116 pp.
The dilemma with reviewing Mr. Fishman's fine book is doing it justice as a reviewer. At his
touch, the mundane moments of life are disarmingly transformed to lyrical. Country of Memory is
this poet's fifth book length collection. Everything about his latest offering is choice, from the
esthetically pleasing cover to the contents.
An excerpt from "This House" shares a moment from the poet's childhood:
.....Over a slow cigarette, Mother
dreams in the kitchen: the mail will not arrive for hours
nor will Father return from the daily siege of his life
before night sifts down..and grass deepens its hold
on the season In this house, as always, it is the past.
This verse from "Words" expresses passionately the writer's love of language:
I loved words as much as you
loved silence: words that wakened
intoxicated explored words
with the rank smell of viscera
that excoriated and restored
I collected words, forged from gold
or zirconium words ethereal as breath
and dark plutonium words more fatal
than death Words my daggers
my lariats my fire-scorched tongs
my antlers my cockscomb my
rhinocerous horn words my plunging beak
my wild and thorny cry.
In "Slowly Homeward" we see and feel a winter drive through the poet's eyes:
Later, the sky is copper, apricot, new-
shined brass, old bronze. Stubble dulls
the glacial fields. The furrowed drabness
of wintering barnyards and blurred, grazed-
out hills quiets the hankering eye.
"At the Edge" questions our purpose within nature, our effect on the world around us:
What are we here for
if not to know beauty,
to taste the last sweetness
of being, to find the last
scatter of bones?
In "With Jack in Egypt", the poet embraces Jack Kerouac's spirit. I must admit this poignant
reverie is my favorite. I chose one brief excerpt:
And then in a down-
pour of icy January rain
I hear Jack tapping grace-
notes onto the scrolling
page: his white-magic
tantric spells and blitzing
ecstasies his prayers
for release from the dark
50s furies of America,
as if he were a spirit
who could not find
his Egypt.
And finally, love lyrics quiet and profound express regret and hope in "Another Life":
Things fail - we know this.
But these hands once touched you
with a grace your body answered,
and we knew that pleasure intended
to stay: a lazy continuum.
Charles Fishman uses words like a jackhammer, a searchlight, a scalpel, and a lover's hand. If you
love poetry, you need to read Country of Memory.
These words are crafted by an artist.
Evenings at Five
Gail Godwin
www.ballantinebooks.com
ISBN 0345461037 $13.95 298 pp.
What do Pope John Paul, a serrated knife fondly known as Ralph, and a bottle of gin have in
common? Artfully, with humor and tenderness, Gail Godwin weaves the Pope, Ralph, and
Bombay Sapphire gin into a loving testament.
Every evening at five, Rudy builds his wife a drink with loving precision. and announces that "the
Pope has called." Rudy is a composer and hears music; Christina is a writer lost in a world of
words. But somehow, despite their differences, for 28 years their marriage works. When Rudy
dies, his formidable presence no longer holds center stage in Christina's life. The gifted linguist
and world traveller with a mellifluous voice "one octave below God's" is gone. Stripped of his
presence, Christina is reduced to drinking her gin alone and conversing with Rudy's chair every
evening at five.
It's Christina's recollections of Rudy that makes Evenings at Five a standout. She reads his
appointment diaries, kept through their years together, reliving the chronicle of his life. She listens
to his music, composed one note on top of another until he reached a glorious symmetry - much
like their life together. His is a powerful and lingering presence that defies death.
Christina's memories are a delightful read, despite the sobering subject. Ms. Godwin's skill as best
selling wordsmith proves itself once again in this latest book. Evenings at Five transcends death
and loss, guiding each reader to an individual finale.
Your Window
Navar
www.navar.net
Order code # 7837078926-27, $12.99
Navar has done it again. With Your Window, 15 new original songs enhance their reputation for
solid vocals and driving, penetrating rock. A single from this latest CD - "Mojave Shake" - is
already garnering air time in rock stations that know a good thing when they hear it.
The members of Navar - Pat and Ben Barry, Tim Lindhome, and Mike "Skippy" Yudichak - are
making a name for themselves on the East coast. With talent like this, the rest of the country
should soon follow.
"Your Window" and "Walking to Hawaii" are full bodied and haunting. "On Again" and "Near the
End" are bluesy and erotic. "Mojave Shake" and "Dying Breed" feature Navar's signature
cadences that penetrate to the marrow. And somewhere just beneath the surface lies the
primal Irish folk rock sound that sets this band apart from all the rest. I mention only a few of the
songs here. There's not a bad one in the bunch.
Your Window was recorded at Chameleonwest Studio in Buffalo NY, owned by GooGoo Dolls
bassist Robby Takac. Takac and studio manager Marc Hunt produced the album. The end result is
high quality, all the way. If you love rock and roll, Your Window is a must have. Included with
each CD is a 16 page color insert about the band and a full size Navar bumper sticker. Along with
this band's unique sound, I say you can't beat a deal like that.
Moon Cave
C.H. Foertmeyer
www.iuniverse.com
ISBN 0595314821 $14.95 189 pp.
In his sixth novel, C.H. Foertmeyer spins a tale of friendship and courage within a maelstrom of
disguised reality. Past, present, and future blend into a kaleidoscopic view of parallel worlds.
Scott Franklin and Denny Miller are childhood friends, grown to adulthood. While on their annual
fall hunting trip, their lives are changed forever. Deep within the Huevos, along the Rio Hondo,
Scott spies a cave and suggests the friends explore it. When Denny enters the cave and
disappears, both men begin a shocking and exciting journey back in time.
Denny is transported to a place both frightening and wonderful, to the American west of 1874.
This is a land without modern conveniences and communication, a land before telephone poles.
TV and asphalt highways. What he sees is an almost pristine west, in a time before expanding
civilization soiled the land.
Trapped back in our present time, Scott discovers Moon Cave holds a special place in ancient
Indian beliefs. In hopes of discovering a way to rescue Denny, he consults a Mescal Indian
shaman, Cha-tah-wa. The path back through time is not easy and holds many dangers, but Scott
and Cha-tah-wa discover a key to the past.
Together again in the past, Scott and Denny face down the savage tribes who still believe the
white man can be defeated. They explore the old west with delightful curiosity, thankful for the
opportunity to see living history first hand. They are befriended by Custer, Sacajawea's grandson,
and other famous Indian warriors of the time. Soon they are assmiliated into the past, forgetting
what life was like before Moon Cave and their time warping transition. Cha-tah-wa is their only
hope of escaping from the past, but the Mescal shaman has his own problems. Will he
succeed?
Moon Cave is escapist fiction at its best. The author's vivid imagination and writing style make for
mystery and excitement. Despite some strong language and violence - the sort you'd find in any
old west saga - this is an exciting tale for adult readers of any age.
Hollywood Boulevard
John Gilmore
www.publishamerica.com
ISBN 1413721524 $21.95 276 pp.
John Gilmore's writing style, like the subject matter he chooses for his novels, is distinctive. Past
accomplishments include Severed: The True Story of the Black Dahlia Murder; Live Fast-Die
Young: Remembering the Short Life of James Dean; and Manson: The Unholy Trail of Charlie
and the Family. In his tenth novel, the author shows us Hollywood Boulevard of the present day.
With unblinking honesty, Gilmore reveals tinseltown's raw truths. It's not all glitter.
Eli Woodrow is divorced, living alone in a tiny apartment, pursuing his dreams at a snail's pace. In
a world of auras, zodiac signs, and the fast deal, Eli is a quiet straight arrow. He knows his world
is garbage and accepts it. His gift as a photographer has been mostly lost in the shuffle. The
closest he has come to fame is the porn films he shoots, but his hopes are pinned on the coffee
table book of photos shot on Hollywood Boulevard. Through his eyes, the pimps and prostitutes,
drug addicts, transients, and bottom feeders along the boulevard become grist for the camera's
lens. When Shana Sands crosses his path, she's like a dream come true for the lonely Eli.
Shana Sands is the epitome of Hollywood beauty. Blonde, with a figure to die for, Eli is
captivated by her from day one. She has a childlike vulnerability he finds endearing, and an
unselfconscious sexuality that possesses him completely. And best of all, Shana wants him in her
life. She talks of love, of having babies and making a home together in the Hollywood hills. Even
when his dream girl turns out to be a nightmare, Eli stays hooked. Trying to follow Shana's flight
of ideas in every conversation is exhausting. She spends money like water. Suffering from
narcolepsy and catalepsy, she conks out at the most inopportune times you can imagine, and is
addicted to so many medications Eli loses count. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. As their
relationship progresses, Eli discovers that Shana's beautiful appearance hides a selfish, faithless
woman.
True love and solace is eventually found in the person of Joey, aka Joy, a long time friend of Eli's.
It's a most unlikely union - the heterosexual Eli and transsexual Joy - but somehow it works out
for the best.
There was a lesson to be gained in Hollywood Boulevard: Along the boulevard, some people
remain true to what they've always been in their heart, but most lose the dream and their humanity
in the bargain. Beneath the Hollywood glamour, always, is the grit and smog, but sometimes
those with strength and hope rise above it. Recommended only for mature adults due to strong
sexual content, language, and situations.
Laurel Johnson
Senior Reviewer
Shelley's Bookshelf
Wash and Wear
Bill Stackhouse
iUniverse
ISBN: 059530186X $20.95 U.S./$28.95 CAN/17.99 UK
Bill Stackhouse is a literary man. He has written virtually everything, from mysteries and plays to
promotional videos for such government agencies as NASA and the Corps of Engineers. He has
five novels to his credit and seven stage plays, four of which have won awards.
WASH AND WEAR finds our favorite ex-Detroit murder detective, Ed McAvoy, safely
ensconced as the Chair of Police in sleepy Peekamoose Heights. However, some of the same
hoods McAvoy has been after for years decide to set up shop by becoming a silent partner in an
ailing copy shop. Of course they are into counterfeiting, but it takes the murder of Homer Duncan
and some resulting coincidences that alert the battle-hardened McAvoy to possible mob
connections:
"Guiseppe Triano kills Homer. Martin Bassett figures Guiseppe's brother Giancarlo was with him.
Although Deputy Dawg isn't the brightest cop on the best, I'll give him that one. Regardless,
Homer's murder has mob fingerprints all over it. Why? We don't know, yet. Now, Tony Gianelli,
the son of Don Vittorio Gianelli, shows up at your house at one-thirty in the morning. Is he
courting you? I think not. He's there because the mob is looking for something."
Bill Stackhouse writes, quite simply, a mean mystery. His characters are so credible they just
about jump off of the page, which is scarey when we are reading about the mob. His action is
non-stop, and he throws in enough Italian to lend even more credence to this superbly written
mystery. Ed McAvoy is back as the grizzled veteran cop, who is dazzling as he outwits the mob.
"Little Mac," his fed counterpart, is a fun, no-nonsense character who cuts through the red tape.
Ed is surrounded by a caring community full of interesting and well drawn characters.
WASH AND WEAR is a mystery with lots of twists and turns, which keeps the reader glued.
Stackhouse could teach a class on how to write one heckuva tale. Police politics versus mob
politics and how the two intersect make for situations most foul. I was so engrossed, I didn't want
it to end...the mark of a murder most excellent!
Death By Prescription
James A. Schaller
Infinity Publishing.com
519 West Lancaster Avenue, Haverford, PA 19041-1413
ISBN: 0741416409 $19.95
Dr. James Schaller is a obstetrician-gynecologist, who has two non-fiction books on that subject
to his credit: IT'S YOUR LIFE: A GYNECOLOGIST CHALLENGES YOU TO TAKE
CONTROL and BECOMING THE HUSBAND YOUR WIFE THOUGHT SHE MARRIED:
IT'S YOUR LIFE TOO, MAN! Dr. Schaller hails from West Chester, Pennsylvania.
The violence has been occurring in Ireland between the Protestants and Catholics for 800 years,
with the Catholics suffering religious and political persecution. Four brothers, whose relatives
were martyred, plot to bring an end to the war with one massive act of terror, involving
chemical-biological weaponry. They are all experts, having learned science and medicine in
American universities, and each is a distinguished professional. Frank Schulz, a doctor and
ex-CIA agent, has just been fired by LBA, a drug manufacturing company for exposing hazards.
Two thugs try to kill Schulz, and succeed in killing his friend Andy House. Schulz has already lost
a friend and co-worker, Ed Ryan, who was LBA's accounts specialist. Are the deaths connected?
Who are the terrorists, and when will they strike? The race is on:
"'The terrorists' ignorance of our close relationship might explain the seven-month delay between
Ryan's death and the attempt on my life. Could Ryan's murderers now have reason to believe he
shared some information with me? Perhaps, I do have vital information, already, of which I'm not
yet aware. Something I saw or heard at LBA, or something Ryan told me, which could become
significant with subsequent events. Do the terrorists believe my knowledge of LBA might allow
me to identify them after the plot is carried out?"
DEATH BY PRESCRIPTION is a suspenseful, international cat and mouse game between the
good guys and the terrorists. Schaller's medical background enables him to build quite a
pharmaceutical network of terror between the United States and Ireland. He uses the most
innocuous everyday household items in which to hide his instruments of death, creating urgency
and many subplots. His characters are believable fanatics, and the differences between them and
the heroes are very subtle. He uses nuance and sympathy to grab the reader and takes us on quite
a ride. Schaller writes a detailed, plausible, and utterly compelling tale. A great read!
The Madd Mountain Murders
Lana Waite
Infinity Publishing.com
ISBN: 0741419386 $15.95
Lana Waite is a product of Seattle and the University of Washington, where she studied
architecture. She has spent most of her adult life in California connected with the Navy, her
husband's occupation, and raising children. THE MADD MOUNTAIN MURDER is her second
mystery, following up the charming BURIED IN BURRYWOOD, which was set in her native
Puget Sound.
Maren O'Connor gets the hard-to-ignore plea for help from her Uncle Jake when her crotchety
Aunt Ella has her leg broken (by someone, she claims). Maren leaves her shaky business in
uncertain hands and rushes off to the Lake Tahoe region to help with the family business...a ski
lodge called Tall Trees Lodge nestled in the mountains. Along with the mountains comes all sorts
of interesting ways to commit murder, not to mention the romance and mystery of the leftover
gold rush days. As Maren settles in to a small cabin off the premises to gain some solitary time for
herself, she discovers a body in the old freezer who is, naturally, an old miner named Charlie.
Maren is the prime suspect, and trouble just seems to follow her around. Luckily, she teams up
with Charlie's partner, Titus, who becomes quite an ally as the murders continue, wills start
turning up, and everyone becomes suspect:
"'Do I want to hear this, Titus?' What can a neutral person do, after all? In answer he reached for
the paper and handed it to me. I stared at it blankly for a moment, almost unable to take it in.
What it was it was another copy of Charlie's will! I clapped the paper to my chest and beamed at
him. "Oh, Titus! I'm so glad you have this. I found a copy and I didn't know where to take it. It
affects so many people."
Lana Waite has done it again. She uses her considerable experience to develop an Agatha like plot
with all sorts of interesting and well drawn characters. Maren is an average and ordinary heroine
who is reluctantly pulled out of her habitual love of isolation to help family and friends find a
vengeful and terrifying killer. THE MADD MOUNTAIN MURDERS is a quick and engrossing
read set in mountains that are mystifying and surprising. Waite throws a wonderful hook in to the
story to pull it all together, and the denouement is one for the silver screen. Waite has also written
an entirely new and different mystery from her first, but the theme of hidden treasure lurks in both
tales. A wonderful read!
High Steaks
Rob Loughran
Salvo Press
P.O. Box 9095, Bend, OR 97708
ISBN: 1930486375 $16.95 www.salvopress.com
Rob Loughran's career has consisted of working in restaurants. HIGH STEAKS is his first novel,
and is the winner of the Fourth Annual Mystery Award.
Davis O'Kane's ex-wife wants custody of their twin daughters, the house, and to make his life
miserable. He adores his twins, and his restaurant isn't doing so well either. He is a certified
member of Gambling Anonymous. But when Wanda Marie, his on and off girlfriend, is found
dead in the freezer in the restaurant of Nightingale, Nevada, Davis begins to wonder if there isn't a
conspiracy out to get him. Freddy Finnegan, the town drunk whom Davis feeds a nightly steak,
turns up in the trunk of his car, and the IRS comes knocking at the door. All the while, notes from
Wanda Marie are addressed to the friends of Davis urging them to bet on a horse named Future
Glue that barely qualifies for its races. Something doesn't smell right:
"No one's stupid enough to have a horse work out the morning of a race. Davis fumbled with the
HumVee's door and walked to the trailer Woody monitored his actions in the mirror. Future Glue
lolled against the padded and blanketed side of the trailer, held up by a bridle and three straps.
The horse's tongue lolled, gray and dry, from the side of his mouth. Davis jogged back to Woody.
'You've been doping Future Glue?'"
HIGH STEAKS is a mystery packed with many subplots all leading to the same conclusion. Davis
is a nice-guy hero who is surrounded by misfits; spies; mobsters; and bad cops. The plot is driven
by vignettes involving the various characters and their motives, and the denouement is a squirmer
for anyone who loves animals and horses in particular. HIGH STEAKS exposes yet another
seamy side of horse racing and the greed that usually results in beautiful horses being destroyed.
Throughout the story, the drifty but celestial writings of the deceased Wanda Marie provide
insight and depth to a well conceived plot.
We can't help but root for Davis to put his life back together, and the lovely Tasha appears just as
things are at their bleakest. All's well that ends well, and Davis becomes a humble hero in the end,
inviting a sequel. The reader gets to see Davis win and stay unaffected. A good read.
Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer
Shirley's Bookshelf
Sara's Search
Jan Christensen
Quiet Storm Publishers
Martinsburg, WV
www.quietstormpublishing.com
ISBN# 0974960837 $25.95 226 pages
Let me start this review by saying one thing, what a book! Slow at the start, this read picked up
with such a pace I had to run to keep up. The story's main characters are two women, Sara and
Belinda, who have been friends since childhood. Sara is adopted and at the onset of the story her
adopted father has died, causing Sara to have a hunger to know who her true parents are. Little
did she know that her father,an inventor, was also looking for her. Attending a party given by
Belinda ,Sara is made very uncomfortable by a drunken man who is following her around. Upon
leaving the party, Sara finds the drunken man dead on the staircase and when he is identified she
learns, to her horror, he is her father. His untimely death only complicates Sara quest in her
search for her identity and now she must find answers to the mystery that is wrapped around the
murder of her father. Belinda is married to a wealthy doctor and has been overcome with an
unknown illness. Stricken in the prime of her life she battles a foe that is baffling countless
doctors. Both women are thrown into a quest to solve a mystery; one the murder of her father,
and discovering her heritage, the other, the reason for her depilating sickness. It has been a long
time since I have been so drawn into a storyline, but this book did it, keeping me up at night
reading to find out the answers. I had to know what was making Belinda so sick, and I had to
know who killed Sara's father before she even had a chance to meet him . The suspects were
never-ending and each character that you were introduced to seemed to be more guilty than the
last. Outstanding! Here is the good part, the author weaves the two mysteries together in a way
you would not believe. You would think, just hearing the storyline, that having two separate
mysteries going on would only throw confusion into the story, but somehow the author took you
back and forth in the read keeping your interest peaked to the highest on both counts. Great job!
That is the mark of a writer who knows their craft. I was relieved to finally know what had been
attacking Belinda's body, and the final outcome revealing the killer of Sara's father was so
shocking, I am still surprised thinking about it. I would have never guessed, never! This is one of
those books that you don't want to miss. Great storyline, deep shadows of mysteries, adventure,
real life drama and very believable characters. Highest recommendation possible!
No Time To Mourn
Tim Wohlforth
Quiet Storm Publishing
Martinsburg, WV
www.quietstormpublishing.com
ISBN# 0974960829 $14.95 210 pages
I love a mystery that has the savor of the old TV shows such as Magnum PI, the kind where the
private eye is street smart, smooth and real to life. That's what I found in my read of "No Time To
Mourn." Jim Wolf is our PI, living on a boat and having a pet python named Monty. Yes, you
read that right; but before you wrinkle your nose let me say that old Monty proves to be very
instrumental in the solving of this case. A little off the beaten track for a character, don't you
think? Good job. Wolf is thrust into a murder investigation by his ex-girlfriend and helper Lori.
He knew this investigation was going to be different from the moment he met Susan. Why was he
relating to this woman whose husband had just been killed and who was being stalked by a man
she called Red. Why did he think her past held the answers and what was it about her that made
this whole thing different from other cases he had worked on? Wolf didn't know, but Red only
made it more personal when he attempted to kill him right after his initial meeting with Susan.
Unfortunately Susan is killed not long into the story and we are introduced to several suspects
such as her colorful step children Junior and Edith, who certainly would have a lot to gain from
the death of both Susan and her husband, but that answer seemed far to simple for Wolf to
swallow. The story twists and turns as we are taken down the road of corruption, lies and greed
as other suspects are introduced into the story. Dark and seedy, these suspects add a good chill to
the read causing Wolf to be more determined to dig deeper into this mystery.
No, there was more to this investigation than was meeting the eye and Wolf enlists the help of a
reporter named Constance who adds a little spice to the drama and also conflicting emotions to
our already confused PI.
The author opens the mind and emotions of Wolf to the reader. Not only is he trying to solve a
double murder but he is also dealing with commitment issues and personal life problems, this
makes him real in your minds eye as you are included in his inward struggles as he tries to make
sense of his own life and his personal relationships. No Time To Mourn is a mystery written with
a flare from the past mixed with the present. It is a story that shows how greed overshadows the
preservation of life and it is a story that brings out inward emotions as we watch Wolf work
through his own fears of personal involvements with those who love him. If you want to read a
good mystery with a slice of personal struggles with the main character, this one is for you. Very
good job.
Heaven's Blue
B. Penelope Marzec
Awe-Struck ebooks
www.awe-struck.net
ISBN# 1587494450 Download $5.99 21 Chapters
Samantha Lyons is a research scientist working on a mosquitoe project in the town of Clam
Creek, New Jersey. But Samantha has a problem, her assistant quit and she is almost out of time
to complete her research and be funded to continue. She is upset and at wits end when God steps
in and puts David and his son James in her path. Who is David and James? Is that even their real
names? Samantha does not like the answer to that question as she finds out that David has
kidnapped his son and is on the run. Samantha, who was also kidnapped by her cruel father as a
child, is unable to see beyond that fact and find out the truth about David's situation. The story
twists and turns as Samantha encounters disaster with her project, David is arrested and his son
James disappears. But all of this does not take place before a bond of love encircles the couple
even though each, for totally different reasons, will not accept it. Does this story have a happy
ending? What is David's real name and his sons and why did he feel compelled to run? What
horror was he protecting his young son from? Heaven's Blue, this story will wrap itself
around you as you become engrossed in the numerous situations, deep emotions, testing of ones
faith and the finding of faith in another. A story of finding a love that only God could bring.
Safe Pasture
Donna Chapman Gilbert
Publish America
www.publishamerica.com
ISBN# 1413710077 $19.95 308 pages
Susanna Parker, the main character of our story, is a young widowed mother. At the onset of
the story Susanna is fired from her job and decides to take up her Aunt Ora's invitation and visit
with her for a while in Wyoming. Her son Rusty is overjoyed and can't wait to begin the
adventure, but Susanna is only looking forward to some quiet relaxing time. Aunt Ora is a
believing woman, setting her hopes on the Lord for her everyday existence. Susanna loves and
respects her aunt but does not share the devotion and commitment to the Lord that she does.
However that would soon change. And you know, without being told, that Aunt Ora was inspired
by a higher force to invite her niece to spend time with her. Realizing this, you are aware that God
has a plan for this young woman's life and you await to see it unfold before you. On Aunt Ora's
insistence Susanna and her son accompany her to church where Susanna meets and is befriended
by Beth O'Connor. She also meets Mark, a man she finds quite appealing despite Aunt Ora's
disapproval of him, and is one of our colorful sinister characters in this work. The author did a
good job using this character to show how the enemy sends counterfeits along our path to sway
us from God's ultimate purpose. But the Lord is at work in Susanna's life and things are about to
change as he turns her to him. Her conversion takes place when her son is missing and Susanna
promises the Lord that she will change if he is returned safely to her. We are introduced to Zeke
McCall, a rancher that is in need of a cook. Aunt Ora thinks this would be the perfect opportunity
for Susanna to pick up some extra funds and for Rusty to enjoy ranch life for a while. Susanna is
not so sure but agrees to at least meet the man and discuss the possibilities. Their meeting does
not go well and instead of making Susanna pick up and leave she decides to prove to this man that
she can indeed take on the responsibility of cooking for the likes of him and his men. Zeke is a
widower with a young daughter named Laura who has not spoken since the tragic death of her
mother in a car accident. This is where the true meat of the story begins as the author introduces
you to colorful ranch hands that challenge Susanna to battle for her acceptance as one of them;
you will smile at their playful antics towards Susanna, but you will also cringe as the author has
woven in some very distasteful characters that almost destroy Susanna's life. Good mix. The
author takes you on a journey in this read of this woman Susanna, this man Zeke, both struggling
with their inner hurts and fears. Both feeling the force that is drawing them together and both
battling against the tide. Susanna's faith is growing and Zeke has not yet accepted the Lord, this is
not acceptable to Susanna who could never have a relationship with a man who does not have the
Lord in his life. The story takes you through many trauma's, from a near rape of Susanna, the near
loss of the ranch for Zeke, to the desperate search for the children during a blinding blizzard,
which leads to Zeke's acceptance of the Lord. The author shows through each and everyone of
these the saving grace of God. Safe Pasture is a work that takes the lives of two people and
shows how God is able to intervene to bring them to the place he wants them to be. It is a work
that is filled with raw emotions, tender love, nail biting suspense and deep inward faith all
interwoven in a great storyline. One that will keep you reading, and will encourage you in your
walk as you see how the steadfastness of one believer can indeed move mountains and change
lives forever. Very highly recommended.
Finding Hidden Treasures
Ron Price
Lifequest Inc.
1224 1st Street S. Suite 307 Nampa, Idaho 83367
www.lifequestintl.com info@fequestintl.com
ISBN# 0967837316 $13.95 215 pages
I, at times do not like to read self-help books. I don't like formulas and do not feel that they will
work for all people, so I approached this book carefully. I must say I was pleasantly surprised.
Ron Price, a former Pastor, used such positive enforcement in his writing it was hard not to
mentally make notes of improvement in my own life along the way of reading this work. Basically,
he brings to light the hidden treasures within us that can be released to help us achieve those
unfulfilled dreams. He speaks of the obstacles that stand in our way, helps us to see them and
gives points to overcome them. He takes us through our relationships and explains how to use the
positive influence and release the negative. He even guides us through our bodies, what can harm
us if we eat it, what will benefit our body. Good stuff! And finally he deals with our spiritual
bodies, and this is the section I read over and over again. The poem in Chapter 29,
"Thanksgiving," brought tears to my eyes and the words in this section brought me inward peace.
Outstanding! To sum it up, the author does a wonderful job in jolting the reader to take a good
hard look at themselves deep within, physically, mentally and spiritually, and brings the reader to
an understanding that we indeed do have 'hidden treasures'. I truly enjoyed this read and will keep
it close by to refer to time and time again. Recommended.
INTERVIEW WITH AMANDA SAMMONS, SENIOR PUBLICIST
Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists
It has been a while since I have interviewed a publicist and I thought it was time that I did. I have
just recently had the pleasure of corresponding with Amanda and I immediately liked her. I think
you will find the interview below very informative, let's begin please.
SPJ: Amanda,thank you for doing this interview with me. Now, may I ask you why you chose this
profession?
AMANDA: There are a ton of reasons I love being a publicist. Among them, every day brings
new challenges and opportunities to flex my creative muscles. Also, I have the unique advantage
of working with a variety of inspiring and stimulating authors. Phenix & Phenix professes that
"We believe books change lives!" and it is fulfilling to be a part of that.
SPJ: I agree with you, I do think books can change lives. Let me ask you this, I have heard many
pro's and con's concerning authors hiring a publicist. Tell us please, why do you think an author
needs a publicist?
AMANDA: For authors who are serious about getting their work noticed, a publicist can put a
professional face on their efforts. Many media outlets are overwhelmed by the massive amount of
information flooding into their offices and appreciate working with a proven team of experts who
already understand the "rules of the game." Also, publicity offers third party credibility that
advertising does not. That is not to say that publicity alone can make a book successful. Authors
and publishers also have to take an active role by continuing to market the book through speaking
engagements, book signings, word-of-mouth efforts, working with bookstores, etc.
SPJ: All of that is very true and does seem to make an author more serious about their work.
Thank you Amanda. Now, do you accept every author that comes to you or are you selective and
if so why and what would be your criteria for accepting an author.
AMANDA: Phenix & Phenix selects clients based on a number of factors. We have a
comprehensive review process that covers many aspects of the book's quality and media
worthiness. In addition, we only choose to promote books we feel have a positive message or
promote an idea or concept that inspires the reader. In short, books that have a positive effect on
people or society. We also look at the quality of writing, cover design, and content. We need to
know if the author is committed to promoting the book, and will actively be involved in the
campaign.
SPJ: Very interesting, thank you. May I ask you if there is a set fee that an author must pay or
does it vary depending on what they would like you to do for them?
AMANDA: It varies depending on the needs of the author and the book. I would encourage
author's interested in learning more to visit our website at www.bookpros.com and to get in touch
with one of my colleagues on the client development team.
SPJ: Fair enough, thank you Amanda. Tell me, are you finding that more authors are turning to
publicists now than they did in the past and if so why?
AMANDA: Absolutely. More and more books are being published every year and authors are
finding it more difficult to acquire adequate publicity through their publishing houses. For those
authors who need special attention on their work, hiring an independent publicist can be an
excellent opportunity.
SPJ: Here is a question I know authors would like to have the answer for. Once accepted, what is
required of an author?
AMANDA: It is easy to be lulled into complacency once a publicist has taken on the author's
book. But I would contend that the real work for an author starts after a book is released. In
other words, writing it is the easy part getting people to notice it is the hard part. There are
many things we ask from an author, but perhaps the most important is that they continue to be
involved in the process. It is vital to a successful publicity campaign to adapt to the needs and
wants of the media, to understand what they are looking for and to provide that information in a
timely manner. This is a challenge for some authors because "their message" is not necessarily the
media's message and a creative connection has to be established. That requires thinking outside
the box and trusting your publicist enough to know that that if you have gone to the trouble of
hiring a professional it is important to listen to their advice.
SPJ: Tell me about the publishers, are they glad when an author hires a publicist and do they work
with you?
AMANDA: This really depends on the publisher but if it helps promote the book, most publishers
welcome the additional efforts. The majority of publishers are great about working with an
author's publicist and many go above and beyond to offer assistance. It is important to note that
all publicity efforts should be coordinated so if the publisher's publicity team is working with the
book as well, their efforts should not be duplicated by the author's publicist.
SPJ: We have all heard that more and more of the promoting of a book is falling on the shoulders
of an author, even with the big houses. Do you feel this is true and if so why?
AMANDA: We have heard this time and time again. In the end, author's have the ultimate
responsibility, and the most passion, for their own book. While there are many factors out of their
control, they can do a number of promotional efforts to enhance their book's success and bring
them closer to their goals.
SPJ: Thank you Amanda for being honest and straight forward with that answer. I want to ask
you this please, I have read and reviewed quite a number of ebooks and many of them are
outstanding works. Do you deal at all with ebook authors? How do you feel about ebooks and
their future?
AMANDA: At the moment we deal only with books available in paperback and hardback. Ebooks
could be the wave of the future but until media outlets begin to take them more seriously on a
wide scale, they will be difficult to tailor a publicity campaign around.
SPJ: May I ask if you are a published author and if so would you tell us a little about your
work?
AMANDA: There is an adage that seems very apropos here: "Everyone has at least one good
book in them." To be quite honest, if I do have one rumbling around in my head, I haven't yet
stumbled upon it.
SPJ: Well Amanda, for some reason I think that is in your future! Now, is there a question that
you wish I had asked and I have not? If so, please use this space to tell us.
AMANDA: One question I get a lot is how we measure success. As a literary publicity company,
our measure of success is determined by the amount and quality of the media we procure for the
author and their work. Many authors and publishers choose to measure the success or failure of a
particular book based on sales volume only. Unfortunately, this is a component of the process that
is out of our control. Once the media is in place, factors such as distribution, how well the
interview goes, the book's timeliness and production quality weigh heavily on its ultimate
success.
SPJ: Thank you Amanda for answering that for us. Would you now tell our readers where you
see the world of a publicist in the next five years.
AMANDA: Media outlets will always need content and will never have enough time to seek out
all of the stories they need on their own. Publicity will always be an active component in the
media process. What is up for discussion is the respect that publicists will have in the future. That
factor will be determined right now by how well we do our jobs. If we can continue to provide
relevant and timely story ideas, we will continue to develop strong relationships.
SPJ: Amanda, please use this space for any closing words you would like to leave with our
readers about yourself, your company or publishing in general.
AMANDA: For all authors, the best advice I can give is never turn down any opportunity to talk
about your book. Whether your neighbor asks about it, someone on the subway stops you, or a
small radio wants to set up an interview, make the most of every opportunity. Success is possible
but, like anything in life, it takes dedication and a lot of hard work. We like to say, "Publicity is a
marathon, not a sprint!" All the best in promoting your own dreams!
SPJ: Thank you Amanda for such a great interview. I think our readers will have a much better
understanding of the purpose of a publicist and exactly how much good they can do for them. I
have truly enjoyed getting to know you better and look forward to working with you in the
future. My very best to you.
INTERVIEW WITH LORRAINE STEPHENS - PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE EDITOR OF
WINGS ePRESS, INC. I have read and reviewed several of Wings ePress books and really
enjoyed them. I felt this publishing house would be of interest to you, the reader. I hope you enjoy
this interview with Ms. Stephens, let's begin.
SPJ: I'm excited to know about your company, would you please give us some background
information, when it was started, what the vision is behind it and your mission statement.
LORRAINE: Wings ePress, Inc. opened for business on September 1, 2001. Our goal has always
been to offer authors a safe place to see their work [PUT OUT THERE offered] to readers and
fans. We have a staff of editors and copy editors who work with the author to ensure the book is
the best it can be before it's offered to the public. We make sure the author is involved with every
aspect of the process, including cover art. Our mission is to publish the best, most entertaining
books for the enjoyment of those who love to read.
SPJ: Would you please give your name and position in your company
Lorraine Stephens. I am president and Executive Editor.
SPJ: Please tell us how long you have been with the company and what your duties are.
LORRAINE: I have been with the company since its formation. I oversee the editorial staff, as
well as head one of the departments. I edit, occasionally copy edit, and format the galleys.
SPJ: You wear many hats Lorraine and from what I have seen you do a wonderful job. Would
you like to share anything about your fellow workers and the jobs they do.
LORRAINE: Oh, yes. I have the very best editing staff. I'm very proud of the books we publish
and the main reason for that is the fact they are well edited and copy edited.
SPJ: Let's get to the meat of the interview, the questions that all authors want me to ask. Let's
talk about submissions. Are you open to submissions, and if no when do you think you will
be?
LORRAINE: We are open to submission, but authors would be wise to check out the submission
guidelines on our site and query first.
SPJ: Must the authors query first? How many queries do you receive in a given month?
LORRAINE: Yes, authors must query first. On average we receive about twenty queries per
month.
SPJ: Would you please tell us what type of books you publish, are you looking for specific
genres, or is the field wide open? Also, what formats are your books published in?
LORRAINE: We publish a wide range of genres. We have the General Fiction department
through which we publish horror, thrillers, mysteries, historical, women's fiction, etc. There is
little to no romance in these books. In the romance departments we publish everything except
erotica. We are always looking for Young Adult and Middle Reader books. We will be happy to
receive queries for these genres. The author needs to be aware that we do not publish anything
with pictures as a part of the text. (No children's picture books). And they need to check our web
site to learn the word counts we accept for YA titles. We offer HTML; PDF and Microsoft
Reader as well as trade paperbacks on our site. We also offer multiple formats through
FictionWise.
SPJ: May all authors have their books in trade paperback form? What are the rules concerning
that? How does that work please?
LORRAINE: Yes, they may have their books in trade paperback and the trade paperback will be
published on the same day as the downloads. They don't need to wait on some later date. We
contract for the electronic downloads and offer the option, in the contract, for the trade
paperback. If the author wants her/his book in trade paperback, they agree to pay a small, one
time, set up fee of $90.00. If they decide they don't want to do that, we will still publish their
book in download. If the author initially decided they didn't want the trade paperback, but later
change their mind, that's okay with us. We will begin publishing the trade paperback on the first
day of the next month after they pay the set up fee.
SPJ: That is great as many authors enjoy holding their work in their hands. Tell me, what do you
look for when a submission comes in, what catches your eye?
LORRAINE: The first thing that catches my eye is whether or not the author proof read her query
letter. But, if the story intrigues me I usually invite the author to submit the work and I send it
through our staff of First Readers. We require a minimum of two First Readers to read the
submission and fill out a Reader Evaluation Form. It is on the information from the REF that we
base our decision on whether or not to offer a contract. What we are seeking is really good
story-telling skills, with wonderful characters. We also want to see good writing skills.
SPJ: Lorraine that sounds fair enough. Tell us please, are there certain works you will not
publish?
LORRAINE: We don't publish erotica or alternate life style stories.
SPJ: Would you give one tip that might tilt the scale and help the author's work to be
accepted.
LORRAINE: I am going to copy/paste a letter I frequently send out to authors. It tells exactly
what we are seeking and will give a clearer picture of what we want in a submission. We have a
staff of First Readers who read our submissions, the entire manuscript, and fill out a Reader
Evaluation Form. We base our decision, on whether or not to offer a contract, on the answers to
the specific questions on the REF. We require a minimum of two First Readers on each
submission because this is as subjective as any art form. What one may like, another may not.
That does not mean one is "wrong" and the other "right," but only that they have different tastes
in what they enjoy. If both agree the work has merit, we offer a contract. If they disagree, we
require a third Reader. The Readers are looking for three things in the manuscript in descending
order of importance: 1. Story: Does it engage the reader, keep them turning the pages, and caring
about how the story ends?
2. Characters: Does the Reader care about them, about what happens to them? Does the reader
feel as if these characters are people they could know and like, or dislike, in real life?
3. Writing Skills: While we prefer the author to have good writing skills, of the three this is the
least important because we have a staff of excellent editors, all of whom are capable of helping the
author correct writing problems. If the first two requirements are not "there" no amount of good
editing skills is going to rescue a dull-as-dishwater story peopled with cardboard characters. It
will still be a boring story, no matter how closely the author followed the rules using good writing
skills. Just as an FYI, if we have two books that meet the first two requirements and one slot to
fill, we will pick the submission that is the most well written. And please consider that we judge
for "sloppy," too. If the author doesn't care enough about their story to send in the cleanest
manuscript possible--why should we care?
Twice each week I send out the list of available submissions to be read. Each of the submissions
on this list are described by the title, the genre, the page count and a 100 word blurb that is to be
sent in at the same time as the submission. The First Readers choose what they want to read. We
feel strongly that the author will be better served by a First Reader who chose what they want to
read. In addition the Readers will usually choose genres with which they are familiar and those
they enjoy reading. Therefore they know what elements are needed to fit in that genre and would
be aware if something were missing.
We try to get back to the author in six to eight weeks.
SPJ: Thank you Lorraine. Tell me this, what makes you see "RED" when a submission is
presented to you?
LORRAINE: Well, I don't see "red" actually, but I am always disgusted by sloppy work. By that I
mean that the author did not read the Submission Guidelines on our site and they go ahead
and send in their manuscript without querying first. Or those who don't follow the formatting
guidelines which are detailed on our site and in the email message I send them in the invitation
when they query. I think a very close "second" would be the 100 word blurb or excerpt. So many
authors ignore that request for 100 words and will send a half page. When I ask for 100 words,
that's exactly what I mean. It may be fewer, but we don't want more.
SPJ: Thank you Lorraine. How long is the wait before the author will know if their work is
accepted and do you take simultaneous submissions?
LORRAINE: We do not want simultaneous submissions. They waste our time and energy. We
usually get back to the author in six to eight weeks. Occasionally it takes longer because we allow
the First Readers to choose what they want to read and if the blurb or excerpt does not entice
them to choose that submission it may take a lot longer to reach a decision. Authors need to think
of the 100 word blurb as an extended Log Line, or carefully choose (and edit to 100 words) an
excerpt they believe will make a Reader want to read their manuscript.
SPJ: How many books do you publish in a year and is that a set figure?
LORRAINE: Currently we are publishing about nine books per month. And it is, at this time, a
set figure.
SPJ: Where can your books be purchases? Are they stocked in bookstores and do you have a
return policy. (This may seem like a strange question but is a real concern for authors with some
publishing houses)
LORRAINE: We offer them on our site and downloads through Fictionwise. Any bookstore can
order our books because they are listed in Books In Print through Bowker. We do have a return
policy. Book stores may return the books for a full refund so long as the books are in good
(resalable) condition. This means they have to take the time to do more than just toss them
loosely into a carton because when they do that the books get beat up in transit and are not
resalable. We also offer a discount for purchases of ten or more books.
SPJ: A few more questions about author submissions please. May authors send their
submissions via email?
LORRAINE: That is the only way we accept submissions. They come to us as attached files on
email messages.
SPJ: Do they have to use your cover art or are they allowed to use their own idea?
LORRAINE: If they have cover art they want to use, or an outside artist whose work they
admire, that's fine with us, but the cover must meet our requirements and it must be approved by
our Art Director.
SPJ: Please tell us, how are your authors paid? Do you give advances and do you work with a
standard contract?
LORRAINE: We pay the author 30% of the download price for every copy sold in any format.
We pay quarterly and checks are mailed by the end of the month following the close of the
quarter. We pay on time, every time. No, we don't pay an advance. We have a very author
friendly contract.
SPJ: What type of promoting do you do for your authors and what is required of them?
LORRAINE: We have a Marketing Director who is doing excellent work. We work with our
authors to place ads in well known national magazines several times each year. But the author
needs to be aware they must do promotion for themselves.
SPJ: That sounds wonderful, I'm glad to hear that. Now, if the author's work is accepted, what is
the amount of time from acceptance to print?
LORRAINE: Currently, approximately two years.
SPJ: Do you have a good working relationship with your authors?
LORRAINE: I believe we do.
SPJ: Tell me do you use POD technology?
LORRAINE: Yes, we do.
SPJ: I would like to ask you this, as a publisher, what is the hardest part of your job and
why?
LORRAINE: Having to reject an author's work. I always empathize with the author.
SPJ: I am glad to hear that Lorraine. What part of your job makes you smile?
LORRAINE: All of it. Everything I do. I love my job. I love working with our talented authors. I
love seeing our authors win rave reviews and awards. I love being able to bring really wonderful
stories to the reading public.
SPJ: You are very blessed to have a job that you love, that's great. Another question please. Do
you feel it is important for an author to have an agent? A publicists?
LORRAINE: If the author is seeking publication in New York and can get an agent to represent
them, they should go for it. Each author is going to have to decide for themselves if they can
afford a publicist. The publicists do good work but they are not inexpensive.
SPJ: Where do you see your company in the next 5 years?
LORRAINE: Still publishing the very best works of fiction and in the top of our field.
SPJ: Would you tell us something about yourself, are you an author and if so please tell us some
about your work(s).
LORRAINE: I am published. I write as Margaret B. Lawrence--but haven't written anything new
since we started Wings. My favorite genre is romantic suspense and I have two books published
in this genre. Caresse; A Loving Touch and Michael; A Gift Of Trust are the first two books in a
series I planned. I also have an historical romance out: To Touch The Sky which is set at the time
of the Oklahoma Land Run. They are now available through Wings.
SPJ: Thank you Lorraine. If you would, please use this space for any closing remarks you would
like to leave with our readers about yourself, your company, or publishing in general.
LORRAINE: I love to read. I love holding a book in my hand but we need to start thinking about
what we are leaving for our descendants. With the number of books that end up in our landfills
and the killing of trees to produce paper, we are damaging our world. We need to start looking to
the future. There are hand-held reading devices available today. What we need is one
common "language" that could be read by all of them. I truly believe e-publishing is the wave of
the future. Think about college students being able to go into a college bookstore and
downloading the books they will need for the semester and walking out carrying sixteen ounces
instead of fifty pounds. Think about being able to load up to one hundred books on one hand-held
reading device. You can have a library of books to read and carry it around with you.
Consider trying out a Wings ebook. I know you will be entertained by any of the books on our
site. If you don't have an e-reader, you may read on your computer. Or order a trade
paperback.
SPJ: I want to thank Lorraine for allowing me to do this interview with her. I certainly hope it has
given you some useful information concerning Wings ePress, I know I have learned a lot. Thank
you Lorraine and I wish you the best in the future.
Shirley Johnson
Senior Reviewer
Vicki's Bookshelf
Agent A to Agent Z
Andy Rash
Arthur A. Levine / Scholastic
557 Broadway, NY, NY 10012-3999
www.scholastic.com
ISBN: 0439368820 $16.95, 32 pages
The latest picture book from author-illustrator Andy Rash ("The Robots Are Coming," an ALA
Kids' Pick of the Lists) is an alphabetical adventure for 3-6. Young readers will enjoy the exploits
of the funny group of spies Agent A, Agent B, Agent C, etc. as they use jet-packs and kung fu,
shoot tranquilizer darts, and sneak around as Cold War agents are wont to do. "Agent B correctly
chooses Blue / And so the Bomb defuses/ Agent C is Crawling up/ the window using suction
Cups. Vocabulary instruction takes a backseat to the driver here -- fun and games making
"Agent A to Agent Z" a refreshingly fun read in a stale and overcrowded ABC book market.
Chasing Vermeer
Blue Balliett
Brett Helquist, illustrator
Scholastic Press
557 Broadway, NY, NY 10012-3999
www.scholastic.com
ISBN: 0439372941 $16.95, 254 pages
This unusal mystery novel for children is a richly detailed, fast-paced, imaginative book with wide
appeal. In many ways, it's "The Da Vinci Code" for kids: a puzzle, wrapped in a mystery,
disguised as an adventure, and delivered as a work of art. Filled with letters to decode and
mysteries to solve, it contains a secret message, artfully hidden in Brett Helquists's ("Series of
Unfortunate Events") chapter illustrations. The story centers on Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay
who experience strange, unexplainable occurrences one fall in Chicago. When seemingly unrelated
events start to connect, the two find themselves at the center of an international art scandal, where
no once is spared from suspicion. Drawn deeper and deeper into a mysterious labyrinth, the two
must call on their intellect and intuition, and their knowledge of Vermeer. Can they decipher a
crime that has left even the FBI baffled? An exciting, top-drawer page-turner for kids of all
ages.
100 Math Activities Kids Need To Do By 1st Grade
100 Math Activities Kids Need To Do By 2nd Grade
100 Math Activities Kids Need To Do By 3rd Grade
Caroline Brunetto (1st), Kathy Burkett (2nd), and Jackie Glasthal (3rd)
Scholastic
557 Broadway, NY, NY 10012-3999
ISBN: 0439566797
ISBN: 0439566800
ISBN: 0439566819
$12.95, 224 pages each, www.scholastic.com
Following the success of the "100 Words" workbook series, Scholastic launches an all-new series
in time for summertime academic support. Beginning with "100 Math Activities Kids Need To Do
By 1st Grade," this comprehensive collection of workbooks focuses on learning, and mastering,
the 100 most important math exercises for each grade level. The initial May launch includes
specialized books for 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades, with upper grades to follow. These new math
workbooks provide 100, full-color, full spread math activities that kids need to cover in each
grade level. They each give readers the practice needed to master these important fundamentals,
and support classroom learning. Packed with color illustrations, photos, challenging activities and
fun surprises, the "100 Math Activities" series will help children learn and sharpen their
mathematical skills. Math content includes number sense, addition and subtraction, measurement,
geometry, time, money and organizing data. Tested by educators and parents, the series is sure to
please both.
Sisterland
Linda Newbery
David Finkling Books / Knopf Delacorte Dell
1540 Broadway, NY, NY 10036
www.randomhouse.com/teens
ISBN: 0385750269 $15.95, 372 pages
"Sisterland" is an evocative, passionate story rooted in racism, homophobia, family illness, and
World War II. Light and breezy it is not. The complex themes are made palatable by compelling
narrative and rich, multi-generational characters. Hilly's elderly grandmother, for instance, begins
to show signs of Alzheimer's disease, so she comes to live in the family's care. As she falls into
dementia, she begins to talk about her recollections of a Jewish girl she knew during the horrific
Holocaust. Hilly is fascinated by the glimpses into her grandmother's past, and slowly begins to
unravel the meaning of the memories. As the family dynamics change, Hilly also deals with the
taunts of her older sister, Zoe, and her own romantic feelings for a Palestinian boy. The
contrasting storylines are deftly interwoven, making "Sisterland" a moving novel for young
adults.
Walking Naked
Alyssa Brugman
Delacorte Press / Random House
1540 Broadway, NY, NY 10036
www.randomhouse.com/teens
ISBN: 0385731159 $15.95, 188 pages
"Walking Naked" is the American debut of Australian Alyssa Brugman, whose first novel,
"Finding Grace" found critical success. Her newest is an unflinching story about the confused and
often cruel interactions of high school girls, featuring protagonist Megan Tuw. Comfortably set in
the socially elite inner circle at school, the position entitles Megan to openly ridicule outcasts like
Perdita Wiguiggan. Perdita referred to as "Freak" doesn't defend herself and has no friends to
do so on her behalf. When Megan and Perdita end up together in detention, they form an unlikely
friendship, strange and unfamiliar to them both. Their relationship builds in complexity, yet rather
than becoming closer, they consistently put the other in her place with sharp-clawed assessments
of personal flaws. Realistic and unafraid, "Walking Naked" puts into words the otherwise
unspoken and unacknowledged rituals of teenage girls.
Who Goes Home:
Syliva Waugh
Delacorte Press / Random House
1540 Broadway, NY, NY 10036
www.randomhouse.com/teens
ISBN: 0385729650 $15.95, 224 pages
The companion to "Space Race" and "Earthborn" has landed. The secretive Ormingat characters
are back on Earth for the third and final installment in British sci-fi maven Sylvia Waugh's
entertaining Ormingat Trilogy. The satisfying conclusion weaves together the fates of Tomas,
Nesta and Jacob, three Ormingat children struggling to come to terms with their intergalactic
origins and earthbound lives. Steven is an ET visitor sent to temporarily reside with an Earthling
family. When his son, Jacob, is born with a fatal immune deficiency, Steven shrouds him in a
special shield that causes Jacob to grow up in seclusion. When he finally learns his true identity,
he accepts his fate and joins his father in his alien work. When unwanted media attention
complicates matters and threatens disaster, things unravel causing all involved to wonder "Who
Goes Home." A lively read for middle grade sci-fi fans age 10 through 13.
How People Live
Dr. Deena Freeman
DK
375 Hudson St., NY, NY, 10014
www.dk.com
ISBN: 0789498677 $29.99, 304 pages
Examining daily lives, customs, languages, and religions, "How People Live" provides an intimate
look at the way people live around the world. With unique, full-color photos and fascinating
personal stories, the diversity of each culture is brought out to its fullness, taking the mind and
soul on an around the world tour. Perfect for reading at home or in the classroom, this book will
captivate young readers fascinated with how other families live in far-away lands. Food,
education, nationality, religion, language and environment are some of the core comparisons made
in this look at the global village. Written by a social anthropologist, this is an authoritative and
thoroughly researched reference book suited for library, institutional and home use for ages eight
and up.
What's That Awful Smell?
Heather Tekavec
Margaret Spengler, illustrator
Dial Books for Young Readers
345 Hudson St., NY, NY 10014-3657
www.penguin.com
ISBN: 0803726600 $15.99, 32 pages
How can the animals rest in their barn when there's such a terrible smell in there? They must get
rid of it! They do their best, but nothing seems to work. Will the smell ever go away? This cute
picture book mystery is enhanced by warm, cheerful illustrations, and not a hint of the gross-out
humor stinking up other smelly picture books stinking up the recent marketplace. For young
readers 3-6.
Walter the Farting Dog
William Katzwinkle and Glenn Murray
Audrey Colman, illustrator
Dutton Children's Books
345 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014
www.penguinputnam.com.
ISBN: 0525472177 $15.99, 32 pages
What's that smell? The rank odor of gas seems to be permeating children's bookshelves lately.
Like dumb and dumber movies, gross and grosser books are everywhere. The market is (ahem)
ripe for stinkers, and so the "Walter the Farting Dog" picture book has spewed a new sequel:
"Walter the Farting Dog: Trouble at the Yard Sale." Yes, it's a "blowout sale" (pun intended,
naturally) in which the putrid pup lets loose and drives away customers , and so is himself sold for
$10. The new owner is a clown (a literal clown there's no room for subtlety here) who employs
Walter's "talent" to accomplish dastardly deeds. The book's darkly satirical heart and gross
devices make this a base and desperate attention-getter that is patently inappropriate for young
children. It's a post-modern mess and a ho-hum shocker with pointless subversiveness. In a word,
it stinks.
When It's The Last Day of School
Maribeth Boelts, illustrated by Hanako Wakiyama
G.P. Putnam's Sons / Penguin Putnam
345 Hudson St., NY, NY 10014
www.penguinputnam.com
ISBN: 0399234985 $15.99, 32 pages
It's the last day of school, and James couldn't be more excited about summer vacation. It's such an
important day, James promises to be on his best behavior and earn the last gold star from his
teacher. And he won't skip over the "Republic" part of the Pledge of Allegiance, or talk during
silent reading time either, or spit out the warm water from his first gulp at the drinking fountain.
Nope, James is going to make his last day of school special. The pint sized narrator of this
charming picture book is the spot-on voice of young elementary school kids everywhere, making
this perfect classroom reading to engage the attention and emotions of young students and
teachers alike. The nostalgic color palette brings to mind 1950s/60s institutional school hues, and
the friendly, wide-eyed images of classmates instills instant affection.
The Mighty Asparagus
Vladimir Radunsky
Harcourt Inc./Silver Whistle
525 B Street, San Diego, CA 92101
15 E. 26th St., NY, NY 10010
www.HarcourtBooks.com
ISBN: 0152167439 $16.00, 34 pages
"V. Radunsky was born in Italy in 1589," begins the author's tongue-in-cheek bio. "As a little boy
he witnessed the heroic battle of the Mighty Asparagus." The Russian-American illustrator is
considerably younger than the 400 years he claims, but equally satirical in is approach to this
picture book based on the Russian folk tale, "The Turnip." As this ironic story goes, the world's
biggest asparagus grew in front of a king's castle. The unhappy king insisted it be removed, but
the mighty asparagus was unmovable. The king's court, queen, princess, mother, pet rhino, and a
singing bird all get into the action, creating a tossed salad of results. The real draw, however, is
the fantastic illustrative art that draws on Italian Renaissance art, then reflects it in funhouse
mirrors. The melding of fine art techniques with a childish hand creates a loony magical kingdom
where it's possible that such an asparagus existed. Radunsky's downright nutty storytelling is
funny, refreshing and unique. Brilliant lunacy at its best.
Nothing to Lose
Alex Flinn
Harper Tempest
1350 Avenue of the Americas, NY, NY 10019-4703
www.harperchildrens.com
ISBN: 0060517506 $15.99, 278 pages
Set in a backdrop of domestic violence, "Nothing to Lose" deals headfirst with one of the most
devastating realities for teens today. Protagonist Michael Daye was a totally normal high school
kid. He played football, had good friends and a girl he really liked. Things stopped being normal
though, when his mother remarried. On the surface, his stepfather was a rich and successful dream
come true. Underneath, however, he was a brutal and abusive nightmare. Eventually, Michael
leaves his mother behind to pick up the pieces, in the most clich‚d way possible: he runs away to
join the circus. When the carnival arrives back in his hometown, Michael learns that his mother is
on trial for murdering his stepfather. His instinct is to come to her aid, but by doing so, he would
reveal his past and lose his newfound freedom. Unfortunately, Michael's dilemma is never fully
believable; with the stepfather gone, he has no abuse to fear. Since he is the only witness to the
household's domestic abuse, and therefore his mother's best chance for a just acquittal, Michael's
cowardice looses reader support.
Emeril's There's a Chef in My Family!
Harper Collins
1350 Avenue of the Americas, NY, NY 10019-4703
www.harperchildrens.com
ISBN: 0060004398 $22.99, 208 pages
The world's most obnoxious, single catch-phrase chef is at it again. The branded TV chef first
focused his attention on family meal with the successful "Emeril's There's A Chef in My Soup!"
appealing to busy, overscheduled families who find it difficult to sit together for regular meals.
This time he cooks up a cookbook of "recipes to get everybody cooking" from tots to grandmas.
The 76 recipes cover all three meals, and include steps that every family member can partake in.
Instead of kids asking "What's for dinner," the book attempts to retrain them to ask "Can we
make Very Veggie Lasagna tonight?" A tall order, indeed.
The Gift Moves
Steve Lyon
Houghton Mifflin
215 Park Ave. So., NY, NY 10003
www.hmco.com
ISBN: 0618391282 $15.00, 230 pages
The first time Bird Speaks saw Path Down the Mountain, he was taken. In her he saw an intensity
and passion for her work for which he could only hope. She is a Hand, a weaver of brilliantly
colored cloth, and it's Path's talent with the cloth that has brought her to the Banks, the small
town where Bird and his family live. She has come to study under the vigilant eye of her teacher,
Heron, one of the best weavers in the land. It is the busiest time of the year for the weavers, who
must weave and dye many hundreds of yards of cloth for the Midsummer Day festival, only weeks
away. That's when the year turns, and tradition calls for everyone to take everything you have and
throw it in a huge fire so that you will be empty, ready to be filled by the new year. But Path does
not want to empty herself, so she hoards a gift that she will not give: a secret story from her past.
This deeply provoking novel for ages 10-14 is a gift in itself. Lyrical and rich prose, thoughtful
and spiritual concepts and memorable images permeate.
The Prophecy of the Stones
Flavia Bujor
Hyperion
114 Fifth Ave., NY, NY 10011-5690
www.hyperionchildrensbooks.com
ISBN: 0786818352 $16.95, 386 pages
In current day Paris, a young girl named Joa fights for her life in a hospital bed. Her parents have
died, her friends have forgotten her, and she has only her imagination to keep her company. In her
fevered sleep, she dreams of three dynamic girls who life in an enchanted land called Fairytale.
Jade, Opal and Amber have each been prophesied to receive a magical stone on their 14th
birthdays stones that will guide and protect them as they embark on an epic journey to save
Fairytale. Along the way, they battle the powerful forces of evil, negotiate with the ruling Council
of Twelve, and energize the forces of resistance led by an exiled prince who is so hopeless he has
forgotten his destiny, and even his own name. The book 's creativity is remarkable considering its
source: it was written by a 13 year old. Her spontaneous, inspired voice, and the richness of her
vividly imagined world have made her a best-selling author in Europe. She cannot help but
magically entice American 'tween and teen readers as well.
My Little Chalkboard: Animal Friends
My Little Chalkboard: Playing With Numbers
Nancy Krulik
Barroux, illustrator
Running Press
125 South Twenty-Second St., Philadelphia, PA 19103-4399
ISBN: 0762414359 (Animals)
ISBN: 0762414367 (Numbers)
$12.95, 20 pages, www.runningpress.com
Using a familiar toy from school and playtime a chalkboard toddlers learn the relationship of
written letters, numbers and words to the sounds they make with the clever "My Little
Chalkboard" book line. The fun learning tool books feature lined and blank chalkboard surfaces
on each spread, with accompanying color illustrations and engaging text including rollicking
rhymes and simple lessons, and activity starters. Each book includes a cleaning cloth, a
mini-eraser, and six pieces of multicolored chalk packed in a re-closable storage case. The "My
Little Chalkboard" books are terrific, reasonably priced gift items to keep little hands busy on the
go.
Mighty Jackie, the Strike-Out Queen
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
1230 Avenue of the Americas, NY, NY 10020
www.SimonSaysKids.com
ISBN: 0689863292 $16.95, 32 pages
For as long as she could remember, Jackie Mitchell's father had told her she could be good a
whatever she wanted, as long as she worked at it. Jackie worked at baseball. And before long,
Jackie could outplay anyone in her neighborhood even the boys. Although she had a wicked
curve ball pitch, she knew it was unthinkable that a girl could ever pitch against Babe Ruth and
Lou Gehrig. Then on April 2, 1931, the New York Yankees stopped in Tennessee for an
exhibition game against the Chattanooga Lookouts. And on that day, Jackie Mitchell made
baseball history. This true picture book story of determination and heroism, is a gem of baseball
history sure to inspire ball players of all ages.
My Teacher Likes to Say
Denise Brennan-Nelson, illustrated by Jane Monroe Donovan
Sleeping Bear Press / Gale Group
310 North Main St., Suite 300, Chelsea, MI 48118
ISBN: 1-58536-212-3
$15.95, 32 pages, www.sleepingbearpress.com
Witty classroom language is explored in this teacher-friendly picture book.
It's delightful interpretation of maxims, idions, proverbs and clich‚s that
many students hear on a regular basis at school. From "Do you have ants in
your pants?" to "Stick together!" and "Great minds think alike," readers
will be intrigued by the meanings and history of many colorful adages. Told
in poetry form and expository text, the book accomplishes the double task of
entertaining and informing. "My Teacher Likes To Say" makes a particularly
amusing classroom read-aloud that will surely encourage students to further
explore even more odd expressions.
Tourist Trap
Charles Ogden
Tricycle Press
P.O. Box 7123, Berkeley, CA 94707
www.tenspeed.com
ISBN: 1582461112 $12.95, 158 pages
This second installment of the "Edgar & Ellen" series, follows in the recent middle-grade tradition
of Lemony Snickett's "An Unfortunate Series of Events." With macabe nods to Charles Addams,
Edward Gorey and, of course, Edgar Allen Poe, the protagonists from Nod's Limbs are up to their
scheming ways again. This time the sinister siblings get wind of a plan to convert the local
junkyard their beloved "gadget graveyard" into a high-profile hotel. True to their impish
natures, it's not long before the scheming siblings concoct a plan that will keep Nod's Limbs
tourist free forever or will it? A dark, mysterious treat.
The Hound of The Baskervilles
Arthur Conan Doyle, illustrated by Nicollet
Viking / Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers
345 Hudson St., NY, NY 10014
www.penguinputnam.com
ISBN: 0670036536 $25.99, 192 pages
The reader becomes an explorer, and fiction becomes discovery in Viking's "The Whole Story"
series of classic editions with something extra. "The Whole Story Series" brings to life the world's
best-loved stories in the full context of their eras with its unique, documentary approach.
Complete, unabridged text is reproduced as originally published, and then is generously annotated
with hundreds of extended captions. The numerous sidebars provide lively, succinct explanations
of history, geography, popular culture, social customs, the animal world, architecture, literature,
and science. Beautiful color and black & white illustrations accompany the story and supplemental
material, including maps, drawings, photos, diagrams and paintings, many of which date from the
time the story was written. Designed to make the classics accessible to new generations of
readers, it also appeals to long-time fans wanting to re-read, rediscover, and newly appreciate
enduringly popular stories. "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is joined in the series by "The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer," "Around the World in Eighty Days," "Black Beauty," "A Christmas
Carol," "The Call of the Wild," "Frankenstein," "Heidi," and seven others.
Vicki Arkoff
Senior Reviewer
James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
http://www.midwestbookreview.com
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