Ector County Library - Book Reviews

Buried Prey
By John Sandford
John Sandford’s 21^st Prey novel charges out of the gate when Lucas Davenport identifies the remains of two little girls as the Jones sisters, abducted nearly twenty years ago, killer unknown. At least, that’s how Lucas saw it then, when he was a rookie. In a flash back to 1985, Davenport is in uniform and hot to make detective. He proves himself more than able when he tracks down a suspect in the girls’ abduction. The man, a vagrant, is shot dead before he can be questioned, and to Lucas’ chagrin the case is closed. As this book fast forwards, Lucas uses his considerable clout to reinvestigate. As he gets closer to the truth, tragedy strikes someone close, and anger could cloud his judgment just where he needs it most.

BAD BLOOD
BY JOHN SANDFORD

It wasn’t an easy way to die, Sheriff Lee Coakley explains to agent Virgil Flowers in John Sandford’s new thriller, Bad Blood. According to the kid who called in the “accident”, local sports hero Bobby Tripp, the victim fell into the grain bin. When evidence revealed the dead farmer had been struck first, Bobby was arrested, and later found hanging in his cell. Coakley’s dilemma is this: Bobby, it appears, was murdered, too. She’s pretty sure it was by her deputy in charge. Virgil has rarely found the need to walk away from a case, but a multi-family conspiracy leads him to crimes so monstrous even he, who’s seen it all, is stunned. Now he’s got to end the madness before becoming the next victim.

THE PALLBEARERS
BY STEPHEN J. CANNELL
A Shane Scully Novel
After his parents abandoned him as an infant, the only positive force in Shane Scully’s life was Walter “Pop” Dix, director of the orphanage where Shane grew up. That was 30 years ago. Now Pop has been found dead, and police are writing the case off as suicide. Shane and his fellow pallbearers, all orphans chosen by Pop, don’t believe it. Pop was too upbeat and active to take his own life. That leaves murder, but why, and by whom? To find justice for the only father he ever knew, Shane must revisit his painful childhood. At first, he’s reluctant to work with a bunch of amateurs, but they’re all determined to find the truth. Scully navigates the stormy waters with style and an implacable, tough-guy attitude.

SPLIT IMAGE
BY ROBERT B. PARKER
As Robert B. Parker kicks off his ninth Jesse Stone mystery, it turns out the stiff was foot soldier for local tough guy Reggie Galen, who’s enjoying “retirement” in the nicest part of Paradise. What initially appears to be a low-level mob hit takes on new meaning when a high-ranking crime figure is found dead on Paradise Beach. Stressed by the case, his failed marriage and his ongoing battle with the bottle, Police Chief Jesse Stone needs something to keep him from spinning out of control. When P.I. Sunny Randall asks for a Jesse’s help investigating the Renewal, a religious cult that’s set up shop in his hometown, Jesse and Sunny realize they have much in common with their victims and their suspects, and with each other.

SHADOW OF BETRAYAL
Brett Battles

Three jobs, no questions. That was the deal Quinn had struck with his client at the office. Unfortunately for him, Ireland was just the first. Now Quinn, along with his colleague and girlfriend – the lethal Orlando- has a new assignment touched off by the killings in Ireland. Their quarry is a U.N. aide worker Marion Dupius who has suddenly disappeared from her assignment in war-torn Africa. When Quinn, finally catches a glimpse of her, she quickly flees, frantic and seared, and she’s not alone. The assignment for Quinn has now changed. Find Mario Dupuis, and the child she is protecting, and keep them from harm. Fast, smart, sleek, and stunning, a masterpiece of suspense.

THE SCARPETTA FACTOR
Patricia Cornwell

It may be a week before Christmas, but Kay Scarpetta is in an unholy mess. Her increased visibility as senior forensic analyst for CNN is prompting unsettling on-air phone calls, particularly one from a farmer psychiatric patient of Benton Wesley’s. Is the suspicious package awaiting Kay when she returns home a threat from the caller warning of her latest case, a surreal plot involving a famous actor accused of an unthinkable sex crime and the disappearance of a millionaire? Adding to Kay’s worries is the invitation to host her own TV show, and the worry that viewers will come to think she has an uncanny knack for solving cases. If only it were so!

PURSUIT OF HONOR
Vince Flynn

Mitch Rapp is in New York to spy on a man from Langley. He would follow him like a lethal shadow, and see if he is the traitor who got one of Rapp’s agents killed. If so, to terminate him. This book takes us on a roller coaster ride through the high-stakes world of international espionage; this tour de force begins just six days after the devastating events in Extreme Measures as Washington, D.C. reels from a series of explosions. The nation is in chaos, but not Rapp. He’s already on the hunt, taking on both terrorists and traitors in a single-minded guest to meet out swift and final justice.

SWORN TO SILENCE
Linda Castillo

In the sleepy rural town of Painters Mill, Ohio, the Amish and “English” residents have lived side by side for two centuries. Sixteen years ago, a series of brutal murders shattered the peaceful farming community. Kate Burkholder, a young Amish girl survived the Terror of the Slaughterhouse killer, but came away with the realization that she no longer belonged with the Amish. Years later, she has returned to Painters Mill as chief of police. When the first body is discovered in a snowy field, Kate vows to stop the killer before he strikes again, but to do so, she must betray both her family and her Amish past, and expose a dark secret that could destroy her.

Smash Cut
Sandra Brown

In the Atlanta’s swank Hotel Moultrie, one of five passengers in an elevator has been shot dead by a man waring a grotesque mask. Was it a robbery gone wrong? Was businessman Paul Wheeler targeted for execution? The press is all over the story, honingin on Julie Rutledge, who was at the scene of the shooting. Their cliam that she was Wheeler’s young lover doesn’t bother Julie. Her only concern is that the killer be found, which is why she’s focused on Paul’s profligate nephew, Creighton Wheeler, who stands to inherit his fortune, and soon, the police are too. When attorney Derek Mitchell is hired to defend Creighton, Julie tries to tell him that his client is a dangerous sociopath with an unsettling passion for movie thrillers, a warning that goes unheeded. Troubling incidents with his client followed by others of a more chilling nature lead him to suspect that Creighton doesn’t enjoy watching murder films, he lies to reenact them. If that’s the case, Derek and Julie may soon be unwilling costars in a reality film that could spell the end for them.

SUMMER BLOSSOM STREET
Debbie Macomber

Lydia Cortez, owner of A Good Yarn, is excited about Knit to Quit, her class for people looking to make a new start. Like Phoebe Rylander, who joins after breaking her engagement to her unfaithful fiancé. Alix Turner on the other hand, needs to quit smoking if she and her husband want to have a baby. Then there’s Bryan Hutchinson, a businessman who’s losing his battle with stress. Yes, Lydia knows all too well how complicated life can be, dealing with her increasingly fraikl mother, and now, she and Brad have become foster parents to a defiant 12-year old. Lydia knows people almost as well as she knows knitting. With friends to help, even the most snarled stitches can be smoothed out.

SMOOTH TALKING STRANGER
Lisa Kleypas

He answers to no one. No one has ever truly touched his heart and soul, until a young spitfire barges into his office with fury on her face and a baby in her arms. It seems that she’s child’s aunt, and she claims that he’s the father: Jack has his doubts, but Ella’s as determined as she is beautiful. She won’t take no for an answer. As these two titans square off, their battle of wills escalates until it explodes into uncontrollable desire. Filled with delicious romantic tension, it will make you laugh, love, cry and cheer

Pursuit
Karen Robards

A call from the senior partner of her law firm leads to a life-changing assignment for rookie Jessica Monaghan, only not in the way she hopes. He sends Jess to meet with the First Lady Annette Cooper in a D.C. hotel, but all Jess remembers of the terrifying events that follow is being in the back of a speeding can that crashes, killing the president’s wife. FBI agent Mark Ryan senses, correctly, that Jess isn’t sure the crash was an accident. When several people in her firm connected to the First Lady die, Jess realizes that if she remembers what actually happened that night, she’ll be dead, too. A tale of political conspiracy at the highest level of government, and an exciting, top-notch tale of romantic suspense.

Runner
Thomas Perry

After a nine-year absence, the fiercely resourceful Native American guide Jane Whitefield is back. For more than a decade, Jane pursued her unusual profession: “I’m a guide”. I show people how to go from places where somebody is trying to kill them to other places where nobody is.” Then she promised her husband she would never work again, and settled in to live a happy, quite life as the wife of a surgeon in Amherst, New York. When a bomb goes off in the middle of a hospital fundraiser, Jan finds herself face to face with eh cause of the explosion: A young pregnant girl who has been tracked across the country by a team of hired hunters. That night, regardless of what she wants or the vow she had made to her husband, Jane must come back to transform one more victim into a runner

Running Hot
Jayne Ann Krentz
A top-level member of the secretive Arcane Society, ex-cop and paranormal Luther Malone is “turned in” to his surroundings at all times, although “turned on” is more the case when he meets his new partner. Her name is Grace Renquist and the fact that she’s get zero field experience won’t make their job-taking down high level “sensitive’s”, who are enhancing their criminal talents with a potent and unpredictable drug, any easier. While the pair’s employers at Jones & Jones scramble to get them back up, Luther & Grace have to think on their feet. Grace knows all too well, if you don’t control your powers, your powers will wind up controlling you.

Plum Spooky
Janet Evanovich

Stephanie’s New Jersey camping trip is turning into a “devil” of a vacation. Stephanie, the smart-mouthed Trenton, New Jersey bounty hunter, is back, along with her sidekick Lula, her Grandma Mazier and an ever-widening cast of freaks, crooks, deranged felons, and lunatics looking for love. She’s having a tough time finding a 21-year-old geek who’s on the lam with a contraption he jacked form a research lab. Susan Stitch has dumped Carl the Monkey on Stephanie’s’ doorstep and taken off for parts unknown. At the most inopportune moment, the mysterious Diesel drops in and triggers Stephanie’s wildest adventure yet: a campout in the Pine Barrens with over-the-top spandex queen Lula, and maybe even a sighting of the Jersey Devil. Plum Spooky will send chills up your spine and giggles out your esophagus.

On the Grind
Stephen J. Cannell

Shane Scully’s life has turned radioactive. Charged with misconduct in a high-profile investigation, he’s forced to leave the LAPD in disgrace. His wife, Alexa, is seeing a divorce for his alleged dalliance with a well-known Hollywood actress. His son, horrified by these events, won’t speak to him. To make a living Scully finds work with the only police department that will have him: Haven Park, a famously crooked force that is, in effect, the personal goon squad of the Mayor. As Shane gets involved in the corruption, he finds himself harassed by an overzealous FBI agent and under the constant scrutiny of his new comrades-in-arms. The only one who can get him out of this mess is Alexa, but will she?

Run For Your Life
James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

It hasn’t been easy for New York City Detective Mike Bennett since his wife died, leaving him to raise 10 adopted kids, with a killer on the loose. The first victim was pushed in front of an oncoming train, the second, a store clerk, was shot at point- blank range. Witnesses at both scenes described the attacker as a tall, dark-haired man. Then the killer sends a mission statement in which he calls himself,”The Teacher”. After listening, Mike realizes this guy’s agenda is personal. How personal, though, he has yet to find out as The Teacher’s next lesson is about family, Mike’s, to be exact.

Stalked
Brian Freeman

Lieutenant Jonathan Stride knows his partner, Maggie Bei, is in trouble when she reports a deadly crime on a bitter January night. She’s obviously hiding a terrible secret, and her silence only feeds suspicion. She isn’t the only one keeping secrets in Duluth. A young woman has disappeared, leaving behind a cryptic message: I know who it is. Serena Dial (a homicide cop turned private investigator) is chasing a blackmailer who knows all the city’s dirty secrets. As Stride and Serena hunt for a killer, however, a predator with a vicious past is hunting them, with a terrifying plan for revenge. Can crimes be buried forever?

Silent Thunder

By Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen

As a member of the Evidence Response team, dead hookers aren’t exactly Kimberly’s specialty. Prostitutes are disappearing, one by one and with no explanation. Kimberly Quincy, FBI Special Agent seems to care. The young agent is five months pregnant and she has other things to worry about than an alleged lunatic who uses spiders to do his dirty work. Kimberly’s own mother and sister were victims of a serial killer. Now, without any bodies and with precious few clues, it’s all too clear that a serial killer has found the key to the perfect murder, or Kimberly is chasing a crime that never happened. Kimberly’s caught in a web more lethal, than any spider’s, and the more she fights for answers tightly she is trapped.

Since the death of her husband, life has become a constant struggle for Katherine Dunne and her three children. What better way to bring them all together again than a fabulous sailing vacation. Only hours out of port, everything is going wrong, Katherine’s teenage daughter, Carrie, is planning to drown herself. Her teenage son, Mark, is high on drugs and 10-year-old Ernie is nearly catatonic, claiming this is the worst vacation ever. Katherine manages to pull things together bit by bit, but just as they begin feeling like a family again, something catastrophic happens and survival becomes the least of their concerns.

In this new thriller featuring the colorful Santa Fe trial lawyer, Ed Eagle finds the tables turned when he testifies as a witness for the prosecution in the trial of his ex-wife, Barbara Eagle. The trial ends in a way Ed had not anticipated, and Barbara is still in a position to make his life and that of others, a lot of problems. With private detectives, hit men, and billion-dollar-bank accounts involved, Ed calls in every favor and follows every lead, no matter where they take him. From the posh resorts of desert California and the lush wine country of Napa, to the New Mexico high country, and the seedy hotels of Tijuanna, Ed Eagle won’t rest until he’s discovered the truth about what Barbara is up to- and settled the score.

Dean Koontz beloved hero Odd Thomas, an ordinary fry cook who just happens to have the ability to communicate with the dead, has returned to a life of quiet anonymity after a harrowing show down with an enemy of implacable evil. Lately he’s been haunted by dreams of an all-encompassing red tide that draws him to a small coastal town in California, where nothing is as it seems. In the dark night of the soul that follows, dawn will come only after the most shattering of revelations.

Is Eve Duncan about to come face-to-face with her daughter’s killer? It’s been a year since forensic sculptor Eve Duncan’s dangerous flirtation with the powerfully seductive Colombian arms dealer, Luis Montalvo, who nearly made her betray Detective Joe Quinn. Now Joe and Luis have put aside their rivalry to hunt Henry Kistle, the man who killed Eve’s daughter, Bonnie. The FBI is using a psychic to help in the search, but Eve and Joe prefer playing cat and mouse with Kistle themselves. The problem is that his venomous, taunting phone calls are torturing Eve. While it seems that Luis is cooperating with Joe, she knows both men, proud and macho to a fault, want to be the one to bring her Kistle’s head on a plate. Which means she will have to avenge Bonnie herself-or die trying.

A widow comes home to her large house, exclusive suburb to find blood on her walls, no body, and her college-age daughter missing. She’s always known her daughter ran with a bad bunch. She called them- Goths. The police can’t find the girl. She knows a surgeon named Weather Davenport whose husband is a big deal with the police. She implores Weather to get her husband directly involved. Lucas gets in only reluctantly, but when a second Goth is slashed to death in Minneapolis, he starts working it hard. The clues don’t seem to add up. There’s a young Goth who keeps appearing and disappearing. Why does Lucas keep getting the sneaking suspicion that something else is going on here- something very bad indeed.

Jane Margaux is a lonely little girl. Her mother, a powerful Broadway producer, makes time for her only once a week, for their Sunday trip to admire jewelry at Tiffany’s. Jane has only one friend: a handsome, comforting, funny man named Michael. He’s perfect, but only she can see him. Michael can’t stay forever, though. On Jane’s ninth birthday he leaves, promising her that she’ll forget him soon. He was there to help her until she was old enough to manage on her own, and now there are other children who need his help. Years later, in her thirties, Jane is just as alone as she was as a child. Then she meets a man, a handsome, comforting, funny man. He’s perfect!

Danny Cartwright and Spencer Craig never should have met. One evening, Danny, a cockney garage mechanic, takes his girlfriend up to London's West End to celebrate their engagement. He crosses paths with Spencer Craig, a barrister tipped to be the youngest Queen's Counsel of his generation. Their lives will never be the same again. Hours later, Danny is arrested for murder, and thanks to irrefutable testimony from Spencer, he is sentenced to 22 years in prison. Over the next few years, Spencer's career takes off while Danny plans his escape and revenge. A powerful novel that will remain with you long after you've turned the last page, and if that's not enough, prepare for an ending that will shock even the most ardent of Archer's fans.

Deborah Monroe and her daughter, Grace, are driving home from a party when their car hits a man running in the dark. Grace was at the wheel, but Deborah sends her home before the police arrive, determined to shoulder the blame for the accident. Her decision then turns into a deception that takes on a life of its own and threatens the special bond between mother and daughter. This is an unforgettable story about making bad choices for the right reasons and the terrible consequences of a lie gone wrong.

The Women’s Murder Club pursues two cases in an electrifying new thriller chasing a deranged killer and searching for a murderer with a taste for fire. A fire that kills a wealthy couple is determined to be homicide, leaving Det. Lindsay Boxer hoping all the clues haven’t gone up in smoke. The disappearance of the former governor’s son is worrisome enough without the heart ailment that makes him a ticking time bomb. As more fires consume more couples, and the Campion case take a shocking turn, Lindsay tries to stay focused on the “the job”, and that’s when someone puts a match to everything she values most.

Being called creepy can be hard on your self-esteem, even for an attractive, independent woman like Raine Tallentyre. That’s what happened when she made the mistake of revealing her paranormal abilities. Her Aunt Vella, a gifted but troubled soul, has died. When Raine journeys to Shelbyville, Washington, to clear out her aunt’s house, Raine’s highly developed sensitivity leads her to a horrifying discovery; a young woman bound and terrified in a basement storage locker. The victim has survived and the culprit is on the loose. A new man enters Raine’s life, investigator Zack Jones. He isn’t repelled by her powers. While Raine hears voices, Zack sees visions. As a killer makes her his target, Raine and Zack must rely not only on their powerful abilities but on each other as well.

Stephanie Plum has a way of attracting danger, lunatics, oddballs, bad luck and mystery men. No one is more mysterious than the unmentionable Diesel. He’s back and hot on the trail of a little man in green pants who’s lost a giant bag of money. Problem is, the money isn’t exactly lost. Stephanie’s Grandma Mazur has found it, and she’s hightailed it in a Winnebago to Atlantic City and hit the slots. With Lula and Connie in tow, Stephanie attempts to bring Grandma home. Stephanie has found herself in over her head with a caper involving thrice- stolen money, a racehorse, a car chase, and a bad case of hives.

Prized for her exquisite beauty, the daughter of one of England’s most influential barons, Gabrielle is also a perfect bargaining chip for a king who needs peace in the Highlands. King John has arranged Gabrielle’s marriage to a good and gentle laird, but this marriage will never take place. For Gabrielle, everything changes in one last burst of freedom, when she and her guards come upon a scene of cruelty. With one shot from her bow and arrow, Gabrielle takes a life, saves a life, and begins a war. Within days, the Highlands are aflame with passions as a battle royal flares between enemies old and new.

Now, still in Argentina tying up loose ends from his investigation into the UN oil-for-food scandal, Castillo is startled when a young man caught trying to sneak through the fence of his safe house turns out to be an American officer, a lieutenant assigned to the embassy in Paraguay. A DEA agent has disappeared while trying to interdict drugs, and very little is being done about it, for diplomatic reasons. The lieutenant has heard of Castillo, knows what he’s done, and wants his help in getting the agent back. Castillo agrees to help. The intelligence and military communities who have been ordered to give him support not only are not ready to help, but seem to be willing to kill him and his men if that’s what’s necessary to keep him from exposing what they have been up to. What have they been up to? He doesn’t even want to think about it.

When three interceptions in eleven minutes cost the Cleveland Browns a playoff spot, and nearly cost quarterback Rick Dockery his life, Rick comes to the painful realization that he's reached the peak of his losing streak. There may be hope when he's offered a chance to play again with one catch: the team is the Parma Panthers, and they're in Italy. Yes, Italians do play American football to one degree or another. The Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player at their helm. So Rick reluctantly agrees to play for the Panthers and heads off to Italy. He knows nothing about Parma, has never been to Europe, and doesn't speak or understand a word of Italian. To say that Italy holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement.

Since she was 15, Dr.Megan Blair was led to believe her mother died in a terrible accident. Megan has no idea she was murdered by using her ex- traordinary psychic powers to bring down the son of a brutal criminal. Megan also doesn't know that 12 years ago CIA operative Neal Grady sheltered her from the truth. Now one of Molino's men has tried to murder Megan, and Grady believes it's time for her to know her legacy, and master it. At first Megan lashes out at Grady, in part because of their undeniable attraction. Once she's convinced, though, Megan agrees to help beat Molino at his own game. Can Dr.Megan Blair control her psychic gift before she loses her life?

Goldy Schulz is thrilled to be catering a holiday breakfast feast for the staff of the Aspen Meadow Library. While setting up the library, Goldy spots a woman lurking in the stacks who bears a striking resemblance to Sandee Brisbane, who killed Goldy's ex-husband. Sandee is supposed to be dead. Goldy's suspicions mount when the body of Drew Wellington, a former district attorney, is found in a corner of the library with a map worth thousands of dollars stashed in his clothing. The holiday madness is only just beginning for Goldy. Soon she's drawn into the dangerous, double-crossing world of high-end map dealing.

Old friends reunite for a vacation that's about to turn deadly. Tracy and Holly jump at the chance to be the "it" girls they once were twenty years ago in high school when Olivia, their former "leader", suggests they reunite for a boat trip in paradise. Tracy, wanting to mend the strained relationship she has with her college-age daughter, decides to take Camille along. Any hope of smooth sailing capsizes with the sudden squall that sends their two captains overboard and leaves the women fighting for survival. Soon a series of devastating events lead to acts of desperation. Can they survive with their friendship and their lives-intact?

When a serial murderer dubbed "The Spare Change Killer" by the Boston press surfaces after three decades in hiding, the police seek out the cop, now retired, who headed the original task force: Phil Randall. Phil calls on his daughter Sunny to help trap the criminal who eluded him so many years before. Then the killer strikes a third time, and the victims resemble Sunny. In a compelling game of cat and mouse, Sunny uses all her skills to draw out her prey, realizing to late that she's setting herself up to become the next victim.

Stone Barrington and Holly Barker find themselves summoned to Washington for a high-level briefing on a fugitive who is driving the CIA crazy, and beginning to look like an unwelcome factor in the approaching presidential election. In less time that he would have thought possible, Stone finds himself, along with his friends Holly and Dino, back on the island of St. Marks. St. Marks is a vacationer's paradise, but it's also home to corrupt politicians and American ex-patriots hiding from their shady past. President Will Lee thinks that Teddy Fay, a rogue agent long presumed dead, is alive and living there. Stone, Holly, and Dino soon discover that in St. Marks everyone is hiding something, and the man they're looking for may just be hiding in plain sight.

Meet hot shot Griff Burkett, a man who has made too many mistakes in life, and is now desperate for redemption. Greed was his downfall. The mob offered Griff money and he lost everything, his family and career with the Dallas Cowboys, and landed in prison. Upon his release, billionaire Foster Speakman, who is paralyzed from an auto-accident, approaches Griff with a high-paying offer to impregnate his wife Laura. Griff's entanglement with the couple may be more complicated than it's worth, for he is falling hard for Laura. To make matters worse, a homicide detective bent on pinning a murder on Griff is escalating attacks on Griff's loved ones. Now Griff's got to find a way to make things right this time. Griff is now playing a high-stakes game, his future, his life, hinges on one last play.

Tessa DeGraff leads a satisfying life as a documentary filmmaker and the adoptive single mother of an 11-year-old boy, even though she is haunted by the murder of her sister. Tessa was only nine when her family’s camping trip in New Hampshire turned deadly. Her eye witness testimony of the abduction convinced a jury to convict Lazarus Abbot, who was subsequently put to death. Abbot’s mother always believed her son was innocent and a DNA test now reveals that Lazarus was not the killer. Tessa is stunned by the news, and returns to the small New Hampshire town determined to discover the truth for herself. Could digging up the truth cause a replay of the nightmare she’s spent her life trying to forget, a nightmare that involves her next of kin.

NYPD Cop Lauren Stillwell is used to making tough calls, and she's certainly no damsel in distress. When she sees her husband, Paul, leaving a hotel with another woman, she's sick, shocked, and soon devises a suitable plan for revenge. The situation goes dangerously awry, and suddenly a messy domestic situation turns into a murderous nightmare. Now, a deadly secret has put Lauren on the wrong side of the law. She tangled in a growing web of deceit, desperately fighting to save her marriage, her job and her life.

Gabriel Allon, the master art restorer and sometimes officer of Israeli intelligence, is summoned once more: travel to Amsterdam to purge the archives of a murdered Dutch terrorism analyst who also happened to be an asset of Israeli intelligence. Once in Amsterdam, Gabriel discovers a conspiracy of terror festering in the city's Islamic underground. A plot that is about to explode on the other side of the English Channel, in the middle of London. The target of this plot is Elizabeth Halton, daughter of the American ambassador to the Court of St. James's, who is to be brutally kidnapped. Gabriel arrives seconds too late to save her. When he reveals his face to plot's masterminds, his fate is sealed as well. Gabriel hurls himself into a desperate search for the missing woman. The search will take him from Amsterdam to Germany to the very end of Denmark. Filled with breathtaking double and triple turns of plot, and a final mind-bending sequence that will leave readers breathless.

Carolyn knew everything about Veronica Campbell. About her stormy relationship with her husband, Drew and the emotional darkness that was overwhelming Veronica's fragile seventeen-year-old daughter, Jude. Carolyn also knows this: there's no way Veronica would have ever taken her own life. Carolyn must separate lies from truths in a world of complex relationships and battered psyches. With danger and deceit swirling all around her, Carolyn is determined to lure her prime suspect out of the shadows, but all the while a killer is coming straight after her.This book is relentlessly paced with revealing insights into the criminal justice system

A body has been found on the overlook near Mulholland Drive. The victim, identified as Dr. Stanley Kent. LAPD detective Harry Bosch is called out to investigate. What begins as a routine homicide investigation opens up before Bosch into something much larger, more dangerous, and much more urgent. Guarding one slim advantage, he follows his own instincts, hoping they are still true enough to solve the crime, and to save all of Los Angeles from a deadly hazard.

David Baldacci's latest thriller catapults us back into the lives of Secret Service agents Sean King and Michelle Maxwell. Dogged by personal demons, Agent Maxwell seeks solace inside a psychiatric institution. Her partner, Sean King, buries himself in a murder investigation involving a group of scientific geniuses. All of whom are tied to the institution where Maxwell is staying. As Maxwell and King reunite, they must race against time to expose a plot that could unhinge the entire global power structure, and destroy what's left of their lives.

San Francisco Police Detective Lindsay Boxer and her new partner must stop a series of kidnappings involving children and their nannies. The kidnappers don't want ransom. Adding to her already intense stress level, Lindsay's distraught when her fellow crime-fighting partner Claire Washburn is critically wounded following a vicious shooting on a ferry. The rest of the Women's Murder Club isn't doing so well either. As ADA Yuki Castellano prepares to prosecute Claire's shooter, she realizes the evidence isn't adding up, and Cindy Thomas discovers that the latest child abduction victim is her boss's daughter. When the kidnapping case takes a terrifying turn, Lindsay must make a choice she never dreamed of.

Matt Stromsoe has come a long way since a bomb meant for him killed his beloved wife and son. Gravely injured, Matt gave up the last thing that meant anything to him, his job, and hit rock bottom. Now, two years later, Stromsoe lands a job as a security guard for TV weather forecaster Frankie Hatfield. The pretty lady is full of surprises, including a stalker, and Matt soon finds his interest in Frankie is more than just professional. The further Stromsoe is drawn into this case, the more he finds that the net of intrigue is wide and ultimately leads back to the man who killed his family. As events conspire against him, Stromsoe learns that prison is no safeguard against revenge.

A Year after Ridley Jones's life was turned inside out, things have finally calmed down. That is, until she picks up a set of photographs at a local photo lab, and is plunged into a world of crime and terror. Flipping through the prints, Ridley spots a familiar shadowy figure in almost every shot. Sure enough, the FBI warns Ridley that her Uncle Max may not be dead after all. Despite her instant dislike of Special Agent Dylan Grace, Ridley can't ignore the FBI's plea for help in finding out if Max is really alive. If he is, why has he come back after all this time? As the truth begins to unravel, Ridley finds herself plunged into an intricate maze of danger and deceit.

Tanya Bigelow was a solemn little girl when Dr. Alex Delaware successfully treated her obsessive-compulsive, symptoms. Now at nineteen, her problems go beyond hyper-maturity. Patty Bigelow, Tanya's aunt and adoptive mother, has made a deathbed confession of murder and urged the young woman to seek Delaware's help. The doctor recalls Patty as a selfless E.R.nurse struggling to raise a child on her own. Delaware agrees to investigate, and enlists LAPD detective Milo Sturgis to help. Armed with only the vaguest details, they follow a trail twisting from L.A.'s sleaziest low-rent districts to its overblown mansions. As the tension mounts, Delaware and Sturgis uncover a tangled history of desperation, vengeance, and death. A legacy of evil that refuses to die.

Meet NYPD homicide detective and hostage negotiator Michael Bennett. He's got 10 kids age 3 to 12 and his wife, Maeve, is dying of cancer. As if his life isn't stressful enough, a hostage situation breaks out at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Men dressed as monks have infiltrated the funeral of the beloved First Lady, taken the high-profile guests hostage, and locked the sanctuary. They claim they've got enough bombs to blow a crater in midtown Manhattan if their demands aren't met. A mastermind known as the Neat Man is behind it all, and everything is unfolding just as he planned. Now Michael's been pulled in as lead negotiator, and the clock is ticking his life away… in more ways than one. As the entire world watches and the tension builds, Bennett has to find a way out or face responsibility for a deadly debacle.

A new novel about a remarkable family facing a stunning tragedy, and a year filled with surprises. Candy is blazing her way through Paris, New York and Tokyo as fashion's latest international supermodel. Her sister, Tammy, is a producer on the most successful show on TV and has a home in Hollywood Hills. In New York, oldest sister Sabrina is an ambitious lawyer, while Annie is living in Florence, honing her craft as an artist. Their independent and far-flung lives converge each Fourth of July when they return to Connecticut for their family's annual gathering. Before the holiday is over, tragedy strikes, and their worlds are changed forever. Now, four sisters who have spent years chasing success come together to share a home. Here they support each other, and pick up the pieces of one sister's life as she struggles to heal her body and soul.

Mysterious men have a way of showing up in Stephanie Plum's apartment. When the shadowy Diesel appears, he has a task for Stephanie, and he's not taking no for an answer. Annie Hart is a "relationship expert" who is wanted for armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. Stephanie needs to find her, fast. Diesel knows where she is. So they make a deal: he'll help her get Annie if Stephanie plays matchmaker to several of Annie's most difficult clients. Someone wants to find Annie even more than Diesel, and Stephanie. Does Diesel know more about Annie Hart? With Stephanie Plum in over her head, things are sure to get a little dicey and a little explosive, Jersey style.

Jordan Buchanan is thrilled that her brother and best friend are tying the knot. The marriage of Dylan Buchanan and Kate MacKenna represents the joining of two family dynasties. The ceremony and reception proceed without a hitch until a crasher appears claiming to be a MacKenna guest. He is a professor of medieval history and he warns that there's "bad blood" between the couple's clans, stemming from an ancient feud that originated in Scotland and involving the Buchanan theft of a coveted MacKenna treasure. Jordan is intrigued but skeptical of the professor's claims and she sets out for Serenity, Texas to judge the professor's research for herself. Jordan never anticipates the danger and intrigue that lie in her path.

Eve Duncan has turned down the job already. Eve works exclusively for law enforcement and the families of the innocent. One of the world's most wanted men, Luis Montalvo. Little is known about him except that he is dangerous and that he never takes no for an answer. Now he wants Eve's help in the worst way. Eve, will leave everything and everyone behind, even Atlanta detective Joe Quinn, to travel to Montalvo's armed compound in the Colombian jungle to identify the skull he has recovered. She has agreed to this devil's bargain to save an innocent family, but also for a reason she can't admit to Joe, to anyone. Montalvo has promised to give Eve what she wants most of all-the key to unlocking the darkest and most painful mystery of her past,

On a bitterly cold day in 1904, the Deravenel family's future changes with a hotel fire that takes the lives of Richard Deravenel, rightful heir of worldwide traders Deravenel and company; his son Edmund; brother-in-law Rick Watkins; and nephew Thomas. Devastated by the news of his father's death, and suspicious of the fire due to warring factions within the company, Edward vows to take over the business empire usurped by his cousin, Henry Grant. Constantly at Edward's side as he battles to regain control of the business is beautiful young widow Elizabeth Wyland. Power, money, ambition, and treachery all illuminate a dramatic epic saga that brings to life. The glittering Edwardian Era. Will Edward be able to protect the empire threatening to crumble from within? The Ravenscar Dynasty is based on the familial factions of England's Wars of the Roses.

Ed Eagle, Santa Fe's preeminent trail lawyer finds himself in extreme domestic difficulties on the morning of his fiftieth birthday, as he is about to open his new law offices, Eagle learns that he is in the sort of trouble usually reserved for his unluckiest clients. Quickly marshaling his resources, which includes two private detectives, and accused murderer, and an ace ex-IRS agent, he begins a campaign to save his law practice, his wealth, his reputation and his self-respect from the astonishing machinations of the person closest to him. Full of double-crosses and expected twists, Ed Eagle's life is one of risks, and pleasure.

A troubled young woman breezes into his hometown of New Iberia, Louisiana. She happens to be the daughter of Robicheaux's one time best friend. A friend he witnessed gunned down in a bank robbery, a tragedy that forever changed Robicheaux's life. Can Robicheaux make his peace with the demons that have haunted him since his friend's murder so many years ago? Can he figure out how a local mobster fits into all the schemes and deaths? Can Robicheaux life be whole again when he has been shattered by so much tragedy?

Meghan Fitzmaurice is the successful anchor of "Rise and Shine," the nation's favorite morning show. One day Meghan interviews a man she abhors, and not realizing the program has not yet switched to commercial, she utters a profanity that gets her not only suspended, but talked about everywhere in the country. What seems a small matter erupts into a disaster. As bad goes to worse, the relationship between Meghan and her younger sister, Bridget will be altered forever. What follows is a story about how, in very different ways, the Fitzmaurice women adapt, survive, and manage to bring the whole teeming world of New York to heel by dent of their smart mouths, quick wits, and the powerful connection between them that even the worst tragedy cannot shatter.

In the charming rural town of Trail Stop, Idaho, accessible to the outside world by only a single road, young widow Cate Nightingale lives peacefully with her four-year-old twin boys, running a bed-and-breakfast. Cate always manages to make ends meet with the help of the local jack-of-all-trades, Calvin Harris. One morning one of the guest vanishes leaving behind his personal effects. A few days later Cate is shocked when armed men storm the house, demanding the mystery man’s belongings. Fearing for her children’s lives, Cate agrees to cooperate, until Calvin saves the day, forcing the intruders to scatter into the surrounding woods. Then Cate, Calvin, and the entire community find themselves cut off and alone with no means to call for help as the threat gathers intensity. While Cal becomes a fearless protector, Cate makes the most daring move of her life… into the very heart of danger.

Accused killer Karl Dahl is on the loose, and Carey Moore, the judge whose controversial decision to disallow Karl’s record of prior bad acts in his upcoming trial for the Haas family murders, has been kidnapped. Now it’s up to Detective Sam Kovac, and his partner, Nikki Liska to find Carey. Also, find the escaped psychopath who may be involved in her disappearance, but Karl’s not the only suspect. There’s Carey’s cheating husband, the murdered woman’s surviving son, and a rogue cop looking for revenge where the justice system failed. Did one of them take justice into his own hands?

“ If you’re ever in a bind, if you ever need my help, promise me you’ll call me, I’ll come get you wherever you are… “ Promise me.” Myron Bolitar has known Aimee Biel since she was a little girl. Her mother was one of his best friends in high school. So when he overhears Aimee and her friends talking about getting in the car with a drunk driver, Myron’s protective instinct kicks in. He asks the teenagers to call him if they’re ever in a bind-no questions asked. A few days later a frantic Aimee calls him at 2:00a.m. and ask him to pick her up at a deserted street corner in New York City. Myron does and then drops her off what Aimee claims is a friend’s house, but he doesn’t see her go inside. Now Aimee is missing and Myron is in a serious bind. Can he find this girl before her parents and the police turn their sights on him.

Gloria Mendez is thirty-six, single, and hopelessly in love with her oblivious boss, a soft-spoken loner twenty years her senior. When he disappears while on vacation in Mexico, it’s Gloria who goes in search for him. As she follows his trail deep into the desert, she runs face-first into a staggering history of betrayal and death: the wreckage of a hidden past. Carl Perreira was not the man she thought she knew- nor was he anything she could have imagined. Her journey will teach her as much about herself as it does about Carl. As she plunges closer to his fleeing shadow, she will find herself fighting not only for the truth, but also for her life.

When a woman’s partially decomposed body washes ashore in Paradise, Jesse Stone is forced into a case far more difficult than it initially appears. Identifying the woman is just the first step in what proves to be a treacherous and emotionally charged investigation, Florence Horvath was an attractive heiress from Florida. Somehow the combination of her past and her present got her killed, but no one is talking- not the crew of the Lady Jane, the Fort Lauderdale yacht moored in Paradise Harbor, and not Florence’s twin sisters. Someone- Jesse – has to speak for the dead, even if it puts him in harm’s way.

Harry Johnson sits down by Richard Jury in the Old Wines Shade and over three successive nights, Harry spins out this story of a good friend whose wife, son, and dog disappeared one day when they were in Surrey. No trace, no clue, no lead as to what happened. Jury wonders is Harry Johnson winding me up? The dog did come back, but how and from where? When Jury investigates, all seems to be just as Harry described it, until they find the body.

Working her way through the alphabet Sue Grafton present S is for Silence, # 19 in the alphabet series-featuring investigator Kinsey Millhone. On July 4, 1953, in the California town of Serena Station, Violet Sullivan put on her party finery and left for the annual fireworks display. She was never seen again. Some say she ran off with a lover. Some say she was murdered by her husband. For the not quite-seven year old daughter Daisy she left behind, Violet’s disappearance has never been explained, and her absence never forgotten. Thirty-four years later, Daisy wants the solace of closure and hires P.J.Kinsey Millhone to investigate this cold case. Will Kinsey put together the missing pieces before someone bulldozes her out of town?

In this compelling memoir, Sidney Sheldon talks candidly about growing up poor in the Depression- era Chicago and his lifelong battle with manic depression. He recalls how he maneuvered his way into show business as a self-proclaimed songwriter. As a first-time nominee, he won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for The Bachelor and The Bobby-Soxer, and how he directed and worked with famous Hollywood icons. Sheldon reveals his profound personal losses and his search for happiness.

Stewart Dubinsky knew his father served in World War 11. He’d been told how David Dubin (as his father had Americanized the name that Stewart later reclaimed) had rescued Stewart’s mother from the horrors of the Balingen concentration camp. When, after his father’s death, he discovers a packet of wartime letters sent to a former fiancée and learns of his father’s court-martial and imprisonment, he is plunged into the mystery of his family’s secret history. He is driven to uncover the truth about this distant man who always refused to talk about his war. As he pieces together his father’s past, Stewart starts to assemble a dramatic and baffling chain of events. Reconstructing the terrible events and agonizing choices his father faced on the battlefield, in the courtroom, and in love, Stewart gains a closer understanding of his past, of his father’s character, and of the brutal nature of war itself.

Now in the second Babylon Rising novel, Biblical scholar, archaeologist professor and hero for our times Michael Murphy is in pursuit of one of the most mysterious and sought-after of all Biblical artifacts, Noah’s Ark. As Murphy untakes his death-defying quest to ascend Mount Ararat, he will discover dramatic revelations of Biblical prophecies and he draws even closer to the most terrifying evil about to be unleashed on all mankind.

The latest of the Left Behind series The Antichrist is on the rise. Dynamic multimillionaire Nicolae Carpathia’s sphere of influence steadily grows as he parlays his looks, charisma and intellect into success in business and politics. Is it mere coincidence that those who oppose or even slight him suffer to the point of death? Six lives destined to intersect at the most pivotal moment in the history of mankind.

Just a week before their marriage, Christine’s fiancé calls off the wedding, leaving her heartbroken. With hopes of helping her through a difficult time, Christine’s best friend Jessica enrolls them both on a humanitarian mission in Peru, to work at an orphanage called Ed Girasol-The Sunflower. It is while working at the orphanage that Christine meets Paul Cook, a successful and charismatic American doctor. Unplanned events lead Paul and Christine into the jungle of the Amazon, where Christine must confront her deepest fears, and she and Paul must both learn to trust and love again

Lily Ellsworth is the Grande dame of Dowling, Massachusetts, and possesses an iron will and a bottomless purse. When she hires Spenser to investigate her grandson Jared Clark's alleged involvement in a school shooting, Spenser is led into an inquiry that grows more harrowing at every turn. Though seven people were killed in cold blood, and despite Jared's being named as a co-conspirator by the other shooter, Mrs. Ellsworth is convinced of her grandson's innocence. Ultimately, Spenser discovers a web of blackmail and some heavy-duty indiscretions, and a truth too disturbing to contemplate.

Dr. Kay Scarpetta has brought down some of the toughest killers around. When she goes up against a calculating psychopath will she be the predator or the prey? Dr. Scarpetta, now freelancing with the National Forensic Academy in Florida, takes charge of a case that at first appears as unnerving as any she has ever faced. The teasing psychological clues leads Scarpetta and her team of forensic experts to suspect that they are hunting a master of manipulation. This elusive killer has remained in the shadows- until now. Will Scarpetta be able to unravel this mystery as she matches wits with a cunning criminal?

What if religion was banned throughout the world? Despite the banning of religion by the National Peace Organization (NPO), the underground church continues to grow. When Agent Paul Stepola and his wife, Joe, are exposed as Christians and forced to become fugitives in constant hiding, the NPO will stop at nothing to capture and kill them. The underground church prays, God intervenes with a miracle, and the final judgment is at hand.

The terrifying concept seems apt for the brutal slaying of a beautiful young society wife dumped in the vast English Garden. Homicide inspector Axel Berg is horrified by the crime, and disturbed by the artful arrangement of the victim’s clothes and hair- a madman’s portrait of death. Berg’s superiors demand quick answers. When a second body is discovered, the city of Munich erupts into panic. It is in the 1920s and a lot of unrest. The unrest fomented by the wild-eyed, hate-mongering Austrian Adolf Hitler and his Brownshirt party of young thugs. Berg can trust no one as he hunts a ruthless killer, struggling to bring a friend to justice before the country and his life veer straight into darkness.

National Peace Organization operative Paul Stepola walks a dangerous tightrope as a double agent- a new believer assigned to enforce the ban on religion. Three major cities have been attacked by terrorists and thousands have died, all in the name of God. Paul must somehow find a way to expose the source of the terrorism without endangering fellow believers. With his unbelieving wife’s powerful connection, Paul faces danger on every front. In the face of persecution the seeds of faith grow stronger. The underground church prays for a miracle of global proportions-not seen since the time of Moses.

Murder hits close to home when Ventura County Probation Officer Carolyn Sullivan learns her brother, Neil, is the prime suspect in the drowning death of his girlfriend. His only alibi is a hard-partying heiress who refuses to back his story. When evidence links Neil to one of Carolyn’s toughest clients, Raphael Moreno, she horrified. Could Neil be a killer? What is his connection to one of the most depraved criminals in the country? As the evidence against Neil mounts, Carolyn is forced to ask herself troubling questions. Is he an innocent victim, or could he be hiding a darker side? Could the brother she loves actually be a cold-hearted, ruthless killer? Carolyn must challenge her beliefs about love, loyalty, and the law to crack the hardest case of her career.

Eight years ago a toddler was snatched from a crowded mall and viciously murdered nearby. The kidnappers, both thirteen years old, Rand Duchay and Troy Turner, were caught on security tape and charged with the baby’s murder. During the trial, psychologist Alex Delaware was called in to evaluate the pair. Despite the brutal nature of their crime, both were tried as minors and locked up in high-security detention centers. Soon after, Troy, a remorseless sociopath, died violently behind bars. Rand managed to survive his stretch, and upon his release, he contacts Alex. Before they can meet, the young killer comes to a brutal end. Was the murder revenge, or something more sinister? Working with his best friend LAPD Homicide Detective Milo Sturgis, they discover a chilling legacy of madness, suicide, and multiple killings, and even uglier truths waiting to be unearthed.

FBI Agents Dillon Savich and Dane Carver are nearly killed while trying to rescue popular entertainer Pinky Womack from kidnappers. Lured to a motel in Pumis City, Virginia, by a known snitch, the only thing the agents discover is a glowing red timer. The motel is demolished in a catastrophic explosion, but everyone survives. Pitted against an insane killer and his psychotic teenage girlfriend, Savich and Sherlock find themselves fighting a hate- driven villain with a very long memory. FBI agent Ruth Warnecki hunts for Confederate gold in a West Virginia cave. She never expects to encounter the grisly murder that catapults her into a horrific plague of death, all centered on the prestigious Stanislaus School of Music.

Polar shift: it is the name for a phenomenon that may have occurred many times in the past. At its weakest, it disorients birds, animals, and damages electrical equipment. At its worse, it causes massive eruptions, earthquakes, and climatic changes. Sixty years ago, an eccentric Hungarian genius discovered how to artificially trigger such a shift, but then his work disappeared so it was thought. Now the leader of an antiglobalization group plans to use it to give the world’s industrialized nations a small jolt, before reversing the shift back again. The only problem, it cannot be reversed. Once it starts, there is nothing anyone can do

Living a successful life in Charleston, South Carolina, Kate MacKenna has always been able to turn her challenges into triumphs. Now the fates seem to be lining up against her…in a lethal fashion. While attending a reception at a friend’s estate, Kate is nearly killed by an explosion. Once home, Kate is hit with the news that the prosperous fragrance company she has nurtured from the ground up is in jeopardy. Jordan Buchanan, who is Kate’s best friend, sends her brother Dylan to check up on Kate. He’s convinced that she’s merely having a spell of bad luck until he discovers how many people want Kate dead. Skillfully blending scaring suspense, characters with grit and heart, and a dynamic plot of many surprises.

At twelve, Emily Parmenter knows alone all too well. Left mostly to herself after her mother disappeared and her beloved older brother died, Emily is aware of yearning and loss. Rather than be consumed by sadness, she has built a life around the faded plantation where her remote father and hunting-obsessed brothers raise the legendary Lowcountry Boykin hunting spaniels. Then comes Lulu Foxworth, troubled daughter of a truly grand plantation, who has run away from her hectic Charleston debutante season to spend a healing summer with the quiet marshes and rivers, and the life- giving dogs. Emily is at once threatened and mystified. Lulu has a powerful enchantment of her own, and this, along with the dark, crippling secret she brings with her, will blow Emily’s magical water world apart and let the real one in –but at a terrible price.

On the windswept coast of Nova Scotia, the community of Cape Hawk has been a blessed refuge to two friends and their young daughters. Marisa Taylor is struggling to recapture the music that once colored her world with magic and joy as she tries to build a new life for young Jessica. Lily Malone, a woman harboring a dark secret and seeking refuge from her abusive husband, little does she know that her life and the life of her eight-year-old daughter, Rose will take a startling turn when she meets oceanographer, Liam Neill. For each of these characters, this summer of roses will be a time of renewal, and shape a future that none of them could ever foresee.

When world renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Wilfred B. Icove is found dead in his office –meticulously murdered with one clean stab to the heart, Lieutenant Eve Dallas suspects the work of a professional or a keenly talented amateur. Security discs show a stunningly beautiful woman calmly entering and leaving the building. Although Icove had an immaculate record, Dallas believes the doctor was hiding something and that his son (and successor) knows what it is. Then, like father, like son, the young Dr. Icove is killed… with the same deadly precision. As Dallas hunts down the mystery woman and digs deep into the Icoves pasts, she discovers two men driven to create perfection- playing fast and loose with the morals of humanity and the laws of nature.

After a sniper shoots five people in a small Indiana town, James Barr, a former army marksman with a cloudy past, is arrested. At first, retired military police captain and super-sleuth Jack Reacher thinks Barr is guilty… until he gets more familiar with the not- quite-idyllic heartland town. The more Reacher learns, the more he sees that what had seemed to him to be a slam-dunk of a murder case is more of a deadly web and the whole town may be caught up in it. Soon Reacher is teamed with a young defense lawyer-the daughter of the D.A. prosecuting the case, and dueling with a prosecution team that has an explosive secret of its own. Like most things Reacher has known in life, this case is a complex battlefield. Jack Reacher has one shot to set an innocent man free.

You’ve read the end of the story, now read the beginning. What were your favorite characters’ lives like before the Rapture? The Rising –is the first in a series of three new books. Marilena Carpathia has only one dream: to be a mother. Through genetic engineering and the power of the prince of darkness himself, Marilena is about to become a chosen vessel, one who will unknowingly gives birth to the greatest evil the world has ever known. Halfway around the world God’s plans are being carried out too. Young Ray Steele is determined to avoid one day taking over the family business. Instead, Ray sets his heart on becoming a pilot. Soon Carpathia’s and Steele’s lives will intersect. Good and evil will clash in an explosion that will shake the world.

Gabriel Allon is back in Venice, when a terrible explosion in Rome leads to a disturbing personal revelation: the existence of a dossier in terrorist hands that strips away his secrets. Recalled home to Israel, Allon finds himself stalking an elusive master terrorist across a landscape drenched with generations of blood. The trail turning on itself until he can no longer be certain who is stalking whom.When at last the showdown comes, it will not be Gabriel alone who is threatened with destruction- for it is not his history alone that has been laid bare.

Miami lawyers Gail Connor and Anthony Quintana have recently been married. Gail hopes to learn more about her new husband by seeing the island that still claims his heart. Anthony’s loyalties are divided between his family, who believe in the Revolution, and his friends, dissident writers Jose Leiva and Yolanda Cabrera. The night before Gail and Anthony leave for Havana, the CIA pays a visit. They want Anthony to deliver a message to his brother-in-law, General Ramiro Vega: he is in danger, and unless he defects, he could be killed. Why is Vega so important to the CIA? The answer leads to the discovery of a violent death, a secret terrorist threat, and a love from the past that could tear Gail and Anthony apart.

Crichton's latest science-tech suspense is a thought provoking thrill ride that examines how information and people are manipulated in the modern world. He takes readers from the glaciers of Iceland to the volcanoes of Antarctica, from the Arizona desert to the deadly jungles of the Solomon Islands, from the streets of Paris to the beaches of Los Angeles. Crichton's unique ability to blend scientific fact with pulse-pounding fiction could bring such disparate elements to a heart-stopping conclusion.

Dr. Will Grant has dedicated his life to helping others. He's a surgeon at a busy trauma center and in his spare time he even volunteers at a local soup kitchen. Dr. Grant is also a member of the Hippocrates Society, a 100-plus band of Massachusetts doctors who believe certain insurance corporations are ripping the heart out of medicine with immoral cost-cutting polices that ultimately put the patient at a disastrous disadvantage. As the Society wages their crusade against the insurance industry, Marcia Rising, a wealthy and powerful CEO of Boston's Eastern Quality Health is brutally murdered. She's not the first to die- nor the last. It seems a vicious serial killer is waging a private war against insurance big wigs. For ambitious, rookie detective Patty Moriarity something about Will doesn't add up and he soon becomes the prime suspect. Wanting to prove herself to her peers by solving this twisted case, she is determined to bring this killer to justice.

The Swisher case has Eve Dallas baffled. The family members were murdered in their beds with brutal military precision. Clearly, Dallas is dealing with pros. The only mistake they made was to overlook the nine- year-old girl cowering in the dark in the kitchen. Now Nixie Swisher is an orphan, and the sole eyewitness to an inexplicable crime. Lieutenant Eve Dallas will struggle to solve the murder of a seemingly ordinary family and protect one small, terrified survivor. With her partner Peabody on the job and watching her back- and with Roarke providing the kind of help only he can give, Eve is running after shadows, and dead-set on finding out who's behind them.

Amanda Travis, a successful twenty-eight-year old criminal attorney, wins just about every case for her clientele. When ex #1 tells her that her mother shot a man point-blank range in the lobby of Toronto's Four Seasons hotel, Amanda knows she must return to her hometown to face her demons and uncover the hidden facts behind her mother's violent outburst. All too soon, she is drawn into the dark, strange power her mother seems to hold over everyone. Her childhood nickname, Puppet, echoing in her ears, Amanda, must finally confront the past in order to be free of the ties that bind and learn to stand on her own.

For 32-year-old Reba Lafferty life went from high-class privilege to a low-class prison when she was found guilty of embezzling $350.00. Reba has served 22 months of her sentence, and is out on probation. Her rich, elderly father, Nord Lafferty has hired P.I. Kinsey Millhone to keep Reba on the straight and narrow. As they settle into life on the outside, Reba professes to Kinsey that she never embezzled money- she merely took the fall for her married boss, Alan Beck. Is Reba telling the truth? Kinsey does a little digging and learns that Beck has a couple of shady skeletons in his closet. Not only is he a suspect in a murder, he also has another girlfriend. When Reba catches wind of this news, she vows to bring her cheating former flame to justice. Now Kinsey finds herself on a wild ride with a woman scorned, as the unlikely pair descends into a shady and dangerous world of wheeling, stealing, and murder.

Jennifer’s life has been lonely and tumultuous- the tragic death of her beloved husband has nearly torn her down. The final blow comes when she learns that her grandmother, Sam, the woman who raised her, is in a coma. Returning to Lake Geneva to be near her grandmother, Jennifer finds a series of letters addressed to her. Each of those letters is a story that will completely upend the world she thought she knew-and throw her into a love more powerful than she ever imagined could be possible. Two extraordinary love stories are entwined here, full of hope and pain, and emotions that never die down.

Stone Barrington returns this time on the hunt for a killer with the guts to think he can hide out among the crowds of New York City. Stone’s partner in this endeavor is Holly Barker, the Orchid Beach, Florida, police chief. What this fugitive does not know can definitely hurt him. The man is running from more than one audacious and shocking crime scene in Florida, and now it’s up to Stone and Holly to track him down before he can strike again. Their greatest obstacle in the chase could be the government insiders who profess to have the public’s best interests in mind.

Fiona Monaghan, free wheeling editor-in-chief of New York's Chic Magazine, is an eccentric jetsetter with expensive tastes and a penchant for taking risks- except in matters of the heart. Everything changes the day starched- shirt CEO and widower John Anderson strolls into Fiona's office. It's love at first sight for these two people from wildly different worlds. Soon John is thrust into the fast- paced life of high- strung designers and Fiona is catapulted into corporate dullsville -under the disapproving eyes of John's daughters. What ensues is a roller coaster ride of laughter, struggle, and survival, as two vulnerable hearts seek to discover if there really is a second chance when it comes to love.

In his latest thrill ride, Odd Thomas has the uncanny ability to communicate with the dead and sense the future. When a stranger walks into the diner where Odd Thomas flips burgers, his gift is put to the ultimate test. Odd gets a bad vibe that sends him on the trail of a possible madman. Enlisting the aid of his girlfriend, Stormy Llewellyn, and an unlikely community of spirits that includes Elvis Presley, Odd resolves to avert a looming cataclysm threatening to make murder a household word in his small California desert town.

In the gripping new novel from America's Queen of Suspense, a young woman is haunted by two murders that are closely linked-despite the one hundred and ten years that separate them. In seeking to find the link between her family's past and the recent murder, Emily becomes a threat to a devious and seductive killer, who has chosen her as the next victim.

Jack Santos never had a father- or so he believed. All his life he was told his father was killed in the Vietnam War. His mother alone raised Jack, and he was always searching for something he couldn't name. A twist of fate changes everything he thought he knew. He discovers that his father isn't dead after all and that for the past three decades he has been suspended between life and death, between dreaming and waking. Jack is hungry for everything he can find out about his father, Levi Harper. The only link he has to the past is through Levi's journals, and through these journals Jack discovers who his father really is. Levi Harper reveals his love, dreams, hopes, and secrets. Can Jack discover the truth about his own life? Paradise Bay is a story that will show you the true meaning of love and take you home again.

The dead woman was an artist recently arrived from Washington State, cruelly cut down in the early stages of a promising career. Sheriff Joanna Brady knows that murder has once again infected her small desert community. There is more to this homicide than initially meets the eye- and more to the victim, who died while supposedly under the conscientious protection of the government. A big-city legal establishment has no faith in the abilities of a small-town sheriff, let alone a female sheriff. Bisbee, Arizona, is the last place J.P. Beaumont wants to be. The ghosts of a painful past are too numerous there, and his reluctant ‘partner’, Sheriff Brady, resents his intrusion. But the road they are forced to travel together is taking some unexpected turns. For Brady and Beaumont’s hunt is disturbing a very deadly nest of rattlers and suddenly trust is the only option they have. On their own in the Arizona desert, they know death can be cold and quick. And nobody is watching their backs here… they’ll have to watch each other.

Jack Reacher is the Persuader.An elite ex-military cop who left the service years ago, he moves from place to place... without family... without possessions... without commitments, and without fear. Now some unfinished business has found Reacher. Ten years ago, a key investigation went sour. Someone got away with murder. A chance encounter brings it all back. Now Reacher sees his one last shot. Some would call it vengeance, some would call it redemption. Reacher would call it... justice.

Back in college, Jane Lewis would have given anything to be like homecoming queen Connie Bryan. Instead, she was just Plain Jane - overweight, frumpy, and painfully shy. That was then. Today, a lovely and confident Dr. Jane Lewis has a thriving psychotherapy practice and her own radio talk show. She has never forgotten the unsolved attack that ended Connie Bryan's life. Suddenly, the present collides with the past, as Jane finds clues into the identities of Connie's attackers.

It’s up, up and away with P.I. Regan Reilly in her wackiest, most light-hearted caper yet! Regan Reilly’s old schoolmate, Danny Madley, is producing a new reality show, “ Love Above Sea Level”, in which three married couples are vying to see which is most affectionate and committed, with the winners receiving a million-dollar check- while aloft in a hot air balloon shaped like a wedding cake! A series of strange and potentially dangerous events have occurred, and Danny’s convinced that Regan’s the only one who can stop the mayhem. So Regan’s of to Las Vegas, where the show’s being filmed, before heading out to the finale at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Can she deflate a cunning crook’s plan before the fiesta is a failure?

Kinsey Millhone is intrigued when two soon-to-retire detectives seek her help in solving the 18-year-old murder mystery of "Jane Doe", an unidentified woman whose body was discovered near a quarry off California's Highway 1. At the time of the discovery, Dolan and Oliphant were left with little to go on. The victim was young, her hands were bound with wire, there were multiple stab wounds and her throat had been lashed. Now, years later, the ill and aging officers Want one last crack at the case, and Kinsey agrees to join the team. But revisiting the past can be A dangerous business and what begins with the pursuit of Jane Doe's real identity ends in a high-risk hunt for her killer.

Ella Brady, a simple, shy teacher is swept off her feet by the charismatic… and very married… Don Richardson, a shifty financier new to Dublin. But when the dashing Don runs out on his clients, he skips out on Ella, too. Soon Ella finds her picture splashed all over the papers and shortly thereafter decides its time to reevaluate her life. She stops teaching and conceives of a wonderful idea: she’ll recount the tales that her favorite Dublin restaurant, Quentins, has to tell. There are thousands of stories- of love, betrayal- revenge, of times when the restaurant looked primal for success and times when it seemed close to failure. As Ella uncovers more and more of what has gone on at the restaurant, she begins to realize that by getting to know the people who have passed through Quentins’ doors, she may just get to know herself.

They were strangers, separated by more than just miles of California highway. Now their lives are entwined- a young widow and a jaded detective-in a total nightmare. Fernanda Barnes life, once filled with love and security, is now mired in debt and despair after her husband's devastating suicide four months earlier. Now a shocking crime threatens to destroy all she holds dear. Can Detective Ted Lee, a man dealing with his own losses, save her family from a terrifying fate? Unmoored by loss and betrayal Fernanda digs deep into her inner strength as she joins forces with Ted in a race to save her family and herself- finding unexpected love along the way.

Tom Clancy returns to Jack Ryan’s early days, in an extraordinary novel of global political drama. Long before he was President or head of CIA, before he fought terrorist attacks on the Super Bowl, even before the Red October made its perilous journey across the Atlantic, Jack Ryan was a young writer moonlighting in counter-intelligence. Now the master of international intrigue takes you back to the Cold War era to witness the beginning of his hero’s legendary career. Recently recruited as a CIA analyst, Ryan’s first assignment is to stop a Soviet plot to assassinate Pope John Paul ll. As Ryan tries to unravel the plot a deadly game of cat and mouse between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. puts the stability of the Western world in peril. Is there anything a novice C.I.A. analyst can do about it? Find out how it all began!

It is 1830, the Berrybender family, rich, aristocratic, English, and fiercely out of place, is on its way up the Missouri River to see the American West as it begins to open up. Lord and Lady Berrybender have abandoned their palatial home in England to explore the frontier and broaden the horizons of their children, who include Tasmin, a young woman of grit, beauty, and determination, her vivacious and difficult sister, and her brother. At the very core of the book is Tasmin's fast developing relationship with Jim Snow, frontiersman, ferocious Indian fighter and part-time preacher (known as "The Sin Killer"). He eventually captures her heart. Sin Killer is a great adventure story full of incident, suspense, and excitement. An unlikely love story between a headstrong and aristocratic young Englishwoman and a stubborn, shy, and very American product of the West, Jim Snow.

Laine Tavish lives a quiet existence as the proprietor of an antique store called Remember When, and as a peaceful citizen of Angel’s Gap, Maryland. No one knows that her father was a notorious criminal and she’s spent most of her life running from the law. When her father suddenly reappears in her life, her past comes rushing back to haunt her. Someone is after her, and the reason may be a fortune that will change her life- and the lives of her descendents. For far into the future, Detective Eve Dallas will confront lingering issues surrounding Laine’s secret fortune. Remember When is a tale of deceit and secrets, of strong women and fascinating men- a brilliant combination of the incomparable talents of the two sides of Nora Roberts.

Scarlet Feather is the catering company newly formed by cooking school friends Tom Feather and Cathy Scarlet. With the help of their family and friends, Tom and Cathy start to take Dublin by storm. Maeve Binchy brings together a cast of unforgettable friends, relatives, and clients who can't help but make you laugh, cry, smile and, all along the way, genuinely care and hope it all works out for the best.

An isolated beach on the island of Guernsey in the English Channel is the scene of the murder of Guy Brouard, one of Guernsey's wealthiest inhabitants and its main benefactor. Forced as a child to flee the Nazis in Paris, Brouard was engaged in his latest project when he died: a museum in honor of those who resisted the German occupation of the island during World War II. It is from this period of time that his murderer may well having come. But there are others on Guernsey with reason to want Guy Brouard dead. Forensic scientist Simon St. James and his wife Deborah discover that behind all the lies and alibis, a killer is lurking. A gripping, suspenseful story of betrayal and devotion, war and remembrance, love and loss… and the higher truths to which we must all ultimately answer.

Reviews Archive

Silent Thunder

Say Goodbye

Smoke Screen

Sail

Santa Fe Dead

Odd Hours

Quicksand

Phanton Prey

Sundays at Tiffany’s

A Prisoner of Birth

Stranger In Paradise

The Secret Between Us

7th Heaven

Sizzle and Burn

Plum Lucky

Shadow Music

The Shooters

Stone Cold

Playing For Pizza

Pandora's Daughter

Sweet Revenge

Still Summer

Spare Change

Shoot Him If He Runs

Play Dirty

Stolen In the Night

The Quickie

The Secret Servant

Revenge of Innocents

The Overlook

Simple Genius

The 6th Target

Storm Runners

Sliver of Truth

Obsession

Step on a Crack

Sisters

Plum Lovin'

Shadow Dance

Stalemate

The Ravenscar Dynasty

Short Straw

Pegasus Descending

Rise and Shine

The Rapture

Cover of Night

Prior Bad Acts

The Rapture

Prior Bad Acts

Promise Me

Sunstroke

Sea Change

The Old Wine Shades

S is for Silence

The Other Side Of Me

Ordinary Heroes

The Secret On Ararat

Babylon Rising: Book 2

The Regime

The Sunflower

School Days

Predator

Shadowed

Straight Into Darkness

Silenced

Sullivan’s Justice

Rage

Point Blank

Polar Shift

Slow Burn

Sweetwater Creek

Summer of Roses

Origin In Death

One Shot

The Rising

Prince of Fire

Suspicion of Rage

State of Fear

Society