REVIEW: Run For Your Life by James Patterson

Title: Run For Your Life (Michael Bennett, #2)

Author: James Patterson

Publisher: Little, Brown & Company

Publication Date: February, 2009

Hardcover: 400 pages

Genre: Thriller

Rating: 8/10

Description: A calculating murderer who calls himself the Teacher is taking on New York City, slaughtering the powerful and the arrogant. Everyone is his potential student - from the loud-mouthed girl on her cell phone to the city's snooty upper crust. His message to them is clear: remember your manners or suffer the consequences. For some, it seems that the rich are finally getting what they deserve. For New York's elite, it is a call to terror.

There is only one man in the NYPD who can tackle such a high-profile case: Detective Michael Bennett. For anyone else, the pressure would be overwhelming, but Mike is ready to step up - taking care of his ten children has prepared him for the job. As the media frenzy escalates, all of Mike's children fall victim to a virulent flu bug - almost as challenging an assignment for Bennett as tracking down the killer.

A secret pattern emerges in the Teacher's lessons, leaving Detective Bennett just a few precious hours to save New York from the greatest disaster in its history.

My Thoughts: NYPD Detective Michael Bennett and his ten children are back in an intense, action packed thriller with Michael facing a grim reality. Raising his ten children as a single parent and cop is stressful enough, but as each child comes down with the flu, it appears Michael is burning the candle at both ends.

The story begins with a hostage negotiation that goes awry when the suspect is gunned down seemingly from out of nowhere. A woman blathering away on her cell phone is shoved into the path of an oncoming subway train. A salesclerk at a Ralph Lauren clothing boutique is murdered in cold blood in front of his coworker who is left alive. The maitre d’ at the 21 club is murdered in the middle of the afternoon during the lunch hour. An Air France stewardess is killed in front of her colleagues as she exits the elevator in her hotel. And there are more to come. The problem is Mike doesn’t know who is behind the killings and time is running out.

He gets a break when he learns that the killer, who has dubbed himself “The Teacher,” has contacted the media and Mike begins to put the puzzle pieces together. Unfortunately, The Teacher doesn’t appreciate Mike’s interference and may have to alter his plans to teach Mike a lesson.

I’m really enjoying this series on so many levels. The hero is a regular guy facing the challenges and struggles of life: stressful job and raising his family as a single father while mourning the death of his wife. He is portrayed as a “regular guy” and is very likeable. I feel great empathy for him and the aura of sadness around him, but he doesn’t wallow in self-pity, which makes the reader like him more.

I also liked Mike’s Irish nanny, Mary Catherine and his grandfather-turned-priest, Seamus. I am looking forward to future books to see if the chemistry between Mike and Mary Catherine turns into a romance.

The only problem I had with this story is the murder at the beginning of the story doesn’t seem to be resolved. We are led to believe that the shot was not fired by one of the police officers so who did it?

Otherwise, if you are looking for a book that delivers a high suspense story that keeps the reader riveted to each page wondering where the next “bullet” will strike and filled with characters you can feel connected to, then look no further than Run For Your Life. Run, don’t walk, to the book store and get this book. Your life doesn’t depend on it, but you will be glad you did.

REVIEW: Forget About It by Caprice Crane

Title: Forget About It

Author: Caprice Crane

Publisher: 5 Spot

Publication Date: August, 2007

Paperback: 351 pages

Genre: Chick-Lit

Rating: 10/10

Description: How hard is it to knock down a pushover?

For twenty-five years, Jordan Landau's life has been eminently forgettable. From her combatively critical mother to her cheating boyfriend to her idea-stealing boss --- there's almost no one in Jordan's life who hasn't taken advantage of her near-pathological desire to avoid conflict.

Everyone's about to find out.

After a freak accident leaves Jordan in a hospital with a head injury, inspiration strikes. What's the best way to get out of a bad life? Pretend you can't remember it! Faking amnesia makes it easy to dump the boyfriend, trump the boss, and turn the tables on a family that never appreciated her. The Great Jordan Life Makeover is looking pretty good, until things take a surprising turn. Forced to start over for real, Jordan must soon figure out how to create a truly unforgettable life...and how far she's willing to go to do so.

My Thoughts: This is the first time I’ve read a Caprice Crane novel. I was thoroughly entertained and enjoyed Jordan’s story immensely. I liked that with Jordan, any reader can relate to her as we all have walked in her shoes at some point, whether it’s the toxic family or the lousy love connection or the less than satisfying career or maybe all areas, even. So, here we have a heroine who sheds new light on being a doormat. I even began to feel a little frustrated with her that she allowed this treatment for so long and sad that she felt her only solution was to lie.

After Jordan is hit by a car, she decides to fake amnesia thinking this will be the best way to change her life. She even drags her best friend, Todd, into her deception. I liked that Jordan does begin to take charge of her life with some very interesting results. Unfortunately, she doesn’t plan on falling in love with Travis, the driver of the car that hit her. The bad news is he believes she has amnesia, so Jordan has really gotten herself into a pickle.

The situation appears to go from bad to worse when Jordan’s mother files a lawsuit against Travis and, obviously he doesn’t take the news very well. Unfortunately for Jordan, she is involved in another mishap and this time really gets amnesia. Is this karma coming around for her earlier deception? If you are into that kind of thing, then I would say it’s possible.

At any rate, I loved watching how Jordan tries to navigate the path her amnesia now takes her and I laughed myself silly at her attempts to pitch advertising jingles to her boss that ring the gong of familiarity.

If you are looking for a very funny read filled with interesting and complex characters that you will love and some you will dislike intensely and a story that keeps you anticipating what will happen next, then I highly recommend this one that will make Caprice Crane an author to be on the lookout for.

REVIEW: Salvation In Death by J.D. Robb

Title: Salvation In Death (In Death, #27)
Author: J.D. Robb

Publisher: Putnam

Publication Date: January, 2008

Hardcover: 353 pages

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Rating: 10/10

Description: In the year 2060, cutting-edge investigative tools can help catch a killer. But there are some questions even the most advanced technologies cannot answer ...

At the most solemn moment of a Catholic funeral Mass, the priest brings the chalice to his lips. Seconds later, he is dead on the altar. For the mourners packed into the pews, Father Miguel Flores's sudden demise is an unimaginable shock. When Detective Lieutenant Eve Dallas confirms that the consecrated wine contained enough potassium cyanide to kill a rhino, she's prepared to plunge in and find out why, despite her discomfort with her surroundings. It's not the bodegas and pawnshops of East Harlem that bother her, though the neighborhood is a long way from the stone mansion she shares with her billionaire husband, Roarke. It's all that holiness flying around at St. Cristobal's that makes her uneasy.

A search of the victim's simple, sparsely furnished room reveals few personal touches, except for a carefully hidden religious medal with a mysterious inscription, and a couple of underlined Bible passages. The autopsy reveals much more: faint scars of knife wounds, a removed tattoo - and evidence of plastic surgery suggesting "Father Flores" may not have been the man his parishioners thought. Now, as Eve pieces together clues that suggest identity theft, gang connections, and a deeply personal act of revenge, she hopes to track down whoever committed this unholy act. Until a second murder - in front of an even larger crowd of worshippers - knocks the whole investigation sideways.

The way Eve sees it, vengeance may be the Lord's business, but if there's going to be any earthly justice in this case, it's up to her.

My Thoughts: This installment moved a lot slower for me than other Eve Dallas books, but the story was still very intense and thought provoking.

What starts out as a routine investigation into the murder of a neighborhood priest during a funeral mass turns into a case of identity theft, greed and retribution and linking to multiple unsolved murders seventeen years prior. Eve tackles this case with the same tenacity and determination she gives to every case. As more layers are revealed, the more complex this case becomes.

When a televangelist is murdered the same way during a sermon, I immediately thought Eve would be tracking a serial killer targeting religious leaders. When the second murder is solved fairly quickly, I realized that the murders are not connected, other than cause of death.

Not a lot of sparring with Somerset in this story, unfortunately. I am looking forward to Eve losing her mind over hosting Louise's bridal shower. She would much rather get into fights with criminals than come within a hundred miles of giggling women. I can't wait to see how it plays out.

After 27 installments of this series, I feel like I'm putting on a comfortable sweater when I'm reading an Eve Dallas book. The characters are so well written that the reader feels a deep rapport with them. Luckily for the readers, this series does not appear to be running out of steam.

New Additions To The TBR Pile In July

I can't help but think if all of these books were on a Kindle, how much less the TBR mountain would weigh...

Impossibly Tongue-Tied by Josie Brown

Description: All over Hollywood, men are dialing O—for orgasms. Her steamy naughty talk fills them with lust and longing, and helps them perform like the studs they claim to be.

In truth, the industry's favorite "erotic phone operatrix" is Nina Harte, a struggling actress who has put her career on hold so that her husband, Nathan, can pursue his own dreams of stardom. When Nathan's career takes off, so does he, leaving Nina and their four-year-old son, Jake, for his diva costar, Katerina McPherson. Then "Kat 'n' Nat" are crowned the media's newest celebrity sweethearts, and Kat labels Nina an unfit mother in order to win custody of Jake, just so that she can have that highly-coveted celebrity accessory—an adorable child—sans any unsightly stretch marks.

The one person who does care about Nina is Nathan's agent, Sam Godwin. In fact, he's in love with her. And because he has both a heart and a conscience, Sam feels guilty for having put Nat in Kat's path in the first place . . .

Then again, how will he feel when he learns that Nina and O are one and the same?

Salvation In Death by J.D. Robb

Description: In the year 2060, cutting-edge investigative tools can help catch a killer. But there are some questions even the most advanced technologies cannot answer ..." "At the most solemn moment of a Catholic funeral Mass, the priest brings the chalice to his lips. Seconds later, he is dead on the altar. For the mourners packed into the pews, Father Miguel Flores's sudden demise is an unimaginable shock. When Detective Lieutenant Eve Dallas confirms that the consecrated wine contained enough potassium cyanide to kill a rhino, she's prepared to plunge in and find out why, despite her discomfort with her surroundings.

It's not the bodegas and pawnshops of East Harlem that bother her, though the neighborhood is a long way from the stone mansion she shares with her billionaire husband, Roarke. It's all that holiness flying around at St. Cristobal's that makes her uneasy." "A search of the victim's simple, sparsely furnished room reveals few personal touches, except for a carefully hidden religious medal with a mysterious inscription, and a couple of underlined Bible passages. The autopsy reveals much more: faint scars of knife wounds, a removed tattoo - and evidence of plastic surgery suggesting "Father Flores" may not have been the man his parishioners thought. Now, as Eve pieces together clues that suggest identity theft, gang connections, and a deeply personal act of revenge, she hopes to track down whoever committed this unholy act. Until a second murder - in front of an even larger crowd of worshippers - knocks the whole investigation sideways." The way Eve sees it, vengeance may be the Lord's business, but if there's going to be any earthly justice in this case, it's up to her.

Reconstructing Brigid by Lee Nichols

Description: When the daughter of a politically connected CEO is found dead in her car off the Maine coast, her father wants the best investigation money can buy.

He demands that Brigid Ashbury determine the cause of death: was it a simple car crash or did someone force his daughter off the road? For the country's premiere accident reconstructionist, it should be an open and shut case. Except for one minor problem: Brigid is afraid of cars. While struggling to overcome her motorphobia, the result of her own recent collision, Brigid is trying to determine whether this really was an accident.

A wealthy family, a possible kidnapping and questions of inheritance muddy the waters. The prime suspect, Aaron White, is the boyfriend of the dead girl's sister. He even admits to sleeping with the victim…twice…but insists he didn't kill her. Determined to keep her suspect close, Brigid enlists Aaron as her chauffeur. And although he may be trying to seduce Brigid (and everyone else in his path) they do make a good team. But if they're going to crack this case, Brigid must first get herself back on the road to recovery.

Mrs. Whippy by Cecelia Ahern

Description: A woman in trouble turns to ice cream, and just might find love in its pursuit. Emelda is 46 years old. Her husband, Charlie, has just left her for a 23-year-old dancer. Her five difficult sons worship their father and blame Emelda for his departure. On top of everything else, she has to struggle with a new job at the local supermarket. For comfort she turns to her only true friend ice-cream. But lately there's a handsome man driving the ice-cream van. Could romance be about to blossom?

Heaping Spoonful by Shauna Glenn

Description: Heaping Spoonful will make you believe in the power of starting over!

When Claire Hamilton lost her husband to cancer, her self-image shattered overnight. Once a happily married and financially secure mother of two, Claire suddenly finds herself a single parent trying to keep her small bakery running smoothly. While she manages to continue her daily duties as mom, boss, sister and daughter, Claire's anger and inability to move on have her emotionally crippled. Luckily for Claire, the people who love her refuse to stop pushing her to really live--and love--again. Claire's family is impossible to ignore: Lucy, Claire's man-crazy younger sister and employee, prides herself on being blunt and brash, but amazingly lovable. Claire's father is an ex-high school principal who, though he is a great help with the business and his grandchildren, can still make her feel like a teenager. Claire's mother, a southern belle suffering from Alzheimer's, helps Claire most of all by providing her with a surprising gift from her own past.

Eye To Eye by Grace Carol

Description: Doris

Gig: newly minted lit prof transplanted to Atlanta.

Currently: butting heads with Southern-fried brownshirts, resisting the faculty's sonnet-writing Mick Jagger figure and—God help her— braving the shark-infested waters of online dating.

Ronnie

Gig: aspiring novelist returned to L.A.

Currently: back home, but not at home; tutoring an obnoxious Beverly Hills "homeboy" and hating the bartending bimbo hitting on her good-ol'-boy boyfriend (who's fitting in better than she is).

Turns out that coasting through life after grad school can feel a lot like just spinning your wheels—but Doris and Ronnie are determined to find their true paths. It's going to take heavy doses of IM, Chardonnay and one mantra: true friends can head in opposite directions and still see eye to eye.

Confessions Of Super Mom by Melanie Lynne Hauser

Confessions Of Super Mom by Melanie Lynne Hauser

My Rating: 8 *'s

Description: “Every superhero has an Origin. To tell the truth, it’s a little embarrassing. I wasn’t put into a rocket and sent to Earth by my parents just as my home planet exploded. I wasn’t given a special ring by visiting aliens. I wasn’t bitten by a radioactive spider. No, it wasn’t anything nearly so glamorous; my beginnings are quite humble. I was merely the innocent victim of a Horrible Swiffer Accident.”

Meet Birdie Lee, clerk at Marvel Fine Food and Beverages and an average, middle-aged single mother of two teenagers. Until one ordinary morning when, on the floor of her bathroom, Birdie discovers a Stain of Unknown Origin—a stain so intense that nothing can remove it. When all her attempts fail, Birdie does the unthinkable: She loads her Swiffer with every cleanser she owns, aims, and shoots. Suddenly, Birdie becomes endowed with extraordinary powers. Now Birdie must somehow balance it all—her smug ex and his overachieving new wife; two teenagers and a string of PTA meetings; her own budding romance; and her beloved town of Astro Park, whose very existence is threatened by a mysterious force sneaking its way into every household. A delightful, well-earned escape, Confessions of Super Mom is an amusing vindication of the overlooked everyday heroism that is a woman’s life.

My Thoughts: I've never read anything by this author before and was very pleasantly surprised at how quickly I was drawn into the story and the character's personalities and lives. I thought the arrival of a membership packet from the Justice League of America was entertaining and I'll be curious if Wonder Woman makes her presence known as Super Mom's assigned mentor / trainer in the next book. For some reason, I had a hard time picturing Birdie in my mind's eye as I read the book. She is described as being in her early 40's with two teenagers but I kept envisioning a grandmother. I think her name conjures up that image.

A quick and enjoyable read for anyone, Super Mom, or mortal.

Ford County by John Grisham

Ford County by John Grisham

My Rating: 3 *'s

Description: In his first collection of short stories, John Grisham takes us back to Ford County, Mississipppi, the setting of his first novel, A Time To Kill.

Fetching Raymond --- Wheelchair-bound Inez Graney and her two older sons, Leon and Butch, take a bizarre road trip through the Mississippi Delta to visit the youngest Graney brother, Raymond, who's been locked away on death row for eleven years. It could well be their last visit.

Fish Files --- Mack Stafford, a hard-drinking and low-grossing run-of-the-mill divorce lawyer, gets a miracle phone call with a completely unexpected offer to settle some old, forgotten cases for more money than he has ever seen. Mack is suddenly bored with the law, fed up with his wife and his life, and makes drastic plans to finally escape.

Casino --- Quiet, dull Sidney, a data collector for an insurance company, perfects his blackjack skills in hopes of bringing down the casino empire of Clanton's most ambitious hustler, Bobby Carl Leach, who, among other crimes, has stolen Sidney's wife.

Blood Drive --- Three good ol' boys from rural Ford County begin a journey to the big city of Memphis to give blood to a grievously injured friend. However, they are unable to drive past a beer store as the trip takes longer and longer. The journey comes to an abrupt end when they make a fateful stop at a Memphis strip club.

Quiet Haven --- The Quiet Haven Retirement Home is the final stop for the elderly of Clanton. It's a sad, languid place with little controversy, until Gilbert arrives. Posing as a low-paid bedpan boy, he is in reality a brilliant stalker with an uncanny ability to sniff out the assets of those "seniors" he professes to love.

Michael's Room --- One of the hazards of litigating against people in a small town is that one day, long after the trial, you will probably come face-to-face with someone you've beaten in a lawsuit. Lawyer Stanley Wade bumps into an old adversary, a man with a long memory, and the encounter becomes a violent ordeal.

Funny Boy --- Clanton is rocked with the rumor that the gay son of a prominent family has finally come home, to die. Of AIDS. Fear permeates the town as gossip runs unabated. But in Lowtown, the colored section of Clanton, the young man finds a soul mate in his final days.

Featuring a cast of characters you'll never forget, these stories bring Ford County to vivid and colorful life. Often hilarious, frequently moving, and always entertaining, this collection makes it abundantly clear why John Grisham is our most popular storyteller.

My Thoughts: Pretty good stories filled with the interesting characters that Grisham is known for.

Fatal Truth by Robin Burcell

Fatal Truth by Robin Burcell

My Rating: 8 *'s

Description: A Homicide Inspector with the San Francisco Police Department, Kate Gillespie worked hard to get where she is. But a frantic phone call from a snitch threatens to destroy everything she is and everything she's earned. Pulled from the bright lights of the Homicide office onto the shadowy night streets, she arrives at a clandestine meet just in time to see the frightened informer shot dead ... by another cop. Now Kate is a target, on a trail of dirty deals, corruption, and escalating violence that reaches back into her own troubled family history and deep into a department riddled with dark secrets and truths that kill. Suddenly Kate Gillespie is teetering on a "blue wall of silence" and being set up to take a long, fatal fall --- by a relentless killer who's hiding in plain sight.

My Thoughts: A fast paced, adrenaline charged story that will keep the reader guessing. Kate Gillespie is a character I can admire and root for. Looking forward to the next book in the series and seeing what develops between Kate and Torrance.

Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison

Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison

My Rating: 9 *'s

Description: Rachel Morgan has fought and hunted vampires, werewolves, banshees, demons, and other supernatural dangers as both witch and bounty hunter--and lived to tell the tale. But she's never faced off against her own kind . . . until now. Denounced and shunned for dealing with demons and black magic, her best hope is life imprisonment--at worst, a forced lobotomy and genetic slavery.Only her enemies are strong enough to help her win her freedom, but trust comes hard when it hinges on the unscrupulous tycoon Trent Kalamack, the demon Algaliarept, and an ex-boyfriend turned thief.

My Thoughts: Alot of interesting plot twists greet Rachel and her friends in this installment of the series. Some good and some quite sad and some extremely unwanted and disappointing. The longer the series goes gives me more curiosity to the direction the author will take Rachel and Trent's relationship. In this book, the reader is given a glimpse of their childhood past and, for me, a little bit more understanding of their history. Jenks remains my favorite character in the series with his Tinkerbell expletives that keep me laughing until my sides hurt.

One Foot In The Grave by Jeaniene Frost

One Foot In The Grave by Jeaniene Frost

My Rating: 10*'s

Description: You can run from the grave, but you can't hide...

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield is now Special Agent Cat Crawfield, working for the government to rid the world of the rogue undead. She's still using everything Bones, her sexy and dangerous ex, taught her, but when Cat is targeted for assassination, the only man who can help her is the vampire she left behind.

Being around him awakens all her emotions, from the adrenaline kick of slaying vamps side by side to the reckless passion that consumed them. But a price on her head -- wanted: dead or half-alive -- means her survival depends on teaming up with Bones. And no matter how hard she tries to keep things professional between them, she'll find that desire lasts forever... and that Bones won't let her get away again.

My Thoughts: This series just keeps getting better and better! Cat finally meets her father and her intention to kill him is stronger than ever, so I expect we will see more of this storyline in future books. After four years apart, Bones and Cat still have the chemistry that brought them together in the first book. I wasn't sure I would enjoy the storyline of Cat's para-military vampire killing team, but they are all great characters and the twist involving Don's involvement in Cat's life was an interesting revelation.

New Additions To The TBR Pile In June

I'm a book addict...hopelessly addicted...is there a pill or medical procedure out there that can cure me? :o)

Undead And Unwelcome by MaryJanice Davidson

Description: Betsy Taylor has problems that only a vampire queen/suburban wife could possibly understand. Such as taking the body of her werewolf friend Antonia-who died in her service-to Cape Cod, where she's not sure if the Wyndham werewolves will welcome her with fangs or friendship. Meanwhile, her posse back in St. Paul is sending frantic e-mails alerting Betsy to her half-sister's increasingly erratic behavior. Looks like the devil's daughter is coming into her own-and raising hell.

Same As It Never Was by Claire LaZebnik

Description: "Olivia Martin has mastered the art of cynicism. She's sailing through college, indifferent to grades or the people around her, just grateful to be living on her own, away from her divorced parents. Her rich father's second marriage is no happier than his first and has only strengthened Olivia's determination never to let herself fall in love. Unfortunately, some things are out of her control, and while Olivia does her best to stave off the early signs of infatuation, she can't deny she's interested in her dangerously handsome T.A. Just when she's thinking she might let herself fall for the guy, a car accident changes her life in ways she never expected. Suddenly, Olivia has to figure out the right thing to do - and whether or not she wants to do it." Olivia narrates her own story in a bold and honest voice. Plunked down against her will in a huge mansion in the wealthiest part of Los Angeles, and forced for the first time in her life to take responsibility for others, she finds herself more pampered than she's ever been before - and more burdened. Used to skimming along the surface of life, Olivia learns that no amount of ironic detachment can completely insulate you from the siren call of family and love.

First Drop Of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost

Description: The night is not safe for mortals. Denise MacGregor knows all too well what lurks in the shadows - her best friend is half-vampire Cat Crawfield - and she has already lost more than the average human could bear. But her family's dark past is wrapped in secrets and shrouded in darkness - and a demon shapeshifter has marked Denise as prey. Now her survival depends on an immortal who craves a taste of her.

He is Spade, a powerful, mysterious vampire who has walked the earth for centuries and is now duty-bound to protect this endangered, alluring human - even if it means destroying his own kind. Denise may arouse his deepest hungers, but Spade knows he must fight his urge to have her as they face the demon nightmare together...

Because once the first drop of crimson falls, they will both be lost.

Fat Chance by Rhonda Pollero

Description: The difference between the wrath of God and the wrath of your mother is that eventually God forgives you.

Finley Anderson Tanner just landed a quaint new cottage on posh Palm Beach. Not bad for an underachieving, sample-sale-shopping paralegal -- until she finds the place in shambles. She should have known better than to accept her overbearing mother's offer to sell her a house unseen at a bargain-basement mortgage rate. Good-bye Rolex dreams. At this rate, she'll be shopping designer outlets forever.

When Finley discovers a skeleton in her new closet, right where her Jimmy Choos should be, a total home renovation is the least of her worries. Sure, she knows how to catch a crook, but when a girl's sandwiched between sexy P.I. Liam McGarrity and her hot new boss, defense attorney Tony Caprelli, she can only be headed for commitment. To an institution. With her fabulous (but slightly more successful) friends to keep her sane and her interfering mother out of town, Finley vows to get this bad guy -- and decorate her new house -- even if she has to pay full price.

Destined For An Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Description: Her deadly dreams leave her in grave danger...

Since half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her undead lover Bones met six years ago, they've fought against the rogue undead, battled a vengeful Master vampire, and pledged their devotion with a blood bond. Now it's time for a vacation. But their hopes for a perfect Paris holiday are dashed when Cat awakes one night in terror. She's having visions of a vampire named Gregor who's more powerful than Bones and has ties to her past that even Cat herself didn't know about.

Gregor believes Cat is his and he won't stop until he has her. As the battle begins between the vamp who haunts her nightmares and the one who holds her heart, only Cat can break Gregor's hold over her. She'll need all the power she can summon in order to bring down the baddest bloodsucker she's ever faced . . . even if getting that power will result in an early grave.

Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison

Description: Rachel Morgan has fought and hunted vampires, werewolves, banshees, demons, and other supernatural dangers as both witch and bounty hunter--and lived to tell the tale. But she's never faced off against her own kind . . . until now. Denounced and shunned for dealing with demons and black magic, her best hope is life imprisonment--at worst, a forced lobotomy and genetic slavery.Only her enemies are strong enough to help her win her freedom, but trust comes hard when it hinges on the unscrupulous tycoon Trent Kalamack, the demon Algaliarept, and an ex-boyfriend turned thief.

Undead And Unwelcome by MaryJanice Davidson

Undead And Unwelcome by MaryJanice Davidson

My Rating: 6 *'s

Description: Betsy Taylor has problems that only a vampire queen/suburban wife could possibly understand...such as fifty thousand angry werewolves. That's what Betsy is facing when she takes her werewolf friend Antonia's body to Cape Cod, where the Pack resides at Wyndham Mansion. Because Antonia died in her service, Betsy is alive and well - and wracked with guilt. She has no idea if the Wyndham werewolves will welcome her with fangs or friendship. While Betsy and her husband Sinclair try to make nice, their legal ward BabyJon is freaking out every werewolf he comes in contact with. Meanwhile, Betsy's posse back at the St Paul mansion are not happy. Increasingly frantic emails alert Betsy to her half-sister's increasingly erratic behavior. Looks like the devil's daughter is coming into her own - and raising hell. All in the name of making Betsy's life easier, of course.

My Thoughts: New events unfold for Betsy and Sinclair when they travel to Cape Cod to return the body of Antonia the werewolf back to her pack. Betsy and Sinclair quickly find out that the werewolves blame her for their death of their packmate and if that weren't bad enough, Baby Jon isn't your average run of the mill normal baby. Meanwhile, back at home, Mark has his hands full trying to keep Laura from becoming the true embodiment of the Antichrist when Satan worshippers show up at the house. Story was pretty campy but I still enjoy the light hearted humor and silliness of the series.

Q Is For Quarry by Sue Grafton

Q Is For Quarry by Sue Grafton

My Rating: 8 *'s

Description: "She was a "Jane Doe," an unidentified white female whose decomposed body was discovered near a quarry off California's Highway 1. The case fell to the Santa Teresa County Sheriff's Department, but the detectives had little to go on. The woman was young, her hands were bound with a length of wire, there were multiple stab wounds, and her throat had been slashed. After months of investigation, the case remained unsolved." "That was eighteen years go. Now, the two men who found the body, both nearing the end of long careers in law enforcement, want one last shot at the case. Old and ill, they need someone to do the legwork for them, and they turn to Kinsey Millhone. They will, they tell her, find closure if they can just identify the victim. Kinsey is intrigued with the challenge and agrees to work with them." 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.

My Thoughts: Decent installment that is actually based on a true unsolved crime. I enjoyed the sparring between Lt. Doyle and Detective Olyphant. They remind me of "The Odd Couple."

Ice Cold by Tess Gerritsen

Ice Cold by Tess Gerritsen

My Rating: 8 *'s

Description: New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen’s relentless, inventive novels take readers on pulse-racing thrill rides that are as satisfying as they are heart-stopping. Now, in this edge-of-your-seat suspense novel, a mysteriously isolated town stands abandoned as a silent watcher waits.

In Wyoming for a medical conference, Boston medical examiner Maura Isles joins a group of friends on a spur-of-the-moment ski trip. But when their SUV stalls on a snow-choked mountain road, they’re stranded with no help in sight.

As night falls, the group seeks refuge from the blizzard in the remote village of Kingdom Come, where twelve eerily identical houses stand dark and abandoned. Something terrible has happened in Kingdom Come: Meals sit untouched on tables, cars are still parked in garages. The town’s previous residents seem to have vanished into thin air, but footprints in the snow betray the presence of someone who still lurks in the cold darkness—someone who is watching Maura and her friends.

Days later, Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli receives the grim news that Maura’s charred body has been found in a mountain ravine. Shocked and grieving, Jane is determined to learn what happened to her friend. The investigation plunges Jane into the twisted history of Kingdom Come, where a gruesome discovery lies buried beneath the snow. As horrifying revelations come to light, Jane closes in on an enemy both powerful and merciless—and the chilling truth about Maura’s fate.

My Thoughts: Very gripping and suspenseful story with all of the surprises that fans of the Jane Rizzoli series have come to expect and enjoy.

New Additions To The TBR Pile In May

So, it occurs to me that we are now in June and The Scottish Guy and I are going to be relocating our household in September and I have acquired way more books in the last year than I've gotten rid of...ugh...packing is going to be a real bitch, let me tell you. My back is getting sore just thinking about it. Will I never learn???

Q Is For Quarry by Sue Grafton

Description: "She was a "Jane Doe," an unidentified white female whose decomposed body was discovered near a quarry off California's Highway 1. The case fell to the Santa Teresa County Sheriff's Department, but the detectives had little to go on. The woman was young, her hands were bound with a length of wire, there were multiple stab wounds, and her throat had been slashed. After months of investigation, the case remained unsolved." "That was eighteen years go. Now, the two men who found the body, both nearing the end of long careers in law enforcement, want one last shot at the case. Old and ill, they need someone to do the legwork for them, and they turn to Kinsey Millhone. They will, they tell her, find closure if they can just identify the victim. Kinsey is intrigued with the challenge and agrees to work with them." 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.

Ice Cold by Tess Gerritsen

Description: New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen’s relentless, inventive novels take readers on pulse-racing thrill rides that are as satisfying as they are heart-stopping. Now, in this edge-of-your-seat suspense novel, a mysteriously isolated town stands abandoned as a silent watcher waits.

In Wyoming for a medical conference, Boston medical examiner Maura Isles joins a group of friends on a spur-of-the-moment ski trip. But when their SUV stalls on a snow-choked mountain road, they’re stranded with no help in sight.
As night falls, the group seeks refuge from the blizzard in the remote village of Kingdom Come, where twelve eerily identical houses stand dark and abandoned. Something terrible has happened in Kingdom Come: Meals sit untouched on tables, cars are still parked in garages. The town’s previous residents seem to have vanished into thin air, but footprints in the snow betray the presence of someone who still lurks in the cold darkness—someone who is watching Maura and her friends.

Days later, Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli receives the grim news that Maura’s charred body has been found in a mountain ravine. Shocked and grieving, Jane is determined to learn what happened to her friend. The investigation plunges Jane into the twisted history of Kingdom Come, where a gruesome discovery lies buried beneath the snow. As horrifying revelations come to light, Jane closes in on an enemy both powerful and merciless—and the chilling truth about Maura’s fate.

Ritual In Death by J.D. Robb

Description: When a high-society party is crashed by a naked, knife-wielding, blood-covered man who "thinks" he might have killed someone, Eve Dallas must track down the crime, and the criminals. Everything points to Satanic ritual, but Eve doesn't believe in devil worship...

Bite Me by Christopher Moore

Description: The city of San Francisco is being stalked by a huge shaved vampyre cat named Chet, and only I, Abby Normal, emergency backup mistress of the Greater Bay Area night, and my manga-haired love monkey, Foo Dog, stand between the ravenous monster and a bloody massacre of the general public.

Whoa. And this is a love story? Yup. 'Cept there's no whining. See, while some lovers were born to run, Jody and Tommy were born to bite. Well, reborn, that is, now that they're vampires. Good thing theirs is an undying love, since their Goth Girl Friday, Abby Normal, imprisoned them in a bronze statue.

Abby wants to be a bloodsucking fiend, too, but right now she's really busy with other stuff, like breaking in a pair of red vinyl thigh-high Skankenstein® platform boots and wrangling her Ph.D.-candidate boyfriend, Steve (the love monkey). And then there's that vampire cat Chet, who's getting bigger and smarter—and thirstier—by the minute. Abby thought she and Steve could handle the kitty cat on their own, mais non . . .

Before you can say "OMG! WTF?" Tommy and Jody are sprung from captivity, and join forces with Abby, Steve, the frozen-turkey-bowling Safeway crew, the Emperor of San Francisco and his trusty dogs Lazarus and Bummer, Abby's gay Goth friend Jared, and SF's finest Cavuto and Rivera to hunt big cat and save the city. And that's when the fun really begins.

The Ghost And The Dead Deb by Alice Kimberly

The Ghost And The Dead Deb by Alice Kimberly

My Rating: 7 *'s

Description: The spirit is willing...to solve a murder

Don’t haunt the customers!

This was the only rule bookshop owner and widow Penelope Thornton-McClure had given her resident ghost, hard-boiled PI Jack Shepard. But when the hot young author Angel Stark arrives at the store to promote her latest, a true crime novel, Jack can hardly contain himself. After all, this is his specialty!

Angel's book is an unsolved mystery about a debutante found strangled to death. And it's filled with juicy details that point a finger at a number of people in the deb's high society circle. But when the author winds up dead too, in precisely the same way, Pen is fast on the case...which means Jack is too. After all, a ghost detective never rests in peace.

My Thoughts: Second book in The Haunted Bookshop series. This one wasn't bad, but I enjoyed the first one more. There's a slight hint of an attraction between Penelope and Jack, but seriously, where can it go? He's dead! As with the first book, I enjoy the banter between Penelope and Jack and his vernacular is quite entertaining. The author does a good job of making Jack believable with his vocabulary. I have the next two books in this series and am looking forward to reading them.

Ritual in Death by J.D. Robb

Ritual In Death by J.D. Robb

My Rating: 10 *'s

Description: When a high-society party is crashed by a naked, knife-wielding, blood-covered man who "thinks" he might have killed someone, Eve Dallas must track down the crime, and the criminals. Everything points to Satanic ritual, but Eve doesn't believe in devil worship...

My Thoughts: This was one of the short stories featured in the SUITE 606 anthology. Not as satisfying as the full length stories only because it's short, the story feels rushed and doesn't have all of the elements of the plot I have come to enjoy and look forward to with each Eve Dallas story. But I still enjoyed the story and the new twist of a Satanic ritual in the plot. I especially enjoy it when Eve gets to be a bad ass when interrogating the perps. I'm glad I'm not the one sitting on the other side of the table...

Bite Me: A Love Story by Christopher Moore

Bite Me by Christopher Moore

My Rating: 10 *'s

Description: "The city of San Francisco is being stalked by a huge shaved vampyre cat named Chet, and only I, Abby Normal, emergency backup mistress of the Greater Bay Area night, and my manga-haired love monkey, Foo Dog, stand between the ravenous monster and a bloody massacre of the general public."

Whoa. And this is a love story? Yup. 'Cept there's no whining. See, while some lovers were born to run, Jody and Tommy were born to bite. Well, reborn, that is, now that they're vampires. Good thing theirs is an undying love, since their Goth Girl Friday, Abby Normal, imprisoned them in a bronze statue.

Abby wants to be a bloodsucking fiend, too, but right now she's really busy with other stuff, like breaking in a pair of red vinyl thigh-high Skankenstein® platform boots and wrangling her Ph.D.-candidate boyfriend, Steve (the love monkey). And then there's that vampire cat Chet, who's getting bigger and smarter—and thirstier—by the minute. Abby thought she and Steve could handle the kitty cat on their own, mais non . . .

Before you can say "OMG! WTF?" Tommy and Jody are sprung from captivity, and join forces with Abby, Steve, the frozen-turkey-bowling Safeway crew, the Emperor of San Francisco and his trusty dogs Lazarus and Bummer, Abby's gay Goth friend Jared, and SF's finest Cavuto and Rivera to hunt big cat and save the city. And that's when the fun really begins.

My Thoughts: Christopher Moore does it again! This book is laugh out loud hilarious! Most of the book is told from the point of view of "Abby Normal," a goth Valley Girl, who wants nothing more than to be "Nosferatu" and spend her life being Mistress of the Greater Bay Area Night and going "Raaarrr" to those around her.

When we last left Abby and her manga-haired love monkey, Foo Dog, they had trapped "The Countess and Lord Flood" in bronze statues and were living in the love lair deciding what their next move should be. They quickly learn they have gotten in way over their heads when they discover that Chet is a vampire cat and is quickly turning other cats to the dark side and eating several people along the way. Plus, Jody and Tommy are gonna be REALLY pissed when they get out of the bronze statues. And then there are those ass-hat cops Rivera and Cavuto who are snooping around...seriously, could life get any more sucky?

Sadly, I think this is the last story in the series as this book ties up many loose ends and pretty much cleans house. One can only hope there will be more, but it doesn't feel like it. Do yourself a favor and read this series, starting with BLOODSUCKING FIENDS, followed by YOU SUCK and then BITE ME.

Passion, Betrayal And Killer Highlights by Kyra Davis

Passion, Betrayal And Killer Highlights by Kyra Davis

My Rating: 3 *'s

Description: Sophie Katz has just offered a man $12,000 for his services... Is she desperate or just meshugeneh?

Considering the kind of disasters that usually befall the half-black, half-Jewish mystery writer, probably both. Because the last time Sophie saw sexy P.I. Anatoly Darinsky, he practically danced a jig when she waved goodbye --- a normal reaction for a man who'd nearly bought the farm trying to protect her from her own foolishness. What are the chances he'd agree to take incriminating pictures of her sister's philandering husband? Or that he'd let her tag along --- you know...for research?

But when her brother in law turns up dead and her sister becomews the prime suspect, Sophie's priority is finding the real killer. With or without Anatoly's help. Her brother in law's secret life yields plenty of suspects, but the San Francisco police aren't taking any of them seriously. So Sophie does what comes naturally to her: she stirs up trouble (to lure the killer out, of course).

But if her crazy plan works, will Anatoly be there to protect her this time?

My Thoughts: Didn't like this one as much as the first one. I will be reading the next two in the series soon and hope they are much better.

New Additions To The TBR Pile In April

That sound you hear is the groaning of the foundation under the weight of yet more books to the already heaping pile...

Cold Case by Robin Burcell

Description: The colder it gets . . .the hotter it gets.

Three years ago SFPD Homicide Investigator Kate Gillespie was in pursuit of a suspect who murdered a hooker in a sleazy motel, and she nearly lost her own life in the process. The shooter escaped into the San Francisco shadows and the trail went colder than the grave. Now Kate's appearance on a Bay Area "crime stoppers" TV show produces new leads that carry her back into the sordid world of drugs and prostitution -- and point her toward a local crime boss whose missing wife is possibly linked to multiple men and multiple murders. But when a dangerous knot of betrayals, secrets, and criminal cover-ups starts unraveling, Kate can only hope she'll be as lucky as she was on that black night at the Twin Palms Motel. Because the only way to the truth leads directly into the line of fire . . .

Deadly Legacy by Robin Burcell

Description: SOME SECRETS ARE MURDER TO KEEP...

A DEATH IN THE FAMILY

San Francisco P.D. Homicide Inspector Kate Gillespie's investigation into a bizarre apparent murder/suicide is threatening to careen out of control. A dead man might not be dead. The families of the deceased are hiding something. And there are blood-soaked threads reaching into some very lofty places. But most perplexing of all are the shocking revelations of one of the "victims" dark and dangerous history -- the more Kate learns, the less she knows. It's a case that has placed Kate Gillespie on the hot seat as her investigation gets bigger by the moment -- and puts her perilously high on a rabid killer's hit list.

Strangers In Death by J.D. Robb

Description: Technology may be different in 2060 New York, yet the city is still a place of many cultures and great divides. And as ever, some murders receive more attention than others - especially those in which the victim is a prominent businessman, found in his Park Avenue apartment, tied to the bed - and strangled - with cords of black velvet.

It doesn't surprise Lieutenant Eve Dallas that Thomas Anders's scandalous death is a source of titillation and speculation for the public - and humiliation for his family. While everyone else in the city is talking about it, those close to Anders aren't so anxious to do so. Fortunately, because Dallas's billionaire husband, Roarke, happens to own the prime real estate where Anders's sporting-goods firm was headquartered, she has some help with access. Before long, she's knocking on doors - or barging through them - to look for the answers she needs.

But the facts don't add up. Physical evidence suggests that the victim didn't struggle. The security breach in the highly fortified apartment indicates that the killer was someone close to Anders, but everyone's alibi checks out, from the wife who was off in the tropics to the loving nephew who stands to inherit millions. Was this a crime of passion - or a carefully planned execution?

It's up to Dallas to solve a sensational case where all involved guard secrets from one another - and strangers may be connected in unexpected, and deadly, ways.

The Associate by John Grisham

Description: If you thought Mitch McDeere was in trouble in The Firm, wait until you meet Kyle McAvoy, The Associate

Kyle McAvoy grew up in his father’s small-town law office in York, Pennsylvania. He excelled in college, was elected editor-in-chief of The Yale Law Journal, and his future has limitless potential.

But Kyle has a secret, a dark one, an episode from college that he has tried to forget. The secret, though, falls into the hands of the wrong people, and Kyle is forced to take a job he doesn’t want—even though it’s a job most law students can only dream about.

Three months after leaving Yale, Kyle becomes an associate at the largest law firm in the world, where, in addition to practicing law, he is expected to lie, steal, and take part in a scheme that could send him to prison, if not get him killed.

With an unforgettable cast of characters and villains—from Baxter Tate, a drug-addled trust fund kid and possible rapist, to Dale, a pretty but seemingly quiet former math teacher who shares Kyle’s “cubicle” at the law firm, to two of the most powerful and fiercely competitive defense contractors in the country—and featuring all the twists and turns that have made John Grisham the most popular storyteller in the world, The Associate is vintage Grisham.

The Shiksa Syndrome by Laurie Graff

Description: Manhattan publicist Aimee Albert knows a good spin, but she’s the one who winds up reeling when her gorgeous, goyishe boyfriend breaks up with her—on Christmas! For a stand-up comedian, you’d think he would have better timing. But Aimee’s not about to let a man who doesn’t even have a real job get her down. She dusts herself off and decides to seek companionship with a member of her own tribe. There’s just one problem: all the shiksas are snapping them up!

So when the very cute, Jewish, and gainfully employed Josh Hirsch catches Aimee’s eye at a kosher wine tasting and mistakes her for a shiksa, what’s a girl to do? Hey, her heart was broken, not her head! Unfortunately, the charade goes on longer than Aimee planned, and her life becomes more complicated than a Bergman film. To make matters worse, Josh and Aimee aren’t exactly on the same page as far as their attitudes toward Judaism go, creating tension in the relationship. But as Aimee begins to discover that her identity isn’t as easily traded as a pair of Jimmy Choos, she must decide if having the man of her dreams is worth the price of giving up so much of who she is.

Wry and witty, The Shiksa Syndrome is a by turns laugh-out-loud funny and disarmingly poignant.

When You Wish by Kristen Harmel

Description: Star Beck is super-duper megastar famous. She rocks–literally–every night in concert for thousands of cheering fans. But the pop star life–tour buses, fauxmances, size 0 minis–is getting a little old. Star can’t help wondering what it would be like to be a regular girl–without paparazzi trailing her every move, and without people being nice just because, well, she’s Star Beck. And when she discovers that her mom has been lying to her for years about something very important, Star decides to find out what the world beyond her stage is like after all.

In the blink of an emerald green eye, Star finds herself . . . buying a car. Eating cheeseburgers. Swapping her stilettos for flip-flops. Getting a job that doesn’t require dancing, winking, or mall appearances. And falling for the cutest, realest boy she’s ever met. But how will she know if he feels the same way? Because for once in her life, someone is going to have to like her for who she really is.