Monday, December 26, 2011

A Dozen Deadly Roses - Bennett, Kathy

A Dozen Deadly Roses is another 99 cent bargain. This is a great mystery written from a veteran cop's perspective.



Officer Jade Donovan is a five year veteran with the LA police department. When this novel gets started, she finds her self assigned as the training office to a rookie named Mac Stryker. The same Mac Stryker who used to be her training officer when she was a rookie. The fact that he resigned in disgrace back then makes their working together awkward at best, and neither is happy with the assignment. A fact that the police LT who made the assignment, is well aware of. The fact that someone is stalking Jade, and she can't trust anyone in or out of the department, adds to the tension in this fast paced thriller. I would have preferred that the issue of the father of Jade's son didn't drag out so long, but I really enjoyed the book and I'll look for more from Bennett. Highly recommended.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward - Lovecraft, H.P.

This story is from The Essential H.P. Lovecraft Collection. The Case of Charles Dexter Ward is about a young man who delved too far into his ancestor's past and paid a frightful price.



Charles Ward was an inquisitive young man. In his research of his family and home town of Providence RI, he found allusions to an infamous ancestor Joseph Curwen. This ancestor's traces had been systematically erased from the public record. Charles should have left well enough alone. Lots of twists in a story written in 1927. Highly recommended.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

The Desert Waits - Black, J. Carson

The Desert Waits is a 99 cent book that's worth much more than I paid. This is a good murder mystery with some interesting twists.



Alex gets a message from her old friend Caroline to come to the desert because she's needed. When Alex gets there she finds her friend in a strange mood and threatened by a stalker. Then Caroline is killed and the mystery deepens. This story has some great descriptions of the desert and the animals who inhabit it, in addition to plenty of murders and bad guys. Highly recommended.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

The Litigators - Grisham, John

The Litigators is the story of a young lawyer who decides the rat race of a big law firm is not what he wants, after an awe inspiring panic attack and drinking binge. When his head clears he finds he's landed at a small boutique law firm. Boutique being a euphamism for ambulance chasers.



David Zinc is doing drudge work, that pays an amazing amount, at a very prestigious law firm. One morning he find himself panicked at the thought of going back to work. His ensuing flight finds him at the law firm of Finley & Figg, two ambulance chasers who are barely scraping by and looking for the big case that will make them rich. Finley & Figg think they have their big case with a drug that may cause heart attacks or strokes. It turns out they've taken on more than they can handle. Another great Grisham novel. Very highly recommended.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

A Killing Tide - Alderman, P.J.

A Killing Tide is a murder mystery with a romantic twist. At $2.99 this book is a real bargain.



Kaz Jorgensen came back to the town of Astoria, on the Columbia river, because she got a call that her brother needed her help. Their family fishing business isn't the only thing having problems. When one of their boats burns and a body is found on board, the new fire chief takes an interest in Kaz. That interest starts as suspicion and changes to something else. There's plenty of action and intrigue. I good mystery to keep you reading past bedtime. Highly recommended.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Death By Sarcasm - Amore, Dani

Death By Sarcasm works on many levels. It's a great detective story, it's got more one-liners than Henny Youngman, and it has a protagonist who does more shooting than Dirty Harry. It's another 99 cent winner.



Mary Cooper is a P.I. stranded in a family of comedians. She couldn't give a straight answer with a gun to her head, and she proves that more than once in this book. When her uncle is murdered behind a comedy club Mary's determined to track down the killer. The question is, will she find the killer before the killer finds her? Very highly recommended.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Wish List - Locke, John Locke

Wish List is a Donovan Creed Novel. Creed gets a call for help from an old friend's brother. Creed comes to the rescue, but sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.



Buddy Pancake and his drinking buddies found a site on the web where they could make four wishes. They discovered you should be careful what you wish for. Creed comes to the rescue in is typical amoral train wreck style. Very highly recommended.

The Call of Cthulhu - Lovecraft, H.P.

This story is from The Essential H.P. Lovecraft Collection. The Call of Cthulhu is about a young man who's come to understand that ignorance is bliss. What he's learned has him scared for his life and his sanity.



Professor George Angell died suddenly from a fall, and his great nephew, Francis Thurston, begins to think it was not an accident. While going through his great uncle's papers Thurston is fascinated by, and begins to investigate, an evil looking statue that was inspired by a dream. What Thurston eventually uncovers is something he wishes he'd never brought to light. Reading Lovecraft after dark can be hazardous to peaceful slumber. Highly recommended.

Monday, December 5, 2011

A Wild Light - Liu, Marjorie M.

A Wild Light is the third Hunter Kiss novel. It's been a while since I've become entangled in a Hunter Kiss book. Too long. I recommend reading them in order. And don't miss the short stories that crop up in anthologies and other works.



Maxine wakes up from her birthday party covered in blood, and laying next to her grandfather's dead body. This novel starts out at a fast run and never slows down. Fighting zombies and demons is bread and butter to Maxine and her boys, and they have plenty of fighting to do in this book. The veil is open and somebody's going to have to close it or humanity will pay in rivers of blood. Very highly recommended.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Dark That Day, After All - McIntyre, Jason

Dark That Day, After All is a short story taken from the anthology Black Light of Day. It was free. That's something I find very appealing in any kindle fare.



Two old men sit on a bench where they can get a good view of the first solar eclipse in decades. Where have their paths crossed before? How will they cross today? This is a chilling little tale to whet your appetite for more. I believe I'll try the anthology. Highly recommended.

Friday, December 2, 2011

At the Mountains of Madness - Lovecraft, H. P.

This novel is from The Essential H.P. Lovecraft Collection. This collection contains 20 of Lovecraft's works and I intend to review them separately. They're all out of copyright and are available free somewhere. I first read many of these in high school, decades ago. I got this 99 cent collection to make it simpler to reread some books that kept me awake long after I finished reading, listening for something to go bump in the night.



This story has been credited with the inspiration for the movie The Thing. The narrator is the leader of a scientific expedition to the antarctic. The scientists who survived discovered things that were so horrific they didn't report them initially. Now a second expedition is being formed, and in order to avoid a terrible catastrophe the narrator is describing the expedition's findings in more chilling detail. The language is out of date, but the story is timeless. Highly recommended.